Stinginess(parsimony)
Summary
The vice of withholding resources from God and others, condemned in Scripture as contrary to the generous character God desires in His people.
☩Stinginess Toward God
The prophets Haggai and Malachi confronted Israel's stinginess toward God. The people lived in paneled houses while God's temple lay in ruins. They brought blemished offerings while keeping the best for themselves. God declared through Malachi, 'Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me in tithes and offerings.' Such parsimony brought divine judgment rather than blessing.
☩Misguided Frugality
When a woman anointed Jesus with costly perfume, some disciples criticized the 'waste,' suggesting the money could have been given to the poor. Jesus rebuked this attitude, noting that she had done a beautiful thing in preparing him for burial. True generosity discerns appropriate occasions for lavish giving rather than calculating everything by monetary value alone.
