Giving – (a) The Right Attitude to Money (b) Giving in The Old Testament

[00:00:00] Two Corinthians, chapter nine, commencing at verse one. [00:00:09] Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the offering for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that our care has been ready since last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. [00:00:30] But I am sending the brethren so that our boasting about you may not prove vain in this case, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Lest if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we be humiliated, to say nothing of you, for being so confident, so I thought it necessary to urge the brethren to go on to you before me and arrange in advance for this gift you have promised, so that it may be ready, not as an exaction, but as a willing gift. [00:01:07] The point is, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [00:01:22] Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make. [00:01:39] I'm sorry. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. [00:01:54] As it is written, he scatters a ball he gives to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. [00:02:03] He who supplies seed to the sower bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [00:02:16] You will be enriched in every way for great generosity. [00:02:23] I'm sorry. For great generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the rendering of this service not only supplies the wants of the saints, but also overflows in many thanksgivings to God. [00:02:38] Under the test of this service, you will glorify God by your obedience in acknowledging the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. [00:03:02] Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. [00:03:13] Now, this is the second of our studies on this subject of the ministry of giving, and the first one that I will not say much about this evening we gave two weeks ago, and I can only suggest that you listen to the tape because it really is foundational. [00:03:36] Then we laid the foundation, the biblical foundation, as to giving the ministry of giving much bigger than just giving money. [00:03:54] The whole point is that the Bible rings with this truth, that its more blessed to give than to receive. [00:04:07] Theres a blessing in giving. And the reason why so many are miserable and interned is theyve just not learned the secret of giving in every way. [00:04:19] Because, as you know, we spoke the last time, not only a few, we introduced the subject, but we spoke of the basic teaching of God's word concerning giving. And then we spoke lastly about the principle of giving. Well, we'll leave all that now and come immediately this evening to the more practical side of it, perhaps come down to earth, we might say, the right attitude to money. The first thing I want to speak about this evening, the right attitude to money. Whether we like it or not, every one of us has to use money. [00:05:03] We may not like it. [00:05:05] We may dislike it, we may like it a lot. [00:05:10] But all of us have to do something with money. [00:05:17] And therefore it is one of the most vitally important matters in the christian life. As to what our attitude is to money. [00:05:32] Now, the word of God has a lot to say about our attitude to money, both the wrong attitude and the right attitude. [00:05:43] Furthermore, as so often in the word of God, it is much, much more down to earth and shocking than many christians. [00:05:59] Many christians, when it comes to marriage and sex, have the most cockeyed ideas, whereas they would hardly dare to say some of the things that the Bible says. That the Bible says. [00:06:14] And it's exactly the same with money. There are some people who think that anything to do with money is disgraceful. Not the Bible. [00:06:26] The Bible has quite a lot of things that you don't always hear in the mouths of believers or christians, preachers or otherwise. [00:06:37] As to this whole matter of money, what is the right attitude to money? [00:06:46] Now, our attitude to money is not only important, but it's very revealing. [00:06:52] Let's turn to one or two scriptures first. One Timothy, chapter six. One Timothy, chapter six, from verse six to ten. [00:07:07] But godliness with contentment is a great gain. [00:07:13] For we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out of it. [00:07:23] But having food and covering, we shall be there with content. [00:07:29] But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. [00:07:45] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, which somebody reaching after have been led astray from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. [00:08:04] And then another scripture, Hebrews, chapter 13 and verse five. [00:08:16] Be ye free from the love of money, content with such things as ye have for himself, hath said I will in no wise fail thee. Neither will I in any wise forsake thee. So that we with good courage may say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What shall man do unto me? [00:08:47] Now those are two verses or two passages about our being free from the love of money. You will note straight away that it doesn't say, be free from money. It says, be free from the love of money. And there's a world of difference between the two, the love of money and money itself. [00:09:11] Let's look at a few more scriptures. Turn back to Matthew, chapter six. [00:09:18] Matthew, chapter six, verse 19. [00:09:27] Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. [00:09:55] The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [00:10:30] Therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. [00:10:40] Then verse 32 and 33. [00:10:46] For after all these things do the gentiles see. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye had need of all these things, but seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Now it would seem quite clear from these passages that the general tenor of the word of God is that the less we have to do with money, the better. [00:11:17] And I think that is how it is generally understood. [00:11:22] Most christians have an intuitive sense that they ought that somehow or other, money is filthy. It's dirty. We think of the old authorized person rendering filthy lucre, and we all have an intuitive sense that there's something dirty, something evil about money. And the general tenor of the word of God is that, well, be free from it. Be free from it. We forget that it just be free from the love of money. It says that we dont want to just simply accumulate treasures on earth if weve got no treasure in heaven and were not to be bothering all the time about clothes and fashions and what we shall eat and what we shall not eat and all the rest of it. But if we'll only put first things first and