Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: 2 Chronicles 24 · Commentary
24:20 "The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, 'God says, "Why do you transgress Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you."'"
24:22 "Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May Yahweh look at it, and repay it.”"
2 Chronicles 24:22（World English Bible）
Second Chronicles 24 records the long reign of Joash, beginning with promise under Jehoiada's guidance and ending in apostasy, prophetic rejection, and judgment.
This chapter belongs to Chronicles' account of the divided monarchy, showing how covenant faithfulness can collapse when a leader depends on a godly mentor without personally seeking God.
24:20 "The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’”"
2 Chronicles 24:20（World English Bible）
Joash's life is like a mirror, reflecting a deeper question: Is your faith "borrowed" or "your own"?
Many Christians initially come to know God because of a good pastor, a group of good brothers and sisters, or a warm church. This is a beautiful starting point. But if faith always remains at the stage of "I believe because of someone," when that person leaves or that environment changes, faith will collapse like Joash's.
God does not expect us to remain "spiritual infants" forever, dependent on others for nourishment. He expects each person to know Him personally, not through others' experiences, but through their own relationship with God. Jehoiada gave Joash the best spiritual environment, but no one can believe in God for another person.
The good news is: God's patience with Joash is also His patience with us. Even if we are weak and stumble, He still sends prophets, through Scripture, through brothers and sisters, through life experiences, constantly calling us to turn back. The key is: Are you willing to listen?
Joash's faith was entirely dependent on Jehoiada's presence. In your faith journey, have you ever been overly dependent on a particular person or environment? If that person left or the environment changed, would your faith waver?
God sent several prophets to warn Joash, but he refused to listen. In your life, does God also speak to you in various ways? Are you truly listening?
Before his death, Zechariah said, "May Yahweh look at it, and require it," entrusting judgment to God. When you are treated unfairly, do you choose to seek revenge yourself, or do you trust in God's justice?
24:1-2 "Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, of Beersheba. Joash did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes all the days of Jehoiada the priest."
2 Chronicles 24:1-2（World English Bible）
Joash was the youngest king to ascend the throne in Judah's history, becoming king at seven years old, a miraculous preservation by God amidst Athaliah's massacre (22:10-12). The Chronicler uses a crucial qualifying phrase: "all the days of Jehoiada the priest" (literally: "in the days of Jehoiada"), foreshadowing the narrative tension of the entire chapter: Joash's piety was not an outflow of his inner life, but rather the constraint of an external spiritual authority. This qualifier is specifically emphasized by the Chronicler beyond the account in Kings, laying a narrative groundwork at the beginning of the story.
A reign of forty years was quite long among the kings of Judah (approximately 835-796 BC), which makes his end even more regrettable; a long reign does not equate to lasting faithfulness.
24:3 "Jehoiada took for him two wives, and he became the father of sons and daughters."
2 Chronicles 24:3（World English Bible）
Jehoiada was not only Joash's spiritual mentor but also acted as his de facto guardian. Arranging a marriage for the young king to ensure the continuation of the royal lineage was highly significant given the near extinction of the Davidic dynasty. "Two wives" was both a legal custom of the time and reflected the urgent need to perpetuate the royal offspring.
24:4-5 "After this, Joash intended to restore Yahweh’s house. He gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather money to repair the house of your God from all Israel from year to year. See that you expedite this matter.” However the Levites didn’t do it right away."
2 Chronicles 24:4-5（World English Bible）
Joash's plan to repair the temple was in itself an excellent motivation. During Athaliah's reign, her sons had "broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of Yahweh they bestowed on the Baals" (24:7), severely damaging the temple. A child who grew up in the temple and was sheltered by it now sought to restore the very temple that had protected his life; this narrative detail is full of echoes of gratitude.
However, the Levites' reaction was disappointing: "they didn’t do it diligently." Here, "restore" uses חָדַשׁ (chadash, to renew), sharing a root with the noun "new," implying that the temple repair was not just physical mending but also spiritual renewal. But the Levites' passive resistance constituted "soft resistance." The Chronicler does not elaborate on the reasons, but it may have involved the Levites' reluctance to give up the money they collected (cf. the parallel account in 2 Kings 12:4-8).
