This lesson is the second lesson about King Joash. The focus of this lesson is the Godly influence that Jehoiada the priest had on Joash while he was alive. Unfortunately after his death Joash did not continue in his faithfulness to the Lord. The lesson teaches students that they have the potential to be a powerful Godly influence in the lives of others.
This lesson is only a guide to help you to prepare for your class. It was created for older students but can be adapted for your individual needs. Click here to see all the Bible lessons in this series.
Bible Story Title: Jehoiada’s Godly influence upon King Joash
Bible Passage: 2 Chronicles 23:16-24:27
Target Age Group: Age 9 – 11 (U.S. 3rd – 5th Grade)
Learning Context: Sunday School
Target Time Frame: 60 minutes
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Supply List: Bibles, Box (shoe box/cardboard box), materials to decorate the box, copies of activity pages,
Learning Goal: Students will learn that their lives have the potential to be a powerful Godly influence in the lives of others. In order to be a Godly influence they have to be diligent in their obedience to God and His Word.
Learning Indicator: Students will demonstrate their comprehension of the lesson by actively participating during Bible lesson and answering review questions.
Learning Activity #1: Decorate an offering box and each week children can deposit an offering. Depending on the needs of your church/community use the offerings to help with those needs.
Learning Activity #2: Coloring page and word puzzles for students to work on while waiting for others to arrive. Calvary Chapel
Test: Review Questions
Memory Verse: Hebrews 6:12 “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”
Bible Lesson: Jehoiada’s Godly influence upon King Joash
(If your students studied Joash is safely hidden review main points of the lesson with them.)
When we were first introduced to King Joash we learned about the courageous faith of Jehosheba and Jehoiada the priest. Both of them risked their lives to protect the heir to the throne of David. A growing faith in God’s promises enables believers to become more courageous in their faith.
In this world that we live in we see what is happening with our physical eyes. What is happening in this physical world is not the only thing that happening. As events take place in our world things are happening in spiritual world that we cannot see with our physical eyes. We can see that there are wars going on in our world today. Did you know that there is also a spiritual battle going on every day? (Ephesians 6:10-18) God has an enemy the devil and he hates God and all that He stands for. He has been fighting against God ever since he was kicked out of heaven. The way the devil fights and shows his hatred toward God is to try to destroy His most special, creation human beings. We see that all the way back in the Garden of Eden when Satan deceived Eve and she disobeyed God.
All through the pages of Scripture if you look beneath the physical story that you read you can see Satan’s endless attempts to stop God’s plans. God has all authority over all His creation and nothing can stop His plans.
Last week when we read about Queen Athaliah’s attempt to murder all of the sons of the king what do you think was happening in the spiritual world? (Allow responses? Satan, God’s enemy was trying to destroy the seed from which Jesus Christ would be born.)
God always keeps His promises and nothing will ever stop or thwart His purposes. (Job 42:2, Isaiah 14:27) If God’s enemy knows that he is powerless to stop God’s plans and never quits trying, how much more should we as His children not quit when life gets difficult. God has a purpose for His children’s lives and as we persevere we have the potential to be a powerful Godly influence in the place He has us.
Let’s recite our memory verse together. Can you name someone who has been a Godly influence in your life? What did you see in his/her life that you want to imitate? It takes diligence to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus. How do we as followers of Jesus become lazy in our walk with Him? (We don’t pray, read our Bibles, go to church, etc.)
Let’s turn in our Bibles to 2 Chronicles 23:16. We are going to see a good example of a powerful, Godly influence as we examine the life of King Joash in this passage.
2 Chronicles 23:16-21 God had given Jehosheba and Jehoiada victory as they acted with courageous faith to protect the young Joash. The wicked Queen Athaliah was put to death and Joash was crowned king.
As a priest Jehoiada was in a position to be a powerful, Godly influence in the lives of the people of the southern kingdom. He made a covenant that he along with King Joash and the people would be the Lord’s people. This was a promise that God’s people made when Moses was their leader. They promised God that they would do everything that He told them to do. (Exodus 24:1-11)
The southern kingdom had been ruled by a very wicked woman, Queen Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab. She had defiled God’s temple with her evil worship of false gods (2 Chronicles 24:7). After Jehoiada made the covenant before the Lord that they would be His people they went and destroyed the temple of Baal and smashed the altars of the false gods. (2 Chronicles 23:17) Jehoiada restored the worship at the Temple as God commanded in His word.
2 Chronicles 24:1-14 Just as some of you shared the Godly influences in your lives, King Joash had someone in his life that was a Godly influence. He began his reign at 7 years old. Jehoiada set an example of how a person should live as one of God’s people. Let’s read what God’s word tells us about Joash. Choose volunteer to read 2 Chronicles 24:2.
As Jehoiada obeyed God and followed His commands Joash was positively influenced by his example. Most likely as a result of Jehoiada teaching him God’s Word, Joash knew that God commanded that taxes were to be collected from the people so that the money would be used for repairs to the temple (Exodus 30:11-16, Leviticus 27:1-25, Leviticus 22:18-23). He commanded that the temple be repaired. (2 Chronicles 24:9) A chest was built so that people could put their tax money in it.
