At some time earlier in his reign Joash ordered repairs to be made at the temple but by the twenty-third year of his reign these repairs have still not been done. In yesterday's study he demanded an accounting from the priests and Levites as to what the problem is with getting on with the project. The Bible didn't give us a clear and detailed explanation for why these men have not yet carried out the king's orders. We talked about how some scholars think some of the men were dipping into the funds, whereas other scholars think these men were honest with the money but just weren't good at planning how to go about the work and that they weren't skilled at performing the work. Joash is now taking matters into his own hands.
"At the king's command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord." (2 Chronicles 24:8) After the king commands a chest (collection box) to be made, Jehoiada the high priest is the one who makes it. "Jehoiada the priest took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. He placed it beside the altar, on the right side as one enters the temple of the Lord." (2 Kings 12:9a)
Now that the collection box is ready, it's time to make sure it gets filled. "A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness." (2 Chronicles 24:9)
In Exodus 35 we found Moses asking the people to bring offerings of materials to be used for the tabernacle: gold, silver, bronze, various colors of yarn, ram skins and other leathers, acacia wood, olive oil, spices, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. After being instructed by the Lord about what he should ask for, Moses said to the people: "From what you have, bring an offering to the Lord. Everyone who is willing..." (Exodus 35:5) This offering was to be brought willingly, out of the generosity of their hearts, and in the right spirit. When the proclamation goes out to the people of Jerusalem and Judah about an offering for use in repairs to the temple, the people of Joash's day give willingly and generously.
"All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full." (2 Chronicles 24:10) The Lord uses people in His work because allowing people to be part of the work gives them a stake in it. People who give toward the temple repair fund will feel more of a sense of affection toward the temple and for the God who is worshiped there. It will give them a sense of "pride of ownership" toward the temple, for lack of a better term. It is human nature to feel more attached to something we've contributed to, whether our contribution consists of money or labor or even prayer. Someone might have a problem that is out of our control to fix but we can still get on our knees before God every day and pray for that person. Whenever we contribute to the work of the Lord we become emotionally invested in it. These people who are bringing offerings to the temple for repairs are going to feel emotionally invested in the project and in the temple from now on, making it more difficult for any of them to neglect going up to the temple for worship.
The men who handle the offerings brought to the temple do it very responsibly and honestly. "Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal secretary and the high priest came, counted the money that had been brought into the temple of the Lord and put it into bags." (2 Kings 12:10)
Two men, not one, count the money. Having two or more people counting the offering money was important then and it's important now. It helps to prevent temptation, for if only one person counts the money out of sight of anyone else, that person could allow himself/herself to be overcome by temptation. Even someone who is not normally materialistic could fall into sin with money if they are having private financial struggles or if they grew up extremely poor and still deal with feelings of insecurity where money is concerned. Having more than one person counting the money also helps the congregation to feel secure about making offerings. If they trust that the money will be used where it's supposed to be used, they will have the confidence to contribute.
The people of Judah have the confidence to contribute their offerings to the temple repair fund. The collection box gets full on a regular basis and a large amount of money is accumulating. "They did this regularly and a great amount of money." (2 Chronicles 24:11b)
The people are coming together and enough money is being raised to begin the work. Hallelujah! It's a beautiful thing when the Lord's people work together in unity for a good purpose! In our next study session, when the money has been raised and it's time to hire the workers, we will find the workers doing their jobs in a trustworthy manner and in a joyful spirit. Things are getting done, both inwardly and outwardly, and this is a wonderful example of how something can start very small and grow very large. This is a wonderful example of how one person can inspire many others; King Joash had the desire in his heart to see the Lord's temple restored and he inspired the same desire in the hearts of many other people, resulting in his dream of a restored temple coming true.
What might you or I inspire in others if we are zealous for the Lord?
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