Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site.
The exiles reach Jerusalem. The first recorded act of their family heads is to give — freely, for a building that does not yet stand. Two questions follow. How could they come to "the house of the LORD" when the temple lay in ruins? And what makes a gift acceptable when the givers are poor?
A House That Was Still There
The wording is careful. It does not say they came to the ruins. One writer asks the obvious question:
Michael HardtIt is beautiful to read in verse 68 that "they came to the house of God." What house, one might ask. The temple had been burnt many years ago and nothing had been rebuilt. But they had come to the right place, and in God's eyes this is where His house has to be and is.
So the site itself held God's claim. The gift is for raising the house "on its site" — God had fixed the place before anyone laid a stone. Another writer notes why the exiles went straight there:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThey must have gone at once to the ruins of the former temple, because that was the spot they loved. It is significant that although it was leveled to the ground, it still existed in the mind of God, and also in the thoughts of the people.
The Ruin That Opened Their Hands
The same wording tells us what moved the givers. What they saw when they arrived opened their hands:
Edward DennettIt seems God used the ruined state of His sanctuary to touch the hearts of these heads of families. When they came to the LORD's house, they saw its condition. The sight moved them, and they "made freewill offerings" out of what they owned. The Spirit of God is careful to note, putting His approval on the act, that "according to their ability they gave." In this they are examples for all time to those of the Lord's people who have the privilege of serving the Lord.
Note the order: they looked, the sight moved them, they gave. No one appealed to them for money.
Free Giving, Never Pressure
The verse calls these gifts freewill offerings. One writer shows what that word rules out:
Edward DennettThe principles in these statements apply to every age. The apostle Paul enforces the same when he says, "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7)... So it matters more than anything to remember this: everything offered to God must come from hearts made willing by His Spirit. It must be spontaneous. It must not come from persuasion or outside pressure, but from the heart. The church of God would be in a very different state today if it had remembered this. What has caused more ruin than the many worldly schemes for raising money?
Small Gifts, Weighed by the One Who Owns Everything
Their total looks large on its own. Set beside Solomon's day, it was small:
H. L. RossierIn verses 68 and 69 we find a second mark of these returned people: zeal for the building of the house of God. This is the devotion that sacrifices its own interests for the work of the Lord. The heads of families give a sum of their own free will... This was very little compared with what the heads of families had once given for building Solomon's temple (1 Chr. 29:6-9). But in a time of extreme poverty this gift had great value in the eyes of the Lord of the temple. He owns all the treasures of the universe, and He valued the gift by the zeal that moved them to offer it. In the same way He later valued the widow's two small coins more than the surplus of the rich.
The Standard: Ability, Not a Fixed Rate
The text does not say they tithed. It says they gave in proportion to what they had. That measure is what carries over:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThey were faithful in their giving, not according to the Law, the tenth part, but according to their ability. And in the New Testament the rule for the Church as to giving is stated in 1 Cor. 16:2, "On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper."
Summary
- Sight. They came to "the house of the LORD" when there was no house to see. God still counted the place as His, and so did they.
- Stirred. The ruin itself did the persuading. God used the state of His sanctuary to touch their hearts, and no one had to ask.
- Spontaneous. The offering was free. Gifts to God must come from willing hearts, never from persuasion, pressure, or money-raising schemes.
- Small. Their total was tiny next to Solomon's day, yet God prized it. The Owner of everything weighs the zeal behind a gift, as with the widow's two small coins.
- Standard. Not a fixed tenth but "according to their ability." The New Testament keeps the same measure: each gives as he prospers.