Feb
23
Learning How to Fund Public Works
Filed Under Devotional
I was doing my daily Bible reading the other day and had to actually stop and chuckle because I was shocked at how familiar the story sounded. See if you recognize any patterns in this story about a new king taking over in Judah:
“Joash said to the priests, ‘Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD -the money collected in the census, the money received from personal vows and the money brought voluntarily to the temple. Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.’
But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.” 2 Kings 12:4-7
So, a new king comes to power. He recognizes that the temple, the infrastructure if you will, is in disrepair. So, he decides to redirect many of the funds the temple is collecting for repairs. He informs the priests to use the money to fund whatever repair is necessary. He is betting that they will all do the right thing. Twenty-three years later (!), the king finally notices that nothing has happened. The money is being collected, but no repairs are getting made. He discovers that giving responsibility for operations and repairs to a privileged bureaucracy (and likely outside of their expertise) doesn’t produce much. Not even after more than two decades.
What does the king do? Basically, he sets up drop boxes in the temple. So, donations can still be made, but cannot be removed by anyone without a key. When the boxes are full, the royal secretary and the high priest would count the money, place it bags, and use it to pay the workmen directly for parts and labor.
“The money brought into the temple was not spent for making silver basins, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets or any other articles of gold or silver for the temple of the LORD; it was paid to the workmen, who used it to repair the temple. They did not require any accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.” 2 Kings 12:13-15
Paying the workmen directly as they worked seemed to actually get things done. Furthermore, the money was spent on essential repairs and maintenance and not on the flashier gold and silver items. Sort of the “fix the potholes before buying new china and silver” kind of approach.
I’ll leave any comparisons to recent events as an exercise for the reader. I think you’ll see my point.