The Best Teachings of the Old Testament about Stewardship

(On the Sunday prior to Stewardship Sunday, everyone was asked to bring their Bible to worship next Sunday. A postcard was sent to all members, asking them to bring their Bibles to worship. Also, a bulletin insert of the Bible verses was included in the bulletin for those who forgot to bring their Bibles. A copy of this bulletin insert is found at the conclusion of this sermon. Several members remarked that it was good to hear what the Bible said about stewardship (via the Bible study) rather than simply the pastor’s ideas.)

Today’s sermon is a Bible study. You have brought your Bibles today and we are going to study them. We are people of the Word. The Word is our spiritual guide for so many of our beliefs and values. We consistently look to the Word for guidance.

Today, I would like to begin with an illustration. As a child, you need to learn how to button up your shirt correctly. We have all had the experience of buttoning up a shirt and starting with the button in the wrong whole. About the third button, you realize that you made a mistake. You have to start off with the right button in the right hole or the shirt looks funny on you. We all know that. We all need to learn that. That is the way it is with Biblical stewardship. You need to start off right. You can’t start off wrong. You need to start off right with the first basic principal of Biblical stewardship.

In today’s Bible study, I am going to show for you the very best teachings of Biblical stewardship in the Old Testament. Let us look at the Old Testament, and examine the first and fundamental principles of Biblical stewardship. You need to get the first button. Please look up the following psalms with me and find them in your Bible.

Psalm 24:1. “Of David. A psalm. ¹ The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; ² for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” King David wrote this psalm about 3000 years ago. The word, “psalm” means song.  This verse is clear. The earth and everything in the earth belongs to God. All the people who live on this earth belong to God. Why? God made everything. God founded the earth and established it. This is the first button for the first hole: the knowledge that everything on the earth belongs to the Lord.

Psalm 89:11. “The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.”  This verse is also clear. Not only does the earth belong to God but also the heavens. The sun, moon, stars and galaxies also belong to God. We also hear that God created both the heavens and the earth including everything on the earth. God created the universe which belongs to God.

What I am suggesting to you is that you want to put the first button into the first button hole. The first button into the first button hole is to realize that everything belongs to God. The heavens. The earth. Everything in the heavens. Everything on the earth. You and I own nothing. We are temporary sojourners here on this earth. Who is going to own your house in a hundred years? Who is going to own your car? Who is going to own your house? Who is going to put anything material in your casket and take it along to heaven? Would you raise you hands if you are taking anything up to heaven? No one? We know deep in our souls that everything belongs to God.

At the heart of all people who love God and are generous in their giving, is the profound but simple awareness that everything (the heavens, the earth, and everything on the earth) belongs to God. That is real basic. That is the first button hole.

What is the response to God? That is the second button hole. You get the first button hole right and it is easier to get the second and third buttons into their right hole. How do we respond to God? What does God want from us after God made the heavens and the earth?

We will now look up three psalms.

Psalm 75:1 “We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.” We give thanks to you, O God. Words of appreciation are expressed twice. We often repetitiously repeat ourselves with words of appreciation: “thank you, thank you, thank you.” We are overwhelmed with thanksgiving in our hearts. Why? Because God is near to us. The phrase, “his name,” means “his Presence” is near to us. We know that God is near to us in all circumstances. So at the very heart of our response to God who is the creator and giver of all things is thanksgiving. Thank you. Thank. Thank you.

Psalm 107:1 “O give thanks to the Lord for the Lord is good and his love endures forever.” When you look at the heavens, the earth and everything on the earth, you come to the conclusion that God is good. That is at the heart of your belief in God. You believe, at the very core of who you are, that God is good and has been good to you.

Psalm 118:1-4. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. “² Let Israel say: His love endures forever." ³ Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever." ⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever." The Hebrew word for “love” is “steadfast love” or hesed. God’s steadfast love for you is for how long? Yes, forever. God’s steadfast love for you never ends. When you die on earth, God’s love for you does not die. It is forever. God’s love is good and God’s love lasts forever. The other day, I met with a man from our parish who is dying. I said, “Ray. Look me in the eyes. God is going to love you forever.” Ray faintly smiled at me and said, “I needed to hear that one more time.”

These three Bible psalms have underscored thanksgiving. What the Bible is telling you is that nothing belongs to you but belongs to God. And when you look at the world, you heart is thankful to God.  You see this beautiful world. You see the goodness of God. And you cannot help but thank God for his beauty and goodness. Now, I would like you to examine several Bible verses that talk about praising God.

