The Bible in Art: Joash Repairs the Temple
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Verses for Consideration: 2 Chronicles 24 (The Date is 812 B.C.)
1 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. 2 Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada chose two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters.
4 Some time later Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord. 5 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.
6 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?”
7 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.
8 At the king’s command, a chest was made and placed outside, at the gate of the temple of the Lord.9 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. 10 All the officials and all the people brought their contributions gladly, dropping them into the chest until it was full.
11 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.12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who carried out the work required for the temple of theLord. They hired masons and carpenters to restore the Lord’s temple, and also workers in iron and bronze to repair the temple.
13 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. 14 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.
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If you were driving down a country road and saw a church that had fallen into serious disrepair, you might draw some quick conclusions. It might be possible that it was a very poor congregation, one that had not been blessed with many material possessions. On the other hand, you might conclude that the members of that church didn’t care about their house of worship very much. You might also conclude that there was a spiritual problem among them.
In the days before God-fearing King Joash reigned, the temple of God had been neglected. This neglect was a commentary on the spiritual condition of the people.
They were worshiping false gods and were no longer walking in God’s commands. Joash led the people into spiritual renewal. He led them back to God’s Word.
The result was astounding. The people returned to God. They gladly brought their offerings to repair God’s house. They brought more than was needed and used the excess to obtain the finest articles available for use in temple worship. And they did all this with joy.
God calls us to worship him with our offerings. He leads us in spiritual renewal through the power of his Word. He leads us away from the lure of the idols of our day and inspires us to devote our hearts and lives to him. Love for the Savior, who was willing to offer his life as a sacrifice for our sins, leads us to dedicate our hearts to God. As in the days of Joash, hearts filled with God’s grace will be followed with hands filled with offerings for his work, which in turn will lead to hearts filled with joy in serving the Lord.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for the grace and mercy that you have showered on me. Grant me a heart that is filled with your love. Lead me to show that love in my life as I walk in your paths. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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Title:Rebuilding of a Temple by King Joash (1602)
Artist: Anton Moller