The careful planning of Jehoiada the priest paid off. It would have been easy for him to reason that as Athaliah was on the throne and there was no obvious son to sit on the throne that there was nothing he could do about it. However, being provided with one of the king's sons he was willing to wait and plan for seven years before implementing his plan to remove Athaliah from the throne.
May we have the foresight and determination to plan to do the will of God even if it seems that our work will not come to fruition for many years.

ch.12 - A summary of some elements of the life of Johash is instructive.
2 Kings 12 / 2 Chronicles 24
2 Kings 12:1 Reigned 40 years - from 7 years old -. :2 Good all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
2 Chronicles 24:3 Jehoiada takes Jehoash two wives.
2 Chronicles 24:15 Jehoiada the priest dies 130 yrs old.
2 Chronicles 24:17-18 false worship.
2 Chronicles 24:19 so God sends prophets.
2 Chronicles 24:20 Including Jehoiada's son.
2 Chronicles 24:21 whom they stoned. Jehoash didn't remember the kindness of Jehoiada.
2 Kings 12:17 Hazael ( of Syria ) takes Gath and comes against Jerusalem. :18 Jehoash gives riches from temple to Hazael who departs.
2 Chronicles 24:24 Syrians debased Judah because Jehoash forsook the Lord.
2 Chronicles 24:25 Jehoash was diseased and was slain by his servants. He was buried in city of David, but not in 'sepulchres of the kings.'
2 Chronicles 24:27 Amaziah reigned in his stead.
Thus we can see that when the good influence of Jehoiada ceased so did Jehoash's goodness.

11:12 That 'the king's son' had been hidden in the temple for seven years speaks volumes. It tells us clearly that Athaliah had no tie for the things of the temple. On the other hand it would appear that the men that Jehoiada (11:4) had prepared to protect the king's son had been aware of his presence I the temple and had been faithful to God in not betraying him to Athaliah.

12:2-3 Whilst the king 'did that which was right' the high places 'were not removed' so we conclude that the spirituality of the king was not reflected in the people. This was often the case in the time of the kings.

11:14 That 'all the people of the land rejoice' when Jehoash was anointed kings indicates that even though the people were not fully worshipping Yahweh they did not like Athaliah to be queen. It is a case of a people just waiting for sound guidance.

12:16 The way that the 'trespass money' was dealt with was according to the requirement of the Law of Moses (Leviticus 7:7, Numbers 18:9)

11:2 The way in which Jehosheba took and hid Joash may seem a natural thing to do but it was the means where by the line of David was preserved.

12:5-6 The counsel that the people were to work together in repairing the house of God was good. However, it seems, apathy set in and the work lay unfinished. How often do we start with good intentions and the help of others only for the work to fall by the wayside?

We haven't read much of Judah for about 2 weeks. Asa reigned for 41 years (1Kin 15:10), and his son Jehoshaphat reigned 25 years (1Kin 22:42).  Both were Godly. Then came Joram (also known as Jehoram) for 8 yrs, but he married Ahab's daughter, and was evil (2Kin 8:17,18). Joram's son Ahaziah only reigned for one year, and was killed by Jehu (2Kin 8:26,2Kin 9:27).  This brings us to today's chapter, where Ahaziah's mother, called Athaliah, killed all the seed royal, and reigned for 7 yrs (2Kin 11:1-4). So Judah had 66 good years and 16 bad years. From today's chapter it's sad to note that there were "breaches" in the Temple (2Kin 12:5), which I presume had occurred during the 16 bad years. But good king Jehoash (or Joash) repaired it.
One further point: Just as we read of Israel yesterday, in today's chapter Judah too destroyed Baal (2Kin 11:17-19). But even more sadly, the worship of Baal returned to the South, for 2Kin 23:3-5tells of young king Josiah's destruction of Baal's vessels which were found in the Lord's house. He also killed the idolatrous priests and those "that burned incense to Baal". It should be noted, though, that chapter 23 is about 230 yrs later than chapter 11.

11:17 So we see Jehoiada was waiting for a man of David to be old enough to be king so that the kingdom could be re established in truth. He effected the change but did not seek to himself the status. He was, however, the mediator of the covenant between the king and the Lord. Doubtless he became a faithful counsellor to the king.