24:6 "The king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said to him, “Why haven’t you required of the Levites to bring in the tax of Moses the servant of Yahweh, and of the assembly of Israel, out of Judah and out of Jerusalem, for the Tent of the Testimony?”"
2 Chronicles 24:6（World English Bible）
Here Joash demonstrates rare spiritual insight, tracing back to the precedent of Moses' time. Exodus 35:4-29 records that Moses initiated a nationwide offering for the construction of the tabernacle, and the people willingly brought materials, so much so that the craftsmen said, "The people bring much more than enough" (Exodus 36:5-7). Joash's logic is clear: if Moses could do it, so can we. He even questioned Jehoiada, showing respect for his mentor but not relinquishing his royal responsibility in temple matters.
24:7 "For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up God’s house; and they also gave all the dedicated things of Yahweh’s house to the Baals."
2 Chronicles 24:7（World English Bible）
This is information unique to Chronicles (not recorded in Kings), explaining why the temple needed repair. The phrase "Athaliah, that wicked woman" is quite rare; the Chronicler seldom uses such a direct pejorative. She not only usurped political power but also committed religious desecration, taking the articles from Yahweh's temple to offer to Baal, which was the most severe betrayal of the covenant.
24:8-10 "So the king commanded, and they made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of Yahweh’s house. They made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in for Yahweh the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had filled it."
2 Chronicles 24:8-10（World English Bible）
Faced with the Levites' inaction, Joash demonstrated administrative creativity. He did not continue to press the Levites but changed the entire fundraising mechanism: he set up a public and transparent offering chest outside the temple gate (rather than entrusting it to intermediaries), allowing the people to contribute directly. This institutional innovation had several clever aspects:
"All the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest": This "rejoiced" (שָׂמַח, samach) echoes the people's willingness when Moses built the tabernacle (Exodus 35:29), and also David's joy when preparing materials for the temple (1 Chronicles 29:9). In the theology of Chronicles, willing offerings are always accompanied by joy.
24:11-13 "Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance. The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of Yahweh’s house. They hired masons and carpenters to restore Yahweh’s house, and also those who worked iron and brass to repair Yahweh’s house. So the workmen worked, and the work of repairing went forward in their hands. They set up God’s house as it was designed, and strengthened it."
2 Chronicles 24:11-13（World English Bible）
"Day by day": This was not a one-time burst of enthusiasm but continuous and steady giving. "The king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer" jointly counted the money, demonstrating the cooperation between royal and priestly authority, as well as the institutional wisdom of mutual oversight. The money was sufficient to hire masons, carpenters, ironworkers, and bronze workers; the Chronicler lists these four types of craftsmen one by one, allowing readers to visualize a complete construction team.
"Set up the house of God in its state, and strengthened it": This echoes the glory of Solomon's temple. The repair was not a makeshift fix but a restoration to the original standard, and even stronger. In the theological framework of Chronicles, the restoration of the temple symbolizes the restoration of the relationship between God and His people.
24:14 "When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, from which were made vessels for Yahweh’s house, even vessels with which to minister and to offer, including spoons and vessels of gold and silver. They offered burnt offerings in Yahweh’s house continually all the days of Jehoiada."
2 Chronicles 24:14（World English Bible）
The project was not only completed on time, but there was also money left over, enough to make temple vessels. These were precisely the vessels that Athaliah's sons had broken and taken to offer to Baal (24:7), now being remade. This is a perfect narrative of restoration: destruction → rebuilding → restoration of worship.
But the last sentence again features that ominous qualifier: "all the days of Jehoiada." The restoration of burnt offerings, the repair of the temple—all the beautiful scenes were tied to the existence of one person. Readers already know that this state of affairs will not last.
24:15-16 "But Jehoiada grew old and was full of days, and he died. He was one hundred thirty years old when he died. They buried him in David’s city among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house."
2 Chronicles 24:15-16（World English Bible）
These two verses are the turning point and hinge of the entire chapter, and also one of the most unusual records in Chronicles.
First, the age: one hundred thirty years old. This age far exceeds the normal lifespan of that time, approaching the standard of the patriarchal era (Joseph lived to be one hundred ten years old, Gen 50:26). Scholars have different understandings of this, but whether literal or symbolic, it conveys a message: God granted Jehoiada an extremely long life as a blessing for his faithful service.
