What have you done?

 

     I have been a lead pastor for five years now, been preaching for twenty years. In all that time, I have never preached on the topic I am sharing today. It is a topic I do not like preaching about. Honestly, I would rather preach on hell than this topic. But our topic today is a matter of worship. An act we do that demonstrates that our hearts are yielded to God. The topic is tithing.

 

     Now, please do not be intimidated by the title of this message. I am in no way trying to scold anyone. The title has more to do with our passage, which at first glance may seem to have little to do with tithing. But I assure you, it does.

 

     1 Samuel 13:1-15 (CEB):

 

     Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled over Israel forty-two years. Saul selected three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of those were with Saul at Michmash in the hills near Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the remaining men home. Jonathan attacked the Philistine fort at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul sounded the alarm throughout the land and said, “Hebrews! Listen up!” When all Israel heard that Saul had attacked the Philistine fort and that Israel was hated by the Philistines, the troops called to Saul’s side at Gilgal. The Philistines also were gathered to fight against Israel. They brought thirty thousand chariots with them, six thousand cavalry, and as many soldiers as there is sand on the seashore to fight Israel. They marched up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble and that their troops were threatened, they hid in caves, in thickets, among rocks, in tunnels, and in cisterns. Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan River, going into the land of Gad and Gilead.

 

     Saul stayed at Gilgal, and the troops followed him anxiously. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and his troops began to desert. So Saul ordered, “Bring me the entirely burned offering and the well-being sacrifices.” Then he offered the entirely burned offering.

 

     The very moment Saul finished offering up the entirely burned offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him. But Samuel said, “What have you done?”

 

     “I saw that my troops were deserting,” Saul replied, “You hadn’t arrived by the appointed time, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash. I thought, the Philistines are about to march against me at Gilgal and I haven’t yet sought the LORD’s favor. So I took control of myself and offered the entirely burned offering.”

 

     “How stupid of you to have broken the commands the LORD your God gave you!” Samuel told Saul, “The LORD would have established your rule over Israel forever, but now your rule won’t last. The LORD will search for a man following the Lord’s own heart, and the LORD will commission him as leader over God’s people, because you didn’t keep the LORD’s command.”

 

     Samuel got up and went on his way from Gilgal, but the rest of the people followed Saul to join the army, and they went from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted about six hundred men still with him.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

     I read a lot in our text today, but verses 1 through 7 were just to provide the full context of the story. In summary, the Philistines had been harassing and oppressing the Israelites. Saul sent Jonathan to attack the Philistines, and Jonathan did so. But this was like poking a bear. The Philistines gathered up a force of more than thirty-five thousand, and the Israelites were ill-prepared. Afraid, the Israelites hid.

 

     Back in 1 Samuel 10:8, the prophet Samuel, who had anointed Saul as king, gave the king this command, “Go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I’ll come down to meet you to offer entirely burned sacrifices. Wait seven days until I get to you, then I’ll tell you what you should do next.” Samuel wanted to do this as a blessing to Saul and the army before the battle began, and then provide a battle plan. But in verse 8, it tells us that Samuel did not come to Gilgal, putting Saul in a dilemma.

 

     Men were deserting Saul on the eve of battle. They saw the impossible odds and quite naturally in fear decided army life was not for them. In his mind, Saul could not wait any longer. This was a matter of both spiritual importance and the morale of the soldiers. Anxious to keep more men from deserting, Saul offers up the sacrifices himself.

 

     No sooner does Saul complete the ritual than Samuel shows up. Samuel is punctual in his arrival on the seventh day just as he said. But it is later than Saul expected. Saul explains to Samuel why he did what he did, and Samuel responds in verse 13, “How stupid of you to have broken the commands the LORD your God gave you!” Saul was sincere in his efforts, as king it was his job to rally the troops. But he forgot the most important thing, his obedience to the King of the Universe. His sin was not necessarily the action itself, but the impatience driven by fear.

 

     The consequences were severe. It seems such a small matter to us, and we may even empathize with Saul. Dealing with frightened people is not an easy task, especially adding to the life-and-death aspect of war. This action driven by an attitude of impatience and fear cost Saul the rule of Israel. Not necessarily for him, but for Saul’s family.

 

     What does this have to do with tithing? Before we get to that, we must re-examine Saul’s failure. After being anointed king, Saul is filled with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit is still available to Saul in this hectic moment, but notice that is not the spirit that rules Saul. 2 Timothy 1:7 says to us that God does not give us a spirit of fear but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. But in this moment, impatience and fear drive Saul to offer up these sacrifices.

 

     The Biblical practice of tithing is established way back in Genesis 14, when Abraham gives King Melchizedek of Salem a tenth of the plunder from a successful rescue mission. As Christians, the aim for us is to give ten percent of our income to God, not because God needs it, but because it shows that we value God and His Kingdom more than our comfort and possessions. In Acts, the early Christians went above and beyond, giving all they had because of their excitement over what Jesus did for them.

 

Notice the attitudes behind the act of giving. Abraham gave because he wanted to honor God. The early Christians gave out of excitement, wanting to demonstrate their love for God who gave Jesus for them. Attitude is just as important to God as action. In Matthew 5, Jesus demonstrates this when He teaches about the Law. It is not good enough to only not murder, God wants us to not hate which leads us to murder. Adultery begins with lust. In the case of Saul, impatience and fear in the action of offering sacrifices to God led to sin. Instead of being ruled by the Spirit of God, Saul was ruled by a spirit of fear.

 

In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Paul teaches about giving, writing, “The one who sows a small number of seeds will also reap a small crop, and the one who sows a generous amount of seeds will also reap a generous crop. Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver.” For giving to be an act of worship, it must come from an attitude happy to give to God the blessings He has given us. We should not give because we are afraid, feel obligated, or with an expectation that God will bless us with a private jet. We should give because the Holy Spirit has filled us with joy about what God has done and will do.

 

You are loved, whether you give a pop tab, your whole farm, or anything in between. You are valuable because God made you and Jesus died for you. With that knowledge, what is the Holy Spirit prompting you to give? Maybe it is the standard ten percent, or maybe it is more. If you do not give regularly, the ten percent is not something you can swing. Then what is the Holy Spirit telling you to give? It is not about the amount, Jesus fed five thousand people with 2 fish and five loaves, faith tells me He can do the same thing with our tithes and offerings. Give cheerfully, because you want to, and most importantly according to what the Holy Spirit prompts you.

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