[DAB]

"they have their reward" - yes, they have the approval of men. but not of God.

in those days, they only had coins, so they were commonly kept in a little bag, cloth or leather, closed with a string, and often tied to your belt, so you'd have your hands free.

"don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"

a generous man, upon seeing a need, would reach into his bag of coins, pull out as much as his hand could grasp, and give that sum to the needy. he didn't count it out from one hand to the other to determine the sum given - he didn't let his left hand (the hand he would count into) know what his right hand was doing (grabbing what it could hold).

yes, i'm bothered too by these people that have to let everyone else know that they have donated a certain sum to some cause, and now we all know about it. go do your good works in private.

Proverbs 27:2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.

be far more concerned with how God thinks of you than how man (any man) thinks of you.

you are not alone.