Joshua 7:1,11,15,19-26 – Can’t Get Enough
A notorious miser was called on by the chairman of the community charity. “Sir,” said the fund-raiser, “our records show that despite your wealth, you’ve never once given to our drive.”
“Do your records show that I have an elderly mother who was left penniless when my father died?” fumed the tightwad. “Do your records show that I have a disabled brother who is unable to work? Do your records show I have a widowed sister with small children who can barely make ends meet?”
“No, sir,” replied the embarrassed volunteer. “Our records don’t show those things.”
“Well, I don’t give to any of them, so why should I give anything to you?”
Today we are taking one more look at Joshua 7, the story of Achan’s sin and the Israelites’ defeat at the hands of the men from Ai. I’d like to look at one thing that stuck out in my mind as I read and re-read this passage. It’s the issue of greed. Let’s read selected passages from the chapter: v1,11,15,19-26.
Greed is what we call a sin of the spirit. That is, it happens inside, and a person can cleverly hide it for quite some time from others without their knowledge. It doesn’t always bubble over into the visible realm, though it sometimes does. Greed has a tendency to simmer underneath the skin, to brood until it has a chance to be released. It takes its time to stalk out its prey. Then, when the opportunity arises, it leaps and grabs and takes and hides and keeps for itself. This is greed.
This is what Achan fell prey to. V1 says that he took some of the things devoted to God. Things that belonged to God, Achan took. He stole from God. Well, this begs the question, what belongs to God? What is God’s? Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.” So, everything belongs to God. He made it, and it all belongs to Him.
Matthew 22:15-22 paints a slightly different picture. Let’s read it. Jesus says that we should give to the ruler what belongs to Him, and we should give to God what belongs to Him. Well, how does that work then? Putting the whole picture together, it means we should pay taxes as citizens of this world, but we should give to God what He wants too, as citizens of heaven. It’s hard to live in one world while belonging to the next, but Jesus tells us to. He tells us to pay taxes, even though God deserves everything. Jesus really is telling us that we need to give to God what belongs to Him.
But we like to think of it as ours. Our paycheck, our hard work, what we have earned though unemployment or pension… ours, ours, ours. But really, if everything belongs to God, absolutely none of it is ours. Understand one basic principle of life: what you have, God gave you. What you are is not an owner; what you are is a manager. Yes, you may make the decisions for how money is spent, but it’s not your money. It’s God’s.
Juan Carlos Oriz wrote a story one time about a conversation between a man considering salvation, and God. “So when man finds Jesus, it costs him everything. Jesus has happiness, joy, peace, healing, security, eternity. Man marvels at such a pearl and says, ‘I want this pearl. How much does it cost?”
“The seller says, ‘it’s too dear, too costly.’
“But how much?’
“Well, it’s very expensive.’
“Do you think I could buy it?’
“It costs everything you have—no more, no less—so anybody can buy it.’
“I’ll buy it.’
“What do you have? Let’s write it down.’
“I have $10,000 in the bank.’
“Good, $10,000. What else?’
“I have nothing more. That’s all I have.’
“Have you nothing more?’
“Well, I have some dollars here in my pocket.’
“How many?’
“I’ll see: Thirty, forty, fifty, eighty, one hundred, one hundred twenty—one hundred twenty dollars.’
“That’s fine. What else do you have?’
“I have nothing else. That’s all.’
“Where do you live?”
“I live in my house.’
“The house, too.’
“Then you mean I must live in the garage?’
“Have you a garage, too? That, too. What else?’
“Do you mean that I must live in my car, then?’
“Have you a car?’
“I have two.’
“Both become mine. Both cars. What else?’
“Well, you have my house, the garage, the cars, the money, everything.’
“What else?’
“Are you alone in the world?’
“No, I have a wife, two children...’
“Your wife and children, too.’
“Too?’
“Yes, everything you have. What else?’
“I have nothing else, I am left alone now.”
“Oh, you too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children, house, money, cars—everything. And you too. Now you can use all those things here but don’t forget they are mine, as you are. When I need any of the things you are using, you must give them to me because now I am the owner.”
That’s stewardship. You are not the boss; He is. You don’t own your stuff; He does. That’s His money you’re spending, His house you’re living in, His guitar you’re playing.
But when you don’t give those things to God, you’re stealing. Malachi 3 says this: "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, `How do we rob you?’
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10 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. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
Listen. This is important. We are not under the OT system of things anymore. We are not under law, that is, required to obey it in order to be right with God. We are under grace, that is, forgiven and right with God because we trust Him. But the NT describes its relationship with OT like a shadow-to-substance relationship. The OT laws are shadows, showing that there is something real but not real themselves.
Like, the OT says “do not murder.” That’s the letter of the law. The spirit is, “don’t hate.” The shadow deals with an unclean act that you do; the substance deals with an unclean act inside. Jesus said real uncleaniless is an inside thing. So, the NT works on the inside, while the OT only worked on the outside. The OT dealt with actions, the NT deals with attitudes. In all ways, the NT is superior to the OT. It is more real, more lasting, more thorough, more forgiving, more fulfilling.
So if the OT tells us about giving 10% to God, what would the NT say? If the OT deals with actions, and the NT deals with attitudes, what would the NT say about tithing? If the OT says God deserves 10%, what would the NT say? I think it would say, He deserves all of it. 100%. Everything you own belongs to Him. Not just a fraction, but the whole thing. The NT doesn’t say specifically 10%. But since in every other way the NT goes above and beyond what the OT requires, I think the spirit of the NT is give what you can. At least 10%, if not more. Before taxes, too.
2 Corinthians 9 tells us: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” This is not about the heavy hand being forced on you. This is showing that God cares about every aspect of your life. Part of being a faithful Christian is being faithful in your finances.
Martin Luther said that a Christian must be converted three times. The first time for his mind. The second time for his heart. And the third time for his wallet, and of the three the most difficult conversion is of the wallet. Is this you? Has your salvation trickled down into your wallet or your checkbook? Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where’s your treasure?
Jesus also promised blessings in this area. Like in every other area of our lives, He promised that He would outdo us. Malachi said He would open up the floodgates if we were faithful. Luke said that if we give, He will give back, and bigger and better as well. Proverb says that if we honor the Lord with our best, He will bless us for it.
So why don’t we do this? Because we let greed have more say with our wallets than faith. Erich Fromm said, “Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” Listen: you will never be satisfied as long as greed determines what you give to God. Like Achan, you will build up a mass of treasures that just won’t matter in the end.
Today, would you decide to give to the Lord what He deserves? Will you today, this moment, evaluate what you give to God on a regular basis? If you don’t tithe, will you start, this week? Today? Tonight? Next week? And if you do tithe, won’t you take a minute and ask, “Is this what the Lord wants me to give? Or does He want a little more of me?” Understand that how you treat money reflects your faith in God. Start today to be faithful with all that God has given you.
