Kings of the Jews: The Origins of the Jewish Nation

Joash

KINGS OF THE JEWS 114 JOASH 835–796 BCE No king of the Jews had ever ascended the throne the way Joash did, and none ever would. As a baby he had been saved by his aunt, Jehoshaba, and her husband , High Priest Jehoiada, from death at the hands of his grandmother, Queen Athaliah, and he was anointed monarch at the age of seven in a coup consummated in the Temple in Jerusalem, during which Athaliah was killed by the Temple guards. Dedicated to the spread of pagan worship in Judah, she had consigned Jehoiada and other priests of Yahweh to a subsidiary role in the kingdom. But for the first time in Jewish history, in successfully plotting against her, the priesthood had demonstrated overriding political power. It had been instrumental in deposing one ruler and installing another. The high priest then effectively ruled the kingdom as regent for Joash until he was a young man. During that period, the Temple area was cleansed of pagan rites and influences. Even after Joash was old enough to dispense with a regent, Jehoiada and the priesthood sought to dominate affairs of state and managed to do so for a time. But the king eventually extracted himself from their controlling influence. He seized upon their failure to make essential repairs to the Temple with funds that had been provided for the work and decreed they were to receive no further funding for that purpose. Instead he supervised a campaign to raise voluntary contributions from the populace so that renovation of the Temple structure could be properly undertaken. His personal involvement was highly symbolic, closely identifying him with the spiritual commitments of his people. But Joash owed Jehoiada his life as well as his royal elevation and not until the high priest died did the clash between the king and the priesthood reach a climax. When Jehoiada’s son, the priest Zechariah, attempted to perpetuate enhanced priestly privileges and openly criticized the king for neglecting his religious duties, Joash had him executed. He was not able to deal as effectively with other of his problems. Recent misrule had cost Judah its earlier wealth, including that accruing from control of the trade routes through previously subservient neighboring states. Denied the resources to sustain a strong army, Joash was unable to maintain his kingdom’s KINGS OF JUDAH 115 security. The Philistines and Edomites renewed long-suspended plundering raids and the Aramaeans of Damascus made deep inroads, even advancing on Jerusalem . Joash virtually emptied his treasury to buy them off and save the capital. His reign had been promising in the early years, after he had grown old enough to exercise authority. But his impotence in the face of invaders and marauders increasingly provoked disquiet among his subjects. Their discontent was nurtured by priests embittered by his curtailment of their authority and by leading families in Jerusalem displeased with the nation’s reduced circumstances. Officials of the royal palace were also drawn into intriguing against Joash. Two among them became his assassins. ...