Faithful workers
What kind of worker are you? Can you be trusted? Do you carry out your duties “as to the Lord and not to men” (Eph 6:5-7)? It is interesting in the book of 2 Kings that eighteen year old King Josiah of Judah speaks an interesting instruction concerning the carpenters, builders, and masons that were to repair damages to the house of God, the temple. King Josiah said of these workers, “And let them deliver it into the hand of those doing the work, who are the overseers in the house of the Lord; let them give it to those who are in the house of the Lord doing the work, to repair the damages of the house–to carpenters and builders and masons–and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. However there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully” (2 Kings 22:5-7). These workers could be trusted. They were faithful in the handling of the money delivered to them which had been collected by the door keepers of the temple.
In contrast, we read in the parable of the unjust steward an account of one who had mishandled and unfaithfully managed his masters business. Jesus spoke the parable to His disciples saying, “…There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods” (Luke 16:1). We see then that the rich man called his servant to him and required that the steward give an account of his transactions. He was being audited. This man was possibly too weak physically to dig, to work hard physical labor, and therefore needed to make his transactions correct so that he wouldn’t lose his job which was at stake (v3). He was ashamed to beg as well. Something that would have been a lowly and deplorable thing to do in the Jewish society of Jesus’ day.
The steward devised a plan that would solve the problem – he would correct, or you might say “cook”, the books. Now, whether this meant that he had been charging interest in addition to what was owed his master and he was now reducing the interest that he had padded the transactions with (which would have been illegal according to the law – Exodus 22:25, Lev 25:36-37, Deut 15:7-8, 23:19-20), or he had reduced what was owed by the debtors so that it appeared that his collections were up to date, charitably giving to those that he needed to be his friends should his master release him from employment. He could then get a job with his buddies.
In either case, the master commended the steward for thinking ahead – for getting one over on him. He had outsmarted his master. He had looked down the road and made provisions. This was worldly wisdom. Had the steward really dealt faithfully? If he had been faithful from the beginning not exacting interest if that was the case, or if he had fully collected the rightful amount due his master, he would not have been in the situation that he found himself in. That is one lesson that we should learn now. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).
We must be faithful in the little bit that God has given us in this life. We need to be like the faithful workers over the restoration of the temple, not needing external checks and balances to ensure our honesty, and not like the unjust steward who, even though he was shrewd and was commended for it, he was not faithful over the business that he was charged with doing. There is a coming great financial collapse and we must look forward and prepare. We must not squander the resources God has given us. Whether time, talent, or monetary means – God wants us to be shrewd, but in a godly manner, with godly intentions, with godly wisdom – not the wisdom of this world.
We can apply this in our own work life day to day. We can also apply this to the Church as a whole. We have a work to do, and we must remain faithful in how we execute and accomplish this work, for there is an accounting that will occur, and we do want to be found faithful when that day comes.
