Things Consecrated Belong to God.
By George I. Butler
We have an illustration of this principle in Num. 16:38, on the occasion when Korah, Dathan and Abiram rose up against Moses and Aaron. Korah and certain of the Levites it seems were not satisfied with their position, although enjoying an exalted one, in the Lord's work, but claimed the priesthood also, which belonged to Aaron and his posterity. So Moses proposed a test by which to ascertain the will of the Lord in the matter. Two hundred and fifty men were to take censers and stand before the Lord that he might show which he would choose. The result was that God sent down a fire from heaven and consumed the men who offered incense in their censers. Then the Lord told Moses to gather up the censers for they were hallowed “and let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord; therefore they are hallowed.” The Lord claims these censers as his, simply because these persons had voluntarily offered them to him. They were consecrated once to his service, and they could not be withdrawn at the persons' option, even had they been alive and desired to do it. God declares them to be “hallowed,” that is, set apart to a holy use. Those persons then who once consecrate any thing to the Lord have no more moral right to withdraw it again, and claim it as their own, than another would have to do it. I heard of a boy once who gave to a playmate a certain plaything, but afterwards desiring it again went to his playfellow and said, “I gave it to you, and it is mine, and I will have it.” Some professors of religion seem to act on the same principle. They make a solemn vow to the Lord, when their conscience is stirred, that they will give so much to the Lord's cause. They think they will do so at the time, but their zeal cools off, and they seem to think God has forgotten all about it. They forget that God has said, “Pay thy vows unto the Most High,” and that “when thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou hast vowed.” Eccl. 5:4. The wise man puts the conduct of those who thus act in a very unenviable light. He calls them fools. The reason for doing so I suppose is, that they have such foolish ideas of the Deity as to suppose when they make a solemn promise to him, and pay no attention to it afterwards, that it will be just as well. They seem to imagine that God is altogether such an one as themselves, careless, heedless of his word, and indifferent to truth. Such greatly mistake his character. God is rather a jealous God; that is, one very careful and solicitous in regard to everything pertaining to his word or character. We should in this try to imitate him, and if we do pledge our word to him, we should not act like a foolish man, and think we need never meet our own promises to him. Let us remember that every such pledge is “hallowed” to God, and therefore not ours, but his. I have known of instances where our brethren have put sums of money into meeting-houses, which, in the fullest sense, were consecrated to God, and in after years, from some cause, the houses would be sold, and they put the proceeds into their own pockets, and never seem to question the point whether or not it was theirs. I question very much their right to take back this money and use it for secular purposes, and doubt if God's blessing will rest upon such an appropriation of consecrated funds. There is such a thing as robbing God, Mal. 3:8; and I know of nothing that would look more like it, than to take back, without so much as saying, “By your leave,” that which had been solemnly given to him. Let all who are interested reflect upon these principles. God is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the examples given in the Old Testament are mainly designed to show those who should come after, just how God will regard their action when similar in principle to the example given. Here we can learn how he will regard us. Let us remember, then, that every pledge and every consecrated gift is his and not ours, and that he will hold us to a strict account for the same.