Even more astonishing is the burial place: "in the city of David among the kings." Jehoiada was not a king; he was a priest. For a priest to receive the burial honors of a king was unprecedented in the history of Judah. The Chronicler records this honor, forming a deliberate and ironic contrast with Joash later "not buried in the tombs of the kings" (24:25): the priest received a king's burial, while the king was deprived of a king's burial. In God's eyes, true honor belongs to those who "had done good in Israel, and toward God and his house," not to those who sit on the throne but are ungrateful.
24:17 "Now after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Judah came, and bowed down to the king. Then the king listened to them."
2 Chronicles 24:17（World English Bible）
Immediately after Jehoiada's death, "the princes of Judah" appeared. These men dared not act presumptuously while Jehoiada was alive, but now they found an opportunity. "Came, and bowed down to the king" was outwardly respectful, but actually an attempt to win him over. They recognized Joash's weakness: he lacked an independent spiritual foundation.
"Then the king listened to them": These five words mark the most painful turning point in the entire chapter. The same Joash, who once listened to Jehoiada to repair the temple, now listened to the leaders and abandoned the temple. His problem was not fundamentally about what he did, but that he was a person who was always "listening" to others; his faith was never his own.
24:18 "They abandoned the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherah poles and the idols, so wrath came on Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness."
2 Chronicles 24:18（World English Bible）
The irony is extreme: the temple that Joash personally restored was now personally abandoned by him. The temple he spent years and mobilized national resources to repair was instantly cast aside for the worship of Asherah and idols. This was not the sin of the ignorant, but the betrayal of the grateful. The severity of the sin increased with the magnitude of the grace.
Asherah (אֲשֵׁרָה, Asherah) was the Canaanite goddess of fertility, usually represented by a wooden pole erected at places of worship. Her worship repeatedly appeared in Judah (cf. 2 Chron 15:16, Maacah made an abominable image for Asherah), and was one of the most stubborn forms of idolatry.
24:19 "Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again to Yahweh, and they testified against them; but they would not listen."
2 Chronicles 24:19（World English Bible）
This verse demonstrates God's patience. He did not immediately punish after one sin, but "sent prophets" (plural), repeatedly warning and giving the people an opportunity to repent. This is a recurring theological pattern in Chronicles (cf. 2 Chron 36:15-16): God does not easily abandon His people, always first sending messengers to call them to return. But the extension of grace does not mean the cancellation of judgment: "but they would not give ear" already set the stage for the coming of judgment.
24:20 "The Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you disobey Yahweh’s commandments, so that you can’t prosper? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, he has also forsaken you.’”"
2 Chronicles 24:20（World English Bible）
After the rejection of the prophets, God sent a special messenger, Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada. This choice is full of theological significance: Zechariah was not only a prophet but also the son of Jehoiada, the very benefactor who had risked his life to protect Joash, installed him as king, arranged his marriage, and assisted him in repairing the temple. God's last chance for Joash was conveyed through a member of his benefactor's family.
"The Spirit of God came on (לָבְשָׁה, labeshah, literally "clothed")": The imagery of this word is very strong: the Holy Spirit "clothed" Zechariah like a garment, indicating that this was not Zechariah's personal courage, but the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through him. The same expression appears with the judge Gideon (Judges 6:34), indicating that the Spirit of God completely controlled this person.
Zechariah's message was concise and powerful, with clear logic: You have forsaken Yahweh → Therefore you cannot prosper → Because He has also forsaken you. This is the most refined expression of the core theology of Chronicles, the principle of retribution.
24:21 "They conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of Yahweh’s house."
2 Chronicles 24:21（World English Bible）
This is the most shocking verse in the entire chapter. The place where Zechariah was killed: "in the court of Yahweh’s house": this made it not just a murder, but a desecration. The temple that Joash repaired now became the execution ground for his benefactor's son. Stones, which were tools for executing God's law (Lev 24:14), were now used to kill God's prophet. Every detail is an accusation: he killed the son of the priest in the court of the temple, and this priest had saved his life in this same temple.
24:22 "Thus Joash the king didn’t remember the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but killed his son. When he died, he said, “May Yahweh look at it, and repay it.”"
