Abraham - Giving to God

I had better be faithful to give because of the greatness of God, and the goodness of God to me, and the grace of God, the Savior who died for me. I need to give because of the glory of God, and my Savior promises that if we give, He’ll take care of our every need and He will be glorified. The man of faith opens his hands and he gives to the glory of God.

Gracious Father in heaven, we give thanks for Your word. It nourishes us, it encourages and enlightens us, and we're grateful that today we have the freedom to open the Word of God and study. And now we pray, teach us by Your Spirit. May we learn far more through the Holy Spirit's ministry than what any preacher might say to us, and help us to apply it and practice it. Meet our needs today and help us to accomplish Your will. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

In ancient times, after a battle was over, the winners would divide the spoils, and this was always a time of joyful feasting and praising and great celebration. Except in the life of Abraham. In Genesis 14, Abraham led his army along with his confederates to defeat some kings who had invaded his land, the land that God had given to him. And after the battle, after the war was ended, you don't find Abraham and his confederates feasting and having a great celebration. You find Abraham giving glory to God.

You see, the man of faith is different from the man of the world. Now he ought to be. Oh, I know there are those who say, yes, I'm saved, but you'd never know it. They're like Lot. They're captives of the world. The only reason Abraham got involved in this war to begin with was because his brother Lot had been taken captive. Otherwise Abraham would have just let them fight it out. But because he had a love for his nephew, his brother Lot, Abram went out and rescued him. You which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. We find the record in Genesis 14, and I'm going to begin at Genesis 14:18.

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he, Abraham, gave him, Melchizedek, a tithe of all.

Now this statement is rather interesting: "And he gave him a tithe of all." Abraham, who had been the winner in the battle, could have claimed all the spoils. In fact, in Genesis 14:21-24, we find the King of Sodom offering Abraham all of the spoil. Abraham said, "I don't want anything to do with it, lest you say you have made me rich." Now what Abraham did here is a beautiful example for us to follow in our own giving. Imagine now, the battle is over, Abraham and his men have risked their lives to save these people who live in these wicked cities. They could have claimed all of the spoil for themselves and taken it and enjoyed it. Instead, Abraham says, "I'm going to give the glory to God alone."

Well, there are some basic truths here about the giving of a man or woman of faith, basic truths that you and I need to get a hold of. First of all, we are reminded to whom we give. We give to the Lord Jesus Christ. We give to God. Now Melchizedek is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ in His priesthood. Hebrews 7 is the commentary on this. Hebrews 7:1: "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated king of righteousness, then also king of Salem, meaning king of peace, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually." It's quite a long sentence, rather involved, but I think it's pretty obvious what he's saying here. He is telling us that Melchizedek, who appeared after Abraham had won the war, Melchizedek is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ in His high priesthood.

In His death on the cross, you find the types in the tabernacle and the priesthood of Aaron, the sacrifices that were given in the tabernacle and the temple. But in our Lord's heavenly priesthood, He's not like Aaron, He's like Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4 tells us that: "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Now Melchizedek is a type of the Lord Jesus in His offices. He was a king and a priest. You will find prophets and priests in the Old Testament, you will not find priests and kings in the Old Testament. In fact, one king wanted to act like a priest and he got into trouble for it. He was judged. No, His offices are that of king and priest.

Today in heaven the Lord Jesus Christ is King and Priest. He does not have to return to earth to become king, He's a king now. He's also a priest. He is a priest on a throne, and His throne is a righteous throne and a gracious throne. Now He's also King of Peace. The word Salem means peace. If you want righteousness and peace, you have to come to the Lord Jesus Christ because He's the only one who can make righteousness and peace come together, and He does that at the cross.

