“Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble. “And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?” Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.”
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1 Chronicles‬ ‭29‬:‭1‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT

The book of Proverbs, largely written by Solomon, notes that those who give generously will prosper. Perhaps it was this event that Solomon had in mind when he spoke about giving. If the love of money, to one’s own benefit, is the root of all kinds of evil, then surely the love of giving self-sacrificially is the root of all kinds of good. Who of those goods are expressed in this chapter? The first is the idea that free and sacrificial giving, done with love and joy, brings others into unity with you. This was clearly the experience with David. It was also clear that people gave, not out of obligation or coercion, but out of inspiration. David was a leader in the generosity of heart, and it moved people to be the same. In this way, it doesn’t matter if you are a prince or pauper; a generous heart is a communicable attribute. It is infectious in the best ways. If we want others to give, we ought to not just be generous, but be known for being generous. Second is the outcome of that generosity. In fulfillment of Solomon’s proverb, David’s relationship with money wasn’t personal. It was transactional. David bought joy with his money. When we give our possessions generously, there is a generous return. David’s spirit was lifted. When we do the same, our will be too. It is not the reason we should give, but it is an aspect that we often forget when we have money. We forget that money given freely, blossoms our own character while cultivating a fruit of the spirit. Give freely and generously.

Benefit of Generosity: Generous giving, motivated by love and joy, fosters unity and inspires others to give.

Impact of Generosity: Generous giving brings about a positive change in the giver, lifting their spirit and cultivating a generous character.

Generosity as Leadership: David’s generosity inspired others to be generous, demonstrating that generosity is contagious and can influence those around us.