2 Chronicles 24:22（World English Bible）
The Chronicler rarely makes such a direct moral judgment: "didn’t remember the kindness... had done to him." This was not an ordinary sin; it was the pinnacle of ingratitude. Jehoiada risked his life to hide him for six years, orchestrated a coup to make him king, and assisted him for forty years. Joash completely forgot all this kindness and instead killed his benefactor's son. In biblical ethics, ingratitude is a very serious sin (cf. Rom 1:21, not thanking God is the starting point of depravity).
Zechariah's dying cry, "May Yahweh look at it, and require it!" was not a personal curse, but a declaration of faith that entrusted judgment to God. This contrasts with Jesus' prayer on the cross, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). Zechariah asked God to look at it, while Jesus asked God to forgive. The Lord Jesus Himself mentioned this event (Matt 23:35), listing Zechariah as a representative of Old Testament martyrs.
24:23-24 "At the end of the year, the army of the Syrians came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all their plunder to the king of Damascus. For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men; and Yahweh delivered a very great army into their hand, because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. So they executed judgment on Joash."
2 Chronicles 24:23-24（World English Bible）
Judgment came swiftly: "When the year was expired," Zechariah's blood had not yet dried, and retribution arrived. A "small company" of Syrian soldiers defeated Judah's "very great army": this completely overturned normal military logic, and the Chronicler clearly pointed out the reason: "Yahweh delivered a very great army into their hand." In 2 Chronicles 20, during Jehoshaphat's time, God protected Judah by enabling the few to defeat the many; now, the same "few defeating the many" became a form of punishment. The outcome of war does not depend on the comparison of military strength, but on which side God stands.
Those killed were "all the princes of the people": these were precisely the ones who, in 24:17, enticed Joash to forsake God. The tempters became the first objects of judgment.
24:25 "When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed, and he died. They buried him in David’s city, but they didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings."
2 Chronicles 24:25（World English Bible）
Joash's end and Jehoiada's end form the most striking contrast in Chronicles:
| Comparison Item | Jehoiada (Priest) | Joash (King) |
|---|---|---|
| Lifespan | One hundred thirty years, full of days | Afflicted with severe illness, assassinated |
| Cause of Death | Died a good death | Murdered on his bed by his servants |
| Burial Place | Tombs of the kings in the city of David | City of David, not buried in the tombs of the kings |
| Evaluation | Did good, served God | Did not remember the kindness shown |
"They didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings" was the ultimate humiliation. Although Joash reigned for forty years, after his death he was stripped of the honor of a king. The priest received a king's burial, while the king lost a king's burial. The Chronicler used the contrast in burials to declare God's final verdict on faithfulness and betrayal.
"Now those who conspired against him were Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. As for his sons, and the greatness of the burdens laid on him, and the rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the commentary of the book of the kings. Amaziah his son reigned in his place." (24:25b-27)
The two servants who assassinated Joash, Zabad and Jehozabad, were sons of foreign women (an Ammonitess and a Moabitess). Some scholars believe this suggests that foreign influence had already infiltrated Joash's palace. The Chronicler specifically mentioned "the greatness of the burdens laid on him" (literally, "the multitude of prophetic pronouncements concerning him"), which is a meaningful summary: Joash received many spiritual warnings throughout his life, but he chose not to listen.
