Think about something that you own. Maybe it’s your car, your house, or even your iPhone. Because you own it, you get to decide what it’s used for, what its purpose is, and what happens to it.
The foundation of stewardship is ownership: What you own belongs to God. You might think you’re the owner—but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, everything you have is on loan from God. It’s all his. He’s entrusted you with it to manage it for him. Because it’s his, God gets to make the calls about how it should be used, and he did so in his Word.
Maybe this is a new concept for you. It’s easy to just talk about stewardship, but where is it in the Bible? You can find it in didactic (teaching) verses and in the examples of Bible characters who practiced wise stewardship. Let’s follow the thread of stewardship in the Old Testament.
Adam and Eve: Stewards in Paradise
In Genesis, God set Adam and Eve over paradise as stewards of what he had created. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” The garden was God’s, but Adam took care of it for God’s glory. Contrary to what you might think, work is not part of the curse, but it existed in paradise. God has given you your job to steward faithfully.
Abraham: Father of a Nation
Abraham stewarded God’s promise to make a great nation from his descendants even though he was childless (Romans 4:20-21). He didn’t have Isaac (the child God promised) until he was 100 years old. Even when God commanded that Abraham offer Issac on the altar as a test of faith, Abraham obeyed—that is, until God intervened at the last second and provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice. Trusting God’s promise that he would father many nations, Abraham also taught God’s truths to Issac to be passed down to succeeding generations (Genesis 18:19).
Jacob: From Deceiver to Deceived
Jacob, Issac’s son, was known as the deceiver. He tricked others most of his life to get what he wanted (Genesis 25:29-34; 27:1-38). But God did a work in him, and he scrupulously stewarded Laban’s flocks and herds even though Laban deceived him multiple times and changed his wages ten times (Genesis 31:7, 41). If any of Laban’s animals were lost or destroyed, Jacob replaced them out of his own (Genesis 31:39). As a result, God blessed Jacob with a fortune, changed his name to Israel, and led him back to Canaan. He birthed a great nation, and his twelve sons founded the twelve tribes of Israel.
Joseph: God-Given Management Skills
Joseph’s story is one you’re probably familiar with. He was a literal steward of Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:1-6). He managed everything—and then did the same for the prison he was unjustly thrown into (Genesis 39:19-23). If that wasn’t enough, he ended up being elevated to second in command to Pharoah over the entire Egyptian empire. As a result of his management skills, entire nations—including the future nation of Israel—were saved from perishing in a disastrous famine.
The Chosen People: The Law of Moses
In Leviticus, the people of Israel were stewards of the law of Moses. God gave them the law after he led them out of captivity in Egypt (Ex. 19-20). But they didn’t know how to walk with God or live this new life of freedom, so the law laid out how the people were to live and manage what God had given them. Tithing was one of these instructions. This meant that 10% of their crops, herds, and produce were set apart as holy to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30). The purpose of the tithe was to keep the Israelites focused on God and dependent on him as the source of all they had. Even today, the discipline of tithing spiritually trains us to follow God wherever he leads.
Rebellious Israel: Stewards in Exile
Although God gave the Israelites the law and instructions about how to follow him, they repeatedly rebelled against him. They didn’t steward well what he had given, and they used sacrifices meant for him to worship idols. So God sent prophets and judges to warn them of coming judgment. They’d repent for a time, but always lapse back into their sinful ways. The cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, and redemption continued—until God said, “Enough!” and exiled them to Babylon. But God in his mercy didn’t stop speaking. In Babylon, through the prophet Jeremiah, he commanded the exiles to build houses, plant vineyards, bear children, and thrive where he had called them to be. This is stewardship. They were to glorify him by being good stewards even in a foreign land. And God eventually brought back a remnant to Israel to rebuild the land and the temple.
Conclusion
Stewardship is managing the resources God has given you and using them for his glory. These are just a few examples of stewardship. There are many more woven in the Old Testament and throughout Scripture to remind us that the Lord will hold each of us accountable for how we stewarded our lives. Romans 14:10 says, “Each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” How are you stewarding yours?
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