1 Chronicles 29:14, commentary and pictures

David prayed this when Israel willingly offered riches, means and service to build a house for God's holy name. All things come from God and remain His own, so what is given to Him is only returned from what He has provided and entrusted. Even the ability and willingness to offer freely comes from Him, who by His power and Spirit moves hearts to give and serve. Such willing offerings earn no merit, pardon or eternal life, and leave no ground for boasting or self-exaltation. People are only receivers and stewards of property, powers and every blessing for a time, to use wisely for God and others and to return to Him willingly, gladly and gratefully with all praise and glory to Him.

Temple Offering Setting

In its setting the verse is David's prayer over Israel's willing offerings of riches, means and service for building the temple, a house for God's holy name. The offerings were God's own gifts returned to Him, for all things belong to Him and people can give willingly only from what He has already provided. Their generous gifts pleased God because they gave freely from what was already His, and it was a privilege and honor to serve as His helping hands in work that saves souls.

God Himself supplied the riches for the temple and by His power and Spirit moved the hearts of the king and the people to give and to serve willingly. Both the resources and the willingness to offer them were His gifts, so the honor belongs to Him and not to human effort. Without His power working in them and His love moving their hearts, the king's efforts would have failed, the offerings would not have been made, and the temple would not have been built.

David's question of who he and his people were expresses humility and gratitude for being able to offer willingly, recognizing God as the source of both the gifts and the willingness. Neither he nor his people could claim independent credit for their willing offerings, and his words make no claim to earn God's favor. His joy in their generosity therefore gave glory to God, not to human effort, in the spirit of returning to the Lord of His own with thanksgiving, self-denial and willing generosity.

All Comes From God

All things come from God and remain His, so whatever is given to Him is only His own returned from what He has provided and entrusted, never something independently owned. Human abilities, knowledge, faith, repentance, good resolutions, a reformed life, money, property, silver and gold, and every capacity and advantage are included in what He has given to be used in His service and for others. The willing offerings for the temple pleased Him because they were given freely from what was already His, and David's words express humility and gratitude at being enabled to give willingly rather than any claim to earn favor.

His ownership rests on both creation and redemption, for every blessing in this life and the life to come comes through Christ the Mediator, bears the mark of His cross and Calvary, and is restored to enjoyment through His sacrifice and blood. Physical and mental powers, strength, material goods, talents, and daily blessings are therefore entrusted for wise use and the benefit of others and the world to extend the influence of truth, and He may claim them at any time. His call for gifts and service is not a demand for what is not His, and His love in the soul leads people to fulfill their duty gladly.

Even the ability and willingness itself to offer willingly comes from Him, for He supplied Israel's riches and by His power and Spirit moved the hearts of king and people to give and serve, without which their efforts would have failed and the temple would not have been built. The Holy Spirit shapes the understanding and directs mind and affections into harmony with His will, puts entrusted abilities into His service, and stirs the desire to serve as His helping hands with money and with the whole person for His glory. David recognized God as source of both the gifts and the willingness, and his joy in their generosity gave glory to God, not to human effort. Because He has thus sown every blessing, He does not reap where He has not sown, and the charge that He is a hard master is false.

No Merit Claimed

Willing offerings return to God only what already belongs to Him and therefore give no merit and earn no favor, pardon, or eternal life. Even faithful service, good resolutions, and a reformed life earn no credit or praise for the worker and leave no ground for boasting, self-exaltation, or claims of inherent merit. When materials were prepared for the temple, God supplied the riches and moved hearts to give, and without His power working in them the king's efforts would have failed and the temple would not have been built, so David's words express humble gratitude rather than a claim to earn favor. Giving God soul, body, spirit, thoughts, affections, time, talents, strength, and intellect is returning His own property, applied to living wholly for Him with appetite and every desire under an enlightened conscience and affections fixed on heavenly things. Wealth, intellect, and other abilities are entrusted as gifts and tests of character to be willingly consecrated to Jesus and used for God's work and glory, and He may withdraw them if they are not valued and rightly used, since using them for self-gratification or self-glory dishonors their Giver.

Faith, repentance, sorrow for sin, sympathy for others, good desires, knowledge, and a reformed life are themselves gifts made possible by God's grace and Christ's sacrifice, so no credit can be claimed for them. Human abilities, knowledge, faith, repentance, good resolutions, and a reformed life all come from God and are to be used in His service and for others rather than for selfish ends or self-exaltation. Faith is the understanding's assent to God's words that binds the heart to His service, and since understanding and heart belong to God, exercising faith uses intellect and energy received from Him and earns no credit for the believer. Knowledge, abilities, and every other gift are entrusted not only for a person's own work but to share their benefits with others and help train them for service, and failing to use them for God's glory brings responsibility and guilt. Those who trust the Father without limit and by faith reach beyond the grave to eternal realities confess that all they have comes from God and that they give Him only what is His.

The proper response is to give God all praise and glory with humility and gratitude, joining the heavenly angels in acknowledging that whatever is given was already His. The verse rules out boasting or claims of inherent merit and calls people, like the heavenly angels, to ascribe all praise and glory to the Creator. Even the unfallen angels, in their continual service of mercy in protecting, guiding, and seeking to draw people from Satan's snares, give God only what is His own. All blessings of both this life and the future are received through Christ the Mediator and bear the mark of His cross, and although God's love in the soul leads people to fulfill their duty gladly, no human work merits His pardoning love.

