God’s Word for You
2 Chronicles 24:8-12 The box
by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, April 26, 2025
8 So the king gave a command, and they made a chest, and set it outside the gate of the house of the LORD. 9 A proclamation was made in Judah and Jerusalem to bring in for the LORD the tax that Moses the servant of God had laid on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the leaders and all the people rejoiced. They brought their tax and dropped it into the chest until it was full. 11 Whenever the chest was brought to the king’s officers by the Levites, and they saw that there was a large amount of money in it, the king’s secretary and the officer of the chief priest would come and empty the chest. Then they would take it and return it to its place. This is what they did day after day, and collected a large amount of silver. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave the silver to those who who were doing the work of the house of the LORD. They hired stonemasons and carpenters to restore the house of the LORD, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to repair the house of the LORD.
The details of this collection are simple and straightforward: A new box was made and put in a prominent location. The notice was given throughout the land. The notice or proclamation established that this was the same tax that Moses had imposed on the people, and the people responded the same way that they had in the days of Moses, by bringing in more than was asked for. The officers in charge of the collection kept having to check the box and empty it whenever it got full.
The workmen were stonemasons, carpenters, ironworkers and bronzeworkers. They did everything that was necessary to repair the temple. The workmen got paid. The materials were paid for. The books were balanced and everything added up.
This is also a passage, then, that teaches us about planning for work to be done in the church. We state our aim, and we make plans to reach that goal. We ask God’s blessing on the project, and we ask God’s people to contribute and perhaps even to participate. In the past, many churches would not even think of beginning a project without collecting all of the funds first. In modern times, that practice can actually hurt the credit of the church, since it’s expected that such a building project will be paid off over time rather than up front. Neither practice is better or worse than the other, but a church will need to make a choice, and God will bless their choice. One thing that should be avoided is for one congregation to look down on another one for the way that they go about such a project.
We must also be careful about the way we motivate one another to give toward projects such as repairs and new buildings. We want people to be motivated by the gospel of Christ and not to be coerced or forced in any way. Encouragement can easily sound like anything but encouragement depending on the way it is presented. It’s even possible to turn Paul’s words, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) into a condemnation, as if to say, “You’d better act like you’re happy when you pay up!” God does not want us to give reluctantly, and he does not want people to give under compulsion (this is also part of 2 Corinthians 9:7). A free-will offering must be just that, an offering given freely and happily. When we have not done that, or when we have spoken more strongly when we should have instead of encouraging good stewardship, we must ask forgiveness, sincerely, and ask the Holy Spirit to make a change in our hearts. For it not for us say what a good gift is from a Christian to Christ, but rather to proclaim the greatest gift, which came from Christ to all. Let that be enough.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please visit the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church website.