Melchizedek in his offices as king and priest, in his names—King of Righteousness, that's the meaning of Melchizedek; King of Peace, that's the meaning of Salem—and in his genealogy is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Hebrews 7:3, you do not find any genealogy in the Old Testament for Melchizedek. This does not mean that he had not been born; he was a man. This was not the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, this was a man. Hebrews 7:4 says, "Now consider how great this man was." So Melchizedek was a man. He did have a mother and father, but there's no name given in the record. He was born, we aren't told about it. He did die, we aren't told about it. As far as the record is concerned in the Old Testament scriptures, he had no beginning and he had no end, and therefore was like the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so the point that the writer is making is this: that when Abraham brought the tithes and gave them to Melchizedek, he was actually giving those tithes to our Lord Jesus Christ, to God. To whom do we give? We give to God. We do not give to ministries, we do not give to ministers, we do not give to people on earth. They may take the money, they may use the money, but we give to God. When I write a check out for our tithe for our local church, when I write out a check for the Back to the Bible ministry or any other ministry that we help to support, I know I am not giving to a ministry, I am giving to God.

I pastored the Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky for ten years. My predecessor was Dr. D.B. Estep, a great and godly man who built a marvelous church by the grace of God. One of the interesting things about Calvary Church is that they do not take up offerings unless it's for a missionary speaker or a guest speaker, a love offering. There are boxes at the exits, and as the people come and go, they drop their offerings and tithes into these boxes. Well, some years ago, a little boy had brought a friend of his to Sunday school at Calvary Baptist. And his friend was looking around, he said, "What are these boxes by the door?" And the boy said, "Well, that's where we put our tithes and offerings." And the little boy said, "Well, then what do you do with them after that?" And the Sunday school lad said, "Well, I think that they take all this money and they give it to Brother Estep, and then he gives it to God somehow." Well, his theology wasn't too good and his answer wasn't too accurate, but the idea is good. No, they did not take all that money and give it to the preacher and he gave it to God. When they dropped their money into that box, it went to God as far as their hearts were concerned. And that's where the blessing comes. We give to the Lord, we do not give to men, not to man's ministries.

In Philippians 4, Paul makes this very clear, Philippians 4:17-18: "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek fruit, the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you." Now notice how he describes their offering: "A sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God." They had not given it to Paul, they had given it to God. And that tells Paul he'd better use it the right way. When I see the gifts that come to our ministry, I say, "Dear Lord, help us to use this the way You want it to be used because these people are not giving to us, they're giving to God."

Giving is an act of worship. And when Abraham gave his tithe, he gave it to the Lord as an act of worship. And we want to give the Lord our very best. We want our hearts to be right with God. You know, it's possible for us to put our offering in the offering plate and write our check out and mail it to some ministry and our heart not be right with God. Then we wouldn't get the blessing. God just can't bless us if our hearts are not right. He may use the money, He may bless the money, but He won't bless us. Our hearts must be right with God. It's an act of worship to give.

Abraham in Genesis 14 not only reminds us to whom we give, but he reminds us how we give, or at least how we should give. Number one, he gave promptly. Matthew 6:33: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." He didn't delay. Here comes the King of Sodom, here comes the King of Salem. Abraham has to make a decision—which one will I acknowledge? He wanted nothing to do with the King of Sodom. Abraham was a separated man who didn't want anything from Sodom, nor did he want to give anything to Sodom. In fact, Sodom could only rob him. Abraham made it very clear: "If I take one shoelace from you, you'll go around bragging that you made me rich." Instead, Abraham turned to Melchizedek and immediately he gives the tithes to him. He gave promptly, the firstfruits. He didn't wait. That's the way we ought to give.

This is why the Lord admonishes us to give on the first day of the week. We meet as God's people on the first day of the week, Resurrection Day. And I read in 1 Corinthians 16, "Now concerning the collection for the saints." By the way, that statement follows a marvelous statement about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Now concerning the collection." It sounds like a letdown, but it isn't. He's going higher. He's saying you're working for the Lord and you're giving to the Lord. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: on the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."

Now Abraham gave proportionately. He brought a tithe to the Lord. And that seems to be what Paul is suggesting here. I do not know of any verse in the Epistles from Paul or from John or from Peter where we are commanded to tithe. I have practiced tithing in my own life. I don't make it a legislative thing. We don't make it a matter of legalistic obedience. I figure that if saints under the old covenant, under law, could at least give a tithe, certainly saints under grace can start there. We don't stop there. I don't really consider I have given the Lord an offering until first I've paid the tithe. I feel I owe that to Him. Now I'm not saying that you have to do that. I'm simply saying that's the conviction of my heart. And here is Paul saying, "Now I want you to give promptly on the first day of the week. I want you to give in an orderly fashion. I want all of you to share in it, and I want it to be proportionate: as the Lord has prospered you." And I think that tithing is a very fair way for people to give.

