“They are fools that fear to lose their wealth by giving, but fear not to lose themselves by keeping it.” –John Trapp
Last Sunday, we had a short sermon on giving from Exodus 35.
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s contribution…
20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. (Exodus 35:4-5 and 35:20-21)
In this passage, Moses instructs the Israelites in giving a freewill offering for the construction of the Tabernacle. The offering was voluntarily given, not compulsory, involved deliberation, and incredibly successful. So much so, that the craftsmen approached Moses and asked that the contributions cease as they now had an excess. (Exodus 36:3-7) This freewill offering or contribution was crucial to the spiritual life of the Israelites. It is one of four instances where this special type of offering was taken up. J. Conrad noted, “The occasions when such contributions are reported are always of great importance: the erection of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:2; 35:21, 29; 35:29; 36:3) and the Jerusalem temple (Ezr. 1:6; 2:68; 1:4; 8:28), as well as the reorganization of its cult under Josiah (2 Ch. 35:8) and Ezra (Ezr. 7:15f.; 8:28).” (Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, 222-223)
Congregations today sometimes take up special offerings, but for the most part, they survive and thrive by taking up a weekly offering. Jamie Dunlop gives a few practical considerations to believers who are thinking about giving:
- Give to your local church first. A good application of Galatians 6:6 is that since your local church is your primary source of teaching, it should be the primary recipient of your giving.
- Give regularly and deliberately. Paul told the Corinthians to set aside money on the first day of every week (1 Cor. 16:2). Giving to the church should not be a spontaneous decision. Instead (ideally with your budget in hand), carefully consider how much giving will enable the best use of your money.
- Give sacrificially and cheerfully. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7) and he calls all of us to take up our cross and follow him (Luke 9:23). So use your giving to make possible a life lived in sacrificial obedience, knowing that whatever you give up pales in comparison to what you are receiving in Christ.
- Seek wise counsel. We should not give to impress others (Matt. 6:2). And yet we are foolish to make decisions about money alone (Prov. 15:22, 1 Tim. 6:10). Be transparent with at least someone at your church about your whole life—including how much and where you give.
For additional reading about giving consider picking up Jamie Dunlop’s booklet off the Connect Table, entitled, Why Should I Give to My Church? And finally, I want to say “thank you” to our church family for their regular, sacrificial, and cheerful giving. May we continue to excel at the grace of giving. See you Sunday. D. V.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
