Session 10 2 Kings 12:4-16
2 KINGS 12:4-16
MEMORY VERSE: JAMES 4:17
An old saying goes, “Many people don’t plan to fail; they just fail to plan.” Some may fail to consider how long it will take to complete a project. Others are busy doing many things but do not prioritize the most important projects. We may be overwhelmed with the enormity of the task, so we put it off hoping it will take care of itself. Eventually, we reveal our priorities in the tasks we complete. What we think is important, we get done.
(In PSG, p. 91)
UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT
After Jehu, king of Israel, killed Ahaziah, king of Judah, Ahaziah’s mother Athaliah assumed control over Judah (2 Kings 11:1-3). Jehoiada the priest protected Ahaziah’s son Joash (also known as Jehoash) from Athaliah’s attempt to kill all the royal line (11:4-8). After some time, Jehoiada arranged with others to crown Joash king, and Athaliah was put to death (11:9-16). Jehoiada then helped bring spiritual reform to Judah, and Joash served the Lord well (11:17–12:3).
Joash oversaw the repair of damage that had occurred to the temple (12:4-16). Tragically, at the end of his reign, Joash forgot Jehoiada’s kindness to him and murdered Jehoiada’s son when the son spoke against Joash (2 Chron. 24:15-22). When Joash suffered defeat from Aram, his servants conspired against him and killed him (2 Kings 12:17-21; 2 Chron. 24:23-27).Jehoahaz became king over Israel and regularly battled King Hazael of Aram (2 Kings 13:1-9). Jehoahaz’s son, Joash, also followed in his father’s evil ways (13:10-13). During Joash’s days, Elisha the prophet died (13:14-20), but God continued to extend grace toward His wayward people (13:22-25).
Meanwhile in Judah, Amaziah became king and defeated Edom soundly (14:1-7). However, when he challenged Israel to battle, King Joash of Israel defeated him (14:8-14). Eventually, Amaziah’s servants conspired against him, killed him, and appointed Azariah his son as king (14:17-22). In the north, Jeroboam II became king and enjoyed military success, though he followed in the sins of his ancestors (14:23-29).
In Judah, Azariah, also known as Uzziah, followed the Lord and subdued the Philistines (15:3-4; 2 Chron. 26:1-15). However, the king’s pride led to his attempt to usurp the priestly duties for himself, and the Lord struck him with leprosy (2 Kings 15:5-7; 2 Chron. 26:16-23).A series of evil kings reigned over Israel. Zechariah and Shallum reigned a total of only seven months (2 Kings 15:8-16). Menahem reigned ten years and saw the Assyrian army invade his territory (15:17-22). His son Pekahiah lasted only two years before his servants killed him and named Pekah as his successor (15:23-26). During Pekah’s reign, Israel and Aram joined forces against Judah and fought against both Jotham and Ahaz, Jotham’s son (15:27–16:6). Tragically, instead of seeking the Lord, Ahaz sought Assyria’s help (16:1-9). After Damascus, Aram’s capital, fell to Assyria, Ahaz traveled there to meet the king of Assyria and even built an altar in Jerusalem like the altar in Damascus (16:10-18). When Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah reigned over Judah (16:19-20).
EXPLORE THE TEXT
4 Then Joash said to the priests, “All the dedicated silver brought to the LORD’s temple, census silver, silver from vows, and all silver voluntarily given for the LORD’s temple—5 each priest is to take it from his assessor and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”
The first recorded action Joash took to demonstrate his faithfulness to God was to speak to the priests about repairing God’s house. The king prioritized repairs for the temple so everyone could worship at a place that truly honored God. The priests would oversee the project. They would not necessarily do the physical labor but would supervise those who did.
The king explained the funding for the temple repair would come from the money that came in from certain sources. The priests were to use the dedicated silver brought to the LORD’s temple. The expression translated designated silver literally means “silver/money of the holy things.” It probably is a general expression that summarizes the categories of money Joash was about to mention.
Census silver had as its origin Exodus 30:13-16, where the Lord instructed His people to bring a half shekel per person to the sanctuary. Other worshipers might bring silver from vows. Perhaps they had made a vow out of gratitude, or perhaps they had promised to bring a certain offering if God answered their prayer. The Law of Moses provided detailed instructions on vows and urged the people to keep any vows they made to God (Lev. 27:1-27). They did not have to make vows, but if they did, they needed to honor them (Eccl. 5:4-5).
The king also commanded that the funding include all silver voluntarily given for the LORD’s temple. Worshipers were always free to bring an offering simply because their hearts prompted them to do so. Sometimes such an offering might be a fellowship offering of an animal (Lev. 7:11-15), but people might also bring a monetary gift. The king determined the silver given to the temple either as dedicated silver or as silver voluntarily given should adequately fund the needed repairs. He even instructed the Levites to go to Judah’s cities and invite contributions (2 Chron. 24:5).
