The plan of redemption being worked out in history (2 Kings 12:16).

Welcome to the Odd Verse of the Day series.

Here's our verse for today,

The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it belonged to the priests. - 2 Kings 12:16

Books in the Bible like 2 Kings are easier to skim or skip all together, but when we slow down at these odd verses, we discover more relevance than we realized.

Why read 2 Kings?

This is a theologically rich book that makes a unique contribution to our understanding of our sin and frailty, God’s character and provision, and the plan of redemption being worked out in history.

These books also give us insight into the kingly line of Israel, and there is often a fast succession of kings as you move through the book. In fact, at the beginning of 2 Kings 12, Joash is appointed king at age 7 (11:21) and is killed at the end of the chapter (12:20).

Who is Joash?

We know Joash "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his days" and helped bring about the restoration of God's temple (vs. 13–14). Normally, when we see a renovation of God's temple, it is followed by a renovation of the nation's heart toward God.

The temple in this ancient world is the central figure because that is where God's presence can be found. And priests were the ones who were responsible for taking care of the temple and serving as mediators between God and his people.

"Sin offering"? Guilt offering"? Huh?

You might have noticed in our verse two different offerings being brought to the temple; these are set aside gifts to help care for their priests who care for the temple.

People in this time gave (usually a small animal from their flock) as a sacrifice to the temple. There was a set standard to give, but people to give more out of abundance or scarcity. It's a gesture of trust and appreciation to God.

Why does this matter for me?

The resounding takeaway from this verse for me is how badly God’s people need a Savior King, and how grateful we should be that Jesus has come to be this for us.

We no longer have a sacrificial system in our churches because Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice. God’s people are no longer dwindling in repeated cycles of unfaithfulness and judgment.

Jesus has ascended to the position of supreme authority. The Spirit has been poured out. The gospel is surging forward. Jesus is, right now, reigning in power and glory, and interceding for his people. And one day, perhaps very soon, he is coming to complete the work.

Let's pray about that.

God, we are thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus. May be always stand in awe and wonder at the greatest sacrifice that superseded every single one that came before it. Amen.

Today's verse comes from my video series, Roll For Verse. In this series, I roll dice to pick a random Bible verse each day, Testament, Book, Chapter, and Verse all up to chance! Then, I spend a few minutes sharing a devotional thought on the verse. If you'd like to join the fun and explore the Bible in a new way, come check us out on TikTok or Youtube.

@pastor.payton Episode 2 of Roll for Verse takes us to 2 Kings to learn about the restoration of the temple and our hearts This video is based on the fun format of Roll for Sandwich by @Adventures In Aardia Come back for more just like this. #rollforsandwich #rollforinitiative #d20 #d20games #biblestudy #verseoftheday #christiantiktok #rollforverse #boardgamegeek #rollforseries #dndtiktok #fyp ♬ original sound - Payton Minzenmayer