When the Arameans withdrew, they left Joash severely wounded. His officials conspired against him for murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest, and they killed him in his bed. So he died and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. – 2 Chronicles 24:25

Today's Scripture Reading (January 30, 2023): 2 Chronicles 24

Beginnings often don't reveal the end. Or as Yoda (Star Wars) phrased it, "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future." The problem with the future is that it is heavily influenced by the actions that we, as well as those around us, take today. The smallest decision, for good, bad, or somewhere in between, can move the future by vast distances. Today sets up tomorrow and pushes it in a way that is either beneficial or detrimental to the rest of our lives. It is why what we do today matters so much.

Joash ascended to the throne of Judah at the age of seven. The reign of Joash began with the cheers of the people. After the violence that took place during the reign of Athaliah, Joash's grandmother, a respite was needed. Early in his reign, Joash possessed the benefit of the wisdom of the Priest Jehoiada, and together they had set the nation on a path that honored God. Between the teachable spirit that the child possessed and the priest's wisdom, Joash's reign began with an abundance of promise.

But then the Priest had died, and the reign of Joash turned. Joash began to listen to the princes and members of the Royal family more than the priests. As a result, Joash descended so far into evil that he even had the high priest Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, executed in the Temple where he served. It might have been this very issue that Jesus was referencing in Matthew 23. Speaking to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, Jesus said: "And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar" (Matthew 23:35). While the name doesn't quite match, scholars wonder if it could be an error in the copying process or if this Zechariah was the grandson of Jehoida. The Hebrew word for son can sometimes be imprecise, and it can mean descendent as well as son. One of Jesus's titles is "The Son of David," even though Jesus was the son of Joseph and a descendant of David and separated from the famous King by around thirty generations. In the same way, Zechariah may have been the son of Berekiah and the grandson of Jehoiada, and it was this Zechariah about whom Jesus was speaking.

But regardless of the question of identity, rabbinical literature says that Zechariah's death caused the palace officials to turn against the King. And a reign that began with the people cheering for the new King ended with his assassination. The future had moved to a point that no one could have predicted in the beginning.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 12

See Also 2 Kings 12:21