He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his father, Amaziah, had done.Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success.
The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.
But after Jehoiada’s death, the leaders of Judah came and bowed before King Joash and persuaded him to listen to their advice.They decided to abandon the Temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they worshiped Asherah poles and idols instead! Because of this sin, divine anger fell on Judah and Jerusalem.Yet the Lord sent prophets to bring them back to him. The prophets warned them, but still the people would not listen.Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said,“ This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”Then the leaders plotted to kill Zechariah, and King Joash ordered that they stone him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s Temple.That was how King Joash repaid Jehoiada for his loyalty— by killing his son. Zechariah’s last words as he died were,“ May the Lord see what they are doing and avenge my death!”
And so the Lord says,“ These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man made rules learned by rote.
