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Atomic Bible
2 Chronicles 23:16-21·~1 min

Jehoiada Restores the Worship of the LORD

Jehoiada makes a covenant that king and people will be the LORD’s, and the people answer by tearing down Baal’s temple, its altars, and its priest.

T16hen Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and the king and the people that they would be the LORD’s people. 17So all the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

Jehoiada reestablishes the Levitical oversight, offerings, rejoicing, song, and gatekeeping of the LORD’s house according to Moses and David.

18Moreover, Jehoiada put the oversight of the house of the LORD into the hands of the Levitical priests, whom David had appointed over the house of the LORD, to offer burnt offerings to the LORD as written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and song, as ordained by David. 19He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that no one who was in any way unclean could enter.

Jehoiada and the leaders bring Joash from the house of the LORD to the palace and seat him on the throne, while the people rejoice and the city becomes quiet.

20And he took with him the commanders of hundreds, the nobles, the rulers of the people, and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the house of the LORD and entered the royal palace through the Upper Gate. They seated King Joash on the royal throne, 21and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been put to the sword.

Section summaryWith Athaliah gone, Jehoiada binds king and people in covenant to belong to the LORD, destroys Baal’s temple, and restores the worship and purity of the LORD’s house. He then leads Joash to the royal throne, and the city rejoices and grows quiet.
Role in the chapterThis closing section shows that the kingdom’s restoration is not complete with a coronation alone. The chapter ends by reordering worship, cleansing public life, and joining rightful rule with peace in the city.