Tuesday: Honor the Lord
The book of Proverbs is not so much about right and wrong as it is about wisdom and foolishness. As one reads through the book, one will see the benefits of wisdom and the pitfalls of foolishness.
Read Proverbs 3:1-10. What wonderful promises are given here? Also, what does “firstfruits of all your increase” mean?
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
God asks us to put Him first in the management of our possessions as an acknowledgment of His ownership of all things, and as a demonstration of our faith in Him to provide for us. But even more than this, He says that if we will put Him first, then He will bless what’s left. For us to do this — that is, to put Him first — is an act of faith, an act of trust, a manifestation of trusting in the Lord with all your heart and, indeed, not leaning on your own understanding (which is especially important, because so often things happen that we cannot understand and cannot make sense of).
Nothing, though, should spur us on more in trusting God and His love than does the cross. When you realize what each one of us has been given in Jesus, not just as our Creator (John 1:1-4) and our Sustainer (Hebrews 1:3), but also as our Redeemer (Revelation 5:9), returning to God the firstfruits of whatever we have is, indeed, the least we could do.
“Not only does the Lord claim the tithe as His own, but He tells us how it should be reserved for Him. He says, ‘Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase.’ This does not teach that we are to spend our means on ourselves, and bring to the Lord the remnant, even though it should be otherwise an honest tithe. Let God’s portion be first set apart.” — Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 81.
God says that if we put Him first, our “barns will be filled with plenty” (NKJV). Yet this is not going to happen by miracle; that is, you are not going to wake up one day and find your barns and vats suddenly full.
Instead, the Bible is filled with principles about good stewardship, careful planning, and financial responsibility, of which faithfulness to what God calls us to do is our first and foremost responsibility.
| How, though, do we learn to trust God and in His promises during hard financial times when, even while we are seeking to be faithful, the barns and vats are not full? |
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For the next week and a half, we are getting to the "hard push" part of these lessons to pay tithe to the church. It is what you would expect from an author who has spent most of his life as a financial officer of the church. And, since I also have white hair and have spent most of my life working for the church, allow me to say I have heard it all before. It is at this point that the discussion becomes almost legalistic and perhaps we should take a second look at what is at stake here.
My bird photography lens is broken and if I want to continue my bird photography I am going to have to shell out a couple of thousand dollars for a new lens. I don't have to take bird photographs. (I could sit in front of my computer and write Sabbath School Net comments all day instead.) But, I enjoy taking photographs and it gives me the opportunity to interact with other people and to educate the community about our environment. Not only is it enjoyable, it contributes to my health and it helps me to be useful in the community. So I don't hesitate to go and buy a new lens even though it costs a bit. I believe in what I am doing.
When it comes to paying tithe, we can think of it in legal terms if you like. But, isn't it better if you are enjoying your relationship with the church; you share common beliefs; you appreciate the interaction with others of like faith; you take ownership of a common mission, to contribute towards the cost of the effort? The key to good tithe paying is not the fulfillment of a legal contract between you and God, but rather, something you do with a glad heart because you enjoy it and are in it together.
The heart of tithe paying is the sense that we are doing something together; that we are looking after one another and that we have a common goal. If we get that bit right, then we won't need to talk about all the legal stuff.
Maurice Ashton, I agree with your comment on returning tithe:
It should not be a legal obligation, but rather a lifestyle.
Thank you and be blessed.
Tithing and offerings are a pooling of resources with God and like-minded believers to accomplish God’s will on this earth. God freely offers to partner with all of us to accomplish the gospel work he has given us to do. Just as he gave Adam and Eve a partnering work to do in his Garden of Delights (Eden) (see Genesis 2:15-17), so he has given the body of Christ—his church—a work to do on this earth, which is now the battlefield of the great controversy with the adversary.
Currently, there is a battle going on in the Ukraine between a remnant people determined to have the freedom to choose their destiny and a much more powerful adversary determined to impose on them his vision of the future. The future of the people of Ukraine is dependent on those in whom they are trusting. Just so, our future is dependent on the One in whom we are trusting because, of ourselves, we have no strength to oppose the imposition of our powerful adversary. Just as the people of Ukraine must use the resources provided by their benefactors, so we must wisely use the resources provided by our Benefactor in this struggle. The battle is the Lord’s, but we are called to play our part by using all he has provided, for his honour and glory.
This is one area most Adventists have failed (tithing). I have practised this faithfully and found that it's working. God is not a liar indeed. If we become honest with our first fruits sincerely, we shall never lack.
I believe we are already missing the point of tithes when we refer to "paying" tithe. "Paying" implies exchanging our goods/money for services rendered. It puts us in the driver's seat. Isn't that altogether backwards?
Through Malachi, God accused Israel of "robbery" because they had not brought the tithes to the storehouse. (See Malachi 3:8-9) You "rob" someone when you take what doesn't belong to you. The Lord claims the tithe as His from the get-go, and the 9/10 He leaves to our discretion to spend. But even of the 9/10, the faithful will bring offerings to the Lord in gratitude for all He has done.