| Theme | Content | Scripture Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Borrowed faith is unreliable | Joash's piety was entirely dependent on Jehoiada's presence; his faith collapsed once his mentor was gone. | 24:2, 17-18 |
| Ingratitude accelerates sin | Forgetting God's and man's grace is a critical turning point towards apostasy. | 24:22 |
| God's patience and the certainty of judgment | Many prophets were sent to warn (extension of grace), but impenitence inevitably leads to judgment. | 24:19, 23-24 |
| Reversal of "few against many" | The same military miracle can protect the faithful and punish the rebellious. | 24:24 (cf. 20:22-25) |
| The theology of funerals: the true standard of honor | A faithful priest is buried in the royal tombs; a rebellious king is excluded from the royal tombs. | 24:16 vs 24:25 |
| Character | Identity | Core Action | Chronicles' Evaluation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joash | King of Judah, the only survivor among David's descendants | Repaired the temple and worshipped in his early life; abandoned God and killed prophets in his later life. | Did good only while Jehoiada was alive; a typical example of ingratitude. |
| Jehoiada | High Priest, Joash's spiritual mentor and guardian | Protected the young king, led the coup, assisted in temple repair. | Buried in the tombs of the kings: the only precedent of a priest receiving royal honor. |
| Zechariah | Son of Jehoiada, priest and prophet | Moved by the Holy Spirit to rebuke the people, martyred in the temple courtyard. | Representative of Old Testament martyrs, personally remembered by the Lord Jesus. |
| Leaders of Judah | Court nobles | After Jehoiada's death, they enticed Joash to abandon God. | The tempters themselves were the first to be killed by the Aramean army. |
| Zabad and Jehozabad | Sons of foreign women, royal servants | Assassinated Joash in his bed while he was severely ill. | Executors of judgment. |
| Original | Transliteration | WEB Translation | Meaning and Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| חָדַשׁ (chadash) | chadash | repair | To make new, restore, a verb used to describe temple renovation. Cognate with the noun חָדָשׁ (new), implying that temple repair is not just physical restoration but also spiritual renewal. |
| לָבַשׁ (lavash) | lavash | clothed (lit. "put on") | The Holy Spirit "clothed" Zechariah (24:20), expressing the imagery of the Holy Spirit completely controlling the prophet. Also used for Gideon (Judges 6:34) and 1 Chronicles 12:18. |
| חֶסֶד (chesed) | chesed | kindness (24:22 "kindness") | Covenant loyalty, steadfast love. Joash "didn't remember chesed," meaning he forgot the core obligation of loyalty in the covenant relationship. |
| דָּרַשׁ (darash) | darash | avenge/seek | To seek, to investigate. Zechariah's dying words, "May Yahweh darash": asking God to investigate this bloodshed. This word is also often used in Chronicles for "seeking God" (e.g., 2 Chronicles 15:2). |
| אָרוֹן (aron) | aron | chest | The offering chest in 24:8. Interestingly, the same word is used for the ark of the covenant (aron ha-berit), implying that the act of offering is inextricably linked to the covenant relationship. |
This chapter centers on Jehoiada's life and death, forming a perfect symmetrical reversal structure:
A Joash acts righteously under Jehoiada's influence (24:1-3)
B Temple repair, restoration of worship (24:4-14)
C **Turning Point**Jehoiada's death, buried in the royal tombs (24:15-16)
B' Temple abandoned, idol worship (24:17-19)
A' Joash kills Jehoiada's son, not buried in the royal tombs (24:20-27)
| Symmetrical Layer | First Half (Light) | Second Half (Darkness) |
|---|---|---|
| A / A' | Did what was right in Yahweh's eyes | Killed the prophet, killed by his servants |
| B / B' | All the people willingly offered to repair the temple | Abandoned the temple to worship idols |
| C | Jehoiada's death: watershed | : |
This structure reveals the Chronicler's core narrative strategy: Joash's story is not a simple "good then bad" transformation, but rather two facets of the same person under different spiritual environments. He was always a person shaped by external forces, never having established an inner spiritual life.
In the ancient Near Eastern world, repairing temples was one of the king's most central religious obligations. In Mesopotamian royal inscriptions, almost every king meticulously recorded their achievements in restoring or expanding temples. Nabonidus of Babylon was even accused of neglecting state affairs due to his excessive obsession with repairing the temple of the moon god Nanna/Sin.
Joash's system of the offering chest also has parallels in the ancient Near East. Containers for collecting offerings have been found in temples in Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, Joash's innovation lay in its public transparency: the chest was placed outside the temple gate, not hidden in the inner sanctuary. This was a systemic response to the idleness of the Levites in the intermediary process.
In the ancient Near East, it was not uncommon for prophets (or similar religious advisors) to be killed by kings. Mari documents record that prophets often faced mortal danger when delivering unfavorable messages. However, the biblical tradition has a unique aspect: the blood of prophets would not be shed in vain; God would avenge His prophets. This belief appears repeatedly throughout the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kings 21:19, Naboth's blood; 2 Kings 9:7, Jezebel's blood), forming Israel's unique "theology of prophetic martyrdom."
