Freely Give
This is going to be one of those blogs that I never really saw myself writing. However, in my quiet time the Lord revealed some things to my heart that I felt were worth sharing. Bryan and I have always been tithers ever since we were married. (Don’t quit reading lol) Tithing meaning returning 10% of our income back to God. God also calls us to give above and beyond our tithe, this is where I have always had a problem. My heart hasn’t always been willing to do this and I sometimes still struggle with this.
Today I was reading in Samuel, Chapter 30. David’s camp has been invaded and all of the people have been taken captive, including David’s two wives. When David comes upon his city and sees that this has taken place, he begins to weep and becomes greatly distressed. It says that David strengthened himself in the Lord and inquired of the Lord if they were to go after those who did this. The Lord said “Yes”, and that David and his men would overtake them. ( Anybody else a little jealous of how fast the Lord answered David lol) So, David and six hundred men set off.
The chapter goes on to reveal that along the way two hundred of his men begin to get tired and end up staying behind. The other four hundred continue on and end up catching up with the enemy, slaughtering most of them, and everyone and everything was returned back to David and his men. Sounds like a great day right! (Minus the slaughtering of course.) David and his men that had gone into battle returned back to the men who had stayed behind. And this is where I started to feel the ouch factor.
1 Samuel, verse 22 says, Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children and depart.” Now if I am being honest, I thought this seemed fair. They did not go into battle or have to do any of the hard work, so why should they get the spoil? Then I begin to see that the scripture calls these men wicked and worthless and it makes me think. David begins to speak the Father’s heart in verse 23. But David said, “You shall not do so my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.”
This rocked me just a bit. I begin to think back to times that the Lord had laid people on my heart that were in need or times that I felt like I was supposed to give above and beyond yet justified why I shouldn’t. Can anyone relate? Yet, it is God who has given us everything we have. I think there are times that we feel like it’s hard earned money that WE have sacrificed for and sometimes WE become the judge of who deserves it and who doesn’t. I have done this. I still do this.
Today’s reading was a great reminder that everything that I have, I have because the Lord has put it in my hands. David knew this. He saw that the battle that they won, they only won because God was for them. And because of that, they were able to enjoy the spoils. It wasn’t just for those who fought in the battle, it was also for those who sat by and waited. What God had delivered into David’s hands he freely gave because he understood it wasn’t his.