Leviticus 27:28-34: a reflection

28“‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Everything that is permanently devoted is most holy to the LORD. 29“‘No one devoted to destruction, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed. He shall surely be put to death. 30“‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. 31If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it. 32All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD. 33He shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’” 34These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

This closing chapter of Leviticus speaks of things devoted to God, and of the tithe, and it says something worth pausing over about the tithe: All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD. The tithe is not described as a generous gift the people give from what is theirs; it is described as already the LORD's, holy to him, his portion, set apart as belonging to God.

Notice how the tithe is framed: not as ours to give, but as already God's. It is holy to the LORD, his portion, belonging to him. To render it, then, is not so much an act of generosity, giving away what is ours, as an act of acknowledgment, returning to God what is already his. The tithe reminded the people that a portion of all they had was not theirs to keep, but belonged to God, holy to him.

That reframes how we think about giving to God. We can regard what we give to God as our own generosity, a gift from what belongs to us, as though we were parting with something ours. But behind this lies a deeper truth: all we have is God's, and what we render to him is only the acknowledgment of his ownership, the returning of what was already his. Give to God, then, not as one grudgingly parting with your own, but as one returning to him what belongs to him. Recognize that all you have comes from God and belongs to him, and let your giving be a glad acknowledgment of his ownership, rendering to God what is already his, holy to him.

Lord, your word says that the tithe is yours, holy to you, your portion, not a generous gift from what is mine, but already belonging to you. Reframe how I think about giving to you. I can regard what I give as my own generosity, a gift from what belongs to me, as though I were parting with something mine. But behind this lies a deeper truth: all I have is yours, and what I render to you is only the acknowledgment of your ownership, the returning of what was already yours. Help me give to you, not as one grudgingly parting with my own, but as one gladly returning to you what belongs to you. Help me recognize that all I have comes from you and belongs to you, and let my giving be a glad acknowledgment of your ownership. All is yours, Lord; help me render to you what is already yours, holy to you, with a willing and grateful heart.