Week 7 Devotions

February 12 - - As the Israelites were leaving Egypt, they plundered the Egyptian people by asking for clothing and articles of gold and silver (Exodus 12:35&36). That may seem bold to us, but through the plagues God had prepared the Egyptians to be generous and happy to be rid of the Israelites. Now, even though the Israelites knew they had been unusually blessed, it is still natural to become possessive and selfish. Such was not the case. When Moses put out an appeal for “free will offerings” to build the Tabernacle and it’s furnishings, no one was forced to give. And yet, the people were very, VERY generous. So much so, that one of the most unusual things of all time, happened. All the materials were given, including: gold, fine linens, silver, bronze, acacia wood, and much more. The workers began the task of building and constructing the Tabernacle and it’s furnishings while the gifts continued to come in every day. At one point, the workers had to leave what they were doing to meet with Moses and this was their request: “Tell the people to quit giving. We have more than enough materials to complete the project!” (Exodus 36:5). You heard right! Moses gave the command and the people quit giving. When was the last time the leaders told people in your congregation to quit giving because there was already more than enough to complete a project? As Paul wrote in the New Testament, that kind of generosity can only occur when people first give themselves to the Lord (II Corinthians 8:1-5). When we truly belong to the Lord, then everything in our possession belongs to the Lord also. Consequently, whenever the Lord has need of something in our possession, it really is not that difficult to give up because we’ve never perceived it as belonging to ourselves anyway. As Job said, “the God who gave me all things is the same God who can easily take it away” (Job 1:21). The first century church had people selling their land and property and giving it to the apostles to be distributed amongst those who were truly in need (Acts 4:32-37). And how did they do it? Why did they do it? They were compelled by Christ’s love for them (II Cor.5:14) and their love for one another. They were sold out to Jesus and they had a vision of what Jesus would have them do, rather than what they wanted to do. When God’s people sell out to Jesus today and see a vision of what Jesus would have them to do, the results are still the same. When more people have that same attitude, the church will possess a more powerful witness (Acts 4:33). February 15 - - Where do my tithes and offerings go? Am I free to distribute them amongst the many and various organizations of my choice? Can I pick and choose organizations worthy of receiving any part of my tithe that I decide upon? When the Tabernacle and it’s contents were finally completed, and Moses had the Tabernacle set up, he also consecrated it and all the furnishings as holy to the Lord (Numbers 7:1). The leaders of each tribe then brought gifts from their respective tribe to the Lord. And God’s instructions to Moses were to receive the people’s gifts on His behalf and present them to the Levites so they might do the work God had assigned them. The people’s offerings would both supply wages for the Levites so they could devote themselves to the Lord’s work, as well as the finances to keep the Tabernacle in tip top shape. The same principle holds true under the new covenant. Our tithes go to the local church, both to supply the wages of those who labor for the Lord there, and to finance the work that needs to be carried on at the local church. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul instructed Timothy as he set up local churches that, “elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out the grain’ (Deuteronomy 25:4). And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay!’ (I Timothy 5:17&18; I Corinthians 9:3-14). Jesus also said, “Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay” (Luke 10:7; Matthew 10:9-15). Under the old covenant God said, “No one is allowed to appear before me without a gift” (Exodus 34:20). The same is true under the new covenant. In fact, Paul wrote the Corinthian church to bring their gifts each Lord’s Day, or Sunday (I Corinthians 16:1&2). Why? Because obviously, we who have freely received from God, are obligated to freely give back to God (Matthew 10:8). An offering really isn’t an offering until we have first given our tithe (Malachi 3:6-15). Only after our tithes have been given to the local church, can we then decide where our offerings will go. A tithe is something we give out of gratitude to God and an offering is something we give when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. When we are willing, it is our offerings which we pick and choose to give, both where and when (Exodus 35:5,21&22,26&29; I Chronicles 29:5&6,9,17).