Resources and Temple Repair - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Kings 12:4-5,

"Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord—the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, then use it to repair whatever damage is found in the temple."

Joash was one of the good kings in Judah. "Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him." Verse 2. We see in verses 4 and 5 that he instructed the priests to use the temple resources for repair and maintenance, "the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the Lord" as well as other resources, "money collected in the census". Other resources from personal vows and what was brought voluntarily to the temple were to be utilized also by the priests. He told the priests to use these funds for repairs to "whatever damage is found in the temple."

As I think of this enterprise, which apparently stumbled in the beginning, it causes me to think of the temple made up of believers today.

Those who embrace Jesus Christ in faith are built into a spiritual house, "As you come to him [the Lord], the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." No longer does the Lord manifest his presence in a physical structure as he did the tabernacle, and later, the temple. He now maintains his presence in this world through the hearts and lives of his people.

As I think of that and as I think of the resources Joash devoted to the maintenance and repair of the temple in Jerusalem, it causes me to think of the maintenance and repair needed in the church today, where the Lord make his residence on earth. Not the church buildings, but the lives of those who make up the church here today.

What kind of resources might be required for the repair and maintenance of the hearts, minds, spirits of those who make up the church today? Where politicians feel the only fix for all the problems in our nation today is to throw hard earned tax dollars at them, and where the real interest of so many television evangelists and mega-church operators is the money they can fleece from the flock, those are not the resources that come to mind.

In 1 Peter 4:10 we read, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." Peter does not have money in mind here, he has special enablements the Lord provides us as his children. "Gifts of the Spirit", such as we read of in passages like 1 Corinthians 12-13 and Galatians 5. Here we find valuable resources available to us, rare resources that are not found just anywhere, resources that are only available to God's people.

However, just as the people in Joash's day had to work and make money to provide for the maintenance and repair of God's temple, so there may be work required on our part to be able to contribute toward the maintenance and repair of God's "spiritual house" today. One passage that comes to mind is 2 Timothy 2:15, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." That is going to take some work on our part, some effort. However, the yield is impressive, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Perhaps it is time to take stock in ourselves: are we contributing toward God's spiritual house here? Maybe it is time to open up that Bible, learn what the Lord has to say, and allow him to fill our tool box with things we can contribute with, more precious and valuable than what is often sought in the church today.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.