The Value of Giving

Thinking God’sWay, Lesson 7

Thinking God’sWay is a series of Bible studies that help believers meditate on theWord of God for the purpose of Christian growth. Each lesson features a verseof Scripture in English and the original language (whether Hebrew or Greek). Italso provides basic background information, followed by basic word definitionsand other key insights. Each lesson concludes with some questions formeditation and for applying the truth to life.

InitialThoughts

The principleof cause of effect permeates your life. You say or do one thing, then anotherthing happens as a result. Among other things, this principle applies to theway that you handle your material resources – your money and more. This verseteaches the value of giving of your resources to others beyond yourself,focusing special attention on both the degree and the result of your giving.

Key Verse: Luke6:38

In English(NKJV)

Give, and itwill be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and runningover will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, itwill be measured back to you.

In Greek

διδοτε καιδοθησεται υμιν μετρον καλον πεπιεσμενον και σεσαλευμενον και υπερεκχυνομενονδωσουσιν εις τον κολπον υμων τω γαρ αυτω μετρω ω μετρειτε αντιμετρηθησεται υμιν

English andGreek Together

Give, and itwill be given to you (διδοτε και δοθησεται υμιν): good measure (μετρον καλον),pressed down (πεπιεσμενον), shaken together (σεσαλευμενον), and running over (υπερεκχυνομενον)will be put into your bosom (δωσουσιν εις τον κολπον υμων). For with the samemeasure (τω γαρ αυτω μετρω) that you use (ω μετρειτε), it will be measured backto you (αντιμετρηθησεται υμιν).

BackgroundInformation

This statementappears at the end of the New Testament (NT) book of Luke, which records thelife, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ. This particular sectionrecords what Jesus taught in his famous “Sermon on the Mount,” which explainsthe way that God’s children should live as members of his kingdom.

The subsection,Luke 6:27-38 teach a series of principles that contradict our normal, logicalway of thinking. In fact, these principles only make sense if there is asovereign God who is reigning over all things and will intervene to ensure thatthe promised outcomes will come to pass.

Keywords andtheir Meanings

Mounce’sComplete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006) together with an interlinearBible, like The NKJV Greek English Interlinear New Testament (ThomasNelson, 1994) is an excellent way to get accurate definitions for your Biblestudy based upon Greek and Hebrew meanings.

• Give(δίδωμι): “to bestow, present, supply, distribute.” This is a broadword that may occur as an expression of generosity to or devotion towardswhomever is receiving your gift or donation. This word appears three times in thisverse. The first, διδοτε, means “[you] give” and is a command that we shouldfollow in the present. The second, δοθησεται, means “it will be given” anddescribes what happens to you when you follow the command in the future. Thethird, δωσουσιν, means “it will be put (or given)” also describes what willhappen to you in the future when you follow the command.

• Measure(μέτρον): “standard, extent; allotted measure, specific portion.” Thisword refers to units of measurement, such as an inch or a foot, a cup or agallon, a milliliter or a liter, etc. It appears four times in this verse. Thefirst and second instances are the nouns, measure. The third instance(“you use” [or “you measure with”]) is a verb that describes the act of youmeasuring something out to other people. The fourth instance (“it will bemeasured back”) is also a verb, but it describes what people measure out toyou, specifically meaning “to pay back, to repay, to measure in return.”

• Good(καλός): this is a broad word which in this case means somethinglike “just, or full.” It describes a good, appropriate, and even generousmeasurement, not a stingy one.

• Presseddown (πιέζω): “to press, to press or squeeze down,make compact by pressure.”

• Shakentogether (σαλεύω): “to shake”

• Runningover (ὑπερεκχύννω): “to be pouring over abovemeasure or in excess.” This word describes something that is overflowing.

• Bosom(κόλπος): as in “the bosom of a garment,” referring to the pocketsor folds of a robe that is gathered up to serve as a carrying bag.

• Same(αὑτός): this is a flexible word that is functioning in a reflexiveway here, meaning “the same.” It connects and compares the immediate subject oraction with a previous one and describes both as having similar qualities.

Other KeyInsights

This versedescribes a common experience in a first-century, Jewish marketplace. In theseinstances, a buyer would visit the market with items or commodities to trade inexchange for other items or commodities. He might trade a basket or rice for abasket of wheat, for instance, or two bushels of goat milk for three bushels ofpomegranates. These transactions required careful measurements using well-tunedscales and other means for measuring the weight and size of the items beingexchanged. In this scenario, a stingy seller should not expect a generousreturn for his wares.

