Liberality: General Scriptures Concerning

“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”

…you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.

You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.

You shall do likewise with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.

You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed.

Then the LORD said to Moses, …

You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.

Moses also told the whole congregation of Israel, “This is what the LORD has commanded: …

They received from Moses all the contributions that the Israelites had brought to carry out the service of constructing the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning, …

Next he made the bronze basin and its stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance.

When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf.

The cities that you apportion from the territory of the Israelites should be given to the Levites in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: more from a larger tribe and less from a smaller one.”

…then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. …

And do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you. …

If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. …

And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you,

Everyone must appear with a gift as he is able, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you.

The Levitical priests—indeed the whole tribe of Levi—shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They are to eat the food offerings to the LORD; that is their inheritance. …

If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. …

“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Now set your heart and soul to seek the LORD your God. Begin building the sanctuary of the LORD God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the LORD.”

Consider now that the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.”

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you before all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.

…for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who is willing to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”

But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

And he brought into the house of God the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated.

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. …

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble. …

Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.

It is well with the man who is generous and lends freely, whose affairs are guided by justice.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

A song of ascents. O LORD, remember on behalf of David all the hardships he endured, …

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops;

…then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.

A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.

Many seek the favor of the prince, and everyone is a friend of the gift giver.

Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.

All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint.

A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

She opens her arms to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.

But a noble man makes honorable plans; he stands up for worthy causes.

All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you and go up on My altar with acceptance; I will adorn My glorious house.

Surely the islands will wait for Me, with the ships of Tarshish in the lead, to bring your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you.

Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness as your ruler.

Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the LORD.

Consider carefully from this day forward—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, the day the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid—consider carefully:

Is there still seed in the barn? The vine, the fig, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yet yielded fruit. But from this day on, I will bless you.”

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure. …

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

“Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. …

Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away in sorrow, because he had great wealth.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. …

The crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”

John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

But give as alms the things that are within you, and behold, everything will be clean for you.

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.

Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

…if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is giving, let him give generously; if it is leading, let him lead with diligence; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.

If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia: …

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. …

Now finish the work, so that you may complete it with the same eager desire, according to your means. …

In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. …

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

If any believing woman has dependent widows, she must assist them and not allow the church to be burdened, so that it can help the widows who are truly in need.

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. …

But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.

For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.