give priorities their place. Divine priorities their place. Then God will meet us and provide for us in all these things. That at least seems to be the teaching of the word. But then, as so often, we find a fly in the ointment. And this is in Luke and chapter 16 which I suppose has puzzled more people's minds than any other passage in the New Testament on the matter of money. [00:12:54] Now, we can't read all of it tonight but I suggest when you get home that you read this whole passage and read right down to verse 15 or so. We are going to read from verse nine. The Lord has spoken about a steward who had to give account of himself. And the Lord commends this steward because when he was going to be put out of his stewardship he went and got a whole lot of people and said, how much do you owe my master? Someone said, 100. So I said, right. He said, write down 50 and that's it. And then he went to someone else and asked them, oh, yes, I owe 40. Right. Write down 20 and that's that. And he went down doing all this sounds quite dishonest but the Lord Jesus completely commended him and said he was a wise man. [00:13:48] He was a really wise man because he knew he was going to be put out of the stewardship. So he made sure that he had friends in the town. I mean, everyone who said, well, I must remember, oh, so and so I really owe a hundred, so say. And he only took 50. [00:14:10] Stuart, of course, was like a kind of manager. He was more or less had quite a lot of freedom. Well, now, from verse nine this is what the Lord says in explaining this. Having said, the children sons of this world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of light which, I am afraid, is very true. And I say unto you, make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness that when it shall fail they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles. He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. [00:14:53] And he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches? [00:15:09] And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's who will give you that which is your own? [00:15:16] No servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to one a dispute. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [00:15:30] Now, as I have said at a first reading, these scriptures would suggest that the teaching of the word of God is that we should be free from the love of money to put God first and the rest will follow. [00:15:47] We are not to serve. We are not to be slaves of the mammon of unrighteousness. We are to be free from the mammon of unrighteousness more than free from him. We are to be above him, beyond him, if you like the love of money the spirit and the ways of this world of commerce of the whole commercial system which is the mammon of unrest we are somehow to be above it free from it, beyond it. That would seem to be what the word teaches. The mammon of unrighteousness is not, must not control and govern us as believers. [00:16:41] But then we come up against one or two things that we must think about. [00:16:49] We are to use and exploit the mammon of unrighteousness for eternal gain. [00:16:56] Now think that one out. Now, if anyone wants to have an argument you've got an argument with the word of God, not with me. [00:17:03] Because here is the phrase. We are to be faithful in the unrighteous mammon. Now, have you ever heard of such a phrase? We are to be faithful in the unrighteous mammon. [00:17:20] Now, what do you think that really means? [00:17:25] We are neither to be slaves to mammon serving him, controlled by the love of money nor are we to be detached altogether. [00:17:39] That is letting the mammon of unrighteousness go his own sweet way and having nothing whatsoever to do with him. We're told to make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness and to be faithful in the unrighteous mammon. And it says, if we are not faithful in the unrighteous mammon how can God entrust to us true riches? Now, think that all out. [00:18:05] It should make your heads reel. [00:18:10] It's quite extraordinary. [00:18:13] In other words the right attitude to money is not at all that we should have nothing to do with it but that we should go absolutely in. Not controlled by it not enslaved to it not with any love for it but go absolutely in and exploit it for eternal gain. [00:18:34] In other words what you and I do with our cash determines to a large extent what's going to be committed to us in the coming kingdom. [00:18:47] Now, again, I make no excuse for this. No apology. [00:18:52] The fact of the matter is it's the word of God. [00:18:55] Whatever is the point of this extraordinary parable which almost seems to be unfair and unrighteous and the Lord's even more extraordinary interpretation of it. [00:19:09] Some Christians are far too spiritual in inverted comedy, far too. They're ethereal, they're abstract, they're vague. They seem to think that we should have nothing to do with money. Far from it. The Lord says, look here. What you do with your money matters very much indeed. Be faithful in the unrighteous mammon and God will give to you spiritual riches. [00:19:36] Is that the reason why God can't commit spiritual things to some of us? [00:19:42] That our attitude to the unrighteous mammon is either that we serve it we're enslaved to it. The love of it has got hold of us and is gripping us or we've become so ethereal that we believe we must have nothing whatsoever to do with it. [00:20:01] Both attitudes are wrong. [00:20:05] The right attitude is you are not enslaved to mammon. [00:20:11] You are not the servant of mammon. [00:20:14] What is mammon? Mammon isn't just evil. Mammon is commerce out of which so much evil has come. It's unrighteous. The unrighteous mammon. When you look at the history of the world so many wars have been caused by the love of money. Behind so much in this world, behind so much strife so much wickedness lies commercial interests. [00:20:47] What are we to do? [00:20:49] We're in the world but we're not after the world. [00:20:54] What then are we to do? We are to be faithful in the unrighteous mammon. Go in, serve God. You cannot serve God and mammon. Serve God and exploit mammon. [00:21:10] That's really more or less what it says. [00:21:14] Now let me just read a few scriptures to you. Again. [00:21:19] Faithful in the unrighteous manner. Mammon. Verse eleven. If therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches. Turn again to one Timothy, chapter six. [00:21:34] One Timothy, chapter six. Listen to how Paul speaks in this matter. Verse 17. [00:21:41] Charge them that are rich in this present world that they be not high minded nor had their hope set on the uncertainty of riches but on God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. [00:21:56] That they do good. [00:21:59] That