The king instructed that each priest is to take it from his assessor. The word assessor may be related to the word that means “to sell,” and if so, probably denotes an accountant or bookkeeper of some sort. Others suggest the word may mean “acquaintance” and be a general term for “coworker” or “neighbor” At any rate, the priests would receive the money and distribute it appropriately to fund the various aspects of the work. These workers would take responsibility to repair whatever damage is found in the temple. Certainly, ordinary wear had occurred in the over one hundred twenty-five years since Solomon had completed the work, and other incidents may have caused more significant damage. The sons of evil Queen Athaliah also may have caused temple damage when they looted it to secure objects for Baal worship (2 Chron. 24:7).
6 But by the twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash, the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple. 7 So King Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests and asked, “Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Since you haven’t, don’t take any silver from your assessors; instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple.” 8 So the priests agreed that they would receive no silver from the people and would not be the ones to repair the temple’s damage.
The twenty-third year of the reign of King Joash was 813 BC. Second Chronicles 24:1 records that Joash became king at age seven and reigned for forty years. The text does not tell us in what year Joash instructed the priests to begin the temple repair, but perhaps he had reigned a few years when he did so (2 Chron. 24:3-4). Joash became impatient because the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple. It seems likely they had failed to prioritize this important project. Perhaps their usual duties occupied much of their time, and they decided everything was okay as it was. However, since the king was allocating financial resources toward the project, he wanted to ensure the money was going where it needed to go. In any case, the priests had failed to complete the repairs, and the Lord’s house continued to display noticeable damage.
King Joash called the priest Jehoiada and the other priests. Jehoiada had saved the king’s life and nurtured him until the day Joash became king, so the two undoubtedly had a close relationship. It must have pained the king to have to admonish his spiritual advisor and former guardian. However, Joash’s priority was to repair the temple, for the likely visible damage reflected poorly on the nation’s relationship with their God.
Joash asked the priests, Why haven’t you repaired the temple’s damage? Presumably they had no good answer, though they more than anyone else should have had concerns over the temple’s condition. They were the ones who served there and who functioned as mediators between God and His people.
Joash therefore instructed the priests, don’t take any silver from your assessors. (On the word “assessors,” see v. 5.) He was relieving them of their duties to oversee the work. He instructed them, instead, hand it over for the repair of the temple. The king would assign the task to faithful workers who would ensure the task’s completion.
Leaders are accountable for their actions. When leaders do not give tasks their due priority, others may assume the tasks are not important. Further, when leaders fall into sin, those who follow them sometimes rationalize their own failures by pointing to the leaders’ failures. We must set a good example for those we lead.
(In PSG, p. 94)
9 Then the priest Jehoiada took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the LORD’s temple; the priests who guarded the threshold put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the LORD’s temple.
Following the king’s directive, Jehoiada the priest instituted a new system to fund the temple repairs. He created a designated offering box that would collect the money people gave toward the work, and the money would go directly to the workers. Jehoiada took a chest and bored a hole in its lid. We should assume this chest was fairly large. Many worshipers would want to contribute, so a large chest made sense. Jehoiada set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the LORD’s temple. The altar mentioned was perhaps a smaller altar or pillar that stood outside the temple courtyard (2 Chron. 24:8). The area was supervised by the priests who guarded the threshold of the temple; that is, they monitored access to the sacred ground on which the temple stood. These officials put into the chest all the silver that was brought to the LORD’s temple.
Over the years, churches to which we have belonged sometimes have initiated special projects. Members have been challenged to support the project with designated gifts beyond their usual contribution. Doing so gives everyone an opportunity to participate in the advance of God’s work. Every contribution is important, whether large or small. Worshipers in Joash’s day who brought their designated offerings to the temple no doubt shared the same sense of responsibility.
10 Whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest, the king’s secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the LORD’s temple. 11 Then they would give the weighed silver to those doing the work — those who oversaw the LORD’s temple. They in turn would pay it out to those working on the LORD’s temple — the carpenters, the builders, 12 the masons, and the stonecutters — and would use it to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the LORD’s temple and for all expenses for temple repairs.
The priests took action whenever they saw there was a large amount of silver in the chest. Designated officials that included the king’s secretary and the high priest would go bag up and tally the silver found in the LORD’s temple. The word translated secretary is elsewhere translated “scribe;” it comes from a verb that means “to count.” Such individuals typically were in charge of keeping important records and were well known to those in the royal court. The high priest bore responsibility as the temple representative to ensure the accuracy of the accounting. Having the king’s secretary and the high priest involved in the process ensured both palace and priesthood oversaw the project and provided mutual accountability.
