Temple Repaired
8 So the king commanded, and they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 They made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and [e]dropped them into the chest until they had finished. 11 It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to [f]repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [g]restored the house of God [h]according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now when Jehoiada [i]reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16 They buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in Israel and [j]to God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and served the [k]Asherim and the idols; so wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19 Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
This passage starts with so much hope and promise, only to end with the tragic return of idolatry. While it isn’t shown here, this was typically all about money. Where before the money had gone to restoring the temple and keeping the people on the right track, it seems it may have been more about just keeping old traditions alive. That is, while the people were keeping the law, their hearts were not in what they were doing.
It’s a solemn reminder that religion and tradition are empty vessels without a real relationship with God. Worse, when money gets involved, empty religion can be a dangerous thing. The officials of Judah wanted their idol worship back so they could profit from the people again.
Too much religion in our world is driven by money, and has been for centuries. This is nothing new, but it is a plague to avoid. Fix your eyes on Jesus, certainly follow his leading when it comes to finance, but do not let it drive or motivate you. Let God be your guide, and He will lead you where you ought to go.