Giving According to God's Plan - Part 1 (Various Scriptures)
INTRODUCTION:
As promised last week we are going to be talking about giving according to God’s plan this morning and the next two Sundays. I know I said this would be a three-part series, but it is too much so I am making it a four-part series. To speak about giving according to God’s plan, I will be dealing with the subject of money. I know this subject is one that most people do not want to hear about from the pulpit, but the truth is the Bible has quite a bit to say about it. We are called to be stewards of all that God has given us, and that includes our money. This morning we will begin looking at God’s plan for giving in the Old Testament, and then the next two Sundays we will finish that up and look at God’s plan for giving in the New Testament. As we do that, we are going to find out that they are not different, but very much the same. But the true definition of God’s plan for giving is in the New Testament, and I trust that once we have finished this series concerned with giving, we will walk away with a much better understanding of giving according to God’s plan. I know I have learned so much already from this study and I want you to know that I have been convicted by the Word of God concerning my giving.
When we talk about money and the decisions that we must make concerning money and our stewardship of it, when we boil it down it basically falls into four categories. First, how we feel about money. Second, how we earn money. Third, how we spend money. And fourth, how we give money. We are going to look at the first three of these four categories briefly this morning and then begin to look at God’s plan for giving in the Old Testament. Let’s pray.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
I do not have a specific Scripture this morning because we will be going through various Scriptures. But I think it is worthwhile to read a portion of our Scripture reading again that Nathan read for us just to set the tone for the message on giving according to God’s plan. Turn in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 and if you are able, please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11,
“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, ‘He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.’ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:6–11, NASB95)[1]
FOUR CATEGORIES CONCERNING MONEY
Let’s begin this morning by briefly looking at the first three categories of the four. The fourth being how we give our money which we will spend the majority of our time on. The first category is how we feel about money. The Bible has a lot to say about how we should feel about our money. Turn to 1 Timothy 6 and let’s begin in verse 10, Paul writes, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10, NASB95)[2] We are not to love money, which is not always easy because we see what money can buy. But Paul says the love of it is the root of all sorts of evil. In this same chapter of 1 Timothy down just a few verses Paul again speaks in regard to how we feel about money, and he says we are not to trust in it. Verse 17 says, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17, NASB95)[3] Notice who Paul says we are to rely on, we are not to rely on or trust our money. To do so is idolatry, even when you get your sense of security from the money that you say God provides for you, that’s still idolatry if you are trusting the money. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24, NASB95)[4] Instead of seeking to be rich, we should seek to honor God. If He desires to make us rich, that is His business. We should seek to work as hard as we can, do the very best that we can, for His glory. Turning back to 1 Timothy 6:9, Paul writes, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (1 Timothy 6:9, NASB95)[5] Finally, regarding how we feel about money, we are not to regard it as our own; it is God’s. We are stewards of it, but never forget that it is God’s money.
The second category is how we earn money. The Bible again has some things to say about this. First, from the Ten Commandments we are not to steal it. Maybe you think that’s a no-brainer, but listen to what Psalm 37:21 says, “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.” (Psalm 37:21, NASB95)[6] There is a lot of ways to steal, the prophets Amos (8:5) and Hosea (12:7) talk about merchants using deceptive measures, a smaller bushel, or a dishonest scale to deceive those buying from them. You are not to steal. You are not to take advantage of others by overcharging them with interest. As we learned last week if we see a brother in need, we are to help them, provide what is needed to meet the need. It does not say we are to loan them what they need and then charge high rates of interest on what they owe. We are also not to defraud people by not paying them what we owe them. James 5:4 says, “Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” (James 5:4, NASB95)[7] Pay them for their work. So, these are some negative ways of how we are not to earn money. So, how are we to get money? First, we can get it by receiving gifts, I think we have probably all gotten money this way. You can get money through inheritance. Another way to earn money is through wise investments. Notice I said wise investments, not get rich schemes, remember it is God’s money and we must be good stewards of His funds. Remember the parable of the talents in Matthew 25? A master gave talents to three of his servants and then went on a journey, when he returned, he called them to give an account of what they did with the talents he had given them. The first two had put them to work and doubled what they were given. The third hid his and did nothing with it. The master told him that he should have at least put it in the bank so that when he returned, he would have received it with interest. Wise investments are another way that we can earn money; interest can be made. The primary way in which we earn money is by working for it. The Bible says in Exodus 34:21, “You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.” (Exodus 34:21, NASB95)[8] God understands the need for rest, for a day off and tells us to labor, do our work in six days, and rest at least one day. Work is something that is exalted in the Bible, it is a divine principle. Listen to what Proverbs 28:19 says, “He who tills his land will have plenty of food, But he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.” (Proverbs 28:19, NASB95)[9] In other words, those who work will do just fine, those who do not but go after “get rich quick schemes” will not be fine, they won’t make it. Proverbs 14:23 says, “In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23, NASB95)[10] So you can see that work is exalted, but the lazy, those who just talk about it, is not.
