©2023 Shoreshim Ministries. All Rights Reserved

Terms of use| Privacy

So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you. (Deuteronomy 26:11)

Have you ever wondered why Paul felt it necessary to say that God loves a “cheerful giver”? It seems self-evident that a loving and beneficent God would expect His people to give freely and generously just as He does. We must remember, however, that the people Paul addressed with those words were reared in cultures whose gods demanded gifts to satiate their anger. Other cultures would place food in tombs or present offerings to the gods in order to obtain the favor of evil spirits. In fact, many believe this is where the custom of “trick or treat” came from. The point is, the God of Israel didn’t want people to bring their gifts out of fear or coercion — He wanted them to bring their gifts with a grateful heart and with rejoicing.

This was true of the first fruits offering as well as the other tithes they were to bring to the priests. These offerings were regarded as holy and were not to be appropriated for anything other than what God had ordained. In fact, when bringing these tithes, they were to declare, “I have put away the hallowed things out of my house.” Still, they were to do it with a heart of thanksgiving and to rejoice in the fact that they had a gift to bring; were it not for the Almighty they would have nothing. Therefore, “rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you.”

Just as Israel of old was to bring their tithes and offerings willingly and happily, we too should be grateful to present an offering to the LORD. Not only that but, as is addressed in this section of Scripture, tithes and gifts shouldn’t be given begrudgingly or in a state of mourning. Because God considers these gifts as “holy,” they should not be given when we are in an unclean state, which is to say, separated from God by sin. When we present our gift to the LORD it should be with a pure heart, a joyful spirit and a sense of gratitude. And thus, Paul writes: “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Blessings and Shalom,  

 

Bill 

 

Become a Premium Partner

or make a one time gift below.

Pin It on Pinterest