Giving to the Lord

Text Numbers 7 Time 22/04/12 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

I want us to return this evening to the Book of Numbers. We come next to Chapter 7. There is clearly a break between Chapters 6 and 7 and part of the reason for that is that in Chapters 7-9 we go backwards in time. Numbers 1-6 actually deals with a time a month after Numbers 7-9. Numbers 7-9 really follows on from Exodus 40. The reason for the order is that Moses is about to describe how they set out on their journey through the desert carrying the tabernacle or tent of meeting and this chapter explains how carts and oxen were provided for the Levites to transport it.

As you can see, Numbers 7 is quite a long chapter and quite repetitive, though we only have to cast our minds back to the days before cinema and TV to see how effective a chapter like this could be when read aloud.

We are very practical people no doubt, however, and we immediately want to know what we can learn from this chapter. It is not very difficult to see what we can learn from this chapter as its theme is very obvious.

First in verses 1-9 we read how people made offerings (2) how They brought as their gifts before the LORD certain things (3) which were in turn given by Moses to the Levites.

It is the same in the rest of the chapter. We read (10) how they brought their offerings and how the LORD had said to Moses, Each day one leader is to bring his offering …. And so 12 times we read The one who brought his offering on the first day, etc. These offerings in each case included a grain offering, a burnt offering, a sin offering and a fellowship offering. At the very end we read (84) These were the offerings of the Israelite leaders … followed by more references to the various offerings and adding (88) These were the offerings, etc.

It doesn't take a genius then to work that this is a chapter about giving to the Lord. It is a description of a special offering or series of offerings that took place under the old covenant. Its lessons are relevant to the subject of giving under the new covenant in Christ.

Reports suggest that the average Christian gives much less. In America most Christians do not give regularly (only 7% do, they say). Of those who do, the average is only 3.8% of their income. I'm not sure what the situation is with us but a sermon on giving is surely not out of place. I will focus on financial giving here but there are many other ways to give as well, of course.

So I want to say two things to you

1. Consider the roots of giving to the Lord as seen here

1. Consider the worship connection

We are told that it was When Moses finished setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed and consecrated it and all its furnishings and when he had also anointed and consecrated the altar and all its utensils that the leaders of Israel, the heads of families who were the tribal leaders in charge of those who were counted, made offerings. This is the context for this act of giving. Worship is the normal context for giving. Paul speaks about it in 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. It is part of our worship. That is one reason why we still pass round the bag.

Is giving part of your worship?

2. Consider the free will connection

The gifts they brought before the LORD that They presented before the tabernacle were freely given. It was their own unforced freewill offering. They waited on God to see how whether they would be accepted.

Are you freely giving to the Lord?

3. Consider the response connection

The men weren't told to do this. It was a spontaneous response. They saw the need and wanted to help. No-one forced them to it. The gifts were just what was needed as transporting the tabernacle was not going to be easy (even the silver sockets holding the frames in place weighed around 4 tons). We read that (6-9) Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave 2 carts and 4 oxen to the Gershonites (responsible for curtains, etc, the lighter stuff), as their work required, and he gave 4 carts and 8 oxen to the Merarites, (responsible for the frames, stands, pegs, etc – the heavier stuff) as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. (But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.)

How good are you at seeing needs and responding? The church is always on the move so there are always new needs. When this church was started they did not have comfortable chairs or microphones and I don't suppose they served coffee and tea either. They certainly couldn't record the sermons and they didn't have a website. But things change and part of wisdom is to see that and to adapt wisely, the costs in money and time and energy being met by God's people who respond to the need.

2. Consider how God responds to such giving as seen here

The rest of the chapter looks a little forbidding but as one writer says it is very simple. Note

1. God receives gifts

Just as the leaders had provided carts and oxen to carry the tabernacle so now they make offerings. We read that (10, 11) When the altar was anointed, the leaders brought their offerings for its dedication and presented them before the altar. For the LORD had said to Moses, Each day one leader is to bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.

The Lord accepted them (which suggests they were brought in faith). He will receive your gifts if you give in faith.

2. God recognises those who give

The gifts were to be given day by day so that each tribe could be acknowledged individually. The tedious nature of it for us shows how each giver was recognised individually. The main offerings of those days (grain, burnt, sin and fellowship offerings) were all now offered for the very first time. The grain offering was given in a silver plate weighing 130 shekels and one silver sprinkling bowl weighing 70 shekels with a gold dish weighing 10 shekels, filled with incense.

The burnt offering or holocaust, the Shoah, acknowledged sin and symbolically brought atonement. It involved sacrificing one young bull, one ram and one male lamb a year old.

The sin offering was for specific sins or dedications and involved just one male goat.

The fellowship offering involved 2 oxen, 5 rams, 5 male goats and 5 male lambs.

The givers were 

1. Nahshon son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah
2. Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar
3. Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the people of Zebulun
4. Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the people of Reuben
5. Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the people of Simeon
6. Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the people of Gad
7. Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the people of Ephraim
8. Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the people of Manasseh
9. Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the people of Benjamin
10. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the people of Dan
11. Pagiel son of Okran, the leader of the people of Asher
12. Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the people of Naphtali

Verses 84-86 note that they gave 2 silver plates, 12 silver sprinkling bowls and 12 gold dishes with their combined weights. It then says The total number of animals for the burnt offering came to 12 young bulls, 12 rams and 12 male lambs a year old, together with their grain offering. 12 male goats were used for the sin offering. The total number of animals for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering came to 24 oxen, 60 rams, 60 male goats and 60 male lambs a year old. These were the offerings for the dedication of the altar after it was anointed.

3. God reveals himself to those who give

The final thing to note is verse 89 which says When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the LORD, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the LORD spoke to him. It is in the light of these sacrifices which point to Christ that God speaks. Those who give not only know the joy of giving but also of God speaking.

John Currid says

“The Moody Monthly once reported a story of a church in Siam (now Thailand) that was composed entirely of tithers:

"There are 400 members, and every member tithes. They receive 40 stangs (less than 20 cents [about 12p]) and their rice each week. Of this, each gives weekly one-tenth. Because of this they have more for Christian work than any other church in Siam. They pay their own pastor, and have sent two missionary families to spread the Gospel in a community cut off from the outside world. They are entirely responsible for this work and are very earnest about it. They are intensely interested in all forms of Christian work, especially work for unfortunates of every kind, and their gifts for this kind of work are large. They not only have accepted Christ but also, having found him good, are making him known to others. And every member is a leper."”

Are we good givers?