Charitable Giving as Unto the Lord ~ Duet 26:1-11

Charitable Giving as Unto the Lord
Deuteronomy 26: 12 - 15

Context and Relevance
Although these instructions are over three thousand years old, the Lord who gave these instructions does not change, and man has not changed either. So, if we read this passage with honesty and humility, we can increase in our obedience to God and be blessed.

Passage Context (Duet 26:1-11)
Deuteronomy 26 is all about giving. Although the focus of this reflection is Deuteronomy 26 verses 12 to 15, the first eleven verses of the chapter should be read to properly understand the passage. The first eleven verses describe the thankful response that the Lord seeks from his people who he has delivered, protected, provided for and has established in a land with freedom. The thankful response that God expects is off the top and is a spontaneous response at every harvest. The Israelites put aside a basket of their first fruits that they took to their local priest as a thanksgiving offering. This thanksgiving offering is not just about giving, it is about remembering the Lord's work in their lives and rejoicing in all the good that He has done for us. Such remembrance and thanksgiving is true for us today as it was for the people of Israel. Having been saved by grace, we are called to remember with thanks on every occasion the goodness of our God towards us.

Reflection (Duet 26:12-15)
In addition to being a thankful people who are living with constant remembrance of God's goodness towards us, God calls us to faith filled obedience. Looking ahead, God calls his people to put their faith in him and give charitably to others. This disciplined obedient giving is what is described as the tithe in this passage. Here are a few points that may be gleaned from the passage and are relevant today as they were to the people of God of that day:

A) The tithe was a disciplined putting away of resources to be disbursed according to God's instructions. The resources thus put aside is referred to in verse 13, as "the sacred portion" (ESV). The resources put away are not to be used for household needs or ungodly activities. God knows that the heart of man would find a way to dip into the tithe and justify his actions as godly to others and himself. In verse 14, the people of Israel are told that using the tithe for themselves even in difficult times such as times of mourning or during times when one is unclean and hence cannot engage in work, is a transgression to God (verse 13, ESV). Verse 14, also notes that using the tithe to perform cultural or traditional rituals (offerings to the dead), is a violation of God's instructions. God wants his people to honestly put away the tithe and not find any excuse to spend it the way they choose.

B) The disciplined putting away of the tithe is only one half of the instruction. The second half is the obedient disbursement of the tithe. As noted above, the tithe is not to be used for household needs or traditions, even if we may consider such situations good and deserving. The tithe is to be disbursed to meet the needs of three broad categories, as spelled out in verse 13:

1. Give it to the Levite - today that would be the Christian Church. This is broader than the local church. The local church should be the recipient of the thanksgiving offering that is described in Duet 26:1-11. In this instance, the Levite, represents the provision for the whole tribe of Levi. Today this would include the local church, the global church and missionary efforts. All the work that is done to proclaim the gospel and disciple people in Christ.
2. Give it to the sojourner - today that would be the refugee, displaced and asylum seekers. A sojourner is not a tourist or traveler, a sojourner is one who is living in a land that is not theirs, and are marginalized. God does encourage his people to be compassionate towards such sojourners and disburse funds to meet the needs of sojourners.
3. Give it to the fatherless and widows - the fatherless and widows were those who do not have an adult male figure in their lives and hence are marginalized in society. Even today there are marginalized people among us. We should first consider the marginalized in our families, our local church, our communities, and so on.

C) Today there are many causes that we are being asked to give towards. God wants us to be responsible in how we obediently disburse these funds. When we apply God's word and give to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow we can call out to God as the Israelites were asked to do, "look down from your holy heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us," - verse 15a.

D) God wants his people to obey him through actions that flow from faith. Obey him in the way we put aside our resources and obey him in the way we give away what was put aside. We can give away our resources in a manner that wins us praise from others or we can give them away in a manner that is obedient to God. Giving to the Church, the sojourner, the fatherless and widow cannot be done without true love for the church, the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow. When we love them we will also give of ourselves: to engage in the work of the Church; and also care for the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow who live among us.

May the Lord's Word and His Spirit guide us in truth and obedience.