The third category is how we spend our money. First and foremost, we are to provide for the needs of our family, and then for the needs of those around us. In 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul writes, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8, NASB95)[11] That sounds pretty serious. Last Sunday we looked at what John said in 1 John 3:17, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17, NASB95)[12] You spend your money on the needs of your family, the needs of those around you. Next, you spend your money to pay your debts immediately. Paul says in Romans 13:8, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8, NASB95)[13] Another way in which we spend our money is by saving some for the future. In Proverbs 30 we read in verse 25, “The ants are not a strong people, But they prepare their food in the summer;” (Proverbs 30:25, NASB95) In other words, they know that it is better to save food in the summer, because in the winter they won’t be able to find it. Stashing it away for the time when you will need it. Listen to Proverbs 21:20, “There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man swallows it up.” (Proverbs 21:20, NASB95)[14] In other words, the wise save and prepare for times when they will need it, but the foolish just spend it. No preparation for the future. I believe future planning is not only a good idea, I believe it is a biblical idea.
The fourth category is how we give our money which is what we want to focus on for the rest of this message and the next two. Having looked at 1 John 3 last Sunday we learned that giving to our brother in need out of love becomes the evidence of our faith in Christ. As you think about the money you have, you must think of it as a stewardship. It is God’s money so we should be talking to Him about it and giving Him an account of how we are using it. The main thing Scripture talks about when it comes to money is how you give your money, and because of this, how we give our money is extremely important. But how do we give biblically, we are bombarded on every side by organizations and individuals who want us to give them our money.
GIVING
When it comes to giving, we must do a balancing act of trusting God, investing with God, and keeping what we need to supply our family for the present and the future. When it comes to giving it really is our responsiveness to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives as He leads and guides. Now for some people, and I will admit that I was among these people, they said, and I would say that we just need to accept the biblical pattern, which is 10 percent. This is a tithe, which is what the word tithe means, it means 10 percent. And they justify the tithe by saying that if the law required 10 percent, certainly grace would require 10 percent. It cannot be justified from the New Testament simply because the tithe is never mentioned in the New Testament in reference to the church’s giving, not even once. So, in order to get tithing in, they say if the law required it, then certainly grace does.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against this principle. But what they are saying, and what I was saying is, we know tithing is not New Testament giving, but if we do not push the tithe, we are afraid we won’t get enough money to operate. That really is the motivation behind the tithe. If everyone tithes, then the money will keep flowing. What is wrong with this idea of tithing, of giving 10 percent? First, it is not biblical, and it is giving for the wrong reason. It is giving to fulfill an obligation, rather than a response from a loving and willing heart. Second, it hinders what you could do, by making you think you are done when you have given your 10 percent. Giving is never to be done out of coercion, it is never to be fundraising, it is never to be done out of compulsion, or due to guilt. Any gimmick that we use is offensive to God. Now having said that, let me say, and then we will move on: God’s pattern for giving is not tithing in the New Testament, it is not His pattern for giving in the Old Testament either. It has never been tithing , and it never will be tithing. Giving 10 percent might be a good starting point, but do not let it be your end point. I will try to explain what I mean when I say that tithing has never been God’s plan for giving. Let’s at least begin looking at giving according to God’s plan. When we speak of giving in the Bible, we must divide the history of giving into three sections: giving before Moses, giving between Moses and Jesus, and giving from Jesus to the present. These are three periods or three dispensations with which we have to deal. And we will discover that all three teach the same pattern of giving.
