Commentary - 2 Chronicles 24:20-22

Bird's-eye view

This brief, tragic account in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22 serves as a stark pivot point in the narrative of King Joash's reign. After the death of the godly priest Jehoiada, who had been the king's mentor and the anchor of his fidelity to Yahweh, the leadership in Judah swiftly apostatizes. This passage records the inevitable prophetic confrontation that follows. God, in His faithfulness to His covenant, does not abandon His people to their sin without a word of warning. He sends Zechariah, the son of the very man who saved Joash's life and secured his throne, to deliver this word. The response is not repentance, but rather a shocking act of violent rebellion, culminating in the murder of God's priest in the very courts of God's house, at the command of the king. The passage is a potent illustration of covenantal apostasy, the hardness of the human heart, profound ingratitude, and the principle of divine reciprocity: forsake Me, and I will forsake you. It concludes with the martyr's cry for divine justice, a cry that echoes through salvation history.

Outline

Context In 2 Chronicles

This passage is the tragic climax of the story of King Joash. Rescued from the murderous rampage of his grandmother Athaliah, Joash was hidden in the temple for six years and raised by the high priest Jehoiada (2 Chron. 22:10-12). Jehoiada eventually orchestrated a coup, restored Joash to the throne, and led the nation in a covenant renewal (2 Chron. 23). For as long as Jehoiada lived, Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, even overseeing the restoration of the Temple (2 Chron. 24:1-14). But the turning point is Jehoiada's death (2 Chron. 24:15-16). Immediately following, the officials of Judah lead the king astray into idolatry (2 Chron. 24:17-18). God sends prophets, but the people will not listen (2 Chron. 24:19). Zechariah's ministry and subsequent martyrdom represent the pinnacle of this rebellion. This event directly precedes God's judgment on Joash and Judah, carried out by a small Aramean army, and Joash's own assassination by his servants (2 Chron. 24:23-26).

Key Issues

Commentary

20 Now the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘Why do you trespass against the commandments of Yahweh and do not succeed? Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you.’ ”

The action begins with a divine initiative. Before Zechariah speaks, the Spirit of God "clothed" him. This is a powerful Hebraism, suggesting not just an internal influence but a complete empowering and enveloping for a specific task. God is commissioning His man for a dangerous mission. Zechariah is not speaking on his own authority or out of his own frustration. He is robed in the authority of God Himself, which makes the people's subsequent reaction all the more heinous. He then stands "above the people," likely on a platform or steps in the temple court, to deliver this public word. The message itself is a classic prophetic lawsuit. It begins with a cutting question: Why are you transgressing, and by doing so, ensuring your own failure? The logic is simple covenantal math. Obedience equals success (or blessing), and disobedience equals failure (or cursing). They are beating their heads against a wall of their own making. The reason for their failure is then stated plainly: "Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you." This is the central axiom of God's covenant dealings. It is the principle of reciprocity. God is not an impassive deity; He responds to His people in kind. Their apostasy has a direct and stated consequence. They have broken fellowship, and God has withdrawn the manifest tokens of His blessing and protection. This is not God being petty; it is God being just and faithful to the terms of the covenant He Himself established.

21 So they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of Yahweh.

The response to this clear, Spirit-empowered word from God is not introspection or repentance, but conspiracy. The word "conspired" reveals the calculated and malicious nature of their sin. This was not a spontaneous outburst of mob violence; it was a premeditated plot. And who is at the center of this plot? The king. "At the command of the king." Joash, the boy who was raised in the temple, who owed his life and his crown to Zechariah's father, now gives the order to murder the son. This is a profound picture of apostasy's deadening effect on conscience, gratitude, and natural affection. The sin is compounded by its location: "in the court of the house of Yahweh." They defile the sacred space with the blood of a righteous man. Stoning was the prescribed punishment for blasphemy, so in a grotesque inversion of justice, they treat God's true spokesman as a blasphemer. They are, in effect, stoning God's own Word. This is high treason against the heavenly court, executed in the earthly embassy of that court. It is a collision of two kingdoms: the wicked authority of an apostate king usurping the authority of God in God's own house.

22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the lovingkindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And as he died he said, “May Yahweh see and avenge!”

The Holy Spirit, as the author of this text, makes a point to diagnose the root of Joash's sin: he "did not remember." Spiritual decline is always paved with stones of forgetfulness. Joash forgot the hesed, the covenant loyalty and lovingkindness, of Jehoiada. He forgot that every breath he took as king was a result of Jehoiada's faithfulness. Ingratitude is a foul sin, and here it metastasizes into murder. The contrast is stark and brutal: Jehoiada showed him kindness, but Joash killed his son. Zechariah's dying words are not a plea for personal revenge, but an appeal to the justice of God. "May Yahweh see and avenge!" This is an imprecation, a formal appeal to the ultimate Judge. It is a recognition that some crimes are so heinous that they demand a divine response. Zechariah is entrusting his cause to God. His blood, like Abel's, will cry out from the ground (Gen. 4:10). This cry is not lost; it is recorded in the heavenly court. And as the subsequent verses show, God does indeed see, and He does indeed avenge. The Lord Jesus Himself would later reference this very murder as the culminating sin of Old Testament Israel, the last in a long line of martyred prophets from Abel to this Zechariah (Matt. 23:35), for which that generation would be held accountable.

Application

This passage is a sobering warning against the danger of a secondhand faith. Joash's righteousness was, it appears, entirely dependent on his mentor, Jehoiada. When the godly influence was removed, the king's true character, or lack thereof, was revealed. We must all cultivate a personal, robust faith that is not merely propped up by others. We are called to remember God's kindnesses, both His saving acts in history and His personal grace in our lives. Forgetting what God has done is the first step toward forsaking who He is.

Furthermore, we see the world's predictable hatred for the prophetic word of God. A true message from God that confronts sin will often be met with hostility, not applause. The church must be prepared to be unpopular, and her ministers must be willing to be clothed by the Spirit for hazardous duty. The temptation is always to soften the message to avoid the stones, but Zechariah shows us the path of faithfulness. He stood his ground and spoke God's truth, even at the cost of his life.

Finally, we are reminded that God is a God of justice. The blood of the martyrs is not forgotten. Zechariah's final prayer is a righteous one. It is an appeal to the character of God, who has promised to set all things right. While we are commanded to love our personal enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we can and should also pray for God's justice to be done on earth. We can trust that in His perfect time, God will see and He will act, ultimately vindicating His people and His own holy name through the final judgment brought by His Son, Jesus Christ, the ultimate faithful prophet who was murdered and ultimately vindicated.