11:4 Jehoiada showed patience in waiting until Joash was 7 before arranging for him to be crowned king. Just because something is good and right it does not mean, necessarily, that it should be done immediately. In this case there was benefit in waiting.

11:2 Jehosheba must have been a Godly person given that she clearly risked her life in saving Joash at great risk to herself.

11:1 Athalia means afflicted of the Lord.  She was indeed afflicted, having Ahab and Jezebel for parents, who were not the best role models.  Athalia, particularly, emulated her mother. She had married Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 

Just as her mother had introduced Baal worship to Israel, Athalia introduced it to Judah.  Like her mother, Athalia showed unrepentant viciousness in expressing her rage.  And, like her mother, she came to a violent end as justice was dispensed against her.

11:2,4 God never leaves Himself without a witness. These two faithful people – Jehosheba and Jehoiada – risked their lives. However God had promised that David would never want for a son to sit on his throne. These two were seeking to ensure that this was so.

11:3 The temple was the one safe place to hide Joash, because only the priests had access.

11:6 The Sur gate is called the gate of foundation in 2Chron 23:5.

11:8 The ranges (KJV) refers to the ranks of soldiers on guard.

11:16 Athaliah was killed by the Horse Gate, which was a gate in the wall of Jerusalem where the king’s horses passed by on their way to and from the stables (2Chron 23:15).

12:1 Jehoash  means  given of Jah. Jehoash is the same person as Joash, that we read about in Ch.11. Joash is just a contraction of the name Jehoash.

12:18-21 The peace that Jehoash secured from Hazael did not last long.  The following year, Hazael returned for more goods, but there was no more to be had.  Jehoash went up against Hazael and lost.  Later, a conspiracy against Jehoash took place in which he was murdered (See 2Chron 24:23).

It is sad that Jehoash trusted in riches to try and secure peace.  He feared Hazael more than he trusted Yahweh (Prov 29:25).

12:18 Jehoahash sought to ‘buy off’ the Syrians by desecrating thins dedicated to God!

2Kin 11:2 - Athaliah was the "sister" [Heb. "achoth" (269) means "sister, half-sister, relative or (figuratively) of intimate connection"] of "Jehosheba" (wife of the priest Jehoiada and Ahaziah's sister - 2Chron 22:11) who hid the baby Joash which reminds of Moses and Jesus being hid (Exo 1:15-22;2:1-10;Matt 2:13-20).

2Kin 11:16 - the evil Athaliah was put to death where horses enter, reminds of her wicked mother Jezebel who was trampled by horses (2Kin 9:33).

2Kin 11:18;12:7,12,15 - the sinful temple of Baal was destroyed, then money that was usually the priest's went to faithfully restore the temple of the Lord by using wood and stone - perhaps an echo of Christ's betrayal, sacrifice (John 2:19) and victory over sin. 

2Kin 12:2-32Kin 11:5 - the young king ruled almost jointly with a priest who "instructed" [Heb. "yara" (3384) means "to flow as water, to teach", etc.], was almost an echo of Melchizedek or Christ - sin wasn't entirely eradicated.

2Kin 11:3 - six years ("6" perhaps suggests the number of man with his associated sinful nature).  2Kin 12:1 - forty years ("40" perhaps suggests a period of probation, trial and chastisement).  2Kin 11:4,17 - three "covenants" [Heb. "briyth" (1285) means "covenant, in the sense of cutting, made between passing pieces of flesh" - perhaps similar to sacrifice, circumcision]. 2Kin 11:5,7 - three companies ("3" perhaps suggests complete, divine perfection, resurrection). 2Kin 11:4,21;12:1 - seven or seventh ("7" perhaps suggests spiritual perfection, God's seal or covenant number, to be full or satisfied, 7th millenial day of rest). 

Joash as a Type of Christ

Joash was saved from among the dead (2Kin 11:2), and thus typified the Lord Jesus Christ who was saved out of death. Joash was hidden in the temple of Yahweh until the seventh year (2Kin 11:4), thus, representing the destiny of the Lord who ascended to the heavenly temple of Yahweh, hidden from the site of man until the time decreed.

