| Obedience in Giving (Part 4) David Hwang 3. Generosity Beyond a confidence that gives in trust that the Lord will provide, lives that are given first to the Lord will overflow with generosity that reflects thankful hearts, because the Lord Himself is generous and “richly” provides for us (1 Timothy 6:17). Beyond the required firstfruits and tithes, the Israelites were encouraged to present free-will offerings to the Lord (e.g. Leviticus 7:11-13). Such offerings were meant to honor the Lord, as expressions of love for and thanksgiving to Him (e.g. Psalm 50:23), and we see many examples of how those whose lives were devoted to the Lord honored Him through generous giving. One striking example was the 8000 talents of gold that King David and the leaders of Israel gave to help build the temple, which based on the price of gold today, would have amounted to over 10 billion dollars! This amazing amount was given “freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord” because their lives were consecrated (that is, set apart) to Him (1 Chronicles 29:1-9). It is no surprise, then, that generous giving often accompanies repentance and revival. Having repented of their sin in worshiping the golden calf, and having received re-affirmation of God’s covenant with them, the Israelites responded to Moses’ call to contribute to the building of the tabernacle by giving so much that Moses actually had to tell them to stop giving (Exodus 35:4-9, 36:2-7). A similar situation occurred when revival swept through the nation of Judah under King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:1-10). When people give themselves to the Lord, it often results in generous giving. Likewise, in the New Testament, when salvation came to the house of Zacchaeus, his immediate response was to give half his possessions to the poor and to promise to repay anyone he had cheated four times the amount (Luke 19:8-10), which exceeded the amount required of him under the Law (Leviticus 6:4-5; Numbers 5:5-7). At this juncture, it might be appropriate to note from Zacchaeus’ example that giving generously to the Lord does not only involve giving towards the work of His temple – or under the New Covenant, the work of the Church – although it certainly does include such giving. Giving to the Lord also involves giving generously to others, particularly the poor, and especially the poor among the people of God. While the Scriptures do warn against supporting those who are poor because they are unwilling to work (e.g. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12), the more significant burden of Scripture is that God’s people should be open-handed to the poor in our midst. In fact, giving to the poor is often equated with giving or “lending” to the Lord – and will be repaid by the Lord (e.g. Proverbs 19:17, 22:9; Matthew 26:31-40; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). In other words, when we are generous to the poor, and especially to those who are of the household of God, we are also being generous to the Lord. At this point, you may be thinking, “Yes, rich people should be generous. But I’m not rich… I can barely afford to tithe, much less give anything more.” However, generosity is not an attribute that should be limited only to those who might be considered rich. For example, the Macedonian churches were not just poor; they were extremely poor (2 Corinthians 8:2). Yet, Paul writes, “their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” (2 Corinthians 8:2b-4) These believers were so poor that Paul was almost embarrassed to take anything from them, and they had to plead with him to take their gift. Yet in their extreme poverty, they gave with rich generosity – not just this once when Paul was taking a special offering to help the poor in the Jerusalem church – but again and again in support of Paul’s ministry (2 Corinthians 11:8-9; Philippians 4:15-18). Their generosity flowed spontaneously from lives that were given first to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:5). Their example shows that generosity is not limited to those who are “rich” but is meant to characterize all God’s people, whether rich or poor. 4. Joy This brings us to a final attribute that characterizes our giving when our lives are first given to the Lord, and that is joy. Why did the Macedonian Christians give so generously even though they were so poor? It was because of the “overflowing joy” arising from God’s grace in their lives (2 Corinthians 8:1-2). Joy – glorious and inexpressible – is the birthright of all who believe in Christ, when we understand that we are receiving the salvation of our souls (1 Peter 1:8-9). Joy is a work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer (1 Thessalonians 1:6), and is second only to love as the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is a deep, all-fulfilling satisfaction and gladness in God, and it manifests in a willingness to forsake everything and to endure everything for the sake of Christ (e.g. Matthew 13:44). When our lives are given first to the Lord and we treasure Him above all else, we won’t need to be told to give; rather, our joy in the Lord compels us to give, because we count it a joy and a privilege to lavish our best on Him. This was the case with the Macedonian believers, who entirely on their own, out of their overflowing joy and extreme poverty “urgently pleaded” with Paul for the privilege of giving! (When was the last time you urgently pleaded with your pastor for the privilege of giving?) Their joy was so great that they gave more than anyone thought they could afford to give (2 Corinthians 8:3-4). We see this same pattern in the life of Zacchaeus. Having received Jesus with joy (Luke 19:6), he gladly gave away half his possessions. Joy likewise permeated the giving of the immense gift that David and the leaders of Israel gave for the building of the Temple (1 Chronicles 29:1-21). While joy is our birthright in Christ, however, it is possible to lose the experience of this joy when we allow the work of the Gospel in our lives to be undermined, for example by false doctrine (Galatians 4:15-16) or by sin that grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). When we take our eyes off the Lord and treasure things like money or possessions above Him, our joy is sapped; and giving then becomes an obligation grudgingly fulfilled, rather than a joy. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes that “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God desires that we should give with joy, because when we give cheerfully, it shows that our lives are first given to Him. Concluding thoughts In summary, obedience to the Lord in the matter of giving means that our giving must reflect lives that are first of all given to the Lord. As we conclude this article, I would challenge you to consider what your offerings to the Lord say about your view of God and about your walk with Him. Does your giving give God the honor that He deserves? Do you give – and give generously – trusting that He is the One who will provide for your needs? Does joy in the Spirit motivate your giving, so that you overflow with joy at the privilege of participating in His work through your giving? May His grace and His joy so fill our lives that we might walk in complete obedience to Him. Related links: Obedience in Giving (Part 2) Obedience in Giving (Part 1) Obedience in Giving (Part 3) |
