Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Genesis 28 - Giving God His Due

In this chapter we find Jacob feeling terribly alone as he is sent away to find a wife. Yet God meets him in a dream where he sees angels ascending and descending a stairway to heaven. He awakes and declares that this must be the House of God and the stairway is the gateway to Heaven.

In his dream God assures him that God is with him and that he will inherit the land - him and his descendants. What a wonderful blessing that he had. Of course he didn't know how challenging his next few years would be and the turns his life would take. In those times I am sure his meeting with God was a great comfort.

Jacob's response to God has become a practice that has been maintained throughout the ages to give God recognition for his provision. Jacob declares he would give God a tithe of anything God gives him. Even before the law was established, Jacob vowed the tithe as a free will offering.

Many Christians have established this practice and I personally think this is a great starting point. There are two dangers of the tithe that I would like to point out here.

1. The tithe doesn't make any provision for your salvation. As we read in the prophets, the nation of Israel continued the tithe and other religious practices but God was repulsed because they were practicing outward religion without any real commitment of heart. When practicing the tithe be sure that this is a heartfelt demonstration of gratitude for the Lord's provision and not a mechanism for acquiring favors from God.

2. We live under grace. Jesus paid it all for our salvation. He didn't give a tenth of his life he modeled giving with love and giving fully of himself. A tenth should be the minimal starting point for our giving to God in recognition of His personal sacrifice for us. It isn't a matter of tithing on gross or net, but how much can we give to advance the gospel in our time. We have been uniquely blessed for such a time as this.

As an extension of this point I do recognize that there are families who are financially oppressed and are hard pressed to be able to maintain even a meager existence and give a tithe. For these individuals, I believe the church should undertake to minister to their needs as a way of demonstrating our live for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This support might even include assisting them in finding new employment opportunity and help with services that can minimize their financial burdens. Our support should go beyond financial to tangible involvement in their affairs to help them in their need.

In future posts we will address Biblical principles for the offerings over and above the tithe, but I believe Jacob established a wonderful tangible way for us to express our affection and gratitude to God for his loving kindnesses toward us.

May God richly bless you as you seek him and as you serve him.




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