When someone offers you something for free you usually take it, right? More than that, we count it as a blessing. We silently speak to ourselves and say:
“Abba must really like me to grant me this kind of favor. Look at me, such a wonderful child of God!”
But is it always a blessing? What if you are pivoting into a curse?
You say, “How is this?”
Well, first we need to know what our provision is actually for. Spoiler: not you.
In the 23rd chapter of Genesis, we see Abraham is offered a burial site for his wife at no cost. He was seen as a prince of God among them and they were willing to give him the place for free:
Genesis 23:1 Sarah lived to be 127 years old; these were the years of Sarah’s life. 2 Sarah died in Kiryat-Arba, also known as Hevron, in the land of Kena‘an; and Avraham came to mourn Sarah and weep for her. 3 Then he got up from his dead one and said to the sons of Het, 4 “I am a foreigner living as an alien with you; let me have a burial site with you, so that I can bury my dead wife.” 5 The sons of Het answered Avraham, 6 “Listen to us, my lord. You are a prince of God among us, so choose any of our tombs to bury your dead — not one of us would refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”
Offer made.
What would you say if this happened to you?
“Oh, Abba! Thank you for your generous blessing upon my life in this difficult hour. You knew my circumstances and how this move would bless me. You even have the unbelievers of the earth bending their knee in obedience to Your will. Yes, you control everything and this is the proof. I am obviously blessed!”
Did Abraham really need to be “blessed” during this time of burying his wife? Or did he need to honor his wife?
Here is how he responded to their offer:
Genesis 23:7 Avraham got up, bowed before the people of the land, the sons of Het, 8 and spoke with them. “If it is your desire to help me bury my dead, then listen to me: ask ‘Efron the son of Tzochar 9 to give me the cave of Makhpelah, which he owns, the one at the end of his field. He should sell it to me in your presence at its full value; then I will have a burial site of my own.”
This wasn’t false humility on Abraham’s part. He wasn’t playing a pity card like we all love to do. If it were us, we’d play it like this to save face and seem like a lowly humble recipient of what it is we want:
“Oh, no…I appreciate you making that offer but seriously, I’d like for you to take something from me during my time of mourning…<weep, weep>...No, it isn’t heatless on your part. Seriously, I’m grieving but I really want to make sure you get what’s fair…<weep, weep>...I just hope I can continue to pay my bills…now how much do you want?...<weep, weep>...”
I know, this is a bit extreme. I mean, you would never behave this way, right? Moving on…
Efron the Hittite then responded to Abraham:
Genesis 23:10 ‘Efron the Hitti was sitting among the sons of Het, and he gave Avraham his answer in the presence of the sons of Het who belonged to the ruling council of the city: 11 “No, my lord, listen to me: I’m giving you the field, with its cave — I’m giving it to you. In the presence of my people I give it to you.”
A second offer to just take what Abraham wanted for his wife, and he rejected it:
Genesis 23:12 Avraham bowed before the people of the land 13 and spoke to ‘Efron in their hearing: “Please be good enough to listen to me. I will pay the price of the field; accept it from me, and I will bury my dead there.”
After some more back and forth, Abraham finally gave up 400 shekels of silver for the burial tomb for his beloved wife.
He wasn’t going to bury his wife in the wake of a “good deal”. He honored her so much more than that.
We see a similar thing happen with David:
2 Samuel 24:18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go, set up an altar to YHVH on the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Y’vusi.” 19 David went up and did what Gad had said, as YHVH had ordered. 20 Aravnah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. Aravnah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Then Aravnah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy your threshing-floor, in order to build an altar to YHVH, so that the plague will be lifted from the people.” 22 Aravnah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up anything that seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering; you can use the threshing-sledges and the yokes for the oxen as firewood. 23 All this, O king, Aravnah gives to the king.” Then Aravnah said to the king, “May YHVH your God accept you.”
24 But the king said to Aravnah, “No; I insist on buying it from you at a price. I refuse to offer to YHVH my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for one-and-a-quarter pounds of silver shekels. 25 Then David built an altar to YHVH there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, YHVH took pity on the land and lifted the plague from Isra’el.
David knew what he was doing. He wasn’t going to accept a good deal for something like this. He honored Abba so much more than that.
So what did Abraham and David know that we apparently don’t?
Why wouldn’t they see these offers of land and a threshing floor at no cost as a blessing?
They knew that part of them must be given up for the eternal. There is no way they’d cut corners when setting up their treasure in heaven.
Does that mean that Abba is not responsible for the blessing we call a discount?
No, He may very well be behind that. Abba giving us free or discounted stuff that is going to ultimately rot and disintegrate could, in fact, be interpreted as a blessing.
He may orchestrate some things so that we don’t have to pay full price for crap that will fade away. This is so we can hold onto more of our resources to purchase things that have eternal value.
But do we? No, not usually.
We likely keep hunting for more stuff that will get eaten up by moths and rust.
But eternal things…those you should never seek at a discount. In fact, you should pay even more if you can.
Why?
Because that’s the proof that you understand what really matters. It also proves you understand how life actually works. Read the parables and you will learn this lesson quickly.
What is our problem?
For some reason, we have no trouble paying for Netflix or spending $60 on a board game or $80 on a bottle of alcohol. But those things that bring eternal value, we seek for free.
We’ll hunt the internet for a free (well, pirated) copy of a $40 Biblical teaching that could revolutionize our life, but we’ll throw money out the window if it brings us pleasure on this side of Eternity.
Our view of how things actually work is so grossly skewed.
We find so much value in those things that fade away. So much so that we keep on buying it. It’s almost as if this world is set up to drain you of everything so you have nothing stored up in the Age to Come.
And you fell for it. And you keep falling for it.
And you love it.
Not having an accurate view of His Kingdom has led you to follow after the kingdom of this world.
Suppose the Messiah showed up at your door and gave you a debit card with funds that got replenished as you responsibly dispersed them.
Did you feel it? Can you still see the picture that flashed in your mind upon hearing that?
If you’re like me, you're likely relieved that you will be fine the rest of your days. I’m justified in using these funds for my actual living expenses, right? If that’s true, I’ll be taken care of and as a result I can administer His account in a responsible manner. I’ll be a great steward of the King and become a great servant to everyone He puts in my path.
But I’m deceived.
I believe I can funnel His resources into the earth to win souls for the Kingdom. Because I’m taken care of, I can turn my attention to everyone else and He will keep refilling my account. A willing vessel, right?
But what has this cost me?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Here’s where it gets uncomfortable. He wants me to take my own debit card and do the exact same thing.
Did you feel that? Different feeling, huh? Different picture in your mind also, I bet.
But there shouldn’t be. After all, your own account is His provision anyway, right? Based on the words that come from your mouth, it’s His account, right?
“Uh, yeah, but I have expenses. I need to pay for my Netflix subscription so I can recharge to more of His work. I need that new game to build community. I need to add that bottle to my collection so we can all celebrate His Majesty on a regular basis. So right now, I really don’t have much discretionary income because my lifestyle and wants have grown so great. But don’t worry, I’m getting a raise soon. And then…then…”
When we take the provision Abba has given us for eternal things and blow it on the temporal, we are single-handedly converting a blessing into a curse.
So, do you still love free stuff?
Adopt for yourself the perspective that rested upon both Abraham and David.
Do not, do not, do not offer that which costs you nothing. Give it up on this very short side of eternity so you won’t have to give it up forever on the other side.
You get one shot at this life. Don’t squander it on the things that pull you away from your Creator.