2 Kings 12:17-18 - About this time Hazael king of
Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack
Jerusalem. But Joash king of Judah took
all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers--Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and
Ahaziah, the kings of Judah--and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the
gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the LORD and of the royal palace,
and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.
Joash’s reign brought back a reverence and love of God to
the Israelites….his 6 years of life in the temple
teaching him more than just how to run a kingdom. The training he received from Jehoiada…instilled
in him a love of God and the house in which people came to worship him….devising
a way to collect money to pay the workmen for any needed repairs.
Joash’s
training must have taught him that the love of God went beyond the love of the
temple and its belongings…and must be extended to include caring for the people
he ruled. For Joash separated himself from
the ‘things’ he loved to ransom the ‘people’ he cared for….when he collected
the sacred things and used them to pay off their attackers.
His
sacrifice saved many people ….and models for me how to keep my priorities in order.
The lives of the people we are placed with should come first…end of
statement. Nothing in our life should
ever replace our desire to care for those around us…nothing should ever be more
important that upholding their ability to worship God and feel his love. Plain
and simple….people are more important than things.
Father…thank
you for this story that reminds me that people are more important than things. Help me to be like Joash…and be able to
separate myself form even the most precious of ‘things’ if they can save the live of a more precious
‘person.’ Show me how to order my priorities
so that I can use the blessings you gave me to help others. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment