Exodus 35:29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing brought to the LORD freewill offerings for all the work the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

Because Japanese doesn’t have a specific term for “freewill offerings,” this verse sounds quite redundant in that language, but that serves to drive home the point of just what a freewill offering is. The tithe was essentially a flat tax in that society, the funding on which the religious system, essentially the government, operated. However, that brings up the difference between taxes and offerings. Nobody is especially fond of taxes, (except perhaps those who collect them) but for a person of faith, it feels really good to be able to give an offering freely. As Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver! Under the New Covenant in Christ we are freed from legalism, but the tithe is still an excellent place to start in thinking about giving. However, if we stop with that, or if we conversely think of it like a tax, we lose blessings that God intends for us. One thing we need to remember is that in the situation of today’s verse, these people had no good way to replace what they were giving, because they were in the process of a 40-year trek in the wilderness. What they were giving here was stuff they had brought out of Egypt, and once it was gone, it was gone. How much of our giving is like that? The joy of giving comes from recognizing that God is our supply, both now and in the future, and He always has enough. God could have created the ark and tabernacle and all of that out of nothing, but He gave the people the privilege of participating in it as a blessing to them, to allow them ownership of what was being done and to grow their faith.

I have noticed the connection between giving and faith in my own life. It seems reasonable that we give if we believe, but the interesting thing is, giving itself increases faith, in my experience. However, we need to be very careful that we never think that we are “bribing God” about anything. The very idea is an absurdity, but it is hardly uncommon. I need to teach, by word and example, the joy of giving out of gratitude toward God for all He is and does. The awkward thing for me is that I benefit directly from what people give to this church, and that makes me afraid of what people will think when I preach on giving. That’s a trap of the devil! However, I do need the wisdom and anointing of the Holy Spirit to grow people in their faith in every area, for their blessing.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s been a while since I’ve preached on giving. Help me recognize what You are saying Your people need, and be faithful to feed them that and nothing else. May I be unstinting in giving You not just my finances but my time and energy and devotion, so that Your purposes may be accomplished on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!