Introduction:
A. One day a father decided to take his son to McDonalds for some French fries, because he knew how much his young son loved French fries.
1. The boy was elated at his father’s offer, and so they drove to McDonalds.
2. As they placed their order, the young son was surprised when his father told the lady behind the counter to super-size those fries, giving the boy the largest size of fries available.
3. When they sat down in their booth and began enjoying the food, the boy’s father reached out to help himself to one of his son’s French fries, and the boy blocked his father’s hand, saying, “These fries are mine, not yours.”
4. How incredulous is that! Think about it for a moment…
a. Who’s suggestion was it to go get some fries? The Dad’s.
b. Who’s car did they drive to the restaurant and who paid for the gas in the car? The Dad.
c. Who offered to get the super-size of fries, and then who paid for them? The Dad.
d. Yes, the father then gave them to the son, but who’s were they to begin with? The Dad’s.
B. I wonder if that’s not how God feels sometimes.
1. I wonder if that’s not the attitude and actions we sometimes display toward God.
2. Who has supplied us with everything we are and everything we have? God has.
3. And then when God asks that we give some back or allow Him to take some away, what is our reaction?
4. I’ll let you answer that question for yourself.
C. As we will see from today’s story, King David enjoyed giving to the Lord.
1. He really had the right perspective on things – He understood where they came from and he understood how to use them.
2. Let’s take a look at this story of joyful givers and see what lessons we can learn from them.
I. The Story
A. The events described for us in 1 Chronicles 29 stand as the supreme spiritual pinnacle of David’s life.
1. I wish that the narrative of his illustrious life could have ended here, but it did not as we will see in our next couple of sermons.
2. Nevertheless, David deserves our respect and applause for the magnificent achievements recorded here in this chapter.
B. The story begins: Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the LORD God. With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD” (1 Chron. 29:1-5)
1. It must have stunned and surprised those present at this gathering when David described all that had been done to gather building materials for the temple.
2. David made no bones about the fact that this project had been one of his foremost concerns.
3. He had applied all his might and influence to the project.
4. David did all of this because he loved the Lord so much and was so grateful for what God had done in his life.
5. To demonstrate to his people the depths of his devotion to God, David then openly declared, without fanfare, exactly what he himself was giving to God for the temple project.
6. He was not trying to be sensational, rather he was just being honest and sincere as he set an example for the nation.
C. The value of the gifts that David gave is staggering.
1. In addition to bronze, iron, wood, onyx, marble, turquoise and other precious stones, David gave 3,000 talents of gold – that’s about 110 tons – that’s 220,000 pounds of gold!
2. David gave 7,000 talents of silver – that’s about 260 tons – that’s 520,000 pounds of silver!
3. Now keep in mind that David didn’t have to give this much.
4. He could have held on to it for himself and his enormous family, but he didn’t.
5. Rather he gladly and joyfully gave it to the Lord.
6. Without waiting for any applause or accolades from the audience, David faced the people and issued a challenge – “Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?” (vs. 5)
7. In other words…“Who will join me in this great work?” “Who will dedicate themselves to the Lord like I have and make a gift to the Lord for this project?
D. The Bible says: Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. (1 Chron. 29:6-9)
1. David’s challenging question was met with an electrifying response.
2. In wild enthusiasm and unbounded joy the leaders from every level of the nation stepped forward and gave what they were prepared to give.
3. The compelling desire to do something magnificent for the Lord swept across the crowd, and it loosened the purse strings, and set the people to giving and singing with pure joy.
4. And so the leaders gave 5000 talents of gold – that’s 190 tons.
5. They gave 10,000 talents of silver – that’s 380 tons.
6. They gave 18,000 talents of bronze – that’s 675 tons.
7. And they gave 100,000 talents of iron – that’s 3,750 tons.
8. The value of all of this is in the billions of dollars!
9. Obviously, this is an incredibly generous group of people, but consider this important fact – they had all of that to give!
10. God had blessed them so richly, that they had that much available to give.
11. God doesn’t expect us to give what we don’t have, but he does expect us to give according to what we do have – that which God has given us.
E. This ecstatic joy among the people – this hilarious enthusiasm in their giving – the glad abandonment of their savings and wealth to God was all done with cheerful spontaneity and incredible good will.
1. The giving of the leaders caused all the people to rejoice, which in turn caused King David to rejoice greatly, and I have to believe made the very gates of heaven reverberate with joy.
2. Because God loves a cheerful, joyous, hearty giver.
F. Dear old David was simply beside himself with exhilaration – it’s almost astonishing he didn’t suffer from a massive heart attack and die on the spot!
1. David’s poetic soul stirred beyond description and he burst into a psalm of praise that is beyond comparison.
2. The Bible says: David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,
“Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, O 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, O 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. (1 Chron. 29:10-13)
3. David grasped as few people do, that God is God – He is truly exalted in His greatness – it is hard to put God’s greatness into words.
4. And David also understood that everything is God’s and everything comes from God.
5. With great humility, David realized that he was in the position he was in, and had what he had because of God’s graciousness toward him.
6. For that reason and for so many others, David overflowed with thanksgiving and praise.
G. After David’s song of praise, he continued his prayer of recognition that everything comes from God, and then prayed that God would keep the desire in the hearts of His people to always give and remain loyal to the Lord.
1. He prayed: 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 aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it 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 have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.”
