DID YOU KNOW
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1, NIV.
Did you know that Psalm 24 begins with God’s ownership of the whole earth?
When I sit down to think about giving, my first question is usually how much. Psalm 24 starts somewhere else. It asks me to look up from the figures long enough to remember whose world I live in. The psalmist says that the earth, everything in it, and all its people belong to the Lord. The next verse gives the reason. He is the One who established it. Then the psalm asks who may stand in His holy place and speaks of clean hands and a pure heart. I find that movement instructive. The God I come to worship is the same God whose earth I walk on when I leave the gathering. The hands I lift in praise are the hands with which I earn, spend, save, and share. When I remember that, I can bring those ordinary decisions into prayer. They are part of the life I’m offering to Him.
Suppose a friend lends you a tool you need for a weekend repair. You put it to work, take care of it, and remember to return it. You can enjoy having it while remembering whose name is on the case. Stewardship begins with a similar awareness, and Psalm 24 takes it further. Even the strength to work, the people who taught us what we know, and the opportunities we received are gifts we can thank God for. God’s ownership gives purpose to what we keep and use as well as to what we give away. Buying groceries for the people who depend on us, paying someone fairly for work, and sharing with a neighbor can each express care for what God has entrusted to us. I find that especially helpful when money is tight. Some weeks, faithfulness is a series of small decisions made at the kitchen table, with more prayer than anyone else will ever see.
Did you know that Israel’s tithe helped provide for the people who served at the tent of meeting?
The Hebrew word ma‘aser means “a tenth.” In Leviticus 27:30–33, the law describes a tithe from the land’s produce and from the herds and flocks. Numbers 18:21–28 shows what God did with Israel’s tithes. He assigned them to the Levites in return for their work at the tent of meeting. The Levites, in turn, were to offer a tenth of what they received and give that portion to Aaron the priest. I appreciate how specific the passage is. A family could see the grain it had harvested. A shepherd could count the animals passing under the rod. Those tangible gifts provided for people whose service the whole community depended on. The Levites themselves also took part in giving. Whether a person stood in the field or served at the tent of meeting, there was a way to acknowledge the Lord as the source of what came into their hands.
One lesson I take from that arrangement is the value of making provision ahead of time. If I wait until a need becomes urgent, I may finally see work that someone has been doing faithfully for years. Think about a small congregation that makes regular room for ministry in its giving. Those gifts help keep a place open for someone to learn Scripture, receive a visit during illness, or find companionship in a difficult season. The person who gives may hear about very little of that work. Still, a steady gift can help someone else show up again next week. This is also a good reason to learn where our gifts go. Ask what the people you support are doing, whose needs they are meeting, and what helps them continue. Knowing the people and the work gives us something concrete to pray for. Over time, those prayers can deepen our concern for the people our giving is meant to serve.
Did you know that Paul asks Christians to decide what to give and to give it willingly?
When Paul writes to the Corinthians about a collection, he asks each person to give what they have decided in their heart and says that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6–8). In the preceding chapter, he considers the giver’s actual means (2 Corinthians 8:12). Paul’s instructions leave the percentage unstated. They give us room to consider both the need and what we have available. I find wisdom in Alistair Begg’s observation that “the idea of giving ten percent could be a good starting point for Christians.” For one household, a smaller gift offered consistently may take real thought and sacrifice. For another, ten percent may be an easy habit, and a particular need may invite a larger response. In either case, Paul expects a decision made with care. The Corinthians had time to think about the collection, and the people it would serve had real needs. Their willingness mattered, and so did following through.
Cheerfulness, as I understand it here, can grow from knowing what a gift makes possible. Imagine someone setting aside a little each week for a ministry that serves meals. At first it may feel like one more figure to remember. Then the giver learns that a particular family could sit down to dinner together because a meal was ready when they needed it. The same gift now has a face attached to it. Paul speaks of sowing generously and of God providing so that His people can do good works. I hear that as an invitation to notice what God has already put within reach and to put some of it to work for someone else. A percentage can help us plan, and the needs of real people can teach us what our plan is for. Over time, we can revisit what we’ve decided as our circumstances and the opportunities to serve change.
Psalm 24:1 grounds biblical stewardship in God’s ownership. Israel’s tithe shows how a planned gift supported worship, and 2 Corinthians 9 shows how Christians can give with intention and willingness. Before the next time you give, take a few quiet minutes to read Psalm 24:1 and pray over what has been entrusted to you. Name one need you can help meet and decide what you can offer freely. Then follow through, and thank God for the opportunity to take part.
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