they be rich in good works. That they be ready to distribute. Now, that simply means ready to part with their cash willing to communicate. That is just the same thing. Ready to distribute. Ready to let their money go and willing to communicate. Willing to dispatch it to others. [00:22:25] Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may have. That they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. Now, isn't that interesting? It's a commentary on these very verses that they may laying up in store for themselves. A good foundation against the time to come that they may lay a whole on the life which is life indeed. [00:23:01] It is in fact a sobering thought that I doubt whether there's one person in this room hardly who would come into the category of New Testament poverty if we were to be transported back. Of course other things are relative natural but if we were to be transported back most of us would be quite wealthy people by New Testament standards. [00:23:28] When you think of our Lord Jesus as a carpenter why, I expect if he earned two or three pounds in a week it was a hey day a week to be remembered. [00:23:43] So just remember that. Well now then, what about Philippians chapter four and verse 17? [00:23:51] Let's see if that throws any light on this being faithful in the unrighteous mammon. Here it is. Philippians 417. It's Paul writing, not that I seek for the gift but I seek for the fruit that he increaseth to your account. [00:24:09] And it's all about cash. [00:24:12] It says in verse 15 and verse 16 that they sent not once but two or three times. They sent this gift to the apostle Paul and they were the only church to do so. And he says, you know, it's not the gift that matters. Why, if it came to that I could fall back on my carpet making and tent making and so on. I can fall back on that anytime. But the fact is there's the thing that absolutely delights me. You are laying up for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come. You see, that increaseth to your account. God has an account up there. Its all being put against your account. Its so simple. God is no mans debtor. [00:24:56] Every time youve given something its gone to your account. [00:25:02] And one day God will speak to you about it. [00:25:08] So we must say our attitude to the unrighteous mammon will govern the committal by the Lord of true riches to us. Does anyone not believe that this evening? It is a tremendous thing to accept you now that our attitude to the unrighteous mammon o someone says, surely not. Surely it's much more spiritual than that. No, no, because it is always in very practical, material, humdrum matters that a person's spiritual character and nature is revealed. [00:25:44] Oh, you don't get away with it. You don't get away with anything with God. [00:25:50] A straw tells which way the wind is blowing. God notes all these small practical things so and so. Looks so spiritual. If only they knew. [00:26:04] Looks so sort of godly, so sort of advanced, so very zealous. [00:26:14] If only they knew. They will one day. [00:26:19] The point is it is in these practical, humdrum, worldly kind of matters the unrighteous mammon and our faithfulness in it. [00:26:30] That God takes note. [00:26:34] I go back again and again to this story in these studies. That little widow she knew what to do with the unrighteous mammon. She had only two minds but it was unrighteous mammon. [00:26:47] Two little minds heard. It was her whole living. [00:26:52] It was the unrighteous mammon. What had she done for it? Begged for it or scrubbed some floor for it. [00:27:01] Worked her hands to the bone. [00:27:05] It was the unrighteous mammon. What we call a typical capitalistic society. [00:27:11] She was involved in it. Now she had got her wages, her whole living and she put the whole lot in the treasury. [00:27:26] She was faithful in the unrighteous man. [00:27:29] Do you think that God is interested in money? [00:27:33] Of course not. [00:27:36] Think God is interested in the bank of England? Of the royal mint? [00:27:43] Of course not. [00:27:47] You don't think God's going to use our kind of currency in the kingdom to come to you? Of course not. You know that it's an unrighteous mammon. [00:27:59] But be faithful in it because our attitude to it reveals a lot. Far more than we like to admit. [00:28:13] Now I must move on to the second point I want to make this evening about giving in the old testament. [00:28:21] There's a tremendous amount in the Old Testament about giving and without doubt the Old Testament is the soil in which all the New Testament teaching on giving flowers. [00:28:42] Never forget this. Some people seem to think they can do without the old testament that it's all been fulfilled. It's like a useless appendix. [00:28:53] Something that has no real meaning apart from being a nice storybook and to a certain extent an illustration book. This is nonsense. [00:29:04] The Old Testament is the solid foundation upon which everything we have in the new rests. [00:29:12] Certainly true on the matter of giving. [00:29:16] Now it seems to me in this enormous subject far bigger than we can deal with in an evening or even a series. [00:29:27] The teaching in the Old Testament about giving falls into three categories. Three aspects. There are three aspects of it. If you like, put it like this for simplicity's sake. I try to be as simple as I can. [00:29:41] First, there is the tithe. [00:29:44] Secondly there are free will offerings. And thirdly the care of the poor. [00:29:52] Firstly the tithe. [00:29:54] Now lets just look at a few scriptures. [00:29:58] First, Leviticus, chapter 27. [00:30:02] Leviticus 27 from verse 30 to 33. Now you understand that I am only selecting one or two passages in an enormous amount of material that could be selected. [00:30:21] Leviticus 27 last chapter of Leviticus, verse 30. And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree is the Lord's. It's holy unto the Lord. And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof and all the tithe of the herd of the flock whatsoever passeth under the rod. The 10th shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad. Neither shall he change it and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed. [00:31:01] Deuteronomy chapter 14 deuteronomy 14 22 29 thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year and thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose to cause his name to dwell there. The tithe of thy grain, of thy new wine and of thine oil and the firstlings of thy herd and of thy flock, that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always and if the way be too long for thee so that thou art not able to carry it because the place is too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God shall bless thee then shalt thou