Commitment Sunday - "Chest of Joash" - 2 Chronicles 24

“Chest of Joash”

1. The Necessity

a. Joash set his heart on repairing the house of the LORD: This indicated the godly concern that Joash had regarding the condition of the temple. He knew that a prosperous and secure kingdom mattered little if the things of God were neglected or despised.

i. He also knew that the condition of the temple was a valid measurement of the heart and passion of the people of God for the things of God. The temple was not God, but neglect and despising of the temple reflected neglect and despising of God.

2. The Participants

Everyone was involved!

but notice something…

2 Chronicles 24:5 (KJV 1900)

5 And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go out unto the cities of Judah, and gather of all Israel money to repair the house of your God from year to year, and see that ye hasten the matter. Howbeit the Levites hastened it not.

What causes you to be a Levite?

1. Being comfortable

It’s comfortable not to give.

It’s comfortable to stay where you are.

2. Tradition - they

These were the people that were constantly in and out of the temple. They had grown used to it’s appearance.

They had grown used to it’s structure.

Complacency breeds

3. It’s all they knew

Everyone was involved!

b. Go out to the cities of Judah, and gather from all Israel money to repair the house of your God: There was not enough money in the royal treasury to underwrite this project. Therefore the king commanded the Levites in Judah’s outer cities to collect money and bring it back for the project in Jerusalem.

c. However the Levites did not do it quickly: For some reason the Levites did not share the same passion as King Joash did for the condition of the temple. Perhaps they felt that the townspeople of the outer towns would not embrace and support this work. Nevertheless, Joash held them to account and got the work moving.

i. “‘But the Levites did not act at once,’ both because of natural inertia (still true even of Christian workers), and because of the priestly demands that seem to have exhausted the normal revenues on current operations and their own support.” (Payne)

d. For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken into the house of God: This explains why the temple was in such disrepair. It wasn’t just normal wear and tear usage; it was a deliberate campaign against the temple and the worship of the true God prompted by Athaliah and her sons.

3. The Recipient

a. They made a chest, and set it outside at the gate of the house of the LORD: Under the direction of King Joash, the priests gave the people the opportunity to give. Even willing givers should be given an opportunity.

i. “Then he placed a collection chest in a strategic location on the right side of the altar, giving the repair project a high priority and a corresponding high visibility.” (Dilday, 2 Kings 12)

ii. 2 Kings 12:6-13 indicates that part of the problem was poor and wasteful administration. Therefore King Joash got to the heart of the problem and through Jehoiada the priest, he implemented a system where the money would be set aside, saved, and then wisely spent for the repair and refurbishing of the temple.

b. To bring to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God had imposed on Israel in the wilderness: This brings to mind the offering that Moses received to build the tabernacle in Exodus 35. That was a divinely inspired plan to receive freely made offerings from the people of Israel.

i. “The tax itself was based on the half-shekel tax for the Tent, though it was also renewed by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:32).” (Selman)

ii. It is possible for God to cause the money and materials to just appear by a miracle. Yet He chooses to almost always fund His work through the willing gifts of His people. He works this way because we need to be a giving people.

iii. This idea is echoed in 2 Corinthians 9:7: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

c. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance: Through the careful and diligent administration of these freely given gifts, an abundance of money was gathered for the work. God cares not only that His people give generously, but also that their gifts be diligently and carefully administered.

d. So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them: God’s blessing was clearly on the work, but He would not do the work for them. So the king and the priest wisely hired the right kind of workers and paid them directly, so that money would not be lost or wasted on administration.

i. “When the people were assured that the money would really be used for the purpose for which it was given, they responded generously and so similar arrangements were continued by Josiah (2 Kings 22:3-7).” (Wiseman)

e. They brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada: The people were so generous, and the administration was so wise and honest, that there was an excess of money for the restoration project, money which was given to supply new articles for the house of the LORD. This was wonderful evidence of both God’s blessing and man’s generosity and wise stewardship.

i. These replaced “what had been taken away, partly by the Arabian plunderers, and partly by Athaliah’s sacrilegious sons.” (Trapp)

ii. In all likelihood, this generous giving was somewhat of a surprise. “Which he thought would not be any great sum, because of the great iniquity and impiety which yet had reigned for many years, and yet continued in the generality of the people of the land, the Levites not excepted, as the last clause of this verse shows.” (Poole)