The phone rang and it was my son’s Polish school calling. They asked me to come down to the school and repair the window my son broke in his classroom.
I discovered that in Krakow, where I lived the school expected parents to repair any damages incurred by their children. When I arrived at the end of the school day, mortified, they told me Caleb had thrown an apple through the window at lunch. I went to his room and took him aside and asked what happened.
He told me that he had thrown the apple to a boy in his class. The boy had terrible “hands” and couldn’t bring it in and it flew right through the window. He made it sound like a bad play on Monday night football. At the age of seven, my son already knew how to “spin” dad.
The Oxford dictionary defines” spin” as “a particular definition or explanation that explains things in a most favorable light.”
This is the kind of activity we find in the book of Amos. An entire people attempting to spin God.
Last week we noted the Israelites proclivity for idolatry, greed, injustice, and a host of other sins …. All the while conducting their regular religious acts, including giving their tithes and offerings. It was as if an entire people could try to spin God, providing Him with a favorable interpretation of their actions through their religious practices.
The Israelites had forgotten a central and recurring theme in the Bible: our giving is to God and for God.
When we give our tithes and offerings, we express to God our love for Him. We acknowledge who He is, and we praise Him. We also thank Him for all He has done and all He is doing. A few of many Old Testament passages make very clear this truth: giving is worship.
It shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ (Joshua 22:27 NASB)
The Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, Him you shall fear, and to Him you shall bow yourselves down, and to Him you shall sacrifice. (2 Kings 17:36 NASB)
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering and come before Him;
Worship the Lord in holy array. (1 Chronicles 16:29 NASB)
While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. (2 Chronicles 29:28 NASB)
The prince shall enter by way of the porch of the gate from outside and stand by the post of the gate. Then the priests shall provide his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate and then go out; but the gate shall not be shut until the evening. (Ezekiel 46:2 NASB)
Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, “You shall worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn incense”? (2 Chronicles 32:12 NASB)
The Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. (Isaiah 19:21 NASB)
Yet still today, on the road well traveled, we continue to place the emphasis on, supporting our church, funding missionaries overseas, giving to relieve famine needs in Africa, and pledging to build the new sanctuary.
We may even hear people—trained to be good stewards—talk about things like ROI (return on investment) and ask questions about how much of the churches or ministry’s income is spent on administration and, in a parachurch organization, on fundraising efforts. After all, many of these Christians to whom pastors are appealing made their money in the marketplace.
They likely know more about financial matters than pastors and Christian leaders, and they are often the source of significant financial support. The following statement—I received this in an e-mail yesterday—exemplifies the subtle narcissism that has replaced giving as an act of worship:
Weathered fundraisers recognize, however, that fundraising is really not about us. It is about “helping your donors achieve their goals through your organization.” The role of a fundraiser is to learn what projects interest individual donors and to present your mission in such a way that donors recognize the difference they can make in the lives of hurting people through your nonprofit.
How do you think Amos would feel about that quote?
In Amos 5:21-23, we see that giving is an offering to God and, as such, is an act of worship, a spiritual exercise by the giver in honor of and with gratitude to God.
Yet the crux of the problem Amos addressed was people bringing an offering to God when their hearts were not right. The issue is not the actual gift itself, but rather the giver’s heart.
People offering a sacrifice to God may be doing so simply because God requires them to, but their heart motive and spiritual life are not right before God. Neither then nor today is such giving an act of worship.
A Transformed Heart
Second, as I’ve said, giving is not a religious act that helps us get right with God.
We certainly cannot “spin” God by checking off the giving box of religious life. Our giving to God does not de facto earn us favor with Him. Apparently, the Israelites had come to the place where they lived sinfully yet boasted about their generous giving.
Hear the prophet’s biting sarcasm:
"Enter Bethel and transgress.
In Gilgal multiply transgression!
Bring your sacrifices every morning,
Your tithes every three days.
"Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened,
And proclaim freewill offerings, make them known.
For so you love to do, you sons of Israel,"
declares the Lord God. (Amos 4:4-5 NASB)
Even as the people Amos addressed were trampling the holy places of God, they were proudly boasting of their giving. Apparently, the Israelites perceived no conflict between their deeds and their words. Clearly, they considered their giving something to be proud of before God and people.
It’s even possible that the Israelites viewed giving as unrelated to their lifestyle choices and simply as a way of gaining credit with God. Amos 5:21-23 teaches, however, that giving is not an independent religious act that gets us right before God. Our giving is to be the outflow of a transformed heart.
If, like me, you are part of today’s American evangelical community, you may feel pangs of guilt as you read these words. After all, we trample the holiness of God through countenancing abortion, perusing dark corners of the internet, ignoring the poor within the Christian community, embracing materialism and associated forms of idolatry—the list goes on. All the while, we draft blogs on giving….
On the road well traveled, the primary focus is investing in kingdom work, making sure that not too much of the financial gift goes to administration and fundraising, monitoring the return on the dollars invested—and always checking the financial audit of the church/ministry. The thought that giving is worship may only hover in the background.
On the road less traveled, giving is an act of worship flowing from a transformed heart. Giving to God and for God is an act of worship. Giving is an expression of our heartfelt love for God.
The Road Well Traveled: We give to God as part of the worship service at church. We give money to support the church and its ministries, projects, missionaries, tsunami/earthquake/famine relief efforts—and, oh yeah, it’s an offering.
The Road Less Traveled: We help people focus on their gift being an act of worship, an expression of their love for God and devotion to Him.