12 Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, [g]who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the [h]deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and [i]plowmen.
17 Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the Lord and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the [j]pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. 19 The captain of the guard also took away the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the [k]pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [l]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the Lord—the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen [m]cubits, and [n]it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [o]exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.
Sometimes the mind works in strange ways, could be that’s God (re)directing us (sometimes it isn’t). At any rate, when I read the account of all the people taken into exile, and all the bronze, silver, and gold that was taken by Nebuzaradan, I had a strange thought. Can you imagine this? They’re carting all this stuff off, and most of the people are being marched away, and one of the poor saps left behind says, “Welp, that’s why we can’t have nice things!”
I know, I know, strange, right? But why, why couldn’t they have nice things? Because these things were neglected, disused or abused, twisted to idol worship or not used at all. Among the people of Jerusalem there were yet wealthy folk, artisans, and the poorest of the poor, and only some of the poorest remained to tend the land. Their evil deeds had finally received the promised judgment of God, and all the “nice things” were going to a foreign land (or destroyed).
It reminds me of the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25, where the master gives each servant some talents (a measure of gold or some sort of coinage). Some had more than others, and what was the expectation? To just sit there and make sure it didn’t disappear? No, they were to use the talents as the master would, to earn more, trade it, barter it, invest it, etc. Two did, but one did not, and he was called wicked for failing to do anything other than bury the talent in the ground.
What did he do the whole time the master was gone? He certainly wasn’t digging a hole the whole time, and at the very least he could have gone out and worked to earn some money to show for his efforts. But no, he failed to do anything productive at all, and the master took his talent and cast him out.
God gave us all talents, some more than others, and maybe that makes us jealous or insecure. Maybe we’re too afraid that God is so demanding that we can’t possible appease Him. But I was reminded the other day that Jesus said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:29)
Unlike the servants, Jesus doesn’t abandon us to our own devices. His yoke is light because He carries it with us. Don’t be like the people of Israel who indulged their own fleshly desires to the end, and thus lost everything. Take what God has given you, great or small, and use it for His kingdom. That may even involve making good money and being able to give generously, above and beyond what ever imagined. Or it might just mean volunteering at your church, or somewhere else to help those in need.
Whatever your talent, God gave it to you, and it is enough. He created you for a good work, don’t dismiss that or be afraid of it. Embrace what God has given you and let God grow it and use it, all for His glory, and for the needs of others.