Jehoash: The Apostate King (2 Kings 12)
Jehoash: The Apostate King
2 Kings 12 (1-3)
We are now resuming our study of the kings
And we are to the young king known as Jehoash.
To refresh your memory he was the young baby that was hidden by Jehoiada the priest from the genocide of Athaliah.
And at age 7 he was anointed as king and assumed the throne.
What you may have also noticed is that
I have called him “The Apostate King”.
He is a king who eventually proves himself to be an imposter.
He is an apostate.
And before we dive straight into our text,
I want to clarify what an apostate is.
An apostate is one who after declaring faith in God,
Eventually denies the faith and turns away.
THAT IS NOT TO SAY THEY WERE SAVED AND LOST IT.
For while they were seemingly faithful, their faith was in reality a sham,
For true faith never falls away.
An apostate then is not a true believer who falls away at the end.
An apostate is a false believer who pretends at the beginning.
They are not one who was saved and lost their salvation,
They are one who never had salvation and eventually reveal it.
Perhaps the apostle John gives the best description:
1 John 2:19 “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”
Jesus alluded to them as well.
Matthew 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Matthew 13:20-21 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”
These are men who fabricated a walk of faith
But it was not true saving faith. It was a mirage.
And eventually they were revealed as phonies by their defection.
That is of course why Jesus would say:
John 8:31-32 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Apostates are simply those who do not continue.
And not only does Scripture describe them,
Scripture is also full of examples of apostates.
John 6:66 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”
Another is Hymenaus and Alexander
1 Timothy 1:18-20 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”
Phygelus and Hermogenes
2 Timothy 1:15 “You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.”
Demas
2 Timothy 4:9-10 “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”
But perhaps the pinnacle of all apostates is Judas:
John 13:21-27 “When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus then answered, “That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”
And so you see what an apostate is.
Let me reveal to you their fate.
Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Just as a believer has his name written in the book of life
From the foundation of the world,
So an apostate is one who was
“long beforehand marked out for…condemnation”
Jude 11-13 “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Instead of an inheritance reserved for them,
“the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
As you can see the future of an apostate is bleak.
No one should want to be one.
Peter even said:
2 Peter 2:20-21 “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.”
And because it is definitely not desirable to be an apostate, Scripture gives very pointed warnings that you and I not be one.
Hebrews 3:12 “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”
2 Peter 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness,”
Very simply put, you do not want to be an apostate.
A phony imitator of the faith…
A tare among the wheat…
A defector from the faith…
A recipient of darkest judgment…
Yet that is precisely what Jehoash was.
If you are one who has read ahead in kings,
That verdict may be surprising. For he doesn’t look all that bad.
That only goes to show how deceptive an apostate can be in his religion.
2 Corinthians 11:14-15 “No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
Jehoash was indeed an apostate.
And we study him to see the warning signs of apostasy.
NOW LET ME EMPHASIZE
This study is not for you to go on a witch hunt looking for apostates.
(They aren’t commonly identified until their defection anyway)
THIS STUDY IS FOR YOU TO TEST YOURSELVES
TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE NOT AN APOSTATE IN HIDING.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
And so this morning we look at an apostate,
We learn what they are,
And we make sure that is not what is going on in our lives.
There are four points to gain from our text this morning about this apostate king.
#1 THE FAITH OF AN APOSTATE
2 Kings 12:1-3
And here we have an interesting appraisal of Jehoash.
It is ALMOST the appraisal that every king would want.
(2) “Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days”
Stop there and we honor this king.
But the writer didn’t stop there.
(2) “Jehoash did right in the sight of the LORD all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”
What we learn very clearly is that Jehoash
Was not a full term follower,
He only followed faithfully so long as Jehoiada was around.
But when that influence left, (as you will see in a moment)
Jehoash departed from his steadfastness.
It is clear that in part Jehoash never became fully devoted.
(3) “Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”
But mostly what you see about Jehoash is that
He was faithful so long as Jehoiada was around to oversee him.
And this is a tragedy we see all too often today as well.
I USED TO TEACH A COLLEGE SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
“Johnny is drinking, skipping class,
And has a girlfriend with a belly-button ring”
JOHNNY HAS A FRAUDULENT FAITH
(Not an apostate yet, just an imposter)
Johnny is living on his momma’s faith,
And he needs to deal with Jesus personally.
PAY ATTENTION ALL YOUTH IN HERE.
But a fraudulent faith is certainly an early sign of apostasy.
If it is true faith it cannot fail,
But fraudulent faith is doomed to fail,
Thus opening the door for one to completely deny
The God they previously proclaimed to serve.
Jehoash walked well as long as Jehoiada was around.
But he walked Jehoiada’s faith, not his own.
The faith of an apostate
#2 THE FABRICATION OF AN APOSTATE
2 Kings 12:4-16
Now I know this is a long section in the chapter,
And first let me just sort of paraphrase it to you.
VERSES 4-5
Jehoash has an idea to take the special offering monies
And use them for the renovation of the temple.
Although Solomon had built a glorious temple, it had fallen into disarray.
Partly because they cared more about the high places than the temple,
And partly because it had been recently abused.
2 Chronicles 24:7 “For the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even used the holy things of the house of the LORD for the Baals.”
So the temple had even been a recent victim of vandalism.
And Jehoash has the idea to restore it.
VERSES 6-8
Here it is apparent that his plan is not working.
We don’t really know why.
I tend to think it is because the people have a general distrust,
For once Jehoiada gets behind it, it seems to take off just fine.
