According To Their Ability …

Ezra 2:69
According to their ability they gave to the treasury for this work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver and 100 priestly garments.

Christian Standard Bible
Based on what they could give, they gave 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 priestly garments to the treasury for the project.

Contemporary English Version
They gave all they could, and it came to a total of 500 kilograms of gold, 500 kilograms of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.

When Israelites were restored to Israel and Jerusalem in particular, they were glad and praised God. They had been away for seventy years in Babylon as a punishment for their sins. Now they were back home under the guidance of Ezra, Nehemiah, and others.

In Ezra chapter two a census is taken to establish who are the genuine Israelites and who deserves what allocation and assignment. Levites who could not be found on records during this census were barred from serving as priests, Ezra 2:62. The census was critical at this point to ensure that the nation picks up from where captivity interrupted.

Census was used for planning purposes and resource allocation. sometimes when various nations do their regular census, some believers come out to oppose it as unbiblical. The Bible records so many instances of the census being taken without God being offended. In a few instances, God was offended by the census. We have an article in our blog that clarifies much more about the census in the Bible, see Do Not Count The Tribe Of Levi.

We are told that after they settled down in their allocated portions, they noticed that the place of worship was in a sorry state. Without being prompted or requested or begged, some of them gave offerings to help rebuild the place of worship. Anyone who has a concern for God’s work does not require prompting in order to give support. Many saw the problem but only some cared to respond to the problem. Blessings from giving come from cheerful giving, unprompted giving, and self-driven giving.

When you go to worship, have you noticed a need for repainting? Have you seen a need for decoration? Have you seen a need for new furniture? Have you noticed that the choir needs your voice? Has it occurred to you that you can contribute to the teaching and preaching of the gospel in new territories? Have you discovered through sideline observation that the church would do well with an extra boost in its treasury?

Taking note of the problem is one thing but acting on it without being asked is a very high level of commitment and love for God. To sit back and wait to be requested to support God’s work is a sign that you do not love it nor value it so much as to be triggered into acting. Taking note of a problem without acting to solve it is negative criticism.

We are further told that those who gave to help rebuild the temple, gave according to their ability. Our financial abilities are not the same. We may earn the same pay but our expenses vary out of unavoidable responsibilities or careless handling of money. Therefore at the end of the day, what we are able to give from the same pay cannot be the same. Giving according to ability places responsibility on the individual to be honest with God.

To set goals that all people of a particular category should give a certain amount of money is important in goal setting for purposes of planning but is not realistic because abilities after receiving the pay are not the same. One has more relatives depending on them. One has a sickness being nursed. Another one has debts being repaid and another one has other sources of income and can spare more. All have the same pay, but their abilities differ.

The church and its leaders may not know our abilities, but the God of heaven knows our abilities. Our giving should not seek to impress the church and its leaders. We should give to God who knows our abilities. That is why Jesus was proud of the poor widow who gave two coins amidst rich people who gave huge sums. Jesus said, in comparison to their abilities, the widow gave the most, Mark 12:43-44. God knows your abilities, do you give according to your abilities?

A rich person with a fine lifestyle outlook may seem like one who should give more, but God knows that out of bad choices he is in deep debt and the little he gave is the best of his abilities. A young unemployed person who is expected to give too little may give slightly more than expected, and as we congratulate her, God is not pleased, because God knows while she is unemployed, people wooing her have sent her much more monies as gifts than even held in banks by the rich man in debts. Our abilities may not be obvious to people but are well known by God.

A tithe is ten percent of gross (not net) income. A tithe is the same for everyone. Each and every one of us in our financial troubles or bliss must give ten percent of our income to God through His church. A tithe is not given to beggars and the needy. A tithe is given to God through the church to support the preaching of the gospel. Beggars and other needy cases are not preaching the gospel.

Offerings are our own choice of how much we want to give to show our love for God and His church. Offerings are given according to our abilities and love for God. The poor widow gave everything for her offerings. There is no limit. You can give everything. When we help the beggars and needy that is offerings and not tithe. We are expected to give tithes and offerings, Malachi 3:8. To give one without the other is robbing God. Tithe demonstrates obedience to the command to give ten percent. Offerings demonstrate love for God and His work. The two must and should be given by all believers without prompting and pleading.

Giving must be according to our abilities and must be proactive, without being reminded and begged to give. May this be my lifestyle of giving by God’s grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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