turn it into money and bind up the money in thy hand and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose and thou shalt bestow the money. For whatsoever thy soul desireth for oxen, for sheep or for wine or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul asketh of thee and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God. And thou shalt rejoice thou and thy household and the levite that is within thy gates thou shalt not forsake him for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee. At the end of every three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase in the same year and shalt lay it up within thy gates and the Levite because he hath no portion or inheritance with thee. And the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow that are within thy gate shall come and shall eat and be satisfied that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest. [00:32:43] Then again, deuteronomy 26 two verses deuteronomy 20 612 13 when thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithe of thine increase in the third year, which is the year of tithing. Then thou shalt give it unto the Levite, to the sojourner, to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates and be filled. And thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have put away the hallowed things out of my house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the sojourner, to the fatherless and to the widow, according to all thy commandment which thou hast commanded me. I have not transgressed any of the commandments. Neither have I forgotten them. [00:33:26] Tithing. Now will you note ten things about tithing which I trust we will not have to say any more, but just mention these ten things. First of all, it was the 10th. The Hebrew word, as the Greek, means simply a 10th. [00:33:43] So tithing means one 10th of the whole, first thing. The second, it was a 10th of everything, not a 10th of what was left after other necessary things had been taken away, children fed, other household matters in New Testament roman authorities, the taxes paid to them. No, it was a 10th of everything, not what was left. [00:34:18] Thirdly, it was not confined to money, although the child of God could give money instead of harvest produce, that is, if it was really too much to bring grain from right up in the tribe of Dan, which was up near Mount Hermon all the way to Jerusalem, then he could turn it into money, but he had to add another fifth. [00:34:46] If he turned it into money, he had to add another fifth. [00:34:50] So it was a 10th of everything. 10th of the flock, 10th of the herd, 10th of the fruit, 10th of the seed, 10th of everything. [00:35:05] Fourthly, it was a 10th of the best. Generally speaking, not the worst. [00:35:11] This was Malachi's great argument with them that they were, if they gave tithes at all, they gave the blind lame, halt and so on. [00:35:22] It was a tent of the best, generally speaking, certainly not of the worst. For instance, we've read in Leviticus 27, they went under the rod. Now what happened was this, as the flock went under, counted 1234-5678, 910, the rod came down on the 10th. Now the rabbis tell us not in the Bible, but the rabbis tell us that they used to dip this rod in vermilion and mark the 10th with red. With red dye. Then later on, the ones with the red dye were sorted out and those were sent to the house of God. [00:36:10] The point was that if it happened to be a not too good one, well, that was okay. But the farmer couldn't sort of stand there saying, oh, dear, that's one of my prize ones. [00:36:22] Would you mind me, sort of putting in another, taking him out. He couldn't do that. And if it was a poor creature, he could give another. But both went. [00:36:33] In other words, he couldn't take anyone out. He had to give more if he felt it should be so. [00:36:40] Fifthly, the tithe was an absolute duty, and no one was exempt whatsoever, not even the priest or the Levite. Now, this may be of interest to some. The priest and the Levite also had to give a 10th. This shows just how absolute a duty it was upon everyone. If you just turn to numbers 18, numbers 1826 to 29, we read these words. [00:37:18] Moreover, thou shalt speak unto the Levites and say unto them, when ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for the Lord. A tithe of the tithe. [00:37:34] Now you might like to read all those verses 29. So that these men who had no farm of their own, no flocks of their own, no produce of their own, they received the tithe and of the people of God and lived on it. But they had to take a tithe of the tithe and give it to the law. [00:37:58] You'll see it also if you want. Those of you who really want to follow this matter in Nehemiah 1038, anyone who wants to follow this whole thing seriously. [00:38:07] Sixthly, it was a regular duty. [00:38:11] It wasn't just haphazard. It was yearly. [00:38:14] Now, every year they had to take the tithe up to the house of God. But the third year and the 6th year, the tithe was given to the village or town, the locality in which they lived. Now, we won't go into that because it'll only make it more confusing to you. But the fact of the matter is that the tithe was absolutely, absolutely regular, except every 7th year when they couldn't give grain because the land lay fallow. That's all. But otherwise it was an absolutely regular duty, as regular as clockwork. [00:38:57] Seventhly, it was the token that the rest belonged to God. [00:39:05] This is a point that is forgotten, gotten by many people who speak of the tithe as if it was something that was given to God and the rest was theirs. This isn't true. They weren't even allowed to eat of the rest till they'd given the 10th to the Lord. And the point was, the rest is yours as well. When you've given the 10th, then you can start to enjoy the rest that's mine. [00:39:29] It was a token that the rest belonged to God. [00:39:35] Eightly, it was absolutely fair on all and caused no hardship. It was, of course it was the Lord, if it was human, it was brilliant genius to think of the 10th and to think out this simple system. But it wasn't human, it was the law. The fact was, it was so fair. Here was a millionaire with a million. [00:40:03] Well, he gave a 10th, and here was a poor widow with ten shillings, she gave a 10th, she gave a shilling, he gave someone else. Work it out. [00:40:14] But you know what I mean. The point was, it was absolutely fair. If someone had a lot, they gave a 10th, and of course it was much bigger, but it didn't hurt them any more than it hurt someone who had very little, because they gave it. So it's absolutely fair. [00:40:33] Every single child of God, to the richest person or to the poorest person, gave a 10%, a 10th of their income. [00:40:48] Ninthly, it seems that the 10th was the