Open Hands: How God Trains Us to Trust Him With Our Money

Generosity rarely happens overnight. For most people, learning to give freely is a process, one that God Himself initiates and sustains. The story of Israel in the book of Exodus offers one of the most remarkable pictures of generosity in all of Scripture, and it has everything to teach us about how God shapes our relationship with money, possessions, and trust.

How Did Israel Become So Generous That Moses Had to Tell Them to Stop Giving?

Near the end of the book of Exodus, something almost unbelievable happens. The Israelites had been bringing offerings to build the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and they just kept bringing more. Gold, fabric, wood, and materials of every kind poured in day after day.

Finally, the craftsmen came to Moses with an unusual report.

"The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do." - Exodus 36:5 New King James Version (NKJV)

Moses had to make an announcement: please stop bringing things. We have more than enough.

That raises a powerful question. How does a nation of former slaves become so generous that their leader has to tell them to stop giving? The answer does not begin in Exodus. It begins years earlier, and it unfolds in three distinct movements.

Truth #1: God Trains Our Habits

What Is the Purpose of the Tithe in the Bible?

In Deuteronomy 14, Moses writes down God's instruction to the people of Israel about giving.

"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year... that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always." - Deuteronomy 14:22-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

Notice the purpose God gives at the end of that command. It is not primarily about funding a building project or keeping the lights on. God says the reason He commanded them to give the first of everything was so they would learn to fear Him.

Giving was one of God's classrooms.

Every harvest became a teaching moment. Every firstborn animal became an object lesson. Every act of giving was another opportunity for the Israelites to learn that God was their provider and that He could be trusted.

What Does "First Fruits" Mean and Why Does It Matter?

God did not ask for the leftovers. He asked for the first fruits, the very first portion of whatever came in, before the Israelites even knew how abundant the rest of the harvest would be.

Picture an Israelite standing in his field holding the first bushel of grain. The rest of the crop may still be in the ground. He does not yet know how much is coming. But before he knows how much is coming in, he acknowledges where it came from.

That is what first fruits giving is about. It is saying, before I know what you are going to provide, I already know who my provider is.

Think of it like training wheels on a bicycle. Training wheels are not the end goal. Nobody celebrates an adult still riding with training wheels. But they serve a critical purpose: they teach balance and build confidence. Eventually they come off, but the lessons they teach stay with the rider for life.

That is exactly what God was doing in Deuteronomy. He was giving His people the training wheels of generosity, teaching them balance and building their confidence in Him.

Are Christians Required to Tithe?

Christians are not under the Old Testament law of tithing. But the principle behind the tithe, first fruits giving, carries forward. God is not after your last dollar. He is after your first. He wants to be your priority. He wants you to organize how you handle money and possessions around Him and what the Bible teaches, not just however you feel in a given month.

The better question for followers of Jesus is not, am I required to tithe? The better question is, how can I honor Christ first with what He has entrusted to me?

Every time we choose to put God first, He is training our habits. Every time we loosen our grip on what He has given us, He is teaching us to trust Him more. That is called faith.

Truth #2: God Changes Our Hearts

What Happened to the Israelites' Hearts Before They Gave So Generously?

When Moses describes the people who brought offerings for the tabernacle, one phrase keeps appearing over and over again in Exodus 35.

"Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose Spirit was willing... They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart." - Exodus 35:21-22 New King James Version (NKJV)

Their hearts were stirred. Their hearts were willing.

This is different from what we read in Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy, God was training habits. Now those habits had reached the heart.

Here is something worth noting. Not long before this moment in Exodus, these same people had handed their gold to Aaron and watched a golden calf be made from it. Now they are bringing that same gold to build a place where the living God will be worshiped.

The gold had not changed. Their hearts had.

God does not only change what you own. He changes what owns you.

Why You Cannot Pressure Someone Whose Heart Has Been Captured by Grace

The offering in Exodus 35 and 36 had no dollar amounts attached to it. No percentages. No numbers. What is emphasized again and again is the willingness of their hearts. God had done such a deep work in them that generosity became their instinct.

You do not have to pressure people whose hearts have been captured by God's grace.

When the heart changes, the hands follow. That is the wonder of it all.

Truth #3: God Grows Our Faith

What Did Jesus Teach About Money and Anxiety?

In Luke 12, Jesus addresses the very real anxiety that most people carry around money.

"Do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." - Luke 12:29-32 New King James Version (NKJV)

Jesus starts with anxiety because that is where most of us start. What will we eat? What will we drink? Will we have enough?

And then He says something disarming. Your Father knows that you need these things. God understands the responsibilities you carry. He is aware of every bill that must be paid. He sees the needs of your family. He foresees what is waiting for you tomorrow.

Then Jesus gives the reason we do not have to fear. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. God's kingdom is bigger than you are thinking, better than you have imagined, and it lasts forever. And Jesus says it pleases God to give it to you.

Why Is It So Hard to Give Generously?

Money often makes promises it cannot keep. It promises security, but financial bubbles burst. It promises peace, but wealth alone does not deliver it. It promises that everything will be okay if we just have enough of it.

Only God can carry the weight of our trust.

So every act of generosity asks the same question: who am I really trusting to take care of me?

Jesus was not trying to make His followers poorer. He was teaching them that security is not found in possessions or a strong work ethic. Their security is found in their Father alone.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Luke 12:34 New King James Version (NKJV)

Faith almost always looks risky to someone who is not hearing from God. But often the safest place in the world is simply where we have obeyed the Lord, whether we felt like it or not.

Every time we choose generosity over fear, God grows our faith. Every time we seek His kingdom ahead of our own security, we discover again that our Father can be trusted. That is why generosity is not ultimately a financial decision. It is an act of discipleship.

The Journey Back to Exodus

So how did Israel get to the point where Moses had to tell them to stop giving? It did not happen overnight, and it did not happen after one sermon.

• God trained their habits through the practice of first fruits giving.
• Over time, God changed their hearts so that generosity became their instinct.
• As they learned to trust Him, God grew their faith until giving was simply who they were.

That is the journey. And every one of us is somewhere on it today.

You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.

Life Application

This week, take one concrete step toward first fruits giving. Before you pay a single bill, buy a single item, or make a single financial decision, set aside the first portion for God. It does not have to be a large amount to start. The point is the order, not just the amount. Put Him first and trust Him with the rest.

As you do, ask yourself these questions:

• When I look at how I handle money, does my spending and giving reflect that God is my provider, or does it reflect that I am trusting in my own ability to provide for myself?
• Is there an area of my finances where anxiety has more influence over my decisions than faith does?
• What would it look like for me to take one step toward greater generosity this month, not out of guilt, but out of trust in a Father who delights to care for His children?

God is not after your last dollar. He is after your first. And when you give Him that, you are not just making a financial decision. You are making a declaration of faith that He is who He says He is, and that His kingdom is more secure than anything else you possess.