VERSE 9
And so now that Jehoiada is a public supporter it is working well.
VERSES 10-16
So they took the money and the house is repaired.
Now when you read that, it appears Jehoash is on the right track.
It appears like he is really concerned about the things of God.
But let me assure it is only appearance.
He is only concerned about the appearance of the temple,
Not the use of it.
(For he did not remove the high places)
He is consumed with the display of religion, not the effectiveness of it.
His religion is for show and pretense.
It is external, not internal
And this is what makes apostates so tricky.
They are not easily detected.
Jude 12-13 “These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.”
Matthew 13:26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”
When we only look at the external, it appears they are legitimate,
And that is where we make our mistake.
EXTERNAL INVOLVEMENT IS NOT THE MARK OF SALVATION, TRUE LOVE FOR GOD IS THE MARK OF SALVATION.
A person’s work can appear good and noble,
And still not be evidence of true salvation.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”
Just because a person is involved doesn’t mean a thing.
It is true love for God that counts.
Religious zeal doesn’t equal saving faith.
Matthew 23:13-15 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. [” Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Matthew 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!”
Apostates can look good, but their conviction is only skin deep.
That is why the testing of faith is so necessary.
God has to push beyond the surface to see the true worth of our faith.
1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
True faith is not merely external.
But that is all there is to an apostate.
And Jehoash is a perfect picture.
He was consumed with what the temple looked like,
But didn’t seem to care what it was used for.
His religion was a mere fabrication.
The Faith of an apostate The Fabrication of an apostate
#3 THE FOLLY OF AN APOSTATE
2 Kings 12:17-18
Now to fully understand the point,
You have to realize that the writer of kings left out part of the story
What he shows us is the consequence of Jehoash’s actions,
But he omits what he did wrong.
TURN TO: 2 CHRONICLES 24:15-22
This is what makes Jehoash an apostate.
Up until now he was a mere imposter.
But it is when he makes a conscious choice
To openly and outwardly deny God and serve foreign gods,
His true colors come forth.
This man had no true conviction, therefore he was easily swayed,
And he even took action to silence the word of God in his life.
And that is why we see Hazael coming against him.
2 Chronicles 24:23-24 “Now it happened at the turn of the year that the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet the LORD delivered a very great army into their hands, because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.”
This judgment was a consequence of the folly of Jehoash.
WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM HIM
There are those in the world today who are imposters in the faith,
They think they are saved, but they are not.
But it is their denial of the truth that sets them apart as apostate.
And once they deny we realize that they were apostate all along.
Jehoash denied the God he formerly claimed to serve.
The Faith of an apostate The Fabrication of an apostate The Folly of an apostate
#4 THE FATE OF AN APOSTATE
2 Kings 12:19-20
As we read to start the sermon,
The fate of an apostate is certain judgment
And that is precisely what is played out here.
Jehoash was killed.
Not to seize his throne, but to avenge the death of Zechariah.
This was not a political assassination, it was a spiritual one.
God was killing this man for his apostasy.
And what a tragedy Jehoash proves to be.
• Raised in the temple, taught the word of God,
• But his religion was only skin deep.
• He lacked conviction, and eventually he fell away.
LEARN FROM HIM THIS MORNING.
Christianity must be more than mere outward allegiance.
True Christianity is a conviction of the heart.
This morning I want to challenge your faith.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
TURN TO: 2 PETER 1
Start by reading: VERSES 10-11
Peter is telling them to make certain that they are the real deal.
They do not want to end up like the apostate he is warning about
SO HOW DO I KNOW?
Peter actually gave a checklist.
VERSES 5-9
And then:
(10-11) “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
Now I hope you noticed what Peter said.
“make certain about His calling and choosing you”
DOES THAT SEEM ODD TO ANYONE ELSE?
It seems as though Peter should say,
“Make certain that you have chosen to follow Jesus.”
But that is not at all what he said.
He said to make sure that God has chosen you.
WHY?
Because I’m not trying to determine if I’ve done anything for God.
I am trying to determine if God has done anything in me.
When examining my life to see if I am in the faith,
I am not looking at all the religious things I have done.
• There will be preachers in hell.
• There will be deacons in hell.
• There will be Sunday School teachers in hell.
• There will be tithers in hell.
• There will be evangelists in hell.
We are not looking to see if we have done anything for God.
Jehoash remodeled the temple.
THE VALIDITY OF OUR FAITH RESTS IN
WHETHER OR NOT GOD HAS DONE ANYTHING IN US.
IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT HE HAS DONE A SAVING WORK IN ME?
• Revealed by the presence of His fruit in my life.
• Revealed by a true and genuine love for Him that He gave to me.
• Revealed by a sincere hatred for sin
• Revealed by a real love for my brethren
DON’T LOOK TO SEE IF YOU ARE AT WORK FOR GOD.
LOOK TO SEE IF GOD IS AT WORK IN YOU.
That is what Paul said as well.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is IN you — unless indeed you fail the test?”
Apostates are missing this crucial ingredient.
• Their faith rests upon the conviction of others.
• Their fabrication is that their religion is all exterior.
• Their folly is that they eventually reject the God they have never truly loved.
• Their fate is destruction in the black darkness.
This morning I challenge you to examine yourself
And make sure you are the real deal.
See if God is in you.
And if He is not, then repent of your sin and beg Him to come in.
But don’t live the life of an imposter and end up as an apostate.
2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”
