Ingratitude. – May God help us to always express our gratitude for everything we have and everyone we can count on.
Our verse of reference in 2 Chronicles 24 is:
“But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple.” (2 Chronicles 24:21 NIV).
Reflection
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Historical Commentary.– While Jehoiada lived, King Joash obeyed his advice and stayed true to God. On the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah advised him to stay away from idolatry and continue to serve God . Unfortunately, Joash, and all the people “They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols.Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. (Vers, 18). God sent prophets, but the people did not listen to their warnings. Then he sent Zechariah with a reprimand, but instead of changing their behavior, Joash ordered to kill the prophet in the temple court. This is the first case that the Bible mentions a prophet sent by God who dies in the hands of the people of Israel: “His blood stained the stones of the temple court, and could not be removed; it remained as testimony against Israel. As long as the temple would exist, the blood of the just will remain there crying to God for vengeance”DTG 571.
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Vertical Ingratitude.- Joash was ungrateful to God, because he abandoned the care of the God who had protected and blessed him. Our ingratitude to God is shown when we forget the ways in which God has guida us, answered our prayers, miraculously open doors of opportunity and His readiness to forgive our sins that we may be saved.
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Horizontal Ingratitude.- When we forget God, it is very easy to be ungrateful with our fellowmen. Jehoiada and his wife, took care of
Joash with their own lives. However, Joash unjustly ordered the murder of Joash son, his own mentor. We also can become very ungrateful, if we don’t take care of our parents when they need us, when we leave our partner after years of marriage, when we turn against the people who supported us unconditionally.
Prayer
Dear merciful Father, I ask forgiveness for our ingratitude to your kindness and care. Please give us the opportunity to repair our our mistakes and the ingratitude that we may have shown to our loved ones and the people who have helped us. In the name of Jesus, amen.
By Dr. Franz Rios and Pablo J. Rios.