By returning tithe, we acknowledge that all we have and are comes to us from the Lord through Christ and His death on the cross. The tithe is not even negotiable, and that's why many people will return (often seeing it as paying for blessings) tithe, while they neglect to bring offerings. And the lack of offerings has crippled the work of the church in this world.
It is my understanding that faithful Israelites returned fully 1/3 of their income to the Lord. Of course, originally Jehovah was their only king, and they did not have taxes to pay - and that was God's plan for them. Later, I suspect that the taxes they paid surpassed the discretionary offerings they used to give to the Lord.
Even now, people who have tried returning a double tithe - 1/10 as tithe and another 1/10 in various offerings - will testify that the Lord is faithful and you cannot outgive the Lord. I can say that we've done it for over 50 years, and much of the time, we were supposedly living in poverty, though we never felt it. We did not lack for anything. The Lord is faithful!
I'd love to read what others have experienced!
I have definitely experienced the faithfulness of the Lord.
There was a time, some years back, when I was reading about the Israelite economy and felt moved to return 25% to the Lord and not just 10%. It was a time when I was not earning as much, and I was on a contract from February to November. So, in October and November, I also had to put a small amount of money aside for December and January when no income would be coming in. But I still returned the 25%.
Not only did we not lack anything as a family, but the following year, I was given a contract which started paying in January with a 60% increase!!!
The money I now had, after returning the 25%, was more than the 100% I used to have in the previous year.
This is just one example of God’s faithfulness with regard to tithe and offering that I have experienced. There are many more.
I have been thinking about putting together a book filled with testimonies from people about the Lord's faithfulness when we return tithes and offerings.
Maybe this quarter's lesson is the propellant I need to get started.
Ah, thank you so much for your testimony! Yes, a book filled with testimonies would inspire many, I'm sure.
That said, I believe that the blessings we reap from tithing should not be the primary motivation. It's too much like a commercial exchange. Rather, we trust Him to supply our needs when we return our tithes to Him and support His work on this earth with our cheerful offerings.
Inge, thank you for bringing up this important distinction between paying and returning.
I think that you made a very important point when you say “we were supposedly living in poverty, though we never felt it”. Returning the tithe to God is a practice of faith and trust, and giving offerings is a practice of love and worship. When God becomes our pursuit, we don’t see what we’re supposedly missing by worldly standards; instead, we see and live the abundant life that only He can offer.
So I wonder if the promise of plenty is as much spiritual as material? When we are filled with Him, others may see lack, while we only see abundance.
My mind goes to the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. When his disciples urged him to eat (they hadn’t eaten all day and were hungry), Jesus replied, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” (John 4:30-32)
To the Samaritan woman he promised that “whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”
John 4:14
I was 27 when I got my first apartment. I had a part-time job that covered three weeks of expenses if I returned a faithful tithe and offering. It would cover everything if I didn't. I prayed the first day I moved in and committed myself to returning a faithful tithe and offering. That was on a Sunday afternoon. Three days later I received a call to interview for a better paying job. They hired me the following day. God provided me with enough income to cover all of my expenses and return what belonged to him within three days after I promised to be faithful to what He wanted me to do.
This may be a bit outside the box .... I'm just thinking that in a way, Adam was the first person to demonstrate this principle of giving God firstfruits. Actually, God demonstrated this for us through Adam.
In Genesis 1 there is a pattern where God says "Let there be" and then the thing appears and it is "good" and "very good". But then in Gen. 2:18, God says "It is not good". What was not good? It was not good for man to be alone, that he should not have a helper. So we might expect the next verses to be about how God fixed this need right away. But He didn't. In this perfect world, where no sin had yet entered, God let something remain "not good" for a while. Why?
If this story is written in a chronological way, what happens next in Gen. 2:19-20 is that Adam has a job to do in the garden naming the animals. And as Adam names the animals, he, too, becomes aware that he has a need. He has a need and he doesn't even know what to ask for or what to give God as his part in fulfilling this need. At this point, Adam doesn't even know what he needs. He sees pairs of animals but he has never seen a woman.
God causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and God takes/receives His first offering from mankind - God takes one of Adam's ribs. The firstfruits of Adam's body. And God also brought her to Adam; Adam didn't need to go find her. So Adam gave to God, in his sleep, when he wasn't even aware of it, and in return Adam received from God so much more than he gave. God gave Adam back a perfect life partner, a soul mate, personally delivered! What is Adam's reaction? She’s pleasing to Adam because he sees a reflection of himself in her (Gen. 2:23), such that their union is like the union of two halves of a single body.
