CONTRIBUTE GLADLY

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.

Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. He called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” But the Levites did not act at once.

Therefore the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why haven’t you required the Levites to bring in from Judah and Jerusalem the tax imposed by Moses the servant of the Lord and by the assembly of Israel for the tent of the covenant law?”

Now the sons of that wicked woman Athaliah had broken into the temple of God and had used even its sacred objects for the Baals.

At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord. A proclamation was then issued in Judah and Jerusalem that they should bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness. All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.

Whenever the chest was brought in by the Levites to the king’s officials and they saw that there was a large amount of money, the royal secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest and carry it back to its place. They did this regularly and collected a great amount of money. The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of the Lord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.

The men in charge of the work were diligent, and the repairs progressed under them. They rebuilt the temple of God according to its original design and reinforced it. When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money to the king and Jehoiada, and with it were made articles for the Lord’s temple: articles for the service and for the burnt offerings, and also dishes and other objects of gold and silver. As long as Jehoiada lived, burnt offerings were presented continually in the temple of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 24:1-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I remember the moment when I truly understood how important church offerings were. I had been asked to become an elder and gladly accepted. There was a training process for all new elders and it was during one of those sessions that the epiphany occurred.

You see, I was giving regularly to my church on Sundays but I failed to understand that the entire operation of that church relied on not just my giving but the collective giving of all its members. The building’s mortgage, its maintenance, the utility bills, and staff salaries were just some of the multitude of expenses required for the church to operate and the money to fund it all wasn’t coming from some magical portal in the heavens but rather from the congregants who worshiped and served within the church itself. Additionally, the money needed to fund our church ministries was out of our overall budget. So offering money was going to fund church school, children programs, community outreach, and mission work. In other words, the money that God had given me in the first place was going back into ensuring His work would be done in my church.

When I understood this, it changed the way I looked at giving and I can honestly say that I now give gladly, knowing I am doing my part to help fund our church and all the great work we are doing to help others to trust and grow in Christ Jesus.

This concept of glad giving isn’t just a 21st century phenomenon. As we see in our scripture passage today, Old Testament believers were also more than willing to give to the good of God’s work within the holy temple.

The 24th Chapter of 2 Chronicles starts with young King Joash in power. You’ll recall he was harbored and protected from the murderous Athaliah by Jehosheba and Jehoaida the priest who arranged a special coronation ceremony for Joash when he was seven, a ceremony that also resulted in Athaliah being executed.

As Joash grew older, he wished to restore the temple of the Lord and so he called together the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go to the towns of Judah and collect the money due annually from all Israel, to repair the temple of your God. Do it now.” We read where the Levites did not act on Joash’s command which caused him to question Jehoaida the chief priest regarding the inaction. We don’t know what was said in that conversation but we do know that Joash decided to change his plans for collecting the money. Rather than have the Levites do it, Joash had a chest was made that was placed outside at the gate of the temple of the Lord. He then issued a proclamation that was issued in Judah and Jerusalem that the people were to bring to the Lord the tax that Moses the servant of God had required of Israel in the wilderness.

How did the people respond to the proclamation?

They brought their contributions, not grudgingly, but rather gladly and they placed their offerings in the chest until it was full. This happened not just one time but regularly. And as a result all the materials and labor to restore the temple to its original design were covered. There was even extra money to make the required articles for the temple services like the presentation of burnt offerings that were presented regularly as long as Jehoiada the chief priest lived.

You see, when you are giving to the Lord and His work in the church, giving takes on a whole new meaning. You understand that in giving back a portion of what God has given, you are doing your part in allowing for His ministry to happen and the Gospel to be advanced. And trust in this, the Lord will always ensure you are taken care of so don’t hold back in your giving. When I started giving gladly and sacrificially, I also experienced the bounty of God’s blessings as He always ensured I had all that I needed to make it.

He’ll do the same for you if you give it a try. For God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7), one who contributes gladly.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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