Once they had gathered the funds, Jehoiada and the king’s secretary would give the weighed silver to those doing the work. The priests had failed to oversee the work, so now the money would go directly to those who oversaw the LORD’s temple and the repairs being done. These overseers in turn would pay it out to those working on the LORD’s temple—that is, to those doing the physical repair work. The money thus went from those who accounted for it to the supervisors of the workers, and then to the workers.
The text mentions four specific groups of workers. First, it mentions the carpenters (literally “workers of wood”). If they patterned their work after that in Solomon’s day, they likely worked with cedar (1 Kings 6:18,36; 7:11). Second, the text mentions the builders, a term that probably represented general construction workers. They could apply their many skills where needed and support the work of others. The third group mentioned was the masons—craftsmen who worked with brick or stone. They could help repair breaches of various sizes in the temple. Fourth, stonecutters worked with stones of all sizes. Stones used to repair damaged areas in the temple structure needed to be cut precisely.
The supervisors also used the designated offering to buy timber and quarried stone to repair the damage to the LORD’s temple. They purchased the materials the skilled craftsmen used to complete the work. All other expenses for temple repairs also came from this fund. The expression probably refers to the many incidental costs that arose during the work on this significant project.
God expects His people to take care of their financial obligations. Jesus challenged us to use our earthly resources to invest in eternity (Matt. 6:19-21). People who sacrifice generously to give to God’s work find they never can out-give God. His blessing on our lives far exceeds anything we can do. At the same time, churches should strategically invest as they plan their budgets. Each local church must prayerfully determine how to allocate its resources for maximum kingdom impact.
(In PSG, p. 96)
13 However, no silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver were made for the LORD’s temple from the contributions brought to the LORD’s temple. 14 Instead, it was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the LORD’s temple with it.
The king no doubt wanted to be sure the people who gave money for the temple’s repair would see the result of their investment. Consequently, items such as silver bowls, wick trimmers, sprinkling basins, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver that normally would see service in the ongoing worship at the temple were financed by other temple funds during the temple repair project. Indeed, many such items played an important role in worship (1 Kings 7:48,50-51; 2 Chron. 24:14) but were funded by the temple treasury, not by the designated offering. Only when the contributions to repair the damage exceeded the need did the remaining funds go to temple items (2 Chron. 24:14).
The money the people gave for the designated offering was given to those doing the work, and they repaired the LORD’s temple with it. In earlier days, Joash had commissioned the priests with the duty to repair the temple damage, but the priests had failed. Consequently, Joash established a special offering under the supervision of both palace and temple (v. 10). This money that came in went directly to pay the people who bought materials for the work and to pay the workers who did the work (v. 11).
15 No accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work, since they worked with integrity. 16 The silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the LORD’s temple since it belonged to the priests.
As stated earlier, representatives of both palace and temple monitored and recorded the total amount of money that came in and was dispersed. However, no accounting was required from the men who received the silver to pay those doing the work. At least two officials—one from the palace and one from the temple—knew how much money went into the project, but those who supervised the work worked with integrity, so no accounting was required from them.
A believer’s integrity in business can further the cause of God’s kingdom. When we display integrity in all walks of life, people recognize our trustworthiness. When believers exhibit integrity even in small matters, many in the world take notice. The character trait of integrity grows in a person over time but can be lost quickly by one foolish choice. Believers should pray God will help them live lives of integrity.
The text also notes that the silver from the guilt offering and the sin offering was not brought to the LORD’s temple for the repair project. The book of Leviticus provides detailed instructions related to both the sin offering and guilt offering (Lev. 4:1–6:7; Num. 5:5-10). With each sacrifice, a portion was burned on the altar, and the rest of the offering belonged to the priests. This was God’s way of providing for the priests and their families. The text makes it plain that Joash’s and Jehoiada’s work to oversee repair of the temple damage did not result in disregarding stipulations from the Law of Moses. The priests kept the portions of the offerings to which they were entitled, and the temple repair work was funded through designated offerings the people brought.
(In PSG, p. 98)
The Church
Each congregation operates under the lordship of Christ through democratic processes, with each member responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. (See 1 Timothy 3:14-15; 1 Peter 5:1-4.)
Read, reflect on, and react emotionally to a Bible verse.
Read 2 Kings 12:15 slowly and reflectively. Consider the kind of integrity the men must have had to handle such large amounts of money faithfully. How can integrity in all things make a difference for God’s kingdom?