The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Chronicles — Section 294

III. THE WORK EXECUTED. From the money thus collected : 1. Tha cost of materiol.s was defrayed. "Timber and hewn stone," at least, had to be bought (2 Kings xii. 12). 2. Th~ wages of workmen were paid. Masons, carpenters, and workers in iron and brass were hired. 3. The necessary vessels were constructed. The surplus money, after meeting the above charges, wns devoted to the manufaoture of gold and silver utensils for the temple service. "So the workmen wrought," etc. (ver. 13). Learn: 1. The duty of Christian giving, which may be inferred, a fortiori, from this example of the Hebrew Church. 2. The superiority of the voluntary over the compulsory system of raising money for religious purposes, even should the latter be deemed permissible. 3. The propriety of financial boards, especially those connected with the Churc~ ~eing above ~usp_icion. 4. T~e wisdom of aiming at simplicity in schemes for receiving the contributions of the faithful. 5. The advantage of adopting such measures as shall place Church-treasurers beyond the reach of temptation.-W. Vers. 15, 16.-The life, death, burial, and epitaph of a great man. I. JEHOIADA'B LIFE. 1. Pwu.s; i.e. (1) Good. No man really pious who is not inwardly good. (2) Sincere. Ail a priest of Jehovah, he wa.s under solemn covenant to lead a holy life. (3) Courageous. It required no small heroism to stand forth as a servant of Jehovah in the days of A.haziah and Atbaliah. 2. Useful. "We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, not breaths," etc. (Bailey). Jehoiada's life was spent, not in indolence, but activity; this activity was directed, not by personal ambitions, but by considerations of public advantage, and ceased not until the close of his life. Besides discharging the multifarious duties devolving upon him as high priest of the nation, he practically became the na.tion's leader during the times of Jehoram, A.haziah, and Athaliah; the nation's saviour, effecting the overthrow of Athaliah, the preservation of Joash, and in him the continuance of David's throne; and the nation's ruler, acting as regent during Joash's minority, and as prime minister of Joash until the end came. In particular, to him the nation owed the preservation of its king, its throne, its religion, its temple. 3. Long. Nevertheless, the end came, though long delayed. He died" full of days," satisfied with living, like Abraham (Gen. xxv. 8), Isaac (Gen. xxxv. 29), David (1 Chron. xxiii 1), and Job (xiii. 17), an old man of a hundred and thirty years, the longest recorded life of any Hebrew, the patriarchs excepted. " What man is he that desi:reth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?" etc. (Ps. xxxiv. 12-14). II. JEHOIADA'B DEATH. 1. To himself a gain. (Phil. i. 21.) (1) A. blessed repose after life's labours (lsa. lvii. 2; Dan. xii. 13; 2 Thess. i. 7; Rev. xiv. 13). "After life's fitful Jabour he sleeps well" (' Macbeth,' act iii. sc. 2). (2) A. splendid exchange for time's vanities : "length of days for ever and ever" (Ps. xxi. 4; xxxvii. 18 ; John x. 28; Heb. xi. 10, 16; 1 Pet. L 4; Rev. ii. 10). (3) A. magnificent reward for earth's services (Ps. xvi. 11; xvii. 15; Prov. iii. 35; John xii. 26; Rom. ii. 7; Rev. ii. 7, 17, 26). 2. To Juash a loss. (2 Kings ii. 3.) Jehoiada's death the removal of (1) the saviour of his infancy; (2) the teacher of his boyhood; (3) the coun- sellor of his manhood. Whether J oash recognized the greatness of his loss may be doubtful. The notion that he felt the decease of the grey-haired priest as some- thing of a. relief is not without countenance. 3. To the nation a calAmity. (2 Sam. iii. 38.) Born t.o be e. king, Joash wanted the capacity to rule. '1'11._ ..atest man to have sat upon the throne was Jehoiada. Only Divine providence does not always assign men the posts for which they are best qualified. The incompetency of Joe.ah would have earlier proved e. curse to Judah had the statesman-priest not been at his elbow. So long as J ehoiada kept his hand upon the helm, the ship of state sailed over stormiest l!e8B with safety ; when death compelled hie gre.sp to relax, the vessel's rocking a.mid the tumbling waves showed how capable a pilot he had been. ID. JEHOIADA's BUBIAL. 1. National. The people paid him public obsequies. Not the king alone, but the entire realm lamented him, and joined in the sad ceremo- nial of consigning his lifeless body to the tomb. Public funerals are often gigantic hypocrisies. Not of such sort was this of the great priest of Jerusalem. 2. RoyaZ. The grandeur of bis obsequies equalled that lavished on the [111;1-erals of kings. Of eome kingt1, among whom Joash must be numbered (ver. 25), it 1s recorded that the people declined to honour them with royal burial ( eh. xxi. 19, 20; xxvi. 23; xxviil. 27); of J ehoia.cJ.a. though not a king, except in nobility of soul, it is written, his people on. :imv.1-27.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 295