Throughout my short life, I have seen many exchanges of gifts between world leaders.
Some between kings and some between kings and the president.
Recently, while visiting other countries, President Trump was greeted with grand pageantry.
Even today, when I visit a church, I always bring a gift from our church!
In the Bible, bringing gifts to a king is a common tradition used to show respect, request favor, or pay tribute.
Magi (Wise Men), presented Jesus with extravagant treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh
Prov 18:16 16 Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! NLT
The Question that I ask is, why would the King of Kings ask us to give to Him?
Remember this: Giving requires a response from a King!
1 Kings 10:1-10, 13 10 When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, which brought honor to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. 3 Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, 5 she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord. 6 She exclaimed to the king, "Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! 7 I didn't believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. 8 How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! 9 Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness." 10 Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land. NLT
The First thing that comes to mind: Solomon gave Sheba whatever she asked for
Matt 7:9-11 9 "You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. NLT
If you notice, when Queen Sheba gave to Solomon, He gave more back!
For King Solomon to allow her to out-give him would imply that her kingdom was wealthier and more excellent than his.
A king's honor requires him to overwhelm the giver with a greater return.
Solomon as King is a picture of God and His goodness as the King, and it is His honor to give back in a greater return!
Luke 6:38 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." NLT
I hear people make comments about the Prosperity Gospel, that’s better than the Poverty gospel.
1. Confidence in Giving: A good king will always take care of his people
1 Kings 10:5, 8 5 she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the Lord 8 How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom!
Jesus is a good King over His Kingdom; He will never allow you to out give Him!
2. The Biblical Law of Giving (vv. 6–7)
2 Cor 9:6-7 6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." NLT
What can we learn from this passage?
1. Giving (planting) is an investment, not a loss.
A farmer does not throw away seed; they plant it expecting a harvest.
If we hold onto our resources out of fear, we limit our potential harvest.
2. It must be from the right heart.
When it comes to giving, God cares more about the why than the how much.
Reluctantly: Giving with regret or sorrow. Under Pressure: Giving to satisfy external guilt or human expectations. Cheerfully: The Greek word is hilaros (hilarious, joyful). True giving is marked by freedom and joy.
3. Our Assurance in Giving: A good king will always take care of his people (v 8)
Paul uses absolute terms here: all grace, always, all that you need, abounding in every good work. You cannot out-give God.
2 Cor 9:8-11 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, "They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever." 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. NLT
I think we should give to the poor, but we should also teach them how to be a giver, or they will stay in poverty! (teach a man to fish)
4. The Purpose of Abundance (Prosperity) (vv. 8–11)
God supplies "seed to the sower." But the sower must know how to plant
Increased wealth is not given to raise our standard of living, but to raise our standard of giving.
You are enriched for the purpose of being generous.
Being prosperous doesn’t make you more spiritual, but it does make you more generous!
He will get it to you if He can get it through you!
5. The Results of your giving reveal God's Goodness (vv. 12–15)
2 Cor 9:12-15 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! NLT 6. God’s Gift to us (v. 15)
The King's gift of grace unlocks your harvest, but you must make the choice to plant. Approach His throne with a gift that reflects His worth, your trust, and a heart full of hilarious joy.
Every time your income comes in, you face a royal decision. What do you decide in your heart to bring to the King?
Mal 3:10-12 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. 12 "Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. NLT
7. Two reasons why giving doesn’t work for some people
Wrong Heart
Wrong soil (supporting idleness, enabler)
2 Thess 3:6-15 6 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they received from us. 7 For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. 10 Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat." 11 Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business. 12 We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. 13 As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 14 Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. 15 Don't think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister. NLT
"Enabling" vs. "Helping"
The Text: Paul states that those unwilling to work should not eat.
Modern Application: Stop shielding people from the natural consequences of their choices. Real help empowers growth, while enabling fosters permanent dependency.
Tough Love "Staying Away" (v14)
The Text: Believers are told to socially distance themselves so the idle person feels healthy shame.
Modern Application: Create physical, emotional, or financial boundaries. This is not "ghosting" to punish them; it is stepping back to protect your peace and force them to self-reflect.
