Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to those who did the work, for they dealt faithfully.
— 2 Kings 12:15
When King Jehoash instructed the priests to collect money for the repairs of the temple, a number of years passed without anything being done. He then gave fresh instructions, and from that point money was collected independently and brought to the house of the Lord to be put toward the repair work.
This new approach worked. Many people gave toward the restoration of the temple. And when the money was gathered and handed over to the men responsible for the repairs, something noteworthy happened — no one required an accounting. No one counted the money or demanded records. It was simply handed over to the workers. And the reason the author gives for this is revealing: they dealt faithfully.
Faithfulness Working Both Ways
What is worth pausing on is how this faithfulness operated on two sides simultaneously.
On one side, those handing over the money trusted that the workers would count it honestly, know what the work required, and apply the funds accordingly. There was no fear of overpayment or misuse. On the other side, the men doing the work were trusted to carry out the repairs as required — to do what they had been given the money to do, without cutting corners or taking advantage.
This is a rare thing. In most construction arrangements, the one paying is reluctant to hand over money before the work is done, fearing it will never be completed. And the one doing the work is reluctant to start before receiving payment, fearing they will be cheated once the work is finished. Mistrust is the default setting.
But here, in the work of repairing God’s house, there was faithfulness all around — a quiet, mutual trust that each party would do what was right.
Faithfulness as a Godly Character
Faithfulness is a rich and deeply godly attribute. And the faithfulness we see in this story was not simply professional reliability — it was the kind of faithfulness that flows from placing one’s trust in God. These men who were doing the work seemed to understand that because they were working honestly for God, they could entrust themselves to God for what they needed in return.
This is precisely the kind of faithfulness we need as believers in our own working lives. There is always a temptation to act like the world — to try to get more than we deserve, to use unfair weights and measures, to squeeze out a little extra at someone else’s expense. The pull is always toward self-interest.
But these men were simply faithful. They did the work. They trusted God to provide.
Moses points to this reality in Deuteronomy 8 — that when we prosper and obtain wealth, we must not forget God, because it is He who gives us the power to produce it. This is a sobering and important truth. On the surface, our salaries come from our employers, our income from our clients and customers. But behind all of those workings, it is God’s hand of provision that actually supplies what we need.
When we come to understand this, we realise that our true business is not ultimately with man but with God. Our faithfulness in the workplace, in business, and in every professional context is not primarily about pleasing a client or an employer — it is about pleasing God. Everything we obtain — the income that provides for our food, housing, clothing, and health — comes ultimately from the sovereign hand of God. And so our conduct in every working context should be governed by the awareness that our true employer is God in heaven.
Known for Faithfulness
May the story of our lives, when it is told, include this same defining quality that marked the men repairing the temple. May we be known — in our businesses, our workplaces, our shops, and our dealings — as people who dealt faithfully.
Grace and peace.
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