Now tithing simply means 10% of one's income given to the Lord. And by the way, tithing antedates the law. Abraham tithed more than four centuries before the law was given. Jacob in Genesis 28:22 tithed. Tithing was included in the law, no question about that. The tithe was used for the support of the priests and the Levites. In fact, every third year there was an extra tithe for the support of the poor and the widows and the orphans. The Jewish people were accustomed to tithing. When they stopped obeying God in this matter of stewardship, they lost the blessing. Read Malachi and see what Malachi has to say about their giving. Now there's nothing wrong with tithing as long as you don't make it a legalistic observance. And I believe that God blesses those who want to be faithful in their stewardship. We are stewards of all God has given to us. Some people have the idea they can give 10% and spend the 90% anyway they want to. No, we are stewards of everything God has given to us.

How should we give? Promptly, proportionately, and we should give lovingly because God has done so much for us, which leads us to our third consideration. Abraham in Genesis 14 reminds us why we give, and it's all centered in God. We give because of the greatness of God. Genesis 14:19: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth." Everything we have comes from God, the greatness of God. Abraham is acknowledging that God Most High is the only true God. You know, it's not enough to acknowledge God with our lips by singing songs; we ought to acknowledge God with our hands by signing checks. We ought to acknowledge the greatness of God. Let people know money is not our god; God on high is our God, and God Most High has taken care of us.

And so when Abraham gave, he gave because of the greatness of God. He gave because of the goodness of God, Genesis 14:20: "And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand." The goodness of God. God had delivered Lot and God had delivered the enemy into Abram's hand. His army had won the battle. And oh, what a good reason for giving to God a thank offering to Him as well as a tithe. The greatness of God and the goodness of God.

Genesis 14:18, we think of the grace of God. Melchizedek comes out with the bread and the wine. Now this was the food that they needed to sustain their bodies, but it also symbolizes, I think, what our Lord has done for us. The Lord Jesus, before He went out to battle on Calvary, He had bread and He had wine, and He established what we call the Lord's Supper. He said of the bread, "This bread symbolizes my body given for you." He said of the cup, "It symbolizes my blood shed for you."

And so when Melchizedek, who is a type of the Lord Jesus, comes out with bread and wine, he is saying to me, "Don't forget how much God has given for you." For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold. God didn't send a banker, He sent a Savior. God didn't pour out silver and gold, He poured out blood. And I can't understand how Christians, people who have been saved by the blood of Christ, can be miserly and stingy and covetous. Have they ever really understood what Jesus did for them on the cross? I gave, I gave my life for thee. What hast thou given for Me?

And so Abraham says we give because of the greatness of God—He's God Most High. And because of the goodness of God—He's given us the victory. And because of the grace of God—He's poured out His life for us. And for the glory of God. Do you know why we give? For the glory of God. Notice the conflict here. The King of Sodom says, "Here, take all this money, just give me the people." The world always says that, the devil always says that: "Give me your body and I'll give you all kinds of money. Just sell yourself to me." Abraham said, "I don't want your money." You know why? "If I take anything from you, I'll lose my testimony."

I think it's tragic when local churches lose their testimony because God's people don't give. And then the world looks on and says, "Oh, your God supplies all your need, why doesn't He?" And it's sad that this has to happen. We lose our testimony before the world when the church does not give as it ought to give. And if all of God's people would give as they're supposed to give, there would be plenty of money for local churches and for missions and for all the work that God wants to get done in this world.

Abraham said, "I'm going to give for the glory of God. I want this worldly crowd to know that I don't want anything from them." It's sad when a ministry solicits funds from worldly places in order to keep on going. Can't our God meet our needs? But He's going to meet those needs through the lives and the giving of God's people. And therefore I had better be faithful. I had better be faithful to give because of the greatness of God, and the goodness of God to me, and the grace of God, the Savior who died for me. I need to give because of the glory of God, and my Savior promises that if we give, He'll give to us. He'll take care of our every need and He will be glorified. The man of faith opens his hands and he gives to the glory of God.