Athaliah was a wicked ruler, and during her reign she had the temple of the Lord broken into and the instruments for the offerings taken away to us in service to Baal. Also, for years, maybe decades, the people had not brought the temple tax that was commanded by Moses in Exodus 30. Once Athaliah was dead and Joash took over as King, Joash wanted to fix the places ibn the temple that had not been taken care of. He reinstituted the temple tax, but even when it was brought, the priests did not use it for what it was intended. We do not know what they did use it for, but it was not to fix the temple.
Joash catches wind of this and decides to use another method. He took a box and bore a hole in it for the people to bring this temple tax. The amount was a half-shekel for every man. Figuring there were probably about a million men at the time, that produced a hefty offering each year. They put it in the hand of the king’s scribe and the high-priest’s servant, and they saw to it that the money was used top repair the temple, as it was mean to be.
My question is two-fold. How did they even allow the temple to get into such disrepair, and why did the Levites not get punished for mis-using the funds To my eyes, it seems that the Lord had really taken a back seat in the people’s lives. Wouldn’t a congregation that is truly seeking God keep His temple in good repair? I would hope that they would, and then it would not have needed all these repairs under Joash.
We have a responsibility to God’s house to make sure that it is fixed up and looking good. And this is not just the church we go to, but also the Temple of the Holy Ghost that we each are. This temple needs to be taken care of, and that is totally on me. In my best days, and my worst, I am assigned to take care of it so it does not fall into disrepair. I am not talking about height, or weight, or muscle tone, although these are also important. But I am talking about feeding the body with the Word of God, and making sure that any areas where we are wavering in our faith are built up the spending time in prayer and praise.
We are also called to be careful with what God has given us. We are the caretakers of this creation, and when God gives us something, we should make sure that not only does He get His part, but that then portion given to Him is used for the right purposes. And always remember that God gives you everything. Your wages, your health, your breath, your produce – it all belongs to God. He has given it to you to take care of the Temple you have become. We must make sure we are giving Him back His due, and using the rest to strengthen our walk with HIM. The first piggy bank that Joash built is a picture of our ability to take and utilize what God has given us. May we never disappoint Him with our lives.
God's Maintenance Man 