Day 16 of 21
What does God desire in our giving?
King David called for consecrated giving to the building of the temple, based on his personal example of generosity (1 Chr. 29.3, 4). David gave his personal fortune to the temple building, a fortune almost immeasurable. He says that "over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver. three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir." Assuming a talent weighed about 75 pounds, this amounts to almost 112 tons of gold. This was held to be the purest and finest in the world (Job 22.24; 28.16; Is. 13.12). Plus the 7,000 talents of silver, which would be 260 tons, the total worth of such precious metals has been estimated in the billions of dollars.
As he addresses the people, David notes the phrase "with a willing mind" (vv. 6-9). Here is the key to all freewill giving, i.e., giving what one desires to give. Tithes were required for taxation, to fund the theocracy, similar to taxation today. The law required that to be paid. This, however, is the voluntary giving from the heart to the Lord. The New Testament speaks of this (Luke 6.38; 2 Cor. 9.1-8) and never demands that a tithe be given to God, but that taxes be paid to one's government (Rom. 13.6, 7). Paying taxes and giving God whatever one is willing to give, based on devotion to Him and His glory, is biblical giving.
The people rejoiced in their offering to the temple which was "five thousand talents…of gold" (1 Chr. 29.7). This amounts to 187 tons of gold. Add to that 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. The sum of all this is staggering and has been estimated into the billions of dollars. David responds to the phenomenal offering expressing amazing sacrifices of wealth with praise in which he acknowledges that all things belong to and come from God (vv. 10-15). David says that opportunities for giving to God are tests of the character, "test the heart," of a believer's devotion to the Lord (v. 17). The king acknowledges that the attitude of one's heart is significantly more important than the amount of offering in one's hand.
I Chronicles 29:3-4 NKJV
3 Moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure of gold and silver: 4 three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses;
Job 22:24 NKJV
24 Then you will lay your gold in the dust, And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks.
Job 28:16 NKJV
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx or sapphire.
Isaiah 13:12 NKJV
12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Romans 13:6-7 NKJV
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Luke 6:38 NKJV
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
II Corinthians 9:1-8 NKJV
1 Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority. 3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting. 5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.
The Cheerful Giver
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. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
I Chronicles 29:7 NKJV
7 They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
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