Then David said to the whole assembly, “Praise the LORD your God.” So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king. (1 Chron. 29:14-20)
2. In many ways, this is David’s finest hour.
3. The attention is completely where it belongs – it is on the Lord.
4. And David is enveloped in an all-consuming desire that the attitude of God’s people should always be this generous toward God.
5. But as we know too well, people are fickle.
6. So David implores God to preserve his son Solomon, and all the people of God.
7. To the exuberant crowds on this special occasion the prospect of unfaithfulness to the Lord seemed remote indeed – much like how everything seems rosy to the bride and groom on the wedding day.
8. The empire was at its zenith, wealth and affluence were everywhere, surely all would always be well! Right? Unfortunately, it would not be so.
9. After Solomon’s reign, the kingdom would divide in two, and later would disperse in exile.
H. Nonetheless, it was a great day for the Lord and for Israel.
1. The huge assembly took David’s instructions seriously, and they followed his example.
2. En mass they bowed themselves in humility and respect before the Lord.
3. Keep in mind that all of this gigantic convocation was carried out without the benefit of public address systems or electronic amplifiers.
4. So by the end of the long and historic occasion, the aged king must have been almost at the end of his strength.
5. Never again would David appear in such splendor before his people.
II. The Application
A. Let’s begin by looking at some destructive myths about money and giving.
1. Myth #1: My money and possessions belong to me.
2. Myth #2: I can’t afford to give.
3. Myth #3: My attitude and actions with regard to money and giving has no relationship to my spiritual growth and life.
4. These myths couldn’t be any more wrong – today’s text and the rest of the Bible makes that clear.
B. There are a number of very important lessons we gain from this Old Testament text about money and giving.
1. First and foremost, we learn who is the source of all we have.
2. Here in 1 Chronicles 29, David clearly and correctly declares that God is the owner and source of all things.
3. The rest of the Bible agrees with David’s declaration.
4. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 says: You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
5. James 1:17 says: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
6. 1 Corinthians 4:7 says: For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
7. It is critical that we understand that what we have is not ultimately ours, it all belongs to God.
8. That critical shift in our minds from owner to manger makes all the difference in the world.
9. It should cause us to loosen our grip on things as we realize that God has just loaned them to us for our use.
10. So, what we spend on ourselves is God’s and what we give to God was His to begin with.
C. Second, we learn that giving is a sign of our commitment and allegiance to God.
1. We always spend our money on what is most important to us.
2. Our treasure is where our money is, and our money is where our treasure is – they go hand in hand.
3. Whatever is our greatest interest and delight is where we spend our money.
4. If the work of God is our delight, then we will give generously to the work of the Lord.
5. If our financial giving to the Lord is not what it could or should be, then it may well be a sign that we are not committed to the Lord and excited about the things in which God delights.
6. Sometimes I notice brothers and sisters around me who do not contribute during the collection, and I always wonder what that means.
7. Does it mean that they did not prosper this week – perhaps they only prosper once a month or twice a month, and they give only then?
8. Or does it mean that they just don’t give?
9. Every person, young or old who has some kind of income has a responsibility to return some of that to the Lord as a sign of their commitment, obedience and desire to see God glorified.
10. God’s principle is that our giving is in proportion to our income – that’s why giving by percentage makes sense – if God increases or decreases my income, then my giving follows that increase or decrease by percentage.
11. But don’t be deceived, our giving is an indication to God about where our heart is.
12. Believers who have consecrated their lives to God are always and inevitably generous givers.
13. A person can’t be fully dedicated to Christ and hate to give.
14. If a person truly loves God with all their heart, then they will give – they won’t be able to help themselves.
D. Third, we learn that real joy comes from generous giving.
1. As we saw today, David and his people rejoiced greatly after they had given willingly and generously.
2. We will never know all the joy possible until we begin giving to God as we can and should.
3. Why is that? Because God is a God who loves to give, and He created us with the need to give, so that when we give as He created us to, then we experience joy and satisfaction.
4. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive – we won’t experience that blessedness until we do it.
5. If we want to know true joy in our lives, then we must start giving generously.
E. Fourth and finally, we learn that when we give generously and faithfully, God supplies all we need.
1. This is a divine principle – those who sow generously will reap generously.
2. 2 Cor. 9: 6-11 says: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
3. Malachi 3:10-11 clearly states: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty.
4. God’s promises are real and are trustworthy, but we must obey by faith in order to experience God’s blessings.
F. When I was growing up one of Pepsi’s most popular commercials was The Pepsi Challenge.
1. The challenge was a taste test between Pepsi and Coke.
2. They believed that if you would be willing to give Pepsi a try, you would find that you liked it better than Coke.
3. God offers us the “Giving Challenge” – God encourages us to test Him.
4. I believe that if we will give faithfully and generously and sacrificially, the result will be great joy and the supplying of everything we need.
5. As David asked the people that day – “who will consecrate themselves to the Lord?” – I ask the same question today – Who will consecrate themselves to God and show it through their giving?
6. God will certainly be pleased and we will all rejoice together in the Lord as we become joyful givers.
7. I encourage you to take the Giving Challenge – you cannot out give God!
Resources:
David: The Shepherd King (II), by W. Phillip Keller, Word Books, 1986
“What Good Stewards Know About Giving” Sermon by Freddy Fritz (SermonCentral.com)
“Stewardship – The Sign of Loyalty” Sermon by Steven Dow (SermonCentral.com)