Psalm 111:1 Praise the LORD. ^[2] I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly” I praise the Lord. I extol the Lord. “With our whole heart” is important in the Bible. We are to love God with all our heart, and all our soul and all our mind. This is not a superficial, artificial faith but a faith within our whole heart. Among the company of the upright, within the assembly which means within the congregation. We do this with those who are also walking with God, who are walking an upright life with God. It is more fun and pleasing to give thanks when you are with people of the same spirit.

Psalm 112:1 Praise the LORD. ^[2] Blessed are those who fear the LORD , who finds great delight in his commands.” (Pastor repeat.)  The psalmist begins with praise of God again. Happy are those who fear God, who stand in awe of God and delight in his commandments. It is good to praise God together, in the company of other believers.

Isn’t it helpful to have chapters in the Bible to help us find our way around? Chapters were first put into the Bible in 1215 by Archbishop Stephen Langton. This Archbishop also helped to write the Magna Carta, the document which is the foundation of all political freedom in the Western world. So we momentarily bow in appreciation for Archbishop Langton today, for chapters in the Bible and for the Magna Carta of freedom.

Psalm 113:1-4  Praise the LORD. ^[1] Praise, O servants of the LORD , praise the name of the LORD . ² Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore.
³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” Servants are called to praise God at all times during the day. Christians are called servants and we have hearts of servants. Let God’s name be praised today and everyday, from sunrise to sunset, and forevermore.

Psalm 117:1 “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ² For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.”  I love that. Praise the Lord. Not just people in the congregation. The Bible says, “Praise the Lord, all nations of the world.” All nations of the world see the beauty of the sky. All nations of the earth experience the abundance of this earth. All nations and all religions and all peoples: let them all praise God. Everyone is to praise the name of the Lord.

Psalm 147:1 “Praise the LORD. ^[1] How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” (Pastor repeat.) It is wonderful that a choir member would read that verse. It is good to praise God. It is good to sing praises to God. We as human beings are constructed in such a way that we want to sing our praises to God.

Psalm 148. This whole song is a wonderful hymns of praise. Sun and moon and stars and whales and sea monsters and wind and hail; these all praise. This was a favorite hymn of St Francis of Assisi. 

Psalm 149:1 “Praise the LORD. ^[1] Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.” Praise the Lord and sing a new song to the Lord. We Christians are forever learning new songs of praise. In the traditional worship. At the contemporary worship. We praise God and we sing new songs to the Lord.

Psalm 150:1 “Praise the LORD. ^[1] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.” (Pastor repeat) That is what we are doing at this moment. Here in our sanctuary, we are praising God. Then we also praise God as we see the firmament, the mountains, the lakes, our garden. But not only in these places but also in the sanctuary. . Here in this sanctuary, God wants us to praise the Lord.

What I am suggesting to you is that at the heart of all generous givers, and I believe that we are a congregation of generous givers, you cannot be a generous giver if you do not believe that everything there is belongs to God. If you believe that what you have belongs to you, chances are that you are not a generous giver. If at the very heart and core of who you are; if you believe that everything is God’s; and if your heart is filled with thanksgiving and praise to God, because of God’s goodness and generosity, chances are that you have learned how to button the buttons in their right sequence. You’ve got it straight. You have your shirt on straight.

The first button is: the earth is the Lord’s and everything that is within it. The second button is: your heart is filled with thanksgiving and praise. These are the first two buttons of all Biblical generosity. You need to get them on right.

What is the third button? I am also called to be the caretaker of God’s creation. I am called to be the caretaker of God’s garden. If God owns the garden, I am the caretaker. Please turn to Genesis 1. The third button on the shirt is the realization that I am called to be the steward or caretaker of God’s creation and the physical property that God has entrusted to me in my life.

Genesis 1:26-28 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[2] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

To rule is to have power or authority over them. It is the same word as “dominion.” God has given us human beings, who are made in the image of God and are like God, authority over the fish, birds, plants, and everything here on earth. Human beings are the crown of creation; we are at the top of the line in the pecking order; and we are to care for the creation that God has entrusted to us. We human beings are in charge of taking care of God’s garden. The NEB says, “I the Lord God am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds and all the wild animals.” We human beings are being put in charge of the world.

