The Priests Vs The Workers: Who Is The Money For?
PART 1
It was time for me to share during devotions and I decided to do something interesting. Thankfully, it proved to be Spirit-led. I flipped through the Bible and decided to share whatever my finger landed on and in God’s unique way, this came about. I had never even seen it this way before. It’s always interesting to share in God’s word for the moment. Indeed, He gives us our daily bread.
2 Kings 12:4-12
[4] And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the Lord—each man’s census money, each man’s assessment money—and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the Lord,
[5] let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.”
[6] Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple.
[7] So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now, therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.”
[8] And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people nor repair the damages to the temple.
2 Kings 12 gives a very interesting and precise picture of what the Lord is going to do today. The priests had received offerings, and yet they did not restore the house of God. They were dedicated to temple service but did not have the grace to build. Instead, they just kept taking the offerings until the King said, “Hey, this must stop”, and they agreed. They backed off.
Distinguishing The Offerings
2 Kings 12:16 The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.
There is an offering which is for the priests, assigned for their well-being. God made that provision for them. But then, there was an offering that was to be used to restore the Lord’s house.
2 Kings 12:13 The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD;
2 Kings 12:14 It was paid to the workers, who used it to repair the temple.
The people who are to do the repairs are the workmen, artisans, and builders. They are skilled, dutiful, and happen to be honest. The priests as the group dedicated to the service in the temple ought to have been the ones restoring it, but they did not have the skill. They could perform their duties like helping people get their sins forgiven and receiving gifts on behalf of the Lord. But when it came to the building of the house of God, it was a different ball game for them. We cannot say that these builders were priestly carpenters, masons, or stonecutters. They were just Israelites who had integrity and had people put in charge of them, possibly from the priesthood.
The Ineffective Priests vs The Effective Workers
2 Kings 12:15
[15] Moreover, they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully.
The men were honest workers and nobody tried to make sure the men explained how they used the money.
The priesthood on the other hand seemed like a corrupt priesthood, an ineffective one that could not oversee or accomplish this task, nor were they wise enough to engage the services of those who could. You must note that the fact that you are called and equipped by God does not mean that you have the ability to carry out every aspect of God’s work.
The temple that was built in the time of Solomon was destroyed by bad leaders. Rehoboam, Manasseh, and the rest did a lot of foolishness. Restorative work was therefore needed and the money went to those who brought about that restoration.
Similarly, in the body of Christ, money should always go to those who carry out the work of restoration. Of course, the needs of the priests must be met as part of the giving, but there are gifts the priests receive that should not go to them or their families. It is not for their sustenance but for the building of the house of God. So, while the personal needs of those who serve in the temple must be met, the other gifts and free will offerings that have been brought are not for the priests. They are for the body of Christ; the house of God. Such monies should go to whoever enables the repairs or rebuilding of the house of God.
An example of a present-day builder could be a printer who prints the materials that will feed, build up and edify God’s people. Money should go to whoever builds up people’s hearts. Whether such people make videos, or audio, or are website developers; they are the carpenters and the masons. Included here also, is the person who gathers the materials together or makes the content available, or the person who sits down to extract content from the Bible. Such a person does not have to be a priest.
We are not told when Jehoash commissioned the priests, but we know that by the 23rd year, they had not done anything. But they were faithfully collecting the offerings, and praising the Lord while using it. In all of these, the temple had not been built.
We see this happening in the church now. Many have not received an understanding of what ought to be. There are priests who have been faithful, and there are those who have been half faithful, spending money on other things.
In verses 3-14 we see that the money did not go to the trimmings, the silver, and golden items. The money went directly to those who were putting up walls, wooden beams, etc. These are the ones who are protecting, covering, and bringing safety to the body of Christ.
You must watch how and where you give. Many people will be so shocked by God when they appear before him. They would say, “Thank God I gave big offerings o,” and He would ask them, “To who?”
People take all the funding and all of God’s goodness that He gives to them and give to one man whose stomach just got bigger and bigger. The man extended his car park such that he had to buy an adjoining land to do so.
Don’t keep giving money to such a priest while saying that it’s not your business or that your job is to give, while they can do whatever they want to do with the money. It is absolutely your business!