The words “[you]give” and “you use” (or “give”) do not merely describe one-time or isolatedmoments in your life. Instead, they occur in the present tense (whichconveys linear or progressive motion), so they describe a pattern of behaviorand a regular approach to life.

Questions forMeditation and Reflection

What resourcescan God’s children give to others?

Money,clothing, food, excess supplies, time, and more. We should even thinkcreatively about other ways to give, such as gifting our frequent flyer milesor credit card points to others.

Who are the“others” to whom God’s children should give?

This verse isvague and refers generally to others who we assume have needs which we canmeet. 1 Tim 5:8 and Gal 6:10 are especially helpful because they teach a basicparadigm or order of priority for our giving. We should first give to those towhom we are obligated in our family, then to our spiritual family (esp. your church),and then – last of all – to people in the community at large. To study this conceptin a more in-depth way, clickhere.

What happens asa result of you giving to others?

You receive just as much, if not more, inreturn.

Which happensfirst? You giving to others, or others giving to you?

God expects youto give first. This entails giving because you see a need, not giving becausesomething did something nice to you first. In other words, this is givingthat’s based out of love and concern, not based out of returning a mutualfavor.

What is thesignificance of the fourfold description “good measure, pressed down, shakentogether, and running over?”

This describesa generous return. As when people traded grain in the market, for instance, itdescribes the seller pouring grain into your basket, but not in a skimpy orhurried way. It describes a generous approach, one that poured in the grainuntil the basket was full, then pushing it down to remove any air pockets, thenshaking it together so that all the “cracks” get filled in, then pouring inmore into the space created by all this activity – pouring more in until itpiles up high and the brim is spilling over onto the ground.

What happenswhen you give generously? What about when you give moderately? What aboutsparingly?

When you give generously, your receive agenerous return. When you give moderately, you receive a moderate return. Whenyou give sparingly, you receive a sparing return.

Who is the onethat “gives to you” and “measures it back” to you?

The one whogives to you and measures back to you is God. Though he may (and usually does)accomplish this through other people he brings into your life for this purpose,James 1:17 teaches that God is the source of every good gift.

A PersonalTranslation

Before youconsider how to apply this truth to your life by allowing it to change yourmindset and approach to life, write out a personal translation. Use what youhave learned  to write this verse in yourown words.

Questions forPersonal Application

Why do westruggle to give our resources to others, especially in a generous way?

Reasons mayinclude because we feel we don’t have much to give, we are selfish by nature,we have too many debts and financial pressures, we are materialistic and wantmore things for ourselves, we feel that someone else will do it, we think thatother people have more resources than us and should do more instead, etc.

In the weeksand months and year ahead, in what ways can or should you consider being moregenerous?

Meeting needsin your family, meeting needs in your church, meeting needs of other believers,and meeting needs in the community (in this order).

What resourcesshould you consider being more generous with?

Could refer toany of the things previously mentioned in the Meditation and Reflectionsection.

When you giveof your resources to other people, should you expect them to return the favorto you someday? Why or why not?

No. We shouldnever give to meet a need, expecting someone else to give back an equal amount,etc. People will often fail to give back to us what we’ve given to them, sothis expectation threatens the health of our relationships. If they let usdown, then our relationships will be weakened. If we give expecting nothing inreturn, then we are able to keep on having a good relationship with people.

Instead, weshould expect God to provide for us and to give back what we’ve given toothers. He may often find other ways and other people to be the channels ofgiving (or “measuring back” to you), and he will often surprise you with how hedoes this!

Why doesgenerosity require strong faith in God? Why does it feel risky on the frontend?

It feels riskyon the front end because you don’t know how God is going to return what you’regiving away, especially since the person or cause you’re giving towards isgenerally unable to be the source of “returning the favor.” That’s why itrequires strong faith in God. You must believe that God is sovereign, that herules over all, that he is really attentive and active in your life.

What does yourgenerosity (or lack thereof) show about your knowledge of God and yourrelationship with him?

It revealswhether or not you truly understand, comprehend, and depend upon the loving,giving, faithful, reliable, generous, creative, and powerful nature of God. Itreveals whether you know and believe what his Word teaches and what hispromises tell us.