GIVING BEFORE MOSES
Let’s begin by looking at giving before Moses before the Law was given. Some who teach that we should tithe do it on this basis. You see before Moses we read that Abraham tithed and that his grandson Jacob tithed. This was before the Law, so tithing came before Moses it must therefore be a universal principle. The tithe came first, the law came in the middle, the universal must continue on. There is only one problem with this. If you are going to accept anything before the Law as the norm for after the Law, the Sabbath also comes before the Law. So, church will have to be on Saturday, we cannot meet on Sunday. The sacrificial system was initiated before the Law, it was initiated in the garden of Eden, so we will have to go back to sacrificing animals. As you can see, if we say that this is the pattern before the Law, so it is universal, we run into a lot of problems.
Let’s look a little closer at giving before Moses. This giving falls into two groups as does all giving in all the periods of history that we have divided the history of giving into. Those two categories are freewill giving and required giving. The Bible does require that we give money and in doing so you are not buying anything, you’re just giving it away. The Bible also speaks of freewill gifts. We are going to go first to the book of Genesis, and let’s find out about giving from the very beginning, and what we find first is freewill giving.
As I mentioned before the term “tithe” simply means a tenth part, and we will find it used in the book of Genesis. It is not a religious word; it is a mathematical word. History teaches us from other ancient sources outside the Bible that man has always used ten as the basic number for counting systems. Man has ten fingers and ten toes, so ten became the symbol of the counting system, this is seen all over the world. Because of this 10 then becomes the number of completion for man. There is evidence that many of the ancient religions with their pagan idols had a system for honoring those idols by giving a tenth. The reason for this is because ten represented totality or completeness, giving a tenth was a symbol of the giving of the whole. By giving what was a total number, ten, you were symbolizing the fact that you were giving your all. So, the number ten became a common percentage in terms of offerings to pagan deities.
The Bible does not institute tithing in Genesis. There is no statement from God ever regarding tithing at this point. No one told Abraham to give a tenth. No one told Jacob to give a tenth. Because of this there is no universal principle as such stated in Scripture. Let’s me show you what I mean. In Genesis 4 you have the first offering, this first offering was given to God by Cain and Abel, and it is a voluntary or free-will offering. Genesis 4:3-4 says, “So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering;” (Genesis 4:3–4, NASB95)[15] We know that Cain’s offering was rejected and last Sunday in 1 John 3 we read that it was because Cain was sinful, but Abel was righteous. We are not told why Cain’s was rejected but it may have had to do with the fact that blood was not shed, or pride on Cain’s part on what he had produced. Here we are not told what percentage they gave; they were prompted by their own initiative. We are not told of a requirement and no amount is stipulated. These offerings were completely of their free-will.
The next offering, we read about is in Genesis 8, after the flood. Noah immediately goes out to make a sacrifice or an offering to God. Genesis 8:20 says, “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.” (Genesis 8:20, NASB95)[16] Again this offering is not commanded, it is completely voluntary. There is no stipulated amount, no percentage given. Noah determined in his own heart what to give and gave one of every clean animal and every clean bird. It was a free-will offering.
