Topic: First Things First [DCLM Daily Manna 21 October 2020 Devotional By Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: 2 Chronicles 24:1-14 (KJV)
1 Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Zibiah of Beersheba.
2 And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest.
3 And Jehoiada took for him two wives; and he begat sons and daughters.
4 And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.
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.
6 And the king called for Jehoiada the chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the commandment of Moses the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the tabernacle of witness?
7 For the sons of Athaliah, that wicked woman, had broken up the house of God; and also all the dedicated things of the house of the LORD did they bestow upon Baalim.
8 And at the king’s commandment they made a chest, and set it without at the gate of the house of the LORD.
9 And they made a proclamation through Judah and Jerusalem, to bring in to the LORD the collection that Moses the servant of God laid upon Israel in the wilderness.
10 And all the princes and all the people rejoiced, and brought in, and cast into the chest, until they had made an end.
11 Now it came to pass, that at what time the chest was brought unto the king’s office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king’s scribe and the high priest’s officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to his place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to such as did the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and hired masons and carpenters to repair the house of the LORD, and also such as wrought iron and brass to mend the house of the LORD.
13 So the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected by them, and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it.
14 And when they had finished it, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada, whereof were made vessels for the house of the LORD, even vessels to minister, and to offer withal, and spoons, and vessels of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the LORD continually all the days of Jehoiada.
Key Verse: “And it came to pass after this, that Joash was minded to repair the house of the LORD.” – (2 Chronicles 24:4)
MESSAGE:
The life of the Jewish nation in Bible days was unbreakably tied to their temple. It connected them to God, who chose them as His people. So, the first task of every God-fearing leader in power was invariably to examine the condition of the house of the Lord and seek its upgrade according to the Law of Moses.
The young newly crowned king of Judah, Joash, inherited a temple that had not received the attention it deserved under the administrations of his predecessors, notably in the six years of Athaliah, the usurper. Being just on the throne for the sake of vindictive power, she was not “minded to repair the house of the LORD”. But Joash, under the tutelage of the godly priest Jehoiada, remembered the tradition of the patriarchs who never failed to rehabilitate the tabernacle of God.
Gathering the priests and Levites, the king asked them to raise money from all over the land for the restoration of dignity to the temple, which had been “broken up” by the sons of Athaliah. He rebuked the Levites when they were slack and got the work on a speedy course again with remarkable results. Much money came in for the project, and “the workmen wrought, and the work was perfected… and they set the house of God in his state, and strengthened it”.
The Church and its heavenly-focused leaders and members must be like Joash in his early days on the throne. We must ensure we put work for God first in our Christian life. Leaders must monitor projects as they also participate in them like other members. All the Body of Christ must be encouraged to give money, skill and time for God’s work.
Thought For The Day: Work for God comes before work for earthly gain.
The Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 1-2
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