Athaliah destroyed the royal seed (2Kin 11:1) and during the absense of Joash, she drew the people from true worship (2Chron 21:11;24:7) just as the "children" of a symbolic Jezebel would later do the same along with persecuting true believers (Rev 2:20-23;17:4-6;18:23-24;Rev 5:9-10).

Joash emerged from his hiding place to be proclaimed king; so it will be with Jesus when he returns. Joash ruled with the assistance of Jehoiada the priest, so the throne of David was jointly occupied by a king and priest; and Christ will reign as a king-priest (Zech 6:13). During the reign of Joash, the priesthood was revived; it will again be revived under the Lord Jesus (Psa 110:1-7). At this time Athaliah was slain and the false worship overthrown; in like manner the harlot-system of Revelation 17-18 will be overthrown at Christ's return. Joash repaired the temple and established true worship throughout the land with Jerusalem finding peace; the same will be true of Christ's reign (Isa 2:2-4;Psa 72:1-20).

The above largely gleaned from: The Story of the Bible, by H.P. Mansfield, Vol.4,p.14.

V.4 The words which Ezekiel spoke were to be proclaimed as the words of God Himself. So in v.7 he is told that "thou shalt speak my words unto them"  As in the case of Christ, so it was with Ezekiel. John 3:34

2:10  The book ‘written within and without’ is the basis for Rev 5:1  This book, therefore, was sealed until he came who was able to open it. So Ezekiel saw a book but was unable to see the details.

V.3 Ezekiel was taken captive to Babylon in 597 BC and began his ministry about four years later, thirty-five years after Jeremiah began his.  Jeremiah's pronouncements had proven true so far.  But the Israelites were still a rebellious people.  

And so, they needed a prophet with them in captivity to remind them of Yahweh's continuing correction towards them.  Jerusalem would finally be destroyed in 586 BC, and part of Ezekiel's job was to educate and sensitize the people to this coming event. 

2:4 ‘impudent’ has the sense, in the Hebrew, of being ‘hard of face’ . That is they, instead of having fellowship with God (face to face), they opposed God face to face.

2:4 ‘impudent’ <07186> means ‘hard of face’ – see RV margin. Elsewhere it is translated ‘stiffnecked’ Deut 9:6

V.1 Ezekiel was called Son of man.  This parallels the description of Jesus throughout the gospel accounts (e.g. Mark 14:62). 

V.10 Ezekiel was shown a scroll that was written on both sides (unusual), containing woes.  This is matched by a similar scroll, written on both sides, also containing woes (Rev 5:1).  Only Jesus could open this scroll (Rev 5:5).  Look for other parallels that show Ezekiel as being a type of Christ.

2:7 Ezekiel’s responsibility was to be a faithful witness to what God said. It was not his responsibility to ensure that the people changed their allegiance. Likewise the same is true for us. We need not make the message more palatable or attractive so we can gain converts. Our obligation is to present the message as it is. It is the responsibility of the hearer to decide how to respond to it.

V.1 Ezekiel, the Son of man, was told to: stand upon thy feet.  Then he received a commission to witness against the Children of Israel.

Similarly, Jesus, the Son of man, told Paul to: stand upon thy feet, when He commissioned him to witness to the Gentiles (Acts 26:16-18).

If we've been following this second daily reading, having gone through Jeremiah and Lamentations over the last two months, we could be forgive for thinking: "here we go again!" In this chapter, a young man is once again commissioned to speak to Israel (2:3, Jer 1:7). God would once again protect that prophet from their schemes (2:6, Jer 1:8,18-19). And God would give him words to say (2:7, 3:4, Jer 1:7,9,17).

ch.8 - Paul is concerned to establish the principle that a man should give as he can. In so doing he, by appealing to Exodus 16:18 in 8:15, shows that God is able to make up the shortages. In reality God does not need us to give anything. He can provide without our aid. However in allowing us to give we are associated with God in His provision. A wonderful provision. This is why 'God loveth a cheerful giver' (9:7)

9:11 'bountifulness' <572> is the same word which is translated 'liberality' (8:2) A consideration of all the uses of this word shows that the focus of the meaning is on singleness of mind rather than the quantity given.