Gifts Entrusted to Stewards

People are receivers and stewards, not owners, for everything possessed comes from God and remains His, so to give to Him is only to return what already belongs to Him and has been lent and entrusted for a time. Property, money, silver and gold, means, influence, position, and every capacity, possession, and advantage are held in trust to be used wisely in His service, for others, and to extend the influence of truth, and appreciation is shown by faithfully returning the portion He requires in tithes and offerings. Even the ability to offer willingly is itself His gift, and what is given is to be offered freely and willingly to promote His glory and advance His kingdom and His work, rather than being grudgingly kept for selfish enrichment or turned to selfish purposes. What is given is the Lord's money, to be used faithfully with readiness to account for it.

What is entrusted embraces the whole person and all powers: soul, body, spirit, heart, thoughts, affections, time, strength, intellect, mental and physical powers, abilities, education, talents, knowledge, and the blessings enjoyed each day, both temporal and spiritual, in this life and the life to come. Heart, intellect, and money belong to God and are to be used for His glory, for the benefit of others and the world, and to spread truth, as in supporting the publishing work, and giving them is returning His own property rather than offering something independently owned. The mind and affections, when directed by the Holy Spirit toward God, lead to free giving of money and of the whole self.

These gifts are entrusted as tests of character, to be developed, cultivated, consecrated to Jesus, and used fully for God's work and glory, to bless others and to share their benefits and train others for service. Wealth, intellect, mental ability, money, influence, and every other ability are not to be used for selfish ends, self-gratification, self-glory, self-exaltation, or worldly fashion, for such use dishonors the Giver. Faithful service itself earns no merit or praise for the worker.

God may claim what He has entrusted at any time, and He can withdraw wealth, intellect, and other abilities if they are not valued and rightly used. Withholding what belongs to Him dishonors Him, while failing to use gifts for His glory brings responsibility and guilt, with consequences proportionate to unwillingness to give. Money possessed belongs to the Lord and is lent to further His cause on earth, so it is not to be withheld from Him.

Giving Willingly and Gratefully

Giving to God is to be willing, free, glad, cheerful, wholehearted, liberal and regular, counted a privilege and honor to serve as His helping hands in building a house for His holy name. Consecrated people first give themselves to God and then freely offer His own, testifying to His ownership, as the Macedonians did after consecrating themselves. Such offerings are to be kept even when inconvenient and never neglected through selfishness, for they are a return of what He has freely entrusted and not something of one's own. This recognition makes the giver humble, while the generous gifts given freely from what is already His please Him.

Such giving is a humble act of obedience and a grateful acknowledgment of dependence on God, of His ownership, love, sacrifice, blessings and mercy. It is expressed in praise, thanksgiving, tithe, gifts and offerings, and in offering oneself and one's possessions for His glory, His service and the salvation of souls. The words, Of Thine own, Lord, we give Thee, voice that gratitude and humility and call for self-denial and willing generosity in using money for His work. God's people give freely and thankfully in response to the blessings they have received.

God's love in the soul leads people to fulfill this duty gladly, and when mind and affections are directed by the Holy Spirit toward God, giving freely follows with money and with the whole person for His glory. His blessings, which sustain life and bring the earth's bounty, are not meant to foster selfishness or attachment to possessions but to lead to grateful, loving return as a fitting expression of gratitude and love to the Creator. This truth calls for willing, heartfelt giving that honors God with possessions and increase. Strict economy and careful rather than wasteful use of money make such giving possible, and it lays up treasure in heaven. Each person is to give according to circumstances, those with much giving much and those with little giving what they can to carry truth to those who have not heard it, with freewill offerings given gratefully and generously, the best freely offered and nothing considered too good for God, including in establishing memorials of His goodness.

Supporting God's Work

The verse teaches that tithes and offerings are God's own portion of what He has provided for sustenance and blessing, to be returned to Him gladly, freely and faithfully with praise, gifts and service for the support of His work and the glory of His name. All that is possessed comes from Him, so giving is not bestowing what is independently owned but gratefully returning entrusted goods, with human beings as receivers and stewards showing appreciation by bringing the required portion. David's willing gift stands as the example of this free return of God's own.

Tithes and offerings are not to be withheld because of dissatisfaction with how funds are managed or because ministers are unworthy, for withholding what is God's property never becomes right through the faults of others. Misuse by church leaders or administrators does not make the giver responsible for their actions and does not justify keeping back what belongs to God, which is to be paid willingly, freely and gladly as duty. Vows made to give are likewise to be kept rather than neglected through selfishness, even when giving causes temporary inconvenience, and are to be rendered cheerfully and wholeheartedly in respect for Him who gave His life to redeem.

The same principle calls for preparing a suitable house of worship, chapel, or memorial of God's goodness with sufficient, free and thankful offerings of the best available, since nothing is too good for God's service. Offerings for such a house are a return of what God has entrusted, and withholding dishonors Him and brings consequences proportionate to unwillingness to give. It also calls for living wholly for God by returning soul, body, spirit, thoughts, affections, time, talents, strength and intellect as His own property, keeping appetite and every desire under an enlightened conscience with affections fixed on heavenly things, without claim of merit.

Giving heart, intellect, money and self to Christ is both duty and privilege, expressed in willing generosity and humility and in support of the publishing and tract work to spread truth. Free giving thanks God for His blessings, carries truth to those who have not heard it, lays up treasure in heaven, and is made possible by economy in spending. Willing, liberal donation is the right response toward establishing a sanitarium for care of the sick and the work of God, and thanksgiving for blessings is shown by using means to relieve suffering and advance His work. Freely giving means to support fellow believers in Europe acknowledges that all possessions come from God and helps keep their facilities from being cut off, while money must not be tied up in investments when needed for missionary work, including city missions, rebuilding Pacific Press and printing truth, and sacrificial bequests such as the fifteen thousand dollars left to the cause from money held at Pacific Press.

Giving to God's cause does not erase a donor's need, for if one who gave generously later becomes poor, fellow believers should share their blessings with that person as a brother and child of God.