Today’s Scripture Reading (July 21, 2016): 1 Chronicles 29
It is known by many names. “The Book of the Marvels of the World” or “The Description of the World’ are two titles by which the writing is identified. The Italians gave the book the name “Il Milione” or “The Million.” We are not sure exactly how the Italian name became associated with the book but scholars have openly wondered if the title came from a more common view during the Middle Ages that the book was filled with “A Million Lies.” Today, in English, the book is better known as “The Travels of Marco Polo.”
And so the debate rages. At the heart of the conversation is one question – Did Marco Polo go and do everything that is described in the book. The 13th-century travelogue is actually filled with the stories that Marco Polo told to his neighbor while the two were in prison together in Genoa. But the question that seems to rage is simply this - were the stories Marco Polo told to Rustichello Da Pisa anything more than just stories to pass the time in prison. For many, the book does not describe Marco Polo’s travels through Asia between 1276 and 1291. Instead, the book describes Marco Polo flights of fancy as he sat in a Genoese jail. They are not his adventures, but his fictions put together in his mind and taken from the various pieces of information and stories that he had gathered as he worked and traded in the Middle East. According to some, Marco Polo never made it East past, maybe, present day Iran. At the heart of the issue are some glaring omissions in the text that seem to indicate the Marco Polo really only knew part of the story of the Far East. Marco Polo mentions paper money and the burning of coal in China, but he makes no mention of The Great Wall of China, Chinese writing, footbinding, or even chopsticks – all of which would have created significant interest to Europeans of this strange culture that existed on the far side of the continent. He says that he was great friends of Kublai Khan and a governor is Khan’s régime, and yet Chinese histories fail to mention him at all. Is it possible that Marco Polo could tell a great story, but he ultimately wasn’t able or willing to make the personal effort to actually live his stories – or were they just stories told to pass the time while he suffered in jail.
David knows that he will never be the one who will build the temple in Jerusalem. But he also doesn’t want history record that he just didn’t want to pay the price necessary to get involved. Maybe that was even his great fear - that future generations would judge him as someone much like Marco Polo. David was afraid that he would be remembered as one who could dream a good dream, but also as someone who unwilling to go beyond and live the story. And so David makes the announcement. Not only has he instructed the government coffers to be open for the building of the temple, but David is willing to even spend his own money in order to insure that the job gets done. David’s heart and soul was invested in the building of the temple. No personal cost was to be considered too great. His money would follow his heart.
That is essentially exactly what Jesus told his listeners during his Sermon on the Mount … where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21). Your money and possessions naturally follow what it is that you love. David loved a Temple that he could only see in his dreams – and his money would follow that love.
So. What your money say it is that you love?
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 1
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