The Unpreached Sermon.

In service back on June 10th, several verses of Isaiah 43 were read. Included were verses 22 and 23. And though they were not expounded upon in the sermon that day, they are important verses to reflect upon.

“But you did not call for me, O Jacob; you did not long for me, O Israel. You did not bring me lambs for your burnt offerings; you did not honor me with your sacrifices. I did not burden you with offerings; I did not make you weary by demanding incense.”

Tithes and offerings to the Lord are a basic component of the Christian life. It is how we support ministers and ministries: even in the most corrupt ministries recorded in Scripture, there is never an instance of the Lord calling people to cease support of His workers. God has an interest in keeping the doors of His house open, and part of the means of doing that is through our giving.

When we consider all that God has done for us, the covenant of tithing is an incredible gift. Dr. Derek Grier recently described it using the analogy of a business partnership, and I will elaborate upon his analogy here. The senior partner (God) always gets 10% and the junior partner (say, Genise) always gets 90%. The senior partner provides total coverage and benefits, and the junior partner does the work that the senior partner has asked her to do. In light of this partnership agreement, how does the junior partner justify taking the senior partner’s portion for herself?

In Isaiah 43, God makes an indictment: He has not burdened us to give Him an excess of offerings, but our excessive sins have burdened Him. He is serving us continually with His life, but we are not serving Him with the most basic elements of the faith. That’s not what a partnership is supposed to be. We are called to do our share.

My prayer is that, in light of the countless benefits God has given us, we will in turn walk in obedience to God’s command to give to Him. As Pastor Sam shares from time to time, give your finest. Give your firstfruits. Give freely. And don’t give fraudulently.

Lord, thank You for the privilege of giving to You.