Do you realize that in the modern era of the church, especially in our culture, there is one gift out of the panoply of spiritual gifts that bless the church that we don’t publically celebrate? We celebrate the gift of preaching and the musical/artistic gifts every Lord’s Day. We publically praise the gifts of hospitality and compassion. We give public recognition for the gifts of service. There is not a gift that we don’t cheer in the midst of the congregation, save one: the gift of giving. How unfortunate!
The Journey // Focus: Numbers 7:84
So this was the dedication offering brought by the leaders of Israel at the time the altar was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver basins, and twelve gold incense containers.
Whatever happened to “don’t let the left hand know what the right hand is giving”? Here is a case where the leaders of the twelve tribes led the way in the dedication of the altar in the Tabernacle by bringing a very public offering. And what they brought was very much known by everyone else. They gave a gift to the Lord, and in this case, the left hand knew exactly what the right hand was doing.
Do you realize that in the modern era of the church, especially in our culture, there is one gift out of the panoply of spiritual gifts that bless the church that we don’t publically celebrate? We celebrate the gift of preaching and the musical/artistic gifts every Lord’s Day. We publically praise the gifts of hospitality and compassion. We give public recognition for the gifts of service. There is not a gift that we don’t cheer in the midst of the congregation, save one: the gift of giving. How unfortunate!
I have friends, a husband and wife, whom God has significantly blessed in a material way. And they fully understand that not only do they have a responsibility to be generous with their blessing, but they recognize that God has sovereignly implanted within them the spiritual gift of giving. They, too, recognize that this gift is not one they can wear on their sleeves. And so my wife and I get together with them once a year to celebrate their gift. They are not weird about it, nor are we. It is not a matter of pride, nor of using their significant gift to gain influence. They have a godly, healthy attitude about it. So we celebrate it. I wish we could do it publically, because done in the right way, and received by others in the right way, it would be a huge encouragement and a motivation for others to do what they have done: step out in faith and obedience to give, and thereby, untie God’s hand of blessing to out-give them.
In our culture, we tend to get weird about money—especially when pastor asks us to sanctify it to the Lord through giving, and doubly especially when another does so and starts to get really blessed with more than we have. May the Lord deliver us from our spiritual ridiculousness.
My sense is that we have misinterpreted what the Bible has to say about giving. When Jesus prohibited the left hand knowing what the right hand was doing, he was challenging the odious effort to gain attention from what we were giving. In that case, our giving is more about how we want others to perceive us than the glory we want to bring to God and the good we are hoping to unleash on others through the gift. The fact is, Jesus publicly recognized the amount of the poor widow who put two coins—all she had—into the temple offering box.
There are many instances in Scripture where someone’s gift of giving was publically recorded, recognized and even celebrated. Several times, Nehemiah, the Old Testament wall builder, reminded God of what he personally had given to rebuild Jerusalem—and had the temerity to ask the Lord to remember what he had done.
In Acts 4, the church and its leadership was very well aware of what one wealthy man, Barnabas, gave to support the ministry of the New Testament community. He sold a piece of property, brought the proceeds to the Apostles, and publically laid it at their feet so they could use it as they saw fit. In the very next chapter, a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, seeing how much Barnabas was celebrated for his gift of giving, tried to do the same, although deceitfully and an effort to make themselves look good, and paid the ultimate price for misusing the gift of giving.
My point is, within this context, shouldn’t we celebrate this specific gift as well? I think so. For sure, all giving should be cheered. It is not the amount that matters, it is the heart that counts. (Romans 12:6) All gifts are significant. But some are substantial to the point that like Barnabas’ gift, or the gifts of the Israelite leaders, they create momentum in the life and mission of the people of God.
All that to say, don’t be afraid to share your material gift in front of others if the Holy Spirit prompts you to do so, and if it will glorify God, not you, and if it will encourage others to step out in risky faith and bold obedience. And likewise, when someone else is recognized for their gift of giving, by all means, cheer them. And please, please don’t violate the Eleventh Commandment, “thou shalt not be ridiculous” about the dedication of someone else’s wealth to the Lord’s use.
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