Genesis 2:15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” It is the same thought. We are to cultivate the earth, to work it, and we are also to guard, protect and care for the earth. If God is the owner of the heavens and the earth and everything that is on the earth, then you and I are to protect it. That is our job. We are to be God’s stewards in doing that. The same word for “steward” is the same word for “caretaker” of the earth.

I would like everyone to imagine a new mother with a newborn baby. Can you see that image in your mind? That mother is in charge of that fragile little baby. The mother is to take care of the baby. I would like to suggest you that the earth is like that fragile little baby and that we are to care for this earth like a mother cares for her little baby. I also believe that the earth is the center of the universe. That is, the earth is not the geographic center of the universe; but if scientists aim their telescopes out into universe, past our solar system, past our universe, and into the infinity of space, have scientists found a  trace of life elsewhere in the universe? No. The only place life has been found in the entire infinite universe is here on this little planet earth. I believe the earth is the center of the universe, in that it is the most valuable planet in the universe because it has life on it. The earth is like a little fragile baby; the earth is very new compared to the size and age of the universe and must cared for with diligent care. So you and I are to care for God’s precious earth. That is why we, the followers of Christ, are so deeply concerned about the environment, the air, the water, the ozone layer in both on this earth but also in the stars, the skies, the heavens. That is why Christians are deeply passionate in our care of the earth, just as a new mother is deeply passionate about the care of her new born baby.

Button number one on the shirt: everything in heaven and earth belongs to God. Button number two: our hearts are to be filled with praise and thanksgiving. Button number three: we are the caretakers or stewards of God’s good earth. Button number four; we are to give thank offerings to God in appreciation for God’s abundant generosity.

So we ask the question: what kind of offerings does God want from us? When you study the best of Old Testament piety and religion, the Jews understood that they were to give a tithe, a tenth of all they had. They were to give 10% of what they had.

I would like to briefly trace for you the evolution of the tithe in the Old Testament. Please turn to Genesis 28:18-22. This is the first time in the Bible where the people of God figured out that God wanted them to give 10% as a offering. This is the story of Jacob. The word, Jacob, means cheater and manipulator. In other words, Jacob is like us.

Genesis 28:18-22 “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel, ^[6] though the city used to be called Luz. ²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD ^[7] will be my God ²² and ^[8] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." 

Jacob made a promise to God. IF you God will be with me on my journey and IF you give me food and clothing and IF I return safely to my Father’s house, then you can be my God. I like that about Jacob. He is just like us. We think, “God, if you really bless me and really take care of me, then you can be my God.”

Then the key line is the last line: “Of all that you give me, I will give a tenth to you.” Jacob understands that. Jacob understands that everything is a gift from God. Jacob says, “God, you take care of me, and I will give you 10% in return as a thank offering.” This is the first story about the tithe in the Bible.

Would you all please turn to Leviticus 27:30-34? The book of Leviticus is named after a person named Levi. The life of the priest is described in the Book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 27:30, you find for the first time that the tithe has become a law of the Lord.

As a footnote, Bible verses were first introduced into the Bible in 1551 CE by Etienne who was a printer from Lyon, France. The numbering of those Bible verses from 1551 CE also helps us. We take them for granted.

Leviticus 27: 30-34 “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD . ³¹ If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. ³² The entire tithe of the herd and flock-every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod-will be holy to the LORD . ³³ He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.' ³⁴ These are the commands the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.” 

As you read this passage, you can imagine the situation. The tenth sheep or cow was a real fat one and the ninth one is a skinny one. The worshipper switches the fat tenth one around for the ninth skinny one. He doesn’t want God to get the fat one. We understand that. God knows human nature. The next verse is clear: if he does substitute one animal for another, both animals will belong to the Lord. The human being says to himself” “I won’t give you the fat animal but the skinny one.” God then says, “OK, I will take them both.” Verse 34 says that these are the commandments that God gave on Mount Sinai for the people of God. God gave this commandment on Mount Sinai because God knew that it was important that people gave thank offerings to God in appreciation for the heavens and the earth and everything in it. God knew that it was important to give thank offerings. So the people asked, “How much?” God said, 10%. The tithe. One in ten.

Please turn to Malachi 3:8-10. The word, Malachi, means “messenger.” Who is my Malachi? Who is my messenger from God? Today, I am your Malachi, your messenger.

