MONDAY 28th
Leviticus 3
NIV – No particular verse
ESV – No particular verse
Today I am going to continue from the theme of yesterday, where I mentioned about our opportunity as believers to bring our tithe and offering.
In a much earlier devotion, I wrote about the offerings that both Cain and Abel brought before God found in Genesis 4:1-5, Cain brought some of his fruit while Abel brought an offering from the firstborn of his flocks. Cain’s was rejected, Abel’s was accepted and verses 7 says, ‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?’ What was given indicated whether the person was accepted or not, the action reflected the condition of the heart. (spiritually)
In the New Testament, we have a portion of Scripture that tells us about Jesus watching as the people gave their offering in the Temple, and it says, ‘And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’ One of the Bibles I use, has this note attached to these verses, ‘Jesus’ comparison of the percentages contributed by the rich and the poor reminds us that God measures not what we give, but how much we retain.’* The rich were throwing their money in and it didn’t really bother them, they wouldn’t miss it, they had plenty, but the poor widow knew she could do so much with her two coins, but realised what she had was only hers because of God’s goodness and she gave out of her poverty knowing she had a faithful God.
The rich like Cain thought that giving out of their abundance would make them acceptable to God, but instead it was the poor widow who received the commendation. The rich still had plenty after they had given, the poor widow had nothing – well not quite, she had God’s commendation and as we give, it is important that we don’t give to get noticed, we don’t give with an attitude, ‘well I can afford it’, or with an attitude that we have given more than someone else, we give out of whatever we have, whether large or small to please God, to acknowledge his goodness, to further the work of the gospel and as an act of worship, to receive his commendation rather than the commendation of man.
* The NIV Foundation Study Bible Zondervan