Jehoiada the priest, his son Zechariah,
and King Joash
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. And they left the house of the LORD God of their fathers, and served groves and idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their trespass. Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto the LORD; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear. And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you. And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The LORD look upon it, and require it.-2 Chronicles 24:17-22***Joash (Jehoash) was born to King Ahaziah and Zibiah. Ahaziah was born to King Joram (Jehoram) and Athaliah. Joram was the 5th king to rule Judah, the southern nation in the Promised Land, and Ahaziah was the 6th king to rule Judah. When Athaliah learned that Ahaziah was dead, she began putting her royal descendants to death and became ruler of the kingdom. Jehosheba (Jehoshabeath) was Ahaziah's sister and the wife of Jehoiada the priest. Jehosheba hid Ahaziah's 1-year-old son Joash (Jehoash) and Joash's nurse, and Joash remained hidden 6 years in a bedchamber in the temple of the Lord, with Jehoiada's knowledge. When Joash was 7 years old, Jehoiada and his sons presented Joash to their fellow Israelites as the rightful ruler of Judah. Jehoiada and his sons anointed Joash, and Joash became the 7th king to rule Judah. Jehoiada mentored Joash and taught Joash to obey the commandments, judgments, statutes, and laws that the Lord God gave for the Israelites. Joash commanded that the temple of the Lord be repaired and Joash enacted a collection system whereby funds were received and distributed to pay for materials and workmen. After 130-year-old Jehoiada died, Joash joined the actions of his idol worshiping peers. Joash disregarded the temple of the Lord, and Joash and many of the Israelites worshiped idols. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that Athaliah and Joram were idol worshipers, and when they reigned many Israelites worshiped idols. Joram's great-grandfather King Abijam (Abijah) was an idol worshiper, and the 2nd king to rule Judah. During Abijam's 3-year reign, many Israelites worshiped idols. Abijam's father King Rehoboam was an idol worshiper and the 1st king to rule Judah. Many Israelites worshiped idols during Rehoboam's 17-year reign. The Lord God sent prophets to speak to the idol worshiping Israelites. However, the Israelites refused to believe or listen to the prophets. Joash's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Jehoiakim (Eliakim) was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's 11-year reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem, the royal city, and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the son born to Jehoiakim and Neshustha, was the 18th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiachin's 3-month reign, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin, his wives and mother, to Babylon. During the 11th year of the reign of Jehoiakim's brother King Zedekiah (Mattaniah), the 19th king to rule Judah, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that over 125 years before Jerusalem was conquered, the Assyrians invaded the northern nation of Israel in the Promised Land and conquered the royal city, Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah, the tribe of Judah's kings, to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 10:1-29:30, 2 Chronicles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26