Do-Overs



2 Kings 11:17-12:6
17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people, that they should be the Lord’s people, and also between the king and the people.
18 Then all the people of the land went to the house of Baal and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces, and they killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest posted watchmen over the house of the Lord.
19 And he took the captains, the Carites, the guards, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, marching through the gate of the guards to the king’s house. And he took his seat on the throne of the kings.
20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet after Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the king’s house.
21 Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.
12:1 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
3 Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away; the people continued to sacrifice and make offerings on the high places.
4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord,
5 let the priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house.

Anyone who has ever been on a diet for more than a few days knows about the “do-over” date. Usually it’s Monday – “I’ll start this thing over again on Monday with a fresh attitude and have more success!” The problem is that generally by Tuesday or Wednesday, you’ve blown it and you have to start over again – next Monday. And anyone who has dieted successfully (all three of them) will tell you that is a terrible way to work the system! The way to succeed is to start over again immediately, the moment you blow it.

With the death of Queen Athaliah the people of Judah, led by the priest Jehoiada, stage a major “do-over.” They completely demolish the temples of Baal and kill the priests of Baal. It is time for a fresh start in Judah! With much fanfare and celebration, the new king, Jehoash, is placed on the throne. Since he is only 7, he falls into the hands of Jehoiada as mentee and puppet. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Jehoiada faithfully teaches Jehoash about the God of Jacob and teaches him the ways of his great-great-grandfather, King David. The “do-over” is off to a great start. But they don’t quite stay strong in their resolve and as we see in 20:3, the high places were not taken down. All the vestiges of the past are not gone. Jehoash makes a way for the repair of the temple to take place, but after 23 years no repairs have been made. So everything is not quite right. The do-over has fallen apart.

Because of His great love and incredible patience, God allows for do-overs! Every day we have the chance to “crucify the Old Adam”, as Martin Luther put it. Every day is a new opportunity to live with God and listen to His voice. Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we always are in good standing with the Father. We are not constantly trying to earn our way back to Him. Jesus has already done that work for us. What we do daily is confess our sin, recognizing our need for a Savior, and then thank the Father that He has so very graciously provided one for us. The day of the do-over is always here and we are always successful. Grace is a cool thing.

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