The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "Stewardship: It's Not Mine."
Generosity is related to mission. Quoting the psalmist, Paul writes, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (1Co 10:26; cf., Ps 24:1), but the Lord is no hoarder. He shares his wealth. He commands us to give but not so that he might have what is rightfully his; he commands us to give, so that his mission in the world might be accomplished. This was true in Israel’s day and remains true today.
God gave Israel a mission. God chose Israel, as one writer puts it, “specifically for the fulfillment of an exalted spiritual task.” Israel was to be “a kingdom of priests” (Ex 19:4-6). His people were to “occupy among humanity the place filled by the priests within each nation” (U. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus, 227). Israel had a mediatorial role to play among the nations. Israel was to bring the one true God to the nations and bring the nations to the one true God. Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles, a “display-people” intended to show the world how being in covenant with the one true God changes people (John I. Durham, Exodus, WBC, 263).
In order to accomplish their mission, God’s people had to follow the religious practices he commanded in the law, and in order for them to do that, they had to provide for the service of the temple, their worship center. This explains why rebuilding the temple was priority one for the Jews who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon in 538 b.c., following seventy years in captivity in Babylon (Jer 25:11, 12). To make a long story short, they ultimately completed their task in 515 b.c., in spite of stiff, local opposition that halted construction for about fifteen years (Ezra 4). The rebuilding of the temple was paid for by the Persian government (Ezr 1:2). Construction and operating costs were fully funded out of the “royal treasury” (Ezr 6:4, 8; 7:20), but once it was completed, God’s people had to provide for the service of the temple out of their own pockets—something they regularly failed to do.
About seventy years after the temple was completed, Nehemiah returned from Babylon to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in 444 b.c. In the book that bears his name he tells us that the job was finished in just fifty-two days (6:15). Once the walls were restored, he set out to restore the spirituality of the community. Ezra was invited to read the law to the people who on hearing it confessed their sins and signed a binding agreement to carefully obey all the commands, regulations, and decrees of the Lord. In particular, they agreed to start giving for the service of the temple, which they had neglected to do (Ne 10:32-33, 37-39). They promised, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (v. 39).
However, they later did. For twelve years Nehemiah served as governor of Judah (Ne 5:14), but when the twelve years were up, he returned to Persia. While he was gone, for perhaps two years or so, among other things, the people stopped giving to the temple. When he returned to Jerusalem, he discovered that “all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their fields” (Ne 13:10) because the people had stopped supporting them with their tithes and offerings. Since the Levites could no longer carry out their temple responsibilities—they had no animals to sacrifice, no bread for the table, no grain for the offerings—and could survive no longer without the people’s support, they did the only thing they could. They went to work in the fields, caring for livestock. Nehemiah corrected the problem.
The prophet Malachi was likely a contemporary of Nehemiah and confronted God’s people over the very sins that troubled the governor. One writer describes, in part, the situation Malachi faced: “Temple service had fallen into disrepute. The priests had grown careless in the discharge of their duties, and the people had become remiss in the payment of tithes and other dues” (A. Cohen, The Twelve Prophets, 335). Here is the point we must not lose sight of: Israel had a mission that required its people to give to the service of the temple. Practically speaking, the nation extinguished its light to the Gentiles by failing to do so.
Central Message of the Text:
While God’s people under the old covenant were to give tithes and offerings in support of Israel’s mission, his people under the new covenant are to give generously in support of the church’s mission.
Family Talk:
My mom has a friend who offered her pool to my kids and their friends every summer. This sounds simple, but let me tell you what that really meant. She had a beautiful home on the lake with an awesome pool and diving board. Not only did she grant us use of her pool, but she laid out a snack spread fit for a king that included everything from Fruit by the Foot, Airheads, Cheetos, Doritos and my favorite, Cheez-Its. She filled her outdoor refrigerator with a ridiculous variety of drinks and even set out and filled a slushie machine when she knew we were coming. Every summer she and her husband would take time off work to host my kids and their friends for a day on the lake complete with tubing and jet skis. We always ended our very special outing with an amazing cookout and the most delicious homemade chocolate cake. When my kids got old enough, they asked why this family was so generous. The answer is simple: Jesus. They recognized the blessings God gave them and shared openly and abundantly. This family has always been a model of openhandedness for me. When I want to be tight-fisted or cling to things that I think are “mine,” I’m reminded of this family and the way they have so generously given to us. Everything we have is a gift from God; I’m praying for your family to be a model of openhanded generosity this week.