Malachi 3:8-10. “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

Verse ten is the most important one. It is worth underlining. “Bring the full amount of your tithes to the temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you the abundance of all good things.”  That Bible verse is the key. You bring your full tithes to the Lord and put me to the test and see if I don’t open up the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing on you so great that you will not be able to contain it. That is what God promises. God promises to bless you, as you are generous with God.

Malachi 3:10 is very important to me. Twenty-nine years ago, almost to the day, downstairs in the old fellowship hall, we had the same Bible study. I challenged the congregation that fall of twenty-nine years ago, November of 1974, to put the Lord to the test. Begin to tithe. Put God to the test and see if God does not take care of you. I challenge you: put God to the test. It was interesting that year, that was the change in our congregation. That year, in our pledges, we had 232 households. I know this because I found the old scrap of paper with my notes from 29 years ago on it. 42 families; that is, 18% vowed to give 10-15% of their income to their offerings to God. Another 19 families or 12% vowed to give 8-10%. In other words, 30% of our congregation in 1974 vowed to give to God about a tithe or more. In that moment, this congregation took off. In two years, our giving went up 57%. I have never seen anything like it. That foundation that began 29 years ago was so strong and so strongly rooted in the Bible; that foundation became the foundation of one of the most generous giving Lutheran churches in America. It is because of that vow, that pledge, that pledge that Jacob made 4000 years ago: I promise to give you Lord, a tithe, in appreciation for your care of me.

Today, I challenge you to put God to the test.  I challenge you to give the way that God wants you to give. I challenge you to do this and see whether or not God is not faithful. I challenge you to make a vow to God like Jacob did, about his giving.

Like many of you, I am one of those people who is a tither. I started tithing a long time ago. You always give the first and the best. That is the way it is done. When you tithe, you discover that you don’t miss it. When you get into the habit of tithing, you just don’t miss it. Another thing: I found out that when I was younger and my first annual salary was $7800, it was easier to tithe in those days. I have found that the more income I have, the more difficult it is to tithe. When a person has more income, those numbers seem larger. When you tithe, you have a pleasure in your heart that you are doing God’s will.

Today, we need to be reminded to button the buttonholes in our shirts correctly. A little child needs to figure it out, how to button the shirt properly or the shirt will look all a skewed. The child needs to put the first button in the first buttonhole. The first button and buttonhole: the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The second buttonhole: you have feelings of thanksgiving and praise in your heart for all of God’s abundant generosity. You will not be a generous person unless you get the first two buttons in sequence. You button the third button and you are the caretaker of everything on the earth. You button the fourth button: you are generous in your offerings to God as you give the first and best to God. That is Old Testament religion at its very best.  Amen.

THE BEST TEACHINGS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT ABOUT STEWARDSHIP

THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S AND EVERYTHING IN IT.

Psalm 24:1. “Of David. A psalm. ¹ The earth is the LORD'S, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; ² for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”

Psalm 89:11. “The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.” 

WE THANK THE LORD

Psalm 75:1 “We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near;
people tell of your wonderful deeds.”

Psalm 107:1 “O give thanks to the Lord for the Lord is good and his love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:1-4. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. “² Let Israel say: His love endures forever." ³ Let the house of Aaron say: "His love endures forever." ⁴ Let those who fear the LORD say: "His love endures forever."

WE PRAISE THE LORD

Psalm 111:1 Praise the LORD. ^[2] I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly”

Psalm 112:1 Praise the LORD. ^[2] Blessed are those who fear the LORD , who finds great delight in his commands.”

Psalm 113:1-4  Praise the LORD. ^[1] Praise, O servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. ² Let the name of the LORD be praised, both now and forevermore. ³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.”

Psalm 117:1 “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. ² For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.”

Psalm 147:1 “Praise the LORD. ^[1] How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

Psalm 148. Underscore many of the verses in this psalm.

Psalm 149:1 “Praise the LORD. ^[1] Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.”

Psalm 150:1 “Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.”

WE ARE TO BE CARETAKERS OF GOD’S CREATION

Genesis 1:26-28 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, ^[2] and over all the creatures that move along the ground." ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 2:15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”

WE ARE TO GIVE A TITHE OR 10% AS A THANKS OFFERING

Genesis 28:18-22 “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel, ^[6] though the city used to be called Luz. ²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD ^[7] will be my God ²² and ^[8] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

Leviticus 27: 30-34 “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD . ³¹ If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. ³² The entire tithe of the herd and flock-every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod-will be holy to the LORD . ³³ He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.' ³⁴ These are the commands the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.” 

Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

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