We Give What Comes from God's Hand

1 Chronicles 29:10-18 Stewardship/Giving: Joyful Generosity We Give Only What Comes from God’s Hand Dear friends in Christ, King David’s reign was part of the golden age of Old Testament Israel. The LORD gave David success in all his endeavors. David served the LORD and God’s people prospered under him. As David drew closer to the end of his life, he wanted to complete one last project. He had it in his heart to build a temple for the LORD. This temple would be a permanent house for the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of the LORD’s presence among his people. But the LORD told King David, ‘You aren’t going to be the one to build my temple. Your son Solomon will do it.” So David encouraged Solomon to take on this great responsibility. He handed over the blueprints and plans concerning the workers, the materials, and the measurements of precious metals that Solomon would need to build the LORD’s house. Then, in order to raise the funds for this building project, David gathered together the entire assembly of Israel. First he publicly offered a large portion of his personal fortune. Then he turned toward the entire assembly and said, “Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today?” The leaders of the families, the officials and the commanders came forward and willingly gave gifts of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones. The people saw their leaders’ willingness to worship the LORD with such generous offerings, and they rejoiced because of it. King David rejoiced too. In front of the whole congregation of Israel, he prayed a prayer that we want to look at more closely today, a prayer that we can make our own, from 1 Chronicles 29: Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.  Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.  Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.  Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.  “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.  We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. I. God has made us rich beyond measure Who are we, really, except what King David describes in this prayer? Foreigners and strangers in God’s sight. A foreigner has no legal claim in a land that is not his own. A stranger has no lawful right to another person’s property. None of us has any real claim on that which God owns. We have no claim on the cars we drive, or on the houses in which we live, or on the food that we eat. We have no real claim on the air that we breathe, or on the money in our bank account, or even on these bodies in which we live. “The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). All we have in our possession belongs to him. But if that is true, how could King David and the rest of Israel bring such generous offerings for the building of the temple? Where did they get the ability and resources to give such great gifts? And they were great! From his personal treasury alone David gave 110 tons of gold and 260 tons of silver. The leaders of the families and the officials gave 190 tons of gold, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and over 3700 tons of iron. But without any real claim on anything, how could they give so much? They could give only what had come to them from the LORD’s hand. The LORD had blessed Israel greatly both with material and spiritual treasures. But even a short look at their history shows that they didn’t deserve any of it. The LORD deserved wholehearted devotion and expected complete obedience from the people he had set apart as his own. But more than once father Abraham lied about his wife and allowed her to be taken by another man. Father Israel lied to his father, stole from his brother, and dabbled in divination. The children of Israel grumbled against God’s representative in the wilderness. They complained that they didn’t have enough water or the right kind of food. King David himself tried to cover up adultery with deception and murder. Time and again, God’s chosen people rebelled. So, as David stood before the assembly of Israel and prayed to the LORD, he acknowledged that none of them deserved for God to give them anything. Yet, the LORD had given them everything, everything they needed, and much more than they could have imagined. First on the list of God’s gifts was the promise of the Messiah. The Savior of the nations would come from the nation of Israel. The King of kings would come from King David’s family line. The LORD gave Israel the land that he had promised them, the land which rich and abundant resources, a land flowing with milk and honey. He gave them victory over their enemies. He made their nation and their name great. But without the gift of God’s grace, they had nothing, and they were nothing. The same is true for each of us. On his deathbed, when Martin Luther sensed that all earthly things were passing away, he wrote, “We are beggars. That is true.” All of our accomplishments in life, all the possessions we have accumulated, and all the property we have held – finally, we can’t take any of it with us. At the gate of death, we will leave this world in the same way that we came into this world. It’s true: we are beggars. But God has been gracious to us and has blessed us beyond what we could have imagined. Washed clean by the blood of Christ, you and I stand as members of God’s royal family. We are clothed in the robes of Jesus’ righteousness, and our inheritance is heaven itself. Yes, by nature, we are poor beggars. But in Christ, God has made us rich beyond measure. II. God gives us the desire to give One day a little girl walked into the kitchen and proudly said, “Mama, I’m going to give Daddy a present for his birthday.” “Oh,” Mom said, “That’s nice. What do you want to give him?” “A purple shirt and a pink tie,” she said confidently. Mom smiled, “OK. And where will you get the money to buy that purple shirt and pink tie?” As the little girl trotted away she answered, “I’ll get it from Daddy.” Mom laughed to herself because, once again, her husband was going to be buying his own birthday presents. But that was OK with him. That father’s love, which provided his daughter with everything she had, also gave his daughter the desire to give him something in return. God’s overwhelming grace gave King David a similar desire. Some might wonder about David’s motives. Why did he publicly announce his personal offerings for the construction of the temple? Was he showing off his wealth? Was he trying to guilt the people into giving more by showing them how much he was giving? No, none of that. David had a genuine desire to honor the LORD with his wealth. He also knew what effect his example would have on the people under his care. He knew how discouraging it can be for God’s people when they see their leaders failing to practice what they preach. He also understood how encouraging it is when God’s people see their leaders joyfully and generously giving out of love for their God. That is how King David and the leaders of Israel gave for this building project. With sincere and willing hearts, they gave with joyful generosity. Not everyone was able to give the same amount. But each one was able to give in proportion to what the LORD had given to them. David didn’t tell them that it was their duty to give. He didn’t tell them that they had to offer anything. But he did remind them of the overwhelming grace of the LORD, and God’s overwhelming grace gave them the desire to give. God has not given us the job of building an earthly temple. But he has given us the mission of building the Temple of the LORD. We are here to proclaim the good news of sins forgiven in Jesus to the people around us. As we proclaim this Gospel, God’s Spirit will work to connect sinners to the Savior and gather them into the holy Temple of his church. This Gospel is absolutely free and for all people. Yet if we want to send out trained workers into the harvest field with this Gospel, and if we want to provide materials to help Christian teachers teach and Christian pastors preach this Gospel, and if we want to maintain buildings like this one where Christians gather around this Gospel, learn God’s Word, and encourage one another – all this does take a certain amount of money. God is not a tax-collector. He doesn’t bill us. He doesn’t demand that we pay a certain amount to carry out the work of his church. But he does direct us, invite us, and encourage each of us to respond to his overwhelming grace by giving for his work from what has come to us from his hand. King David’s prayer is our prayer. We have nothing except that which has come to us from God’s gracious hand. So we also say, “Lord, thank you! And keep this desire to give in our hearts and in the hearts of all your people.” Amen. Pastor Karl M Schultz October 15, 2017