13 However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD. 14 Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.
15 No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity. 16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
17 At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem. 18 So King Joash of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—along with his own consecrated items and all the gold found in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael withdrew from Jerusalem.
19 As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
20 And the servants of Joash rose up and formed a conspiracy and killed him at Beth-millo, on the road down to Silla. 21 His servants Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. And they buried him with his fathers in the City of David, and his son Amaziah reigned in his place.
REFLECTIONS
Written by Stephen Shead
Weirdly, I suspect the first half of today’s passage is part of the biblical basis for some of the “rules” about handling money in Anglican churches in Sydney. Or if it’s not, it’s just accidentally similar.
Two things struck me as similar. First, money used for restoring the temple was kept separate from the offerings that the Law of Moses said belonged to the priests (see Leviticus 5:15-18 and Numbers 18:8-9). In other words, as important as repairing the temple was, it was not to “bleed” money away from what was needed to provide for the priests and sustain their ministry and their families.
No, I’m not a “priest” like those Old Testament guys, but the New Testament has a similar principle of financially providing for those who are set aside for the ministry of the gospel (1 Tim. 5:17-18). And in the Sydney Anglican diocese, property money is to be used for property, and ministers are to be adequately provided for.
Secondly, the priests didn’t control the money. The priests helped collect it, but it was handed over to others (like the royal scribe and supervisors) to actually pay people. In Sydney Anglican churches, we ministers don’t have access to the money; it is entrusted to faithful and reliable laypeople – our church wardens.
A final note: I love the fact that everyone involved in repairing the temple – the supervisors as well as the carpenters and builders – worked with godly integrity and financial faithfulness. Why not thank God now for all the people at St Barnabas who both have practical trades and skills, and who use them with godly integrity and honesty?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen is our senior minister.