Principles of Giving

One of the major differences between those who follow the Christianity of the Bible and those who adhere to paganized Christianity is the observance of seven annual holy days.  Each year as the followers of Biblical Christianity observe the seven holy days, they also act on the Biblical command to bring an offering to God.  The following is an in-depth look at two scriptural passages that are often read on the holy days.  From this analysis, we can come to understand the principles of giving that God wants us to learn and adopt.

Deuteronomy 16

First, look at the basic scripture instructing us to bring an offering on the holy days.

Deuteronomy 16:9-10, 16-17
9 "You shall count seven weeks for yourself; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain. 10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you…16 "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.

This passage clearly establishes that giving an offering is part of the observance of the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost. Focusing on several of the keys words in this passage will give us a deeper understanding of how we are to give.  Verse 10 says we shall keep this holy day, “with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand.” The word “tribute” in the Hebrew indicates flowing abundance or liberally.  “Freewill offering” means a spontaneous or abundant gift – one that is given voluntarily and willingly.  The primary meaning of the word “spontaneous” is that the action is “of one's free will, [done] voluntarily.” Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary tells us that a spontaneous act is one “proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint.” God wants our giving to come from what is inside our heart.  Godly giving is done because we want to, not because we are forced to or because someone whips us into a fever pitch and we impulsively empty our wallet or bank account into a passing plate.  The “tribute of a freewill offering” is a gift that flows abundantly from us because it is what we want to do.  It is a reflection of our inner nature.  It is a reflection of the Spirit of God working in us.

Tribute: OT:4530 miccah (mis-saw'); from OT:4549 (in the sense of flowing); abundance, i.e. (adverbially) liberally: tribute.

Freewill Offering: OT:5071 nedabah (ned-aw-baw'); from OT:5068; properly (abstractly) spontaneity, or (adjectively) spontaneous; also (concretely) a spontaneous or (by inference, in plural) abundant gift: KJV - free (-will) offering, freely, plentiful, voluntary (-ily, offering), willing (-ly), offering).  

Verse 16 says we are not to appear before the Eternal “empty-handed.”  The word not only means emptily – or without an offering, but also indicates we must not appear before God “in vain, undeservedly, and ineffectually.”  We are to have an offering in hand, but that offering must not be given in vain or ineffectually.  That infers that there must be something behind the offering.  Our giving must not be an empty act, one which we are just going through the motions of doing some religious duty.  Our gift should involve thought and feeling; it should have purpose and be fruitful.  

Empty-handed: OT:7387 reyqam (ray-kawm'); from OT:7386; emptily; figuratively (objective) ineffectually, (subjective) undeservedly: KJV - without cause, empty, in vain, void.

Verse 17 says “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”  The word “give” indicates that a present is being offered to God.  When we give presents to someone we admire or care for, we want that present to be something the person will be glad to receive – we want the gift to be something special.  Our present to God should not be like another unworn tie for Father’s Day or a Chia pet given at another holiday.

Give: mattanah - a present

Next we see from verse 17 that we are to “give as we are able.”  Not everyone can give the same offering.  We give as we have the means to give.  This passage indicates twice, a double emphasis, how we are to give.  Verse 10 says we are to give “as the LORD your God blesses you.”  Verse 17 says “according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”  The Hebrew word in verse 10 implies that we are to give according to the blessings and benefits God has given us.  The word in verse 17 indicates we are to give according to the prosperity God has given us.  When we give, we should think of how God has blessed us spiritually and physically.  Then, give as we are able.

As the LORD God blesses you: OT:1288 barak (baw-rak'); a primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless God (as an act of adoration), and (vice-versa) man (as a benefit)…

According to the blessing: OT:1293 berakah (ber-aw-kaw'); from OT:1288; benediction; by implication prosperity: KJV - blessing, liberal, pool, present.

A real life example of this principle is given in the New Testament.

Mark 12:41-44
41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury;  44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

The poor widow gave according to the blessing she had received from God. It was not His purpose for her to have lots of money.  But Christ said her gift was more than all the others.  Her nature was to give, and she gave what she had.  She gave from her heart.  Christ showed here that what He and God the Father respect is not the amount of the offering, but the attitude behind the offering.

2 Corinthians 9

Now let’s look at the second passage we often read.  Paul gave the Corinthians spiritual insight into giving.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

When we give, we should not sow sparingly – we should not give stingily.  We should not be known as Mr. or MS. Miser or old skinflint.  Instead, we should sow bountifully.  Our gifts should reflect generosity and liberal giving. Our bountiful giving is done out of adoration and reverence towards God.

In verse 7, Paul wrote that we should give as we purpose in our hearts.  Our giving reflects the intents of our inner man.  It reflects our choices and what we prefer and value.  Obviously, what we should value and prefer is practicing the “give” way of life, showing love towards God and our fellow man.

Our giving should not be done grudgingly.  It should not be done with sadness, grief and sorrow.  We should not be thrown into despair over parting with every copper penny we put in the basket.  Neither should our gifts be of necessity.  We should not give because we are compelled to or forced to.  The Greek root word indicates that we should not give feeling like our arm is being twisted.  Giving should not cause us distress.

Paul told the Corinthians the type of giver God really loves – He loves a cheerful giver.  The Greek word for cheerful indicates one who is merry or hilarious, one who is prompt or willing. When we give, it should reflect an inner joy we possess because we have God’s Spirit.

Sparingly: Greek: pheidomenos - stingily

Bountifully: NT:2129 eulogia (yoo-log-ee'-ah); from the same as NT:2127; fine speaking, i.e. elegance of language; commendation ("eulogy"), i.e. (reverentially) adoration; religiously, benediction; by implication, consecration; by extension benefit or largess: KJV - blessing (a matter of) bounty (X -tifully), fair speech.

Give as he purposes: NT:4255 proaireomai (pro-ahee-reh'-om-ahee); from NT:4253 and NT:138; to choose for oneself before another thing (prefer), i.e. (by implication) to propose (intend):

in his heart: kardia: thoughts or feelings

not grudgingly: NT:3077 lupe (loo'-pay); apparently a primary word; sadness: KJV - grief, grievous, grudgingly, heaviness, sorrow.

of necessity: NT:318 anagke (an-ang-kay'); from NT:303 and the base of NT:43; constraint (literally or figuratively); by implication, distress: KJV - distress, must needs, (of) necessity (-sary), needeth, needful.

NT:43 agkale (ang-kal'-ay); from agkos (a bend, "ache"); an arm (as curved):

a cheerful giver: NT:2431 hilaros (hil-ar-os'); from the same as NT:2436; propitious or merry ("hilarious"), i.e. prompt or willing:  KJV - cheerful.

As members of the Body of Christ, we are learning to take on His very nature and adopt His way as our way.  When we give as are we instructed in the Bible, we reflect the very character of God.  When we give the Biblical way, we demonstrate that we firmly believe the words Christ said, “It is more blessed [Greek: makarios – supremely blessed, fortunate, well off; happy (KJV)] to give than receive” (Acts 20:35).

Greek and Hebrew from: Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc)

(This was given as the offertory on Pentecost, 2006.)