2 Chronicles 24:1

2 Chronicles 24:1 says, Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.  We are told that Joash was seven when he began to reign, but I believe the first several years he likely was more of a figurehead than the actual ruler, though God could have given him the knowledge to make all the decisions.  If we have young preachers today, though they should never be as young as seven in my opinion, they need the advice and guidance of older, more mature Christians as they serve.  This is not to say that they are to just do what these older Christians say, but that they need their support in leading the church under God's authority.  Verse two adds, And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest.  As long as Jehoiada was alive, Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. This would imply that Jehoiada had been the one guiding Joash in the ways of God, probably especially when he was very young. Verse three continues, And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.  Matthew Henry says Joash was wise to let Jehoiada choose his wives, but I would have to say as a prophet, Jehoiada should have known that God did not endorse having more than one wife. I don't believe that we as followers of Christ should have someone else choose our wife for us, but we should rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to lead us to the right person.  Verse four states, And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the Lord.  Joash was inspired to repair the house of God, which Athaliah definitely had not worried about.  We need to always be concerned with making sure that the things og God are in good repair, especially if we are in a position of leadership in the church.  Of course, this is true of all Christians in their lives daily.  We need to be in good spiritual condition.  Verse five adds, And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.  Joash told the priests and Levites to go to all of Israel and collect money to repair the house of God every year and to do so in a hurry.  The priests did not hurry to do this.  I would think that the priests would have been telling Joash that this needed doing, but they didn't even respond when he told them to do so.  People in power in the world today are not likely to be concerned with the things of God, but we as a part of the priesthood of believers must be, and the things of God should always take priority in our lives.  Verse six continues,  And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the Lord, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?  Joash, who I beleive had been guided by Jehoiada, now called him and asked why as the chief priest, he had not required the people to bring offerings to God in accordance with the law of Moses.  As Christians, especially if we are in a position of leadership, need to do all in accordance with God's word and we should never neglect His work.  Verse seven adds, For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord did they bestow upon Baalim.  Joash then reminded Jehoiada that Athaliah had destroyed the house of God, and all of the things dedicated to it were given to the worship of Baal.  As Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we cannot allow things that go against God to destroy our work for Him.  If we do, we need to repent and rebuild our lives based on faith in Jesus Christ and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse eight continues, And at the king's commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the Lord.  Joash then commanded them to make a chest and set it outside the gate of the temple to collect the offerings.  Whatever method we use, we need to make it easy for people to bring their tithes and offering into the church today so that God's work can be done, but we don't need the government to be the one to cause to do this.