Many times people do not like to pay taxes. Joash didn’t allow what people liked or didn’t like keep him from making the decision to command the people to obey God’s laws. In fact as a result of his obedience he was leading the people to be obedient as well. Let’s read how the people felt about paying this tax in 2 Chronicles 24:10.
Believers can’t allow fear of making people mad if they obey God’s commands. We must obey and leave the response of people in God’s hands. He will bless you for your obedience. (Hebrews 10:32-36)
A great amount of money was collected and it was given to the men who were repairing the temple.
As we have been seeing that Jehoiada was a positive, Godly influence in the lives of King Joash and the southern kingdom you may be sitting there thinking that he had the important position of being a priest and it was easy to be an influence in the lives of others.
Let’s look at the lives of people we don’t even know their names. Read 2 Chronicles 24:13. These nameless men were in charge of getting the temple repaired. How did they do the work? (They were diligent) As a result of these diligent workers God’s temple was restored. Now people could worship the One, True God according to His commands in a restored temple. The work these nameless men did influenced many people’s lives. Because of their diligence true worshipers could worship in God’s temple.
You may be in a position that everyone knows your name (athlete, class president, etc.) or you may be in a position where no one really knows who you are. No matter what your position is you can serve Jesus with all your heart and be a positive influence in the lives you do touch. (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:23-24)
2 Chronicles 24:15-27 Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old. He lived a life that impacted others in a Godly way. When he died he was honored by being buried with the kings in the City of David. He was faithful to God and was a Godly influence to King Joash and the people of the southern kingdom.
After Jehoiada died Joash was not diligent to imitate the positive influence that Jehoiada was in his life. Read 2 Chronicles 24:17-18.
What do you think happened to Joash that would cause him to abandon God and worship false gods? It is not clearly stated in the Scriptures why he would do this but he is a sinner just as you and I are sinners. If our heart is not fully devoted to the Lord we will become lazy in our relationship with Him. If our focus is on people, even Godly influences we cannot stay on course with God.
God is patient and full of mercy. He is angry that Joash and His people have abandoned Him. He sent prophets so the people would return to Him and repent from their wickedness. The people would not listen to the prophets.
Jehoiada’s son Zechariah stood before God’s people and gave them His message. Read 2 Chronicles 24:20.
Sin hardens our hearts. (Ephesians 4:18, Hebrews 3:13) When we sin and do not repent we become less sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice. When we become less sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice we find ourselves doing things we never thought we would do when we were obedient and walking closely with the Lord.
Joash had become hardened by sin. The man who once had been positively influenced by Jehoiada was so wicked that when he heard his son speak God’s words he commanded that he be stoned to death. Joash forgot the kindness of Jehoiada had shown towards him and put his son to death.
Sin will be punished. (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10) Joash did not repent of his wickedness and God punished his sin by sending an army against the southern kingdom. Joash had a large army and God allowed a smaller army to defeat him (2 Chronicles 24:24). Joash was wounded in the battle. Men serving under Joash conspired together to have him put to death because he murdered Jehoiada’s son.
Joash had all the resources he needed to finish the race in this life well. He had Jehoiada as a Godly influence and God’s word to keep him on track. He wasn’t diligent and chose to imitate wickedness and his life ended. He will be remembered as a king who abandoned God.
Today you have the same choice as Joash. Will you be diligent to seek God and devote your life to Him? Will you imitate the Godly influences that are in your life? If you are a follower of Jesus you have all the resources you need to finish the race of life well. You have the Holy Spirit living inside you giving you power to obey what God’s Word teaches. The Bible is your love letter from God teaching you all that you need to know how to live this life.
Maybe this morning you don’t have Godly influences outside of coming to church. Ask God to send you Godly influences in your day to day life. God will give you the power to live a life that positively influences others and points them to Jesus.
If you are not a follower of Jesus what is keeping you from believing in Him? He has taken the punishment for your sin by dying on the cross and rising from the dead. Today you can turn to Him and be set free from your sins and receive eternal life.
Please talk to us after we close in prayer if you have any questions about what has been discussed in our lesson today.
Close in prayer.
Review Questions:
Choose a review game to excite students to participate in the review questions.
- Who is Jehoiada? (Jehosheba’s husband- a priest that protected Joash)
- How did Jehoiada’s life impact Joash? (He was a Godly influence)
- What did Joash command the Levites to do? (Repair the temple)
- How was the money raised to repair the temple? (People were taxed and they brought the money and put it in a chest)
- What happened to Joash’s relationship to God after Jehoiada died? (He abandoned God and worshiped false gods)
- Who did God send to warn Joash and his kingdom to turn back to Him? (Prophets)
- What evil act did Joash commit that showed he forgot Jehoiada’s kindness to him (He commanded his son to be killed)
- What was God’s punishment for Joash for his wickedness? (He was killed)
- What are some ways you can be a Godly influence this week?
- In what area of your relationship to Jesus have you become lazy? Pray for God to give you strength to be diligent and faithful every day.