It took five days for the Lord to create, with all detail, everything humankind would need. God was so generous that in the same creative act, He provided enough natural resources for everyone to live for thousands of generations.
Paul tells Timothy to advise all the rich people to put their trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us all things in abundance so we could enjoy them. (1Timothy 6:17.)
True wealth can only be found in God, not in material things. Physical things will wear out, but our God stays forever. The wise King Solomon said, "Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty" (Proverbs 3:9-10.)
4. Abel's offering pleased God.
God always makes sure in our heart He is number one. God did not tell Cain and Abel what to give in their offerings, because this was supposed to be spontaneous from their hearts. But through those offerings, God was able to measure the level of commitment in both of them. Whose offering was pleasing to God? It was from the person with a generous heart.
And God rejected the greedy heart. "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks" (Hebrews 11:4, italics added.)
You may notice that in this verse are the steps to give the right offering:
Voluntary. An offering must be an act from our will. Through it, we express the love we have for the person who is receiving it. Children give a great example. It is very hard for them to share something they really like. At that age, the world spins around them. But when that stage is over, it becomes easier for them to share. God was pleased with Abel because he gave his offering- like a child that knows the value of the gift they are giving away. Cain acted like a child does, when they do not know how to share—he gave what he did not like.
More excellent. Abel understood that God deserved the best he could give. A "more excellent"
offering has a cost. The greater an offering is, the higher the cost. A man wishing to give his wife a jewel must pay a price for it. The Lord said, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30). A good offering is a message of love in which we give God our all: the spiritual, emotional, and physical parts of our lives. When we give- to God, we do not expect anything in return. We simply give Him our adoration.
Sacrifice. Abel understood that the right offering involved sacrifice. He chose the best from his herd so it could represent his total devotion to God. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"
(John 3:16.) The way God demonstrated His love to this world was by giving His only Son in sacrifice. When we give God our best, we are giving back to Him, in a way, that salvation offering He gave us.
He obtained witness that he was righteous. As we saw it before, an offering speaks. Abel's offering was converted into a testimony before God, and that testimony made him righteous.
When God tested Abraham and he was willing to sacrifice his son, God was pleased. "By Myself I have Sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies" (Genesis 22:16-17.)
An offering spoken even after death. King Solomon said, "The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot" (Proverbs 10:7). Abel's offering remains speaking even after his death. If an offering is so important for God, we should always make an effort to give our very best.
5. God gives testimony of your offering.
Our offerings become arguments in our favor. You may remember the centurion whose servant was very sick. He sent elders of the Jews to Jesus to plead with Him to come and heal the servant. The elders "begged Him earnestly" and said that the centurion was deserving, "He loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue" (Luke 7:4-5.) When Jesus heard this, He immediately went with them.
God examines heads.
One day when Jesus and His disciples were in the temple they were looking at how much everybody was giving. The disciples were focused on the external show of the offerings, but the Lord was examining the hearts of the people who were giving these offerings. The Lord identified how stingy those who appeared very generous really were because they gave from what was left over. But the Lord praised the one person who gave very little, because she was very poor and put forth great effort in giving from her lack.
God likes moral uprightness (rectitude).
Integrity is the result of generosity. Cain was destroyed by his egotism, and Judas died because of his greed. But the people who touch God's heart are able to demonstrate their commitment by their generosity. Abel's offering speaks for him even today.
Give the offering voluntarily.
Everything that Solomon used for the construction of the temple came from a voluntary offering by the people. This included the best materials available—gold, silver, wood and other fine materials. It is economically a challenge to voluntarily give God the best. These challenges can always be conquered if the people have a good spirit and are willing to give voluntarily.
Give generously and spontaneously.
The spontaneous offering is one where people give generously. The Bible tells us what should be our
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attitude in giving. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever" (2Corinthians 9:7-9).
The Bible also describes what happens to a person who has a readiness to give. "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself" (Proverbs 1 1:25).
6. Learning to tithe.
For the people of Israel, it is very normal to separate ten percent of their income for God's work; they did this even before He established it in the Mosaic Law. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, and he was blessed ( Hebrews 7:2-6.)
Jacob tithed and made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me-in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:20-22).
The Lord gave a wonderful promise that talks about the blessing He gives when we give. "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts; "And all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts (Malachi 3:10-12, italics added).
Let's study the blessings God has for those who have learned the importance of tithing.
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse."
The storehouse represents the church or place where you are fed spiritually. That is the place you should bring your tithe.
"That there may be food in My house."
With your tithe, you support those doing God's work, and He will compensate your gift to you.
"I will rebuke the devourer."
The devourer is a spirit of ruin. The Lord promises to rebuke it from us.
"and all nations will call you blessed."
The blessing will be so obvious that it will extend to other nations. They will see God's favor resting on each of His children.
"You will be a delightful land."
This only happens when the curse is removed and the blessing is restored in our territory.
CONCLUSION
We can learn from the example of Hannah who gave an offering that cost much but in the end yielded a blessing that changed her destiny. We can learn what is pleasing to God as we study Abel's offering
Hebrews 11:4). it is important when we give an offering that our heart is right, and we are encouraged to tithe so we may receive God's blessing.
APPLICATION
Take a few minutes to think about something that is costly to you that you would offer to God. Reflect on why or why not it is difficult for you to offer to God.
Questions:
1. What does it mean to you to give an offering?
2. Why did the Lord like Hannah's offering
3. What does an offering determine?
4. List Abel's characteristics described in Hebrews 11:4.
5. What does God see in your offering?
6. What does it mean to tithe?
7. What are the benefits of tithing?
8. Think about your attitude on giving tithes and offerings. If you have failed in this area, ask the Lord to forgive you and make a commitment to enter into the blessing.