Saturday 16th March 2023 13th Adar 2 5784
PARASHAT PEKUDAI
Exodus 38:21-40; 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; Luke 16:1-13
Exodus 38:21 These are the reckonings or accountings of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of Testimony, which were reckoned at Moses' bidding. The labor of the Levites was under the authority of Issamar, son of Aaron the Kohen: All the gold that was used in all the work of the holy place, that is, the gold of the offering, was twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Integrity in Accounts |
All of God's children must be above reproach in financial matters. As the children of Israel completed the building of the Tabernacle, Moses ordered an accounting of all the donations. He did not do so because he suspected some misappropriation or malfeasance. He already knew that all the contributions had been handled with the utmost integrity, but he also knew that his reputation in handling money reflected directly on God. He had to make the audit to demonstrate on record that everything had been done with complete honesty. Later in his life, Moses was able to declare, “I have not taken a single donkey from them” (Numbers 16:15) I once knew a congregational leader who handled all the accounts for the congregation himself. After his deacons had counted the weekly contribution, they turned it over to him. He handled the deposits, the checkbook, and the ledgers, but he never allowed others access to those accounts. He was a God-fearing man, and in all likelihood he handled all the congregational finances honestly. However, since he was not transparent in the process, his congregants always suspected that something was amiss. Stewards over the kingdom’s financial resources need to be completely honest and transparent in the process of handling money. In fact, all of God’s children must be above reproach in financial matters.
Disciples of Yeshua must be comprehensively scrupulous—men for whom penny larceny is still larceny. I once observed the treasurer and bookkeeper of a Messianic community spending several hours tracking down a record-keeping discrepancy of a single missing nickel. A man who is not concerned about honesty until it is in five figures is not honest at all. Integrity is not only measured in the big things. Little concessions are still concessions to dishonesty. For example, conveniently forgetting to report a portion of income to the government is still tax fraud, even if it is only a few hundred dollars. Illegally duplicating copyrighted material or other media might save you money, but it is actually a means of theft. A person’s integrity is challenged when he is given the wrong change. A man of integrity is just as concerned with the small as he is with the big.
I used to work at a local kosher butcher store. I found it amusing that people always insisted that our scales be accurate, but no one objected if things tipped in their favor a little bit. The butcher I worked for was careful not to cheat his customers. In keeping with the commandment to keep honest scales, the accuracy of the electronic scale was checked frequently for correct calibration, and several times a day it was wiped clean lest dust or residue give a false reading. Once after ringing up a customer at the cash register, the customer eyed the receipt suspiciously. “You should have given me $15.25 back in change, but you only gave $10.25. Are you trying to rip me off?” The butcher responded with a laugh. “If I am going to risk myself before God by committing the grievous sin of theft, it’s going to be for a lot more than five dollars! I assure you, it was an inadvertent mistake.” His point is well taken. A five-dollar sin is as much a sin as a five-million-dollar sin.
A man without financial integrity has no witness to offer the world and no message to proclaim. We can learn a lesson from Moses. We should be precise when dealing with material things especially money. |
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