Although the Aramean army had come with only a few men, the Lord delivered into their hands a much larger army. Because Judah had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers, judgment was executed on Joash (2 Chronicles 24:24 NIV).
There are occasions in life where we meet with unexpected defeat. There seems to be no reasonable explanation for our defeat. We might have done all the things right. We may have made all the right decisions. We may have acted right on time.
Yet we had to face defeat. What could be the reason? Finding the answer to this question is very important for our spiritual growth.
Joash was a good king. He was by godly providence saved from being murdered while an infant. Then he was made king with the help of Jehoiada the chief priest. As long as the priest lived Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He even repaired and restored the temple of the Lord.
But when the priest died he listened to the officials of Judah and forsook the Lord and started worshipping other gods and idols. He also killed the son of Jehoiada when he brought the message of God’s judgement on Joash and the kingdom of Judah.
The lesson here is important. It is of great importance to note that our past experience of a godly life has to be continued in our present day life too. We cannot simply relax because we had been good in the past. What happened to Joash can happen to us too.
We need to guard ourselves against falling into sin. But when sin has mastered us, we are sure to meet surprising defeats: These defeats we might have never expected, because by all standards we had superior resources at our command!
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