From the time that God gave the Israelites the Law we have been seeing that God, who is just, merciful and kind, has a deep concern for the marginalized and for the poor. In the law He makes provisions for the poor and for the foreigner, for the slave, for the orphans and widows. Which is interesting because he is speaking to a group of people who have for 400 years been enslaved. They were in fact the poor and oppressed, so they should know that God cares for them. And yet God through Moses must remind them of this, while they are in the midst of the wilderness, not long after their exodus. God says to remember that I am the LordThat I saved and brought you out of Egypt; out of bondage and slavery. And so as I have been kind and gracious to you, as I have been generous to you. Be kind and generous to the poor.
7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.
The story of the Exodus is regarded as the story of Salvation for the Israelites.
So much so that even in Christ’s ministry, the Gospel and New Testament point back to the Exodus, saying that Christ is the new and perfect Moses. So when God says to the Israelites, His covenant people,
to not harden your hearts and when your brother or sister is in need, to give to them sufficiently and generously, He is calling them to remember… To remember where they came from just weeks before…To remember that they were the poor and needy. And to not harden their hearts as Pharaoh did, who refused to let them go.
God is saying, you who were captive and have nothing, have now been given freedom by my hand.
And when you enter into the promise land will have all that you need… in your freedom… In your prosperity… Do not forget where you came from and do not become like those who have oppressed you. The Lord puts this down in the Law because He knows how fickle the heart of humanity is.
Pharaoh, even after losing his first born child… Who, in the grief and sorrow that he called upon himself by having a stubborn heart towards God, only hours after having sent the Israelites away… changed his mind.
God knows our capricious hearts!
And so…
9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
So we can see that this particular law around giving to the needy and to the poor is closely tied to the great act of salvation for the Israelites. And it is no different for Jesus.
Jesus says:
Matthew 6:1-4
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
By now we know that Jesus does not so much only care that we do good, but that His concern is about the intention, heart and the motivation behind all acts. He says beware of practicing your righteousness in order to be seen. In other words even if you are to do the greatest, kindest, generous acts, if you are doing it being motivated by pride, by arrogance, by self-righteousness or by ego, then they are moot. Jesus says if you practice your righteousness in order to be seen by people, then “…you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven."
Scholars say that the greek term used for reward is a commercial term which means to be paid ones wages or to be “paid-in-full” This is important for us to really pay attention to, because what is Jesus saying…?
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Jesus is saying the same thing that God was saying to the Israelites. There is a very, very close relationship between our humble and genuine generosity and the reward that the Father gives us. Jesus is saying then to us… Remember! Remember that you are more sinful and flawed that you ever dared believe and that you were enslaved to death, cursed in sin. But that you are given freedom and redemption in Christ love and grace that frees you from the chains and bondage of evil.
Therefore!
Give in secret.
Be generous.
Be kind.
In other words, our generosity ought to be motivated… Not to be recognized by others… Not so that we can boast about how much we give… But our generosity and compassion should be motivated by
and should mirror, the immense generosity of our Lord and Saviour who GENEROUSLY and LAVISHLY gave us His grace when He gave up the priceless cost of His life to redeem and save us.
That is the reward that Jesus talking about! This reward is not given to the hypocrite or the fake philanthropist. This reward is not for the proud or the arrogant and egotistical. This reward is meant for those who give and live giving of themselves with the right, faithful, grateful heart that can only be made by the grace of God.
Now to do our givings in secret does not mean that we should always hide every good deed that we do.
But that we pray and do… not with hardened hearts that pinches every penny….
And not with the equally condemnable proud and gloating heart… Both which seek to glorify the self… But to do all things to glorify God and the Gospel of Christ.
This past week, a great Canadian voice and advocate for reformed theology who is considered to be one of the most influential evangelicals in North America, J. I. Packer, passed away at the age of 93. During a fairly recent interview, Packer was asked if he had any final words to the church. After a 10-second pause he said “Glorify Christ.” Then adding “Every way”.
Our generosity, not only in our actual givings but in the sharing of our lives and livelihood, ought to point to Christ… Every good deed… Every kind word… Every act of love… ought to be done for the glory of Christ. That is the goal, the purpose, the design of the Church: to Glorify Christ. Every way.
Brothers and sisters, in all that you do, is your heart motivated by the deep desire to glory Christ?
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
You may think that this does not apply to you because you might not feel “rich” by worldly standards, but this is speaking to each of us because, whether you believe it or not, we are the rich! Look around you!
Richness is measured in far more ways that in material possessions. But even then we recognize that we are rich in health, in comfort and in resources. We live safely in the midst of this pandemic with food, beds, clothes, and a roof over our heads. It’s been reported that 1 in 5 children in Canada are at risk to go to school hungry. 785 million people don’t have access to clean water. 1 in 9 people, 821 million people go to bed hungry each night. There are many even here in our communities who are lonely and despairing.
There is much to do around the world. Some of us will feel called to sponsor a child… to give to global charities such as PWS&D, World Vision, Compassion or Charity: Water
But there is just as much to do in our nation and even in our communities. There are those in need, whether for food, for drink, for a place to rest, for a friend, right here!
While there are many ways to be rich… There are always many ways we are poor…
11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
So then brothers and sisters let us repent of the great sin of our self-centeredness , knowing the Christ calls us as those who have received the gift of His grace, to be lavish in our generosity and in our love for others as He lavishly gave himself up for us, giving all that He was so that we could have all that was His.
And let us continue, or begin, as the rich who have enjoyed so much of God’s blessings, to be the ones who choose to do good. To be rich… not only in our materials, not only in our friendships, not only in our hearts… but also in good works, being generous and always ready to share of ourselves.
Let us not store up for ourselves vain treasures here on earth that will only fade, but store up for ourselves treasure that will never perish. Treasure that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord, who is our future and who is our life.
Amen.