“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.” (2 Chronicles 24:2)

One of the darkest moments in the Star Wars stories is when Anakin massacres the Jedi younglings and becomes Darth Vader. It’s a gut-wrenching moment. Recently, a dad even posted a video of his young daughter’s tearful reaction to Anakin’s turn to the dark side (which is kind of sad that a parent would make that public). But that story is fiction. The accounts of the kings of Israel and Judah contain true stories about the leaders of God’s people that are even darker and more disturbing. The story of Joash in 2 Chronicles 22-24 is one of those gut-wrenching stories.

Joash himself nearly didn’t make it past infancy. His grandmother, Athaliah (a daughter of Ahab), killed all of Joash’s siblings and many of his relatives. Joash only survived because his aunt Jehoshabeath hid him in a bedroom during the massacre. His aunt Jehoshabeath was married to Jehoiada the priest, and the couple took Joash in and hid him in the temple for six years.

Athaliah ruled over Judah for those six years and led the people into more idol-worship until Jehoiada and the priests took her down and installed seven-year-old Joash as king. Joash would reign over Judah for forty years.

It started out well. As long as he had the counsel of Jehoiada, Joash remained faithful to the Lord. He made sure the temple was repaired and the priests offered sacrifices to the Lord (2 Chron 24:4-14). Finally, Judah had a faithful king again!

Until he wasn’t. His faithfulness was temporary.

Jehoiada the priest enjoyed a long life, and died when he was 130 years old. The people respected him so much they buried him with the kings in Jerusalem—which was quite an honor.

But with Jehoiada gone, Joash turned to other advisors among his officials in Judah. They began to push Joash in a different direction, a dark direction, back into idol worship (24:17-18). He abandoned the Lord. Once passionate for the temple, Joash now neglected the temple.

In his mercy, God sent prophets to Joash and the people of Judah. But they didn’t listen. They wouldn’t return to the Lord. Finally, Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, confronted God’s people and their king. He called out Joash for breaking God’s commandments.

Yet, here comes another gut-wrenching moment: Joash becomes like his grandmother. He betrays Zechariah and orders the people to stone him in the temple courtyard. Once Jehoiada had risked his life to hide Joash and install him as king. Now Joash orchestrates the murder of Jehoiada’s son. Joash had been rescued from death as an infant. Yet, as king, he killed the son of the woman who rescued him.

As a result of this evil, God sent the Syrians against Joash, and they plundered Jerusalem and leave Joash severely wounded. The king’s servants finish the job and assassinate Joash in his bed. Then, they bury him in Jerusalem, but not in the tombs of the kings.

So ends a story that had a hopeful beginning, a gut-wrenching turn, and a terrible ending. But several important lessons emerge from the account of Joash’s reign.

First, beware of following godly counsel without truly following God from the heart. Joash was an easily influenced king. While Jehoiada was alive, Joash acted faithfully, but his temporary faithfulness was tied to Jehoiada’s counsel more than to a genuine faith in the Lord. Once Jehoiada was gone, Joash’s faithfulness vanished quickly.

We need faithful teachers. We should seek out godly advice. But it is possible to follow good, biblical advice without following the Lord for ourselves. Lasting faithfulness to God stems from a genuine faith in our hearts, not just adherence to the advice of friends or ministry leaders.

Children must follow Christ for themselves. Church members themselves must obey God. So, follow the Lord and follow godly teachers who point you back to the Lord. Don’t always swim with the current. It may lead you into the dangerous rapids of idolatry.

Don’t settle for a temporary faithfulness.

Second, don’t coast on past faithfulness to reach the finish line. Joash started well and finished terribly. A good start doesn’t guarantee a good end. Joash needed to press on in faithfulness to God even when idolatry became easier after Jehoiada’s death. He failed, and his terrible ending wiped out his faithful beginning.

So, press on in your faith. Your faith five years ago or fifty years ago won’t necessarily carry you through the trials and temptations of today. We all need a growing, enduring faith to finish well. Never stop pursuing God and growing in godliness through his gracious work in us.

Finally, don’t miss the better Prophet, Priest, and King this story yearns for. Joash was a king who left a mixed legacy stained by idolatry, betrayal, and murder. He was not deemed worthy of burial with the other Davidic kings. But Jehoiada, the priest, was buried among the kings. His son, Zechariah, was also a prophet who was betrayed and killed by his own people.

Their lives point ahead to the true and better Prophet, Priest, and King–Jesus. He is the faithful Davidic King Joash failed to be. He is the better Prophet who declared the Word of God and was killed by his people. And he is our great high priest who offered his own blood as a sacrifice for sinners. Christ is the faithful Prophet, Priest, and King.

The story of Joash is just one of the dark chapters in the story of God’s people. Yet, God used the nation of Israel even with all its depravity and preserved them so that at the right time the true and better Prophet, Priest, and King might come. He too does not have a tomb with the Davidic kings because he conquered the tomb and reigns now in heaven until he comes again. He is forever faithful.