recognized portion to give to God long before the law was given through Moses. Now there are people who tell us that this is all to do with the law, and therefore, you know, it went out, it's been fulfilled. But you must remember that long before the law came through Moses, the 10th was the recognized portion in Genesis chapter 14 and verse 20. You'll need to read the whole portion, but verse 20, and blessed be God most high, who have delivered thine enemies into thy hand. This is Melchizedek speaking, and he that is AbRAhaM gave him, that is Melchizedek, a 10th of all. Now in Hebrews it tells us expressly that this was a 10th to the Lord. [00:41:42] Melchizedek was a symbol, if you like, of Christ, and he was giving the 10th to Melchizedek. There are those, of course, who believe that Melchizedek was in fact the Lord, a manifestation of him. But anyway, that's another subject. [00:42:00] If you turn to Genesis 28 and verse 22, Jacob says, then this stone which I have set up for a pillar shall be God's hand house. And of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the 10th to thee. This was long before the law came, so it is quite clear that it preceded the law. It was the recognized portion that belonged to God. Tenthly, concerning the tithe, and this is a point that is very rarely understood, the priests and the Levites, full time workers with no other income, as well as others in need, sojourners, fatherless, the widow, lived on the tithe. Now this is a point many people forget. The tithe did not basically go to the building of the temple. Or the tabernacle. [00:43:02] And in many ways, even for its maintenance, it went to the Levite, the priest and the Levite and their well being and all those who were poor and in great need. Let's just look at a few scriptures in that to make it absolutely clear. Deuteronomy, chapter twelve. [00:43:30] Deuteronomy twelve, verse 18 and 19. [00:43:39] Shall eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose. Thou thy son and thy daughter, and thy manservant, thy maidservant and the Levite that is within thy gates. And thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. [00:43:58] Two chronicles, 31, two chronicles 31 ten. [00:44:07] And Azariah, the chief priest of the house of Zadok, answered David and said, answered Hezekiah and said, since the people began to bring the oblations into the house of the Lord, we've eaten. We have eaten and had on up and have left plenty. For the Lord hath blessed his people, and that which is left is this great store. [00:44:34] Now I hope this is quite clear, that the priest and the Levite were the people who lived on the tithe that came in numbers 18. [00:44:47] Now again, you'd have to read from verse eight right the way through to verse 21. I shall just read the first part and the last. And the Lord spake unto Aaron and I, behold, I have given thee the charge of my heave offerings, even all the hallowed things of the children of Israel, and to thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons as a portion forever this shall be thine of the most holy things. Now he starts to tell all that will be theirs. He says in verse twelve, all the best of the oil, all the best of the vintage of the grain, the firstfruits of them which they give unto the Lord. To thee have I given them. You see, it was the priests and the Levites who got the tithe. Verse 21. And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. Now if you turn to the New Testament for a commentary on this, in one corinthians chapter nine and verse 13, one corinthians 913. This is what the apostle Paul says. Know ye not that they that minister about sacred things, speaking of the priests and the Levites, eat of the things of the temple, and they that wait upon the altar have their portion with the altar? [00:46:26] Now he's saying this absolutely in context in the whole matter of the rights of servants of the Lord to live by the gospel. If they preach the gospel, they have a right to live by it. Now there's the tithe. I hope you're all clear on that. We're laying a good foundation, I trust, this evening for this matter. [00:46:53] Now, secondly, there are free will offerings. The tithe was an absolute duty, a regular duty, and no one was exactly. Everyone had to give a 10th and the poorest to the richest. The next category of gifts comes under the general title of free will offerings. Now, will you just look at one or two instances out of many of free will offerings? Exodus 25 one and two. Exodus 25 and the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel that they take from me an offering of every man whose heart maketh him willing. Ye shall take my offering. [00:47:43] And this is the offering. And then it goes to all the things that they can give, gold, silver, brass, blue and purple and scarlet, and fine linen and goat's hair, and ram skins dyed red, and seal skins and acacia wood, oil for the light, spices for the anointing, oil the sweet incense, onyx stones, stones to be set for the ephod, and for the breastplate. Let them make me a sanctuary. Now, if you will turn to chapter 35, verse 20. [00:48:18] And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses, and they came, everyone whose heart stirred him up, and everyone whom his spirit made willing and brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof. And for the holy garments they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all jewels of gold, even every man that offered an offering of gold unto the Lord. And every man with whom was found blue and purple and scarlet, and fine linen and goats hair and wamskins dyed red and sealed skins brought them. And everyone that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the Lord's offering. And every man with whom was found a casia wood for any work of the service brought it. And so it goes on. Verse 29 the children of Israel brought a free will offering unto the Lord every man and woman whose heart made them willing to bring forth all the work which the Lord had commanded to be made by moses. Now turn over to the building of the temple, and you find exactly the same principle in one chronicles 29, one chronicles 29 one chronicles 29 nine. [00:49:45] Then the people rejoiced for that they offered willingly BEcause with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord. And David the king also rejoiced with great joy. Now if you read through this, you'll see what they did. You see David says in the earlier part of the chapter. He tells them all the gifts that he is going to make in a free will offering. [00:50:13] And then he says in verse five who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself this day unto the law. That's how he put it. And then the princes of the father's house, the princes of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds with the