8:10 We know that Paul had been collecting money for 'the poor saints at Jerusalem.' That the Corinthians had been ready 'a year ago' highlights the seriousness of the problem the Jerusalem ecclesia had. That is money was collected over a long period of time to relive their distress. Doubtless their financial distress only ceased with the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and the scattering of the believers.

9:7 'not grudgingly' speaks of an attitude of mind. It echoes the willing heart (1 Chronicles 29:6, 9,14,17) when people gave for the work of the temple. Of course the Corinthians were giving for the building of the temple - the ecclesia.

8:2 The 'liberality' 572  of the Macedonians was not that they gave money. But rather that their minds were focused on doing it. They were single minded. The word translated 'liberality' here is translated 'singleness elsewhere (Eph 5:5 , Col 3:22)

9:11,17 The word 'bountiful 2Cor 1:12ness(:11) and 'liberal' (:13) are the same word 572 which we saw in 2Cor 1:12. In fact of the seven occurrences of the word five of them are to be found in 2 Corinthians. |The full list is to e found in the comment for 2 Corinthians 1 for September 3rd 2004

8:12 Giving to the work of the Truth is as important today as Paul's collections were.  However, the attitude in our giving is of utmost importance.  The willingness to give rises above the amount to be given. 

9:7 Once the appropriate donation amount (for the individual) is decided upon, it should then be given with gladness.  Remember that Yahweh is monitoring our hearts.  The gift is of no importance to Him unless it is given with the right attitude (1Cor 13:3).

8:9 Jesus was ‘rich’ being heir of the world. His poverty that he ‘became’ was to become a servant Phil 2:7.

9:8 Lest the Corinthians – or ourselves for that matter – are anxious that our giving will impoverish ourselves Paul reminds us that God abundant grace will meet our needs.

8:16 When Titus went to Corinth he did not elicit the generosity that Paul had hoped for and that they had promised. Doubtless Titus was not really welcome when he went to Corinth. Now Paul explains that Titus had gone to Corinth because of his care for them – they doubtless thugh he cared for Paul and the poor saints in Jerusalem and not for them.

8:6 So Titus had already been to Corinth to encourage them to be like the Macedonians. However it would appear that he had met with little success.

8:10-11 It might be thought that letting a year pass between the willingness being expressed and this call to make the offer shows a dilatory approach by Paul; Why didn’t he chase them up before, we might ask. However the point is not the money, it is the willingness. Paul was encouraging them to make the decision and give themselves. The wait, therefore, was not idleness on Paul’s part. Rather a willingness to wait for the Corinthians to put into practice what they had offered. It had to be their offering and not be made by coercion.

8:10 The event a year ago was Paul's recommendation, in his first epistle, to make provision for poor brethren (1Cor 16:2).

8:18,22 The brother (or brothers) is not identified anywhere.

9:9 Paul quotes from Psa 112:2.  This psalm is worth re-reading.  It profiles the attributes of a godly person, one aspect of whom is that of a cheerful, generous giver.

8:23 It would appear that Titus’ position was questioned by some in Corinth so Paul lays out quite clearly his position and status.

EXCEL

"But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (2Cor 8:7) Just as Paul described the Corinthians, we need to be well rounded Christains, excelling in every area of our Christain lives.

Excel in Faith. We need to be able to take God at his word and to believe what he says without question. Then we must live in that faith without looking back.

Excel in Speech. Our speech should stand out from the rest for two reasons: 1. Because we do not swear or use profanities; 2. Because our conversation points people toward God.

Excel in Knowledge. The knowledge of God and of his word is the area of knowledge we need to excel in. "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have." (1Pet 3:15)

Excel in Complete Earnestness. Always be enthusiastic, motivated and passionate in the way we live for God. People are earnest about all sorts of things - we need to be even more so for God.

Excel in Love. Love needs to be shown even in extreme circumstances. God loved us while we were still sinners. Let us show the same love to each other.

Excel in the Grace of Giving. All we have comes from God. There are no exceptions. Everything we have has been loaned to us to use for his glory in this life. Let us freely share what has been freely given.