King Jehoash benefited from the good influence of Jehoiada. As a result, the young king wanted to please Jehovah. But after Jehoiada died, Jehoash listened to apostate princes. (2 Chron. 24:4, 17, 18) Deeply hurt, Jehovah “kept sending prophets among them to bring them back . . . , but they refused to listen.” They did not even listen to Jehoiada’s son Zechariah, who was not only Jehovah’s prophet and priest but also Jehoash’s cousin. In fact, King Jehoash had Zechariah killed. (2 Chron. 22:11; 24:19-22) Jehoash did not maintain a healthy fear of Jehovah. Jehovah had stated: “Those despising me will be treated with contempt.” (1 Sam. 2:30) A small Syrian army later defeated Jehoash’s “very large army” and “severely wounded” him. (2 Chron. 24:24, 25) Jehoash was assassinated by his own servants for killing Zechariah. w23.06 18-19 ¶16-17

The apostle Paul had spent quite some time in Ephesus, preaching and teaching the good news. (Acts 19:1, 8-10; 20:20, 21) He loved his brothers very much and wanted to help them to remain faithful to Jehovah. The Ephesians to whom Paul wrote were once enslaved to false religious ideas and superstitions. Ephesus was famous for its gross immorality and brazen conduct. Obscene talk was commonly heard in the city’s theaters and even at religious festivals. (Eph. 5:3) Many of its inhabitants were “past all moral sense,” an expression that literally means “having ceased to feel pain.” (Eph. 4:17-19) Before learning what was truly right or truly wrong, the Ephesians did not feel pangs of conscience. Paul could thus describe them as being “in darkness mentally and alienated from the life that belongs to God.” Some of the Ephesians, though, did not remain in darkness. w24.03 20 ¶2, 4; 21 ¶5-6

Gideon’s assignment as judge involved a lot of physical exertion. When the Midianites fled during the nighttime battle, Gideon chased after them from the Valley of Jezreel all the way to the Jordan River. (Judg. 7:22) Did Gideon stop at the Jordan? No! Though tired, he and his 300 men crossed over and continued the pursuit. Finally, they caught up with the Midianites and defeated them. (Judg. 8:4-12) Gideon trusted that Jehovah would give him strength, and he was not disappointed. (Judg. 6:14, 34) Once, Gideon and his men were pursuing two Midianite kings on foot while the kings may have been riding camels. (Judg. 8:12, 21) Yet, with God’s help, the determined Israelites prevailed. Elders can likewise rely on Jehovah, the one who “never tires out or grows weary.” He will give them strength when they need it.​—Isa. 40:28, 29. w23.06 6 ¶14, 16