rulers over the king's work offered willingly. And they gave for the service of the house of God of gold, 5000 talents and so on. It was a terrific thing. It was all free will. Now here is the amazing thing. Free will offering were gifts given from the heart because a persons spirit made them willing and they were gifts beyond what was their duty. [00:51:11] So it wasn't a freewill offering instead of the tithe but it was a free will offering beyond the tithe. So the Lord said here is the law of giving. [00:51:23] But if you want to give above and beyond that, that's because your heart has made you willing. Your spirit has made you willing. That's a free will offering. Now my next point is the tabernacle was built not out of the tithe which was commanded by law but out of the freewill offerings of the people of God. And so was the temple. [00:51:50] Does that not surely for all of us contain the most wonderful spiritual lesson and principle that God's house, his dwelling place is not built out of what we're commanded to give but out of what our hearts have made us willing to give. God doesn't want to dwell in something that we had to give. [00:52:15] I think that's absolutely wonderful. So do get this clear. The idea generally is that out of the tithe all these things were produced and built. They weren't. They were the freewill offerings of God's people above and beyond the tithe. Now the last category of giving was care for people in need. Deuteronomy, chapter 15. [00:52:45] Deuteronomy, chapter 15 verses seven to eleven. I don't think we can read it all, but here is a little if there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shall not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother but thou shalt surely, surely open thy hand unto him and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying the 7th year, the year of release is at hand, and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him naught an he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee, thou shalt surely give him and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest out unto him, because for this thing the Lord thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. What a wonderful promise. [00:53:50] So this is the third category of giving. Now out of the tithe, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the alien without home or family living in Israel, as well as the full time workers in the house of God were kept. [00:54:09] But the Lord said, dont just think its a question of law. [00:54:14] Why do you see a poor person near your home or come to you and you say, well, ive given the 10th. Thats not my business. [00:54:25] There is this other category of giving. It again is beyond the tithe, and it was given to take care of the poor. [00:54:40] No spirit have I given the 10th. And that's that. [00:54:46] Three categories of giving. [00:54:50] What do we understand from this? [00:54:53] That the underlying teaching in the Old Testament, as in the new, is that it is more blessed to give than to receive. [00:55:05] In other words, if you havent discovered it yet, there is a blessing in the actual giving. [00:55:17] When you give, you are blessed. Now dont argue with me about this matter, because it's the word of God and it's truth. I don't know anyone who's given, who's not been blessed. [00:55:31] I know a lot of people who withheld more than us meet, and they've got no blessing. [00:55:38] Miserable, empty, internal, selfish people. [00:55:43] Do you know anyone who gives as unto God who is not already blessed? [00:55:50] You. Sometimes they may feel they need more and more of the law, but you look at them and you say, oh, if I had so and so faith, if I had so and so spiritual life, if I had so much of spiritual character, if ever you touch anyone like that, you're touching someone who's giving. [00:56:09] Because in giving there is a blessing. It is more blessing to give than to receive. Now that doesnt say that its not blessed to receive. Who amongst us has not been blessed in receiving? [00:56:23] Youve received the Lord Jesus Christ. Is that the greatest blessing of all? Youve received the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Is that not a tremendous blessing? Youve received the gifts of God and many other things. Isnt that a blessing? [00:56:40] But you start to give what you've received of the Lord and there's a bigger blessing. You give the Lord that you've received, you give of the lamb that has been given to you, you give of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Pour yourself out. [00:56:56] And there's a much greater blessing. [00:56:59] So it is with cash. [00:57:04] If you've received cash, there is a blessing. [00:57:08] Who has not known that blessing of receiving something like that? [00:57:17] But, and this is what we all find hard to believe in parting with cash. [00:57:26] As unto God, not stupidly, but as unto God, under his direction, there is a great blessing, far greater. Well, of course we know. It says in in the word of God, honour the Lord with thy first fruits, the first fruits of thy substance, the first fruits of thine inquis. [00:57:50] So shall thy barns be filled and thy vats shall be overflowing with new oil and wine. [00:58:00] God is not a liar. [00:58:03] Ive never known anyone who has really given in this way whos not been blessed. [00:58:09] God is no mans debtor. [00:58:12] Or again I think of haggai chapter one, where the prophet says, look here, you people of God, youre so busy about your sealed houses whilst you leave the house of God. [00:58:31] And what has happened? Mildew blasting, drought, famine. You work and work and work and you never have enough. And I suppose the prophet could have said, as we can often say today, you say, I can't give the tithe to the Lord. Why, if we gave the tithe to the law, we wouldn't even had the little we have got to eat. [00:58:54] What would we do if we gave the tithe to the Lord? We can't do it. We are in a poor case here. Have mercy on us, you dear people in Babylon, living there in wealth and riches, we've suffered so much here, we've got so little. Now it seems everything is against us. It just seems as if the enemy is absolutely all powerful in every day it gets worse. Why, each year we feel we've got less to make do on. [00:59:24] And the prophet says, you blind fool. Didn't quite use those words, but that's what he meant. You blind fooled. You're earning wages to put it into a bag with holes in it. Here you are taking your wages and putting it in, putting it in, putting it in. And there's a great hole and it's running out, running out. And you think, well, isn't that funny? I just put ten shekels in there. There's only one. I put another ten in, in go ten. There's only one still there. Isn't that strange? I never seem to have enough