During Joash's time, Aram (Damascus) was in the strong period of King Hazael. Hazael usurped the throne around 842 BC (2 Kings 8:15) and subsequently expanded southward, attacking not only Israel but also invading Judah. Archaeological excavations at Tel Dan have uncovered Hazael's inscription, in which he boasts of conquering Israel and Judah. The Aramean invasion recorded in 2 Chronicles 24 perfectly aligns with this historical background.
"All the days of Jehoiada, Joash did what was right in Yahweh's eyes" (24:2). This limiting phrase is called "foregrounding" in narratology: it hints at a tragic ending at the very beginning of the story, making readers feel a constant unease while reading the brighter chapters. The Chronicler repeats this phrase in 24:14 ("all the days of Jehoiada"), doubly reinforcing this foreshadowing.
The temple plays a threefold role in this chapter:
The same space carries three diametrically opposed functions, creating a very sharp spatial irony: Joash was protected and grew up in the temple, led its repair in the temple, and finally killed the son of his benefactor, who had protected him, in the temple.
Jehoiada's burial in the tombs of the kings (24:16) and Joash's not being buried in the tombs of the kings (24:25) are located in the middle and at the end of the narrative, respectively, forming an evaluative framework. The entire story is framed by the question "Who is worthy of burial in the royal tombs?", guiding readers to ponder: what constitutes true royal honor?
The core formula of Chronicles, "seeking God leads to prosperity, forsaking God leads to decline," reaches its most extreme expression in Joash. He was not a Gentile who "never knew God," but a person who grew up in God's temple, was raised by God's priest, and personally repaired God's temple. His "forsaking" is therefore particularly shocking, and his judgment is consequently particularly severe. This tells later readers: the more one knows, the greater the responsibility; the greater the grace, the greater the cost of betrayal.
Zechariah's martyrdom is personally cited by the Lord Jesus in the New Testament: "that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar" (Matthew 23:35). Jesus positions Zechariah as the endpoint of the Old Testament martyrdom lineage (from Abel in Genesis to Zechariah in Chronicles, the martyrs in the first and last books of the Hebrew Bible canon).
However, Zechariah's cry was, "May Yahweh see and avenge!" while Jesus' prayer on the cross was, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34). From the Old Testament's plea for vengeance to the New Testament's plea for forgiveness, this is the progression of redemptive history. It is not that Zechariah's prayer was wrong, but that Christ elevated grace to a height Zechariah could not have imagined.
Joash's temple repair is one of three major temple repairs in the Old Testament:
| Repair | Period | Scripture | Characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joash's Temple Repair | c. 820 BC | 2 Chr 24:4-14 | Innovation of the offering chest system |
| Josiah's Temple Repair | c. 622 BC | 2 Chr 34:8-13 | Discovery of the Book of the Law |
| Zerubbabel's Reconstruction | c. 515 BC | Ezra 3-6 | Reconstruction after the return from exile |
All three repairs occurred after periods of spiritual decline and were accompanied by spiritual revival. However, Joash's temple repair is particularly poignant, as the one who repaired the temple himself became one who abandoned it; the builder became a destroyer.
| Old Testament Scripture | New Testament Echo | Related Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 24:20-21 Zechariah killed in the temple | Matt 23:35 Jesus says, "the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar" | Jesus designates Zechariah as the endpoint of the Old Testament martyr lineage |
| 24:22 "May Yahweh look on it and avenge it" | Luke 23:34 "Father, forgive them" | From seeking vengeance in the Old Testament to seeking forgiveness in the New Testament: the progression of redemptive history |
| 24:19 God sent prophets to warn | Matt 21:33-39 Parable of the wicked tenants: the owner sent servants | God repeatedly sent prophets, and finally sent His Son |
| 24:2 Joash did good only when his mentor was present | Phil 2:12 "not only as in my presence, but now much more in my absence" | Paul's demand for independent faith: not dependent on the presence of spiritual leaders |
| 24:8-10 Willing offerings | 2 Cor 9:7 "Each man must give as he has made up his mind in his heart; not grudgingly, or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver" | The principle of willing giving continues from the Old Testament to the New Testament |
| 24:24 Judgment of victory with few against many | Rom 1:24 "Therefore God also gave them up" | God's judgment is sometimes "giving them up": withdrawing protection and allowing consequences to naturally occur |