July 16, 2026; 2 Kings 12

Daily Dose of Hope July 16, 2026   Scripture:  2 Kings 12   Prayer: Dear God, We come to you in repentance.  We are sinful and broken people.  We fall short over and over again.  Lord, how we need you.  Help us to grow closer to you.  Help us seek holiness.  Help us love others the way you love them.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, please help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We have been working our way through both 1 & 2 Kings this summer and now we are in the middle of 2 Kings.  I just want to let you know that 2 Kings will carry us through August 4.  On August 5, we begin a deep dive into the book of Genesis.  So, I hope you all stick with us!   Today's text is 2 Kings 12.  This chapter details the reign of King Joash. He did the right thing in the eyes of God, as long as the priest Jehoiada was instructing him. But he never removed the high places, which were local shrines where the people generally worshiped false gods. He made some attempts to rebuild the temple and even created a new system to collect funds for temple repair.   Overall, the author is mostly positive about Joash.   Then, at the end of the chapter, we read about his demise. Just as he came to power in a coup, he is stripped of power with a coup. Some of his officials conspired against him and assassinated him.  His son succeeds him as king.   This was puzzling to me. Joash reigned for forty years. He was not perfect, but certainly far better than many of the kings who came before him. What happened? To get more details, we need to check out 2 Chronicles 24. Apparently, after the priest Jehoiada dies, Joash begins to allow idol worship again. He may have actually participated in it himself. To make everything a lot worse, Joash stones to death the priest (Jehoiada's son) who spoke out against the idol worship. His arrogance is atrocious. As a result, God allows him to be wounded in a battle with the Syrians and his officials finish him off. He is quite unpopular by the time he dies.   Needless to say, Joash ends badly, tragically even. When he had Jehoiada telling him what to do, he did okay. But when forced to stand on his own, he fell hard. He allowed pride, arrogance, and greed to overwhelm him toward the end of his rule. His potential was unfulfilled, his purpose thwarted, and his legacy marred.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki