It All Belongs to Him
1 Chronicles 29:10-20
Stewardship is an important principle for Christians to understand and practice. Stewardship begins, however, not with tithing or even being generous, but rather with the realization that all we own actually belongs to God. The Bible teaches us that he owns everything and that he needs us for nothing, yet he gives to us willingly.
In 1 Chronicles 29, the Bible records the offerings given for the construction of the temple, and David’s response and blessing in response to the offering. In David’s prayer, we see some of the reasons for the generosity of the Israelites and of David himself for the building of the Temple of God.
First, David recognized that God is great and greatly to be praised. God alone is worthy of all honor, power and glory. We are right to give to the Lord because God, above all else, deserves our praise and worship. Our gifts to God reflect the value that we ascribe to God.
Next, David acknowledges that all things belong to God. In verse 11, he prays, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you.” God literally owns everything. The believer can take joy knowing not only that God owns everything in the heavens and the earth, but also that his bounty shall endure forever. God will never be poor; he is infinitely wealthy and worthy.
Third, David admits to God and before his people that all riches come from God. This may seem like a small thing, but in the ancient world, many kings were considered divine. David, however, recognized his own finitude and God’s greatness. Rather than claiming divinity for himself as Herod would later do in Acts 12, David publicly acknowledges his dependence upon God. David goes so far as to even recognize that the very gifts that have been given to God for the building of His temple have originated in the holy presence of God (v. 16). We are well to do the same things in our own lives. Americans tend to value the “self-made man.” A proper understanding of God’s great worth and our utter dependence upon Him, however, strips away the false notion that anyone is actually self-made. God alone gives gifts, and Christians should acknowledge their dependence upon God, prayerfully to him and publicly to others.
Finally, David shows us that God knows the hearts of his people. Paul echoed David’s words here in 2 Corinthians 9:7 as he wrote, “God loves a cheerful giver.” Merely giving is not enough. The attitude of the heart reflected in our gifts to God matter as well. In David’s prayer, he acknowledges that God tests the heart and that he takes pleasure in “uprightness.” David goes on to say that the upright give willingly, not grudgingly. Giving freely and cheerfully is not the beginning of stewardship; it is actually the culmination of many other actions. The first step toward cheerful giving is realizing that everything we have comes from God and ultimately belongs to God.
Thompson– Lessons by Craig Thompson, pastor of Malvern Hill Church, Camden. Thompson earned his B.A from Presbyterian College and is pursuing a Ph.D. from Southern Seminary, where he also earned his M.Div.