According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests' garments.
The long list of returning exiles ends with money. Leading families reach a burnt-out temple site and hand over gold, silver and priests' garments — a sum far smaller than Israel once gave, and measured only by "their ability."
Free giving as a sign of real revival
One writer counts this gift among the marks that the return was genuine:
Michael HardtAnd when they got there, "they offered freely." This is another feature of this revival. There is a genuine interest in the things of God, in His work. And we read that "they gave according to their ability."
What they saw when they arrived
The text says they came to "the house of the LORD," though no house was standing. That wording explains what moved them to give:
Edward DennettNotice the form of the statement: "When they came to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem." It shows that the house still existed before the eye of God, whatever its outward condition, and even though it had been torn to the ground. So although three different temple buildings stood up to the time of the Lord, it was always the same house in the mind of God… God seems to have used the ruin of His sanctuary to touch the hearts of these leading men. When they came to the LORD's house and saw its condition, it moved them, and they "offered freely" of what they owned. The Spirit of God is careful to note it, setting His seal of approval on the act: "they gave according to their ability."
The measure is ability, not a set fraction
No law fixes the amount. The standard is what each person has, and one commentator carries it straight into Christian practice:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThey were faithful in their giving — not according to the Law, the tenth part, but according to their ability. And the New Testament states the rule for the Church about giving in 1 Corinthians 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."
A small sum, highly valued
Measured against Israel's past, the total is thin. Measured against the givers' poverty, it is large — and God measures it the second way:
H. L. RossierIn verses 68 and 69 we find a second mark of these returned exiles: zeal for the building of the house of God. It is the devotion that sacrifices its own interests for the work of the Lord. The leading fathers willingly give a sum worth about two and a half million francs. This was little indeed compared with what the leading fathers had once offered for the building of 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 this gift by the zeal that prompted them to offer it. In the same way He later valued the widow's small coins above the surplus of the rich.
Readiness is what makes a gift a gift
Ability sets the amount, so the willing heart becomes the real measure:
William KellyGrace refuses all compulsion, but it values, encourages and directs readiness of mind: without this, what is giving worth? Is the gift acceptable? Or the giver? But if the readiness is there, a person is accepted according to what he has, not according to what he does not have. Sentiment disappears; reality takes its place.
Summary
- Sight. These leaders arrived at ruins that God still called His house. Seeing it opened their hands.
- Freedom. No one forced the gift. A real interest in the things of God shows up in His work.
- Measure. They gave by ability, not by a legal tenth. The New Testament sets the same rule: each one lays aside as he prospers.
- Heart. Without a willing mind, giving is worth nothing. With it, a person is accepted by what he has, not by what he lacks.
- Value. The gift was tiny beside Solomon's day. Still, the Owner of all treasure prized it, as He prized the widow's small coins above the surplus of the rich.