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Chapter 24 records the reign of Joash (835-796). He re-established religion and restored civil government. While Jehoiada, the High Priest lived, Joash did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, but after the Priest's death, Joash set up the worship of Baal and put Zechariah, the Prophet, to death. In judgment, God sent the Syrians to invade Judah and Joash was struck with fear that resulted in sores over all his body and his servants killed him. With his death, his son, Amaziah, became King of Judah.
Joash was seven years old when he became King of Judah. He reigned 40 years in Jerusalem. At first Joash tried to please the Lord, he sent Levites to the cities of Judah to collect monies for the repair of the Temple. The Levites delayed their charge and Joash called in the High Priest to determine why the Levites had not done as he asked. What he had asked them to do was to obey a law that had been set up by Moses for the purpose of maintaining the Temple. The followers of the wicked King Athaliah had ravaged the Temple and removed everything that had been dedicated to the worship of God and put them in the Temple to the pagan god Baalam.
To expedite the repairs a chest was placed at the Temple Gate and a proclamation was sent throughout Judah that all people should bring to Jerusalem and place in the chest the tax that Moses had ordered for this purpose. Money began to pour in and the Levites would take the chest to the King's Accounting Office where the money was given to the building superintendent and he, in turn, hired workmen to do the repairs to the Temple.
Repairs and the Temple services continued as long as Johoiada, the High Priest, lived. He died at the age of 130 and was buried in the City of David amongst the Kings of Israel because he had done so much good for the Temple. After his death, the leaders of Judah came to Joash and induced him to discontinue Temple worship and return to idol worship and for this, the wrath of God came down upon Judah. Johoiada's son called a meeting of the people and condemned the idol worship and Joash had him killed in the Court Yard of the Temple. His last words were to call down the wrath of God upon Judah and within a few months, the army of Syria came down upon Judah and conquered them killing all the leaders of the nation and taking much booty back to Damascus. In that way, God executed judgment upon Joash.
The Syrian Army left Joash severely wounded and his own officers decided to kill him. At his death, his son Amaziah became King of Judah.
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