1 Chronicles 29:1-15

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!” (1 Chronicles 29:14, NLT)

The matter of giving to God is a curious thing. How can we give anything to the One who already owns everything? What if my grandson were to find my wallet on my dresser, take out a dollar bill and then give it to me? Would he be giving anything to me that I don’t already own? Would he be increasing my wealth? Of course not. And yet God desires that we give to Him what already belongs to Him. He gives to us, so that we can give back to Him.

David was at the end of his life. To him, his days had been like a passing shadow. In his lifetime he had accumulated great wealth, but what was it worth to him now? His one desire was to give everything to the house of the LORD. And yet even as he gave, he realized that he was only giving what already belonged to God.

I don’t think that we can fully understand God’s perspective on giving, because we don’t own everything as He does. But being a parent, I can understand the joy of seeing one of my children do something good that I taught him or her. It is our refection in our children. There is nothing that warms the heart of a parent more than this.

We don’t give to God because it enriches Him. We give to God because He is always giving, and when we freely give He sees His own reflection in us. Even though we can only give what He has already given to us, He rewards us as though it were solely ours to give. In this way He allows us to participate in His divine nature. Giving isn’t for the benefit of God or even for the benefit of others. Giving benefits us. It is the alchemy that turns the base materials of this world into heavenly gold—the only currency recognized above.

The amount that David gave for the temple was astronomical. David had already provided 4,000 tons of gold and 40,000 tons of silver (1 Chronicles 22:14). Now from his own private reserves, he gave an additional 112 tons of gold and 262 tons of silver! But it was an easy thing to do because of his love for the LORD. He wanted to leave nothing behind to be used for any lesser purpose. And David’s example inspired others.

Oh, that I could be so radically generous with what God has freely given to me!