2 Chronicles 24:20b - Experiential Faith is Vital.

2Chr.24:20b; Experiential Faith is Vital.

2 Chr 24:20b (KJV)  Why transgress ye the commandments of the 
LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he 
hath also forsaken you.  

The wicked Athaliah has killed her own grandchildren and seized 
Judah's throne (chap. 22). But one-year-old Joash was overlooked! Now 
six years later, the high priest Jehoiada, with the army providing 
security, proclaims Joash king (23:1-11). Athaliah is apprehended and, 
loudly shouting "Treason," is led away to be executed (vv. 12-15). 
Jehoiada leads a ceremony in which Judah reaffirms its covenant with the 
Lord, and cheering mobs tear down the Baal's house (vv. 16-17). Temple 
worship is reestablished, and the glad people of the land at last enjoy 
peace (vv. 18-21). 
Joash develops into a godly ruler and shows his piety by 
restoring the temple (24:1-16). But when his mentor, the high priest 
Jehoiada, dies, Joash turns to idolatry (vv. 17-18). Prophets sent to turn 
the king back to the Lord are ignored. Joash even kills one prophet, 
the son of his benefactor, Jehoiada (vv. 19-22). Retribution in the 
form of a Syrian invasion follows. Joash is wounded in battle and 
then assassinated by his own officials (vv. 23-27). [Victor Bible 
Reader's Companion] 

Joash was a miracle boy because his evil grandmother Athaliah 
had killed all of his siblings, and he alone had survived. The 
future of David's line and the messianic promise rested on that little 
boy! How often in Jewish history Satan tried to kill those who were a 
part of God's plan (Gen. 3:15). The godly high priest, Jehoiada, 
protected Joash and then installed him as king. At the same time, Jehoiada 
saw to it that Athaliah and her followers were put out of the way. 
Through the continued spiritual influence of Jehoiada, the king brought 
about many reforms, especially the restoring of the temple. When the 
high priest died, however, the king made the same mistake that 
Rehoboam made in listening to worldly counsel. Joash ended up killing 
Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, instead of heeding his message from the Lord, 
and repenting. 
Joash is a warning to all who profess to do God's will but 
really don't have the love of God in their hearts. If your faith is 
"propped up" by someone else, what will you do when the "prop" is gone? 
[Wiersbe Expository Outlines] 

Borrowed Faith (2 Chron. 23-24)
I was brought up in a Christian home, rich in love and 
acceptance. I went to church, lived a moral life, and believed in Jesus. It 
wasn't hard to do. After all, I was surrounded by people who believed; 
people who in simple, quiet ways, lived their faith. 
Yet after two years in the Navy I realized that I had to make 
personal decisions of my own. Influenced by the teaching of Donald Grey 
Barnhouse, I began to study my Bible. I started and led a noon Bible study 
on my base. And I became active in a nearby local church. 
I realized that at home I'd been living on borrowed faith. Out 
on my own, I learned that I had to develop and nurture a faith of 
my own. 
This is a lesson that the life of Joash teaches as well. Joash 
was a good and godly king--as long as he was surrounded by people who 
believed, like the priest Jehoiada who raised him. It wasn't hard for him 
to live a good life, or even to "believe." But when Jehoiada died, 
Joash found that a borrowed faith is never enough. 
When Joash began to make decisions on his own, he made wrong 
ones. He abandoned the temple of the LORD and worshiped idols. He and 
his people refused to listen to the prophets who warned them. Joash 
even killed the son of the man who had raised him, when that son 
confronted him concerning his sins. Ultimately, because king and people had 
forsaken the LORD, disaster came. Joash, who chose evil, was killed in 
his bed by officials who conspired against him. 
The story of Joash underlines two important truths. First, we 
can't tell from a child or young person's early life what his future 
will hold. So, while we can rejoice in signs of early spiritual 
growth, we can't afford to become complacent. We need to keep on praying 
for our children, that as they mature they will develop their own 
personal and growing faith in God. 
Second, we need to examine our own lives, to make sure we're not 
living on borrowed faith. For faith to be real, you and I need to take 
responsibility for our own choices--and to make sure that our 
choices are guided 
 by a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as LORD. [The 365-Day 
Devotional Commentary] 

God does not force His presence and blessing upon anyone. When 
men refuse His guidance the Lord withdraws His Spirit from them, and 
then they are left to the mercies of the cruel master whom they have 
chosen. [SDA Commentary] 

God cannot pour out the blessings of His salvation on an 
impenitent people.  He cannot open the treasury of His gifts and graces to 
those who value the dross of earthly pleasure and profit more than the 
infinite value of Heaven's spiritual merchandise.  [Teachers Adult SS 
Quarterly, 9/17/95, p. 155] 

To forsake God is to abandon Him in favor of other priorities.... 
To forsake God is to ask Him to forsake you, to call you to account 
for your sins, to execute judgment upon you. [Disciple SB]