If you’re going to try and assess popular views of money, it’s hard not to mention the 2008 death of Jdimytai Damour. He was the Walmart stock clerk who was trampled to death as a mob of shoppers shattered the glass doors and ran to be the first to scoop up the sales. The cause of death was asphyxiation. He was literally suffocated by the crowd. When shoppers were informed that they had to clear the store because of the death of an employee, many continued to shop and had to be forcibly escorted out.

I know what you’re thinking, ‘I wasn’t there. I’m not like that!’ The reality, though, is that we’re probably not as different from those shoppers as we’d like to think. When it comes to money, we often fixate on more. Selfishness affects us. We’re influenced by unhealthy attitudes toward our finances. The Israelites weren’t all that much different. They famously grumbled and complained to Moses when they didn’t get enough food, but God worked to turn Israel into a generous nation. Seeing how He worked in their lives reveals how He might transform us today. Let me share three ways.

1. Through manna, God taught them to trust Him for their provision

If you see the path God led the Israelites on as He delivered them from Egypt, it’s clear that there were more direct routes to the Promised Land. God deliberately guided them in such a way that they’d have to trust Him. Then, He provided daily manna for them so that they would see God and His Word as the source of all they truly needed. Moses explains that, “he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna … that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3). While this form of testing would come to an end, God hoped that the principle would endure. As Moses said, “It is he who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). If you believe that God is your provider and everything you have is a gift from Him, it changes how you treat your money.

2. Through tithing, God taught them to follow His financial priorities

An essential part of every Israelite’s response to God was the giving of tithes. The word “tithe” just means a tenth and it was used to describe the first 10% of a person’s income that was dedicated to God. Giving the first 10% back to God was a way of recognizing that everything belongs to Him and comes from Him. There were actually two tithes collected from the Israelites annually (Numbers 18:21, Deuteronomy 14:22-23) and a third tithe collected every three years (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). They also gave offerings freely over and above that. Through these tithes and offerings, God taught them that they had a responsibility to provide for His workers (2 Chronicles 31:4), for worship (Deuteronomy 14:23), for the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) and for the temple (1 Chronicles 29:6-9). By establishing a fixed percentage, God helped them to see that everyone is responsible for taking ownership of God’s financial priorities.

3. Through the Patriarchs, God gave them models of financial stewardship

It’s easy to get the impression that the idea of the tithe started with Moses. No doubt, it was a challenge for many to start making a commitment in this way. But one of the ways that God helped the Israelites was in pointing them back to their forebears in the faith.

They were told, for instance, of Abraham’s meeting with Melchizedek, the “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:17-20). Having been blessed by him, Abraham spontaneously “gave him a tenth of everything.”

Similarly, they were taught about Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel. In response to God’s blessing, he vows to “give a full tenth” to Him.

These examples are important because they normalize tithing long before the Mosaic covenant and show that honouring God with our finances is the natural response to an experience of His blessing. Giving God 10% of our income can seem to some today as if it’s a radical act of faith and sacrifice. The Scriptures describe it as a natural response to a God who’s worthy of our commitment.

Can you see how God is seeking to shape your generosity? Have you learned to trust Him for your provision? Do you believe that He is the One who gives you power to get wealth? Does your management of the resources that God has given you reflect His priorities? Do you feel a responsibility to provide for God’s workers, for worship, and for the poor? Do you see tithing as a radical act of faith and sacrifice or the normal response of faith to a gracious God? Let God shape your generosity in new ways as you seek to honour Him in your finances.

In awe of Him,

Paul