to make do. [00:59:55] You fool, says Hagia, don't you understand? Consider your way. [01:00:02] Go up into the mountain, bring wood and build the house of the Lord. [01:00:06] Because it's the Lord that set the famine and the drought and the mildew and the blasting and the caterpillar and all the rest of it. And if you will do that, God will honor you. Now, Malachi says exactly the same. He says the most amazing thing. He says, you've robbed God. [01:00:25] Where have we robbed God? You say you've robbed God in the 10th, you haven't given it. Given him the 10th. [01:00:34] You see, all this has happened. But he says, if you will bring the tithes and offerings into the storehouse of the house of God, you just see, if I don't open you, the gates, the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that you will, there will not be room enough to receive it. What a promise from God. And then he says, your land shall be overflowing. There will be increase on every side. Prosperity and all nations shall stand. What a happy, delightsome land is this land. [01:01:07] Supposing they said, oh, but we're in a very poor way, we can't give the tithe, we're in a poor way. We haven't got enough to make do on. No, you see, that's the point. The more you do that, the more famine, the more drought and the more hardness. [01:01:22] Give God his priorities. This is the teaching of the Old Testament, and God will honour you. Now our time's almost gone, and what I will do is just introduce the next point and leave it just as an introduction. But it really almost needs just to be said in order for you to understand what we've said about the Old Testament. And then next Thursday, Lord willing, we will take this step, this whole matter a further step, by saying, what does the New Testament teach about giving? Well, now, here is the first point about the New Testament, what it teaches. [01:01:59] It teaches that the Christian and all he possesses belongs completely to Christ. [01:02:10] Another question of a 10th. [01:02:13] The emphasis of the new Testament is that everything you've got is the law. [01:02:20] In the old, it was a token of the whole. In the new, the emphasis is on the whole. Now you've got it in one corinthians chapter six, verse one, corinthians chapter 619 20. Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God and ye are not your own? Ye were bought with a price. Glorify God therefore in your body. Now the teaching of the New Testament is simply this, that the believer is not the owner of his possessions, of his money, of everything else. He is the steward, not the owner, but the steward, and must one day give account for his stewardship. [01:03:19] Luke chapter 16, verses one and two. You remember that passage we began off with this evening the Lord tells the story. There was a certain rich man who had a steward and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods. And he called him and said unto him, what is this that I hear of thee? Render the account of thy stewardship, for thou canst be no longer steward. [01:03:43] Now in this same passage the Lord interprets this by saying, be faithful in the unrighteous mammon. [01:03:51] Because if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, how can the Lord commit to you the true or trust to you the true riches? [01:04:03] We're stewards now. A steward is accountable. Romans 14 and verse twelve says this. [01:04:16] Romans 1412. So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. [01:04:24] We've got to give an account not only how we've witnessed of how zealous we were, but we've got to give an account of our stewardship of everything we possess. Thus all that a Christian possesses ought to be completely at the disposal of Christ. We see this principle vividly illustrated in acts, chapter two, verses 44 and 45, where it says none of them would call ought of what he possessed his own. But everyone put it at the disposal of the whole. [01:05:01] That's the principle of the thing. You've got it again in acts chapter four and verse 32. They had all things common. [01:05:10] It's not a question of giving a 10th and duty done. [01:05:16] He can then use the rest as he wishes. [01:05:20] The child of God is but the steward of those material things which God has blessed him with and must one day give account for them. Now this is something that you don't find in the Old Testament. [01:05:36] The teaching is in the Old Testament that if you don't give the tithe you'll know famine and drought and much else. But not this here. It's on another level. You have got to give an account personally to the Lord Jesus Christ one day of your stewardship of everything, your stewardship of your health, your stewardship of your energies, your stewardship of your time, the stewardship of your money, the stewardship of your home, of your possession. [01:06:08] The second thing I would like to say as to what the New Testament teaches in this matter is that the Christian must not be vague and haphazard in his giving, but regular and consistent. Look at one corinthians, chapter 16, and verse two. Upon the first day of the week, let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. And two corinthians, chapter nine and verse six and seven. This I say, he that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. He that soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loveth a cheerful giver. The christians not to have a hazy, haphazard attitude to the ministry of giving, being more or less at the mercy of his emotions or feelings or sudden impulses. Many christians are like that. They don't ever give consistently. Suddenly they hear a matter mentioned, oh yes, I moved and they give. [01:07:35] God says they're robbing him. [01:07:38] Some people think that if they put two pounds in the treasury when they're suddenly moved, when they should have been putting two pounds every week consistently, that they're doing God a favour and that they'll get a blessing. Rubbish. [01:07:52] God will one day say to you, now look here, what were you doing with the wages that I enabled you to earn? [01:08:06] Don't get away with things. The point is that the Christian is not to be hazy and haphazard, at the mercy of his feelings or emotions. [01:08:14] Nor is he to be vague and ethereal because he's not under law, or because he believes that God provides a everything for his own. You see, theres that kind of idea. Well, God provides everything for his own. We dont have collection. I mean, God provides. [01:08:35] So you do nothing. Well, thats alright, God will still provide. But one day God will say to you, now look here, youve got to give an account on this matter. [01:08:46] You just put yourself right outside of this matter, as if all that was yours was yours and not mine. [01:09:00] I gave it to you. I want to hear an account