Who was King Joash in the Bible?

TL;DR:

There are two men named King Joash in the Bible. Both of these kings warn us about the consequences of spiritual compromise.

Two biblical kings named Joash reigned during overlapping periods. Joash of Judah, orphaned as a baby, was hidden and later anointed king at age seven, ruling for forty years. He initially followed God but later turned to idol worship, leading to his assassination. Joash of Israel reigned for sixteen years, continuing sinful practices and facing threats from Syria. Both kings highlight the dangers of spiritual compromise and the consequences of neglecting to fully remove sources of evil influence. Their stories emphasize the importance of remaining steadfast in faith and obedience to God, lest we face downfall.

from the old testament

There are two biblical kings named Joash (or Jehoash), and the dates of their respective reigns overlap by two years. Joash the king of Judah reigned from 835 to 796 B.C., and Joash the king of Israel reigned from 798 to 782 B.C.
King Joash of Judah was orphaned as a baby. It was during the time that King Jehu of Israel killed King Joram of Israel. Jehu had been commissioned by God to destroy the descendants of Ahab and rid the land of the false god Baal (2 Kings 9; 10:28). King Ahaziah of Judah, Joash's father, was with Joram, so he was also killed. While Ahaziah was not a blood relative of Ahab and Jezebel, he was related to them by marriage and also did evil in God's sight (2 Kings 8:27). With the king dead, Athaliah, mother of Ahaziah, seized power and killed all of the known royal heirs, but she missed one—her grandson Joash (2 Kings 11:1).
When Joash was rescued as a baby along with his nurse, they were hidden by Jehosheba, daughter of King Joram, in the temple (2 Kings 11:1–3). During the seventh year of Joash's life, the priest Jehoiada revealed him to the captains of the guard and made an agreement for the protection of the temple and the king. Joash was anointed king of Judah at the young age of seven years old (2 Kings 11:4–12). When he was anointed king, the people of Judah rejoiced, Athaliah was killed, and the temple of Baal was destroyed (2 Kings 11:13–21).
King Joash ruled in Judah for forty years, and while Jehoiada the priest was alive and instructing him, Joash "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD" (2 Kings 12:1–2).
The Bible mostly discusses Joash's financial dealings as king. He commissioned repairs to the temple of the Lord (2 Kings 12:4–16). He gave money and gifts, including artifacts from the temple, to stop King Hazael of Syria from attacking (2 Kings 12:17–18).
Joash made one big mistake during his early years—he didn't destroy all the places where people could worship idols: "Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places" (2 Kings 12:3). This left an open door to evil, and tragically, after Jehoiada died, Joash listened to wicked influences. He brought back idol worship to Judah and refused to listen to God's prophets who brought him warnings (2 Chronicles 24:17–19). Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada, brought the word of the Lord to Joash, but even still, Joash did not listen and had Zechariah killed (2 Chronicles 24:19–22). This blatant disregard for a man whose father had saved Joash did not go unnoticed. When the Syrians attacked, Joash was severely wounded, and his servants assassinated him: "When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings" (2 Chronicles 24:25). Joash's son, Amaziah, then became king.
During the thirty-seventh year of Joash of Judah's reign, King Joash of Israel began his reign, so they overlapped for about two years, until Amaziah was made king of Judah. After King Amaziah battled the Edomites, he tried to instigate a war against Joash of Israel, but Joash king of Israel tried to dissuade him from entering into an unnecessary fight (2 Kings 14:7–10). Amaziah's pride got in the way, and he still attacked Israel. He ended up defeated by King Joash of Israel. The defeat of Judah was credited to them seeking after false gods (2 Chronicles 25:20).
The same King Hazael of Syria oppressed Joash of Israel, but the Lord showed mercy to Israel and did not allow them to be overcome. When he found out that the prophet Elisha was dying, Joash visited the prophet to seek help and guidance for the military in Israel (2 Kings 13:14). Elisha gave Joash the instruction to shoot arrows out of an open window to symbolize his defeat of the Syrians. Joash shot three arrows and stopped, which caused Elisha to become angry with him for not shooting more arrows: "Then the man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times'" (2 Kings 13:19). When Hazael's son, Ben-hadad, became king, Joash defeated him three times (2 Kings 13:24–25).
Unfortunately, throughout his sixteen-year reign, King Joash of Israel "did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them" (2 Kings 13:11). When he had a chance to turn things around as a leader, he did nothing beyond maintaining the spiritual unhealth he had inherited. Joash's son, Jeroboam II, succeeded him as king (2 Kings 14:16).

from the new testament

Neither King Joash is mentioned in the New Testament.

implications for today

One lesson we can learn from King Joash of Judah is the danger of spiritual compromise and the consequences of neglecting to fully remove sources of evil influence. Initially, Joash started his reign under the guidance of Jehoiada the priest, doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord and even taking significant steps, such as repairing the temple and purging Baal worship from the land. However, his mistake was in not completely eradicating idol worship from Judah, leaving "high places" where idolatry could still thrive.

As time passed and Jehoiada died, Joash succumbed to wicked influences and turned away from God's commands. He not only embraced idol worship but also rejected the warnings of God's prophets, even going as far as killing Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada who had once saved him. Joash's disregard for God's word and his betrayal of those who had helped him led to his downfall.

This teaches us the importance of remaining steadfast in faith and obedience, not compromising with evil influences. Joash's story warns us of the gradual decline that can occur when we tolerate sin in our lives or communities. Instead, we are called to wholehearted devotion to God and called to remove anything that leads us away from Him.

understand

King Joash of Judah was orphaned as a baby and hid when Athaliah tried to kill all the males in her lineage. He initially followed God but later turned to idol worship and was killed by his servants for ignoring warnings from God's prophets.
King Joash of Israel continued in Jeroboam's sinful ways, received mercy from the Lord against Syrian oppression, but failed to fully follow the prophet Elisha's instructions for victory against Syria.
The reign of Joash of Judah overlapped with Joash of Israel for about two years.

reflect

What influences do you allow to speak into your life, and what fruit are they producing?
Are there times in your life when you compromised spiritually, like King Joash of Judah did? How did it impact you and those around you?
Have there been moments when you ignored clear guidance or warnings, like Joash did with Elisha's instructions? What do we learn about God sending people who warn us?

engage

What do the stories of King Joash of Judah and King Joash of Israel teach us about the dangers of spiritual compromise and the consequences of neglecting God's commands?
How did the early upbringing of King Joash of Judah influence his reign, and what can we learn from his downfall after initially following God?
How did King Joash of Israel's actions reflect his spiritual inclinations, and what lessons can we draw from his reign about the importance of obedience and faithfulness to God?