The Widow's Mite

The Widow’s Mite

Scripture: Numbers 18:20-21; Joshua 13:32-33; Malachi 2:4-9; Mark 12:41-44

Good morning Stranger’s rest! The title of my message this morning is “The Widow’s Mite,” and I will be sharing with you why this story is so important for all of God’s Churches’ financial accountability today.

Before I take you to the story, I want to set the stage so that when we discuss the widow’s offering you will understand not only why she did what she did, but also why Jesus brought her gift to the disciples’ attention and why He was not pleased with the situation. Yes, I do understand that we often use this story to get people to give sacrificially in the offering plate, so some of what I am going to share with you might come as a surprise. Actually, some of what I am going to share with you will be considered blasphemous in some Churches. So, we will first examine the role of the Levites.

The Levites were the tribe God chose to live near the tabernacle because they were responsible for everything that took place in the tabernacle, including the offering of the sacrifices for the people and for approving the animals the people brought forth to be sacrificed to God. They were also responsible for maintaining the tabernacle. According to the Bible, the Levites were not given an inheritance (land) in the Promise Land because their sole purpose was to serve God, so the other eleven tribes were responsible for taking care of their physical needs. Numbers 18:20-21 records, “(20) Then the LORD said to Aaron: ‘You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. (21) Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.” Also, Joshua 13:32-33 records, “(32) These are the areas which Moses had distributed as an inheritance in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan, by Jericho eastward. (33) But to the tribe of Levi Moses had given no inheritance; the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as He had said to them.”

In Numbers chapter eighteen, the duties of the Levites were explained and because of their duties, they were to be provided for by the other eleven tribes. God wanted the Israelites to revere the sacrificial nature of the service of the priests and other Levites, so God commanded them to bring a tithe of all their crops and of all their flocks and herds to the Levites. Many of these offerings were used as sacrifices, but after they were presented to the Lord, what remained was to be eaten. One tenth of all the increase of the Israelites, the first-fruits and the best of the first born of the flocks was to be the inheritance of the Levites. Now, before I continue, I want to remind you of what I just said. “One tenth of all the increase …” This is important and we will see why later in the message. From the tithe, the Levites gave a tithe to the priests selected from the best of what they had received. Thus, all the Levites and the priests were taken care of by the portion which God had provided for them through the other eleven tribes.

Now let us examine the situation that had arose later in their history that the prophet Malachi had to address. As we just read, God had made a promise to the tribe of Levi that they would be cared for by the other eleven tribes for all duration. But something had changed by the time the book of Malachi was written. The people had stopped paying tithes and bringing offerings because they had lost faith in God because of how their priests were living. You see, the people did not recognize the truth of God’s word or the binding contract they had to take care of the Levites because of the actions of their priests. In Malachi 2:4-9 God rebukes the priest. He told them, “(4) Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, that My covenant with Levi may continue,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘(5) My covenant was with him, one of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear Me; so he feared Me and was reverent before My name. (6) The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and equity, and turned many away from iniquity. (7) For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. (8) But you have departed from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,’ says the LORD of hosts. (9) ‘Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base Before all the people, because you have not kept My ways but have shown partiality in the law.’”