2 Kings 12:1-16

Repairing the Temple

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1In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba.

2And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.

3Nevertheless, the high places were not removed; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense there.

4Then Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money brought as sacred gifts into the house of the LORD—the census money, the money from vows, and the money brought voluntarily into the house of the LORD.

5Let every priest receive it from his constituency, and let it be used to repair any damage found in the temple.”

6By the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, however, the priests had not yet repaired the damage to the temple.

7So King Joash called Jehoiada and the other priests and said, “Why have you not repaired the damage to the temple? Now, therefore, take no more money from your constituency, but hand it over for the repair of the temple.”

8So the priests agreed that they would not receive money from the people and that they would not repair the temple themselves.

9Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar on the right side as one enters the house of the LORD. There the priests who guarded the threshold put all the money brought into the house of the LORD.

10Whenever they saw that there was a large amount of money in the chest, the royal scribe and the high priest would go up, count the money brought into the house of the LORD, and tie it up in bags.

11Then they would put the counted money into the hands of those who supervised the work on the house of the LORD, who in turn would pay those doing the work—the carpenters, builders,

12masons, and stonecutters. They also purchased timber and dressed stone to repair the damage to the house of the LORD, and they paid the other expenses of the temple repairs.

13However, the money brought into the house of the LORD was not used for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, or any articles of gold or silver for the house of the LORD.

14Instead, it was paid to those doing the work, and with it they repaired the house of the LORD.

15No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.

16The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the house of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Joash reigns forty years in Jerusalem and does what is right in the sight of the LORD all his days while Jehoiada instructs him. Yet the high places are not removed, and the people continue sacrificing and burning incense there. The opening evaluation gives praise and a limitation together.

Joash tells the priests to collect the sacred gifts designated for temple repairs, including census money, vow payments, and voluntary gifts. By the twenty-third year of his reign, the priests still have not repaired the temple. The king calls Jehoiada and the priests and asks why the work has not been done.

The priests agree not to receive money for the repairs, and they also agree not to repair the temple themselves. Jehoiada makes a chest with a hole in its lid and places it beside the altar. The priests put the money they receive into it, and the king's secretary and high priest count it together.

The counted money goes to supervisors, who pay the workers and purchase building materials. No accounting is required from the men receiving it to pay the workers because they act with integrity. Money from guilt and sin offerings remains with the priests; it is not part of this repair fund. The process becomes more direct and transparent after the earlier arrangement fails.

Questions

1 How long does Joash reign?

AnswerJoash reigns in Jerusalem for forty years.

2 What instruction does Joash give the priests?

AnswerHe tells them to use the temple money to repair every place in the temple that needs work.

3 Why is a chest placed beside the altar?

AnswerThe chest collects the money brought into the temple so it can be counted and used for repairs.

4 What can we do when a task we agreed to keeps going unfinished?

AnswerAsk honestly what is preventing it and change the arrangement where needed. Joash names the delay, and the leaders establish a way for the funds to reach the people doing the repairs. Blaming or making another promise would not finish the work.

What This Means for Us

Joash wants the temple repaired, but good intentions do not make a stalled process work. The leaders change the arrangement, add shared counting, and put resources in the hands of people doing the task.

When a worthy project remains unfinished, ask whether the structure is helping or obstructing the work. Use clear stewardship, trustworthy people, and transparent handling of shared resources instead of assuming enthusiasm will solve every problem.

Prayer

Lord, make us faithful stewards of work and resources entrusted to us. Give our families honest processes, courage to change what is failing, and respect for the people whose patient labor repairs what others have neglected. Amen.

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