David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are 2 Kings 13, 2 Chronicles 24-25, Psalm 14.

2 Chronicles 24:4-14

After this Joash decided to restore the house of the Lord. ⁵ And he gathered the priests and the Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that you act quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. ⁶ So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax levied by Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the congregation of Israel for the tent of testimony?” ⁷ For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God, and had also used all the dedicated things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.

⁸ So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside the gate of the house of the Lord. ⁹ And proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God laid on Israel in the wilderness. ¹⁰ And all the princes and all the people rejoiced and brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until they had finished. ¹¹ And whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, when they saw that there was much money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and take it and return it to its place. Thus they did day after day, and collected money in abundance. ¹² And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who had charge of the work of the house of the Lord, and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the house of the Lord. ¹³ So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. ¹⁴ And when they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made utensils for the house of the Lord, both for the service and for the burnt offerings, and dishes for incense and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord regularly all the days of Jehoiada.

Years ago we had a faithful member of the church who counted the offerings after our midweek services. The problem was that he did it alone. No one else was in the room. Nothing was ever missing. There was never a hint of wrongdoing.

Still, we told him that someone needed to be with him whenever the offerings were counted.

He was a bit offended. “What! Don’t you trust me?”

I explained that trust was not the issue. I had complete confidence in him. The issue was accountability. What if someone else questioned what happened? What if an accusation were made? Having two people count the offerings protected not only the church’s funds, but also his reputation. He soon saw the wisdom of the policy.

The situation in Judah was more serious. Athaliah’s sons had broken into the temple and carried off the dedicated things of the house of the LORD for use in the worship of Baal. Worse still, the money collected for repairs was apparently not accomplishing its purpose. The temple remained in disrepair.

So Jehoiada the priest established a simple system. A chest was placed at the gate of the temple. The people brought their offerings. The money was counted and accounted for, and then distributed to those doing the work. As a result, the temple was repaired and restored.

Good stewardship is not only a matter of giving our first and best to the Lord. It is also a matter of faithfully using those gifts for the purposes for which they were given.

This is not about second-guessing every decision the church makes, nor is it an excuse to withhold support when we disagree with a pastor, leader, or ministry priority. Rather, it is a reminder that both givers and leaders are stewards of what ultimately belongs to God.

Our offerings are a response to his generosity toward us. Daily bread, health, family, friends, opportunities, and every other blessing come from his hand. We honor him by giving generously, thankfully, and faithfully; and the church honors him by handling those gifts with integrity, transparency, and faithfulness.