This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in 2 Kings 12, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, there was a king named Jehoash who ruled over a city called Jerusalem. He was a good king and always did what God wanted him to do because he had a priest named Jehoiada who taught him. But even though Jehoash was a good king, some people in his city were still worshiping other gods on high places.
One day, Jehoash told the priests to use the money people gave to the temple to fix any part of it that needed repairs. But the priests didn’t use the money for repairs, so Jehoash asked them why they weren’t fixing the temple. The priests then agreed to use the money only for repairs.
To make sure the money was used correctly, Jehoiada put a chest in the temple where the priests could put all the money people gave. Then, whenever there was a lot of money, the king and the high priest would count it and give it to the workers who were fixing the temple.
Even though they were honest, the workers didn’t use the money to make fancy things for the temple like silver basins, gold trumpets, or silver bowls. Instead, they used it to buy wood and stone to fix the temple. This way, everyone knew the money was being used correctly.
At the same time, a king from another country named Hazael came to fight against Jerusalem. Jehoash took all the gold from the temple and his own palace and gave it to Hazael to stop him from attacking.
But even though Jehoash was a good king, not everyone liked him. Two of his servants, Jozacar and Jehozabad, decided to make a plan to kill him. They succeeded, and Jehoash died in the house of Millo on the way that goes down to Silla.
Jehoash was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Amaziah became the new king of Jerusalem.
Biblical Lessons
- God wants us to worship only Him and not other gods.
- It’s important to use money given to God’s house correctly.
- It’s important to be honest when dealing with money.
- We should be grateful for good leaders who follow God’s ways.
- We should be careful who we trust and surround ourselves with, as some people may have evil intentions.