of your stewardship. [01:09:09] Certainly no believer should be indifferent, as of course again there are many who are just indifferent to this whole matter. [01:09:22] The attitude sometimes of a mass. [01:09:27] Why should I give my money? [01:09:31] I've worked for it. [01:09:35] Well, of course God doesn't need your money. [01:09:38] In fact, God sort of says you hang on to it, but you'll give an account of it because it's not your money. You'll find that out one day when you stand before him and he says, now this stewardship, and you'll say, stewardship? I never did anything down there. [01:09:57] I mean, again, I did this. Why did that? No, the Lord will say, you didn't know it, but you were a steward. [01:10:10] The question is to be both regular and consistent in giving as unto God. Did you notice in two corinthians nine six seven that it says, it is a purpose of heart as he purposes in his heart. That's not some sudden impulse. [01:10:32] The man in cold blood has sat down and purposed something in his heart. Now, this is how the new English Bible puts it, as he has decided within himself. This is how the revised standard Version puts it. As he's made up his mind, the whole point is, it's quite clear this isn't haphazard giving at the mercy of a person's feelings. He purposes no, he says, this is my income, and I purpose in my heart to put that aside for the saints in Jerusalem, all right before God. The believer is to deliberately set aside something. It's not just a giving whenever he happens to remember, but it is his spiritually intelligent worship. [01:11:26] And all we need to say here are there are a whole number of scriptures that come immediately to mind. The Lord says, in Galatians six six, let him that is taught not forget to communicate with those who teach. Or again, in romans twelve one, it says, I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice. And then a little further down, we come about all the gifts of the body, the functions of the body. And he says, let him that giveth, give with liberality. And a little farther down, it says, communicate to the saints that word communicate means part with your money. [01:12:14] Putting it in our terms, that's all it means. Just means part with them. Communicate not with the lips, but with the cash. [01:12:22] And that's exactly what it means. [01:12:25] That's how bold the word of God is. Finally, and we will leave this till next week, and we'll take this up a little more fully. This whole matter of what the New Testament says, the amount a Christian gives is a matter between him and God alone. [01:12:43] Alone. [01:12:47] Let him put aside as the Lord may prosper him. [01:12:57] In two corinthians nine seven, it says, none of necessity. Or as the new English Bible puts it, no sense of compulsion. [01:13:06] Now, tithing is a necessity. [01:13:10] It's a compulsion. [01:13:12] Now, whether we tithe or not, it must not be a duty, but from the heart. [01:13:21] The point is, can we give less than a 10th if under the old covenant, that was the absolute necessity. [01:13:36] Oh, there are so many things we could talk about when you come to that matter. All kinds of illustrations jump to one's mind. But the fact is, in many ways, one's giving in. The word of God is a matter between, in the new testament, is a matter between the believer and the Lord himself, and is related to his income as the Lord has prospered him, it says in the revised version, as he may prosper in the JB Phillips, according to his financial prosperity, or more boldly still, in the new English Bible, in proportion to his gains. [01:14:27] But it's a deliberate setting aside. Each week the apostle says, I don't want all this distasteful business of people rushing around with collection, collecting plate, or sort of getting it all together. We don't want that. We want people to do this as before God in the secret of their own heart. Let them put aside each week. [01:14:54] Maybe it will be six months before I come, but let everyone prove before God that he's a consistent sacrificial giver. [01:15:04] It's the purpose of his heart what he gives no unto God and him or her alone. Well, as much bigger matter, I said on Sunday, but we talk about tithing. [01:15:18] Should we tithe? We haven't quite got there yet, because there's quite a lot more we will say when we come next week to what the New Testament really says about this matter of giving in relation to tithing. [01:15:33] But I think there's enough, I trust, in what we've said this evening to clear up a whole lot of erroneous or faulty ideas about giving. [01:15:44] And perhaps I will finally come back again to this word that we've said a number of times. It's more blessed to give than to receive. [01:15:58] That's the secret. If it could sink into us. I know people who've given and have given so that the little they have seems to be more than the amount they had before. [01:16:14] They seem to be able to do more with the little that remains than when they kept the whole. [01:16:20] Robert Laidlaw has now gone to the Lord. Just two, eight weeks, three weeks ago, he was an extraordinary man. When he was a young man of 20, he started a business of his own and said he would give a 10th to God. [01:16:37] Three years later, he renewed his covenant. God had so prospered him, he renewed his covenant to give a 10th, not only of his own income, but of the whole business. [01:16:49] Later on, he stepped it up until, in the end, it became 50% of his income. [01:16:58] When Robert Laidlaw died a few weeks ago, he lived on the 10th and gave the 90% to the work of God. [01:17:10] That's how God honored a man who honored him. [01:17:17] Those that honor me, says the Lord I belong. [01:17:23] Oh, that we might learn the blessedness of giving. [01:17:29] Shall we pray? [01:17:34] And now, Lord, we commit ourselves to thee, o Lord, thou who art the possessor of heaven and earth, to whom all the silver on the gold, beloved, and every living thing, the earth and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell therein. Lord, show us that it is in one sense not our money that thou dost want, but our hearts. [01:18:11] And we pray, beloved Lord, that we might learn to be, be like thee, giving and giving and giving. O teach us, Lord, the blessedness of giving in every way, not just in financial ways. Lord, may we all learn this secret and thus become released. And, Lord, those who, having freely received, can freely go on. [01:18:44] We commit ourselves then to thee that thou wilt enlighten every one of us. Where there have been points that have been complex and difficult that we have not been able to understand, we commit ourselves to the gracious ministry of the Holy Spirit, who is able to clarify every point and lead us into all truth as it is in Jesus. We ask this in his name. Amen.