The next offering is offered by Abraham in Genesis 12, and it is in response to God’s call on Abraham’s life and the promises given to him by God. In verse 7 we read, “The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:7, NASB95)[17] This offering was in response to what God said, again there is no command, no stipulation, no requirement. Only the free-will of Abraham responding to the wonderful promise of God. The same thing happens again in Genesis 13:18. These offerings up to this point have always been voluntary, never in response to the command of God. These people gave to God of their own possessions, out of love and thankfulness. This is the pattern of freewill giving. When we come to Genesis 14, we have the first mention of the tithe. The event preceding this is the capture of Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham goes and fights the kings who had taken the people, and he is victorious and saves the people, and he takes a tremendous amount of spoil from these kings and their armies that he had conquered. On his way home the King of Salem, Salem is the ancient name of Jerusalem, came out to meet him. This king was named Melchizedek, and he was not only a king, but also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham meets this man who represents God, he wants to express his thanks to God for the victory. How does he do this? Genesis 14:20 says, “He [Melchizedek] blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ He [Abram] gave him a tenth of all.” (Genesis 14:19–20, NASB95)[18] This does not mean that Abraham gave a tenth of everything that he owned, but a tenth of what he took in battle. Another observation, Abraham lived 160 years and at no time in Scripture is it ever recorded before or after this incident that he gave a tenth. This is the only time we know of. This tells us something. This tenth wasn’t a tenth of his income, it wasn’t something he did annually. It was simply that he chose to do it at this time. This was a one-time thing, and we have no record that he ever did it again. Again, free, voluntary, motivated only by gratitude in his heart. Not commanded by God, not required.
Now go to Genesis 28, and here we have the use of the word tithe again and it has to do with Jacob. In Genesis 28:22 Jacob says, “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” (Genesis 28:22, NASB95)[19] At this point Jacob is making a vow to God that if God will be with him, and keep him in the way that he will go, and provide food and clothing, so that he returns some day to his father’s house in peace then the Lord will be his God. Jacob was trying to bargain with God, he was at a low point spiritually. He is trying to buy God, if you do this and this for me, I will trust you to be my God and I will set this pillar up as a house for you and I’ll give you a tenth of everything I have. Jacob by giving a tenth was trying to buy God, trying to make a bargain with God. We should never see this as a spiritual norm, we cannot make a universal principle from this. Notice that there is no command to give, again, it was voluntary, a choice that Jacob made of his own freewill, there was no obligation at all. This morning we have looked at Cain and Abel right through to Jacob, and in all cases, their giving was free, voluntary gifts. Never commanded, never told to give a certain amount.
CONCLUSION:
I am going to stop here this morning. We have just begun to look at giving according to God’s plan. This morning very briefly we looked at the four categories regarding the stewardship we have concerning what God has given, and specifically this morning, the money He has given us. We looked at how we feel about money, how we earn money, how we spend money, and fourth how we give money. This fourth category will be our topic for the next couple of weeks. Then we began to look at this idea of tithe or the giving of ten percent. As we began to go through the book of Genesis exploring God’s plan for giving before Moses and the Law, we discovered that there was no command to give, no amount was given that those who lived before Moses were obligated to give. Instead, every offering that we looked at was voluntary, many times it was the grateful response to something God had done or promised. Even in the two instances when a tithe was mentioned, the amount was the arbitrary choice of the one giving the offering. In both instances it was a one time offering and not something that was done annually, and in the case of Abraham it was only a tithe of the spoil he had taken in battle, not a tithe of all he had. In Jacob’s case it was the payment of a bargain. So, up to this point giving has been up to the giver and it was done voluntarily and without obligation and it is done out of a heart of gratitude. Next week we will move on and finish up the section of the Old Testament of giving before Moses and then we will begin to look at the section from Moses to Jesus which will finish up the Old Testament, and Lord willing, we will even begin the New Testament section. My charge to you this week is to go back over the Scriptures I gave to see if what I have said this morning is biblical. Then ask yourself, if you tithe, if it is done out of obligation and when you have given your ten percent you feel that you are done? My challenge is to ask yourself if you could do more?
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995. (Emphasis mine)
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[9]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[10]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[11]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[12]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[13]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[14]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[15]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[16]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[17]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[18]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[19]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.