Bible reading for October 30.
2 Kings 12.
"Then they would give the money that was weighed out into the hands of the workmen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD. And they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the LORD..." (2 Kings 12:11)
HIGH PLACES. As we proceed through 2 Kings the accounts will alternate back and forth between the southern kingdom (Judah; capital: Jerusalem) and the northern kingdom (Israel; capital: Samaria). The "high places" (v 3) were regional places of worship, scattered throughout the land. These locations might be on the high point of a hill, or under a grove of trees, or at some convenient place where people could come and give offerings without having to travel to Jerusalem. It decentralized worship, making it easier, and thus detracted from worship at the temple in Jerusalem. It also opened the door for the introduction of idolatry on those sites, making the high places a sort of one-stop-shop for general worship. They were popular with the people, and very few kings were able to shut them down completely.
TEMPLE REPAIR. On the other hand we see Joash's zeal to renovate the temple and keep it in good repair, since it was now over a hundred years old. Trying to get the priests to do that job was not working. So a free-will offering box was set up and the money given directly to workmen for labor and materials. We see Joash's care for the God's house, as well as the zeal of the givers and the honesty of the laborers. This is a wonderful example of a willing spirit in giving and working for the Lord (Ex 35:21, 29; 36:5-7; Ps 110:3; Phil 2:13). This chapter also relates the decline of Judah's power as they face the rise of Syria (for a period of time).
REFLECT. How we worship God is vitally important, and he is the One who directs how we should honor him. Our "high places" are those ways in which we compromise that worship with convenience, worldly popularity, and carelessness. We should have zeal not only for proper worship but also for the care of the dwelling place of his presence. Our Lord Jesus reflected this desire for God's honor by cleansing the temple courts which had become a marketplace: "Zeal for your house will consume me" (John 2:17). Christ himself is One who builds (and maintains) the spiritual temple, which is his body, the church (Matt 16:18; Eph 2:20-22; 1 Pet 2:5). Do you and I have a high regard for the worship of God? Do we approach and honor him in the ways he has specified? Do we show care for the church of God and freely do our part in its growth and upkeep? And a timely question for us is, how do we keep up our zeal to worship God in this time of quarantine and social distancing?
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2 Timothy 2.
"You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 1:1-2)
PASS IT ON. The three letters called the pastoral epistles -- 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus -- have a special place in the hearts of all who are called into Christian ministry. This applies to pastors and elders, teachers, and other leaders within the church. But these letters should be of interest to us all. They tell us about the character and work which church and ministry leaders are called to. In this way we can pray for them and learn how to choose and evaluate good leaders. But also, most of us are in some kind of "ministry", that is, as parents, youth workers, community group leaders, older believers, etc. Most of us are in a position to pass on to others what we have learned.
RIGHTLY HANDLING THE WORD. Timothy (and we) should be strengthened by drawing upon the fount of grace that we have in Christ (v 1). Further, we have the responsibility to pass on the truth to others and to raise up teachers for the next generation (v 2). The images of soldier, athlete, and farmer give us lessons about focus, discipline, and hard work (vv 3-7). Endurance is needed (vv 8-13). The rest of the chapter might be summarized with these words: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth" (v 15). "Rightly handling" would involve knowing the word of truth, teaching truth well, teaching it kindly, gently, patiently, and not getting drawn into fruitless quarrels and foolish controversies. We do all this, knowing that the Lord is the one who can grant repentance and open blind eyes to the truth (vv 25-26).
REFLECT. How could you use this passage to pray for the leaders and teachers in your church? And what did you read in this chapter that applied specifically to you today?
Image credit. Photo by Michal Matlon on Unsplash. We are following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson. Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. One recommended resource is NETBible.org, a ministry of bible.org.
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