Christ, the second Adam, also gave His body for His bride. As the first Adam gave a rib, Jesus also has a deep wound mark in His side (Jn. 20:20,27). As God breathed into the first man, so Christ also breathed the Holy Spirit into His disciples (Jn. 20:22). As Eve was brought to Adam, we have been brought to Christ (Eph. 2:13). And likewise, we allow the Holy Spirit to bring others to Christ through us and the resources we offer. And what is Christ's reaction? He is pleased with His bride! (Is. 62:4-5; Rev. 21:2-5).
How meaningful that in the evening/morning pattern of Genesis, we learn that our day, too, begins with a night of sleep. God is so merciful that He heals and restores our bodies with the firstfruits of the day. He is always acting on our behalf, filling all needs where there is no resistance. All we need to do is submit to resting in Him, and let Him take anything from us that He wants. He always gives us back something so much better!
For many years I did payrolls in Germany, whereby church tax is deducted automatically, being 8-9% (depending on the federal state) of the income tax, which is actually minimal compared to the biblical tithing. Some leave the church, claiming the church gives them no benefit; and this way, they could save the money for better purposes.
Why I’m mentioning this is just to point out the difference of giving tithe freely or legalistically.
The question is about: By tithing, am I moving from a sense of duty to a sense of delight, experiencing God’s grace? Am I free from defining my life in terms of what I own, rather than who owns me? My answer is yes.
Another subject involved here is what Maurice mentioned about our relationship to our church. This is also highlighted in Matt. 23:23.
Jesus always focused His attention on inward attitudes, and that’s what Christianity is about.
My reaction to material things is a measure of my faith. If I am all focused in the material, I reap what the material is subjected to, which feeds a false sense of security, an insatiable desire for more, satisfaction that never fills in, value on the outward of things, difficulty for sharing, loss of inner peace. Once I realize that nothing is really mine, instead I receive talents to administer, the weight of responsibility changes. Not that I become irresponsible, but I don't fear losing anymore. Practicing conscientiously tithing and offering is a blessing, not only to build a money detachment sense, but to consolidate the total dependence on a superior mind that loves us, God.
The title implies that this lesson is about honoring the Lord and how it manifests in our life. I think that identifying the Old Covenant’s law of ‘tithing’ as an example of receiving material blessings from God is limiting ‘giving and sharing’ to material ‘wealth’. I understand God, through changing our heart and mind, using ‘giving’ as a forming agent to demonstrate to us His abundant mercy and grace.
How do we honor Him and put Him first for giving us true life? As the lesson writer states: “to trust in the Lord with all your heart and, indeed, not leaning on your own understanding”. We know from Scripture that the earth and all that is in it belongs to the Lord. We ought to honor God for all He has done with all that we do – Psalm 104:24; 1 Cor. 10:26.
A generous heart governed by the Holy Spirit shares not only material things, but most importantly, God’s spirit of love which is imparted through generous, selfless sharing, caring, giving, and living. Becoming aware of any need arising, be they physical, spiritual, or material, it is then that we share the ‘first-fruit’ of our ‘spiritual increase’ – God’s love - in the form it is needful. Rom.12:1.
What does it mean to honour the Lord and why is it so vital? Today's lesson correctly outlines that the blessings that come from putting God first are not brought about by "miracle(s)", but by the outworking of "principles" that make up God's Kingdom.
It can be easy to overlook that within the way of life that is God's Kingdom, everything is done from a heart-desire to authentically benefit others. When you live this way, you are in harmony with God who is also other-benefiting and therefore also in harmony with the principles that alone foster and maintain true life. These principles are genuinely “immutable” – not able to be changed – because apart from these principles, true life is not actually possible. This is the 'big picture' context in which being in harmony with the other-benefiting principles of stewardship, careful planning, financial responsibility, and so on make very practical sense. Consequently, honouring the Lord is ‘simply’ the reality of our freewill choice to habitually live in harmony with the God who alone is the Source of Life (Isaiah 44:8) and whose Way/s alone foster true life (hence Proverbs 8:36).
Proverbs 8:36 is very interesting. First we are injured because we "fail" to find God. Then this leads us to "hate" God, which is equivalent to "loving death." When I started to make sure that I always return the 10% of my profits to God's work, I have never lacked anything at all money-wise, and God has truly "opened His windows" to me in ways that I never thought would ever come my way.
Putting God first: Is it a legalistic command, or a guiding factor in setting us on the right path of a relationship and partnership with God?
As it relates to tithe, for many years, even though we paid tithe and offerings, it was not "first" in our rather haphazard financial planning. Sometimes it was forgotten for two, three, or more months, then the total amount to give seemed like an awful lot to turn over to the church. Maybe wait till tax refunds come in, then pay it off.
Ah, yes, it was not the blessed, relationship "giving" that God intended it to be. Yet, I don't think we were unique in this.
Now, the first of every month, no matter what bills are on the table, the tithe and offerings are set apart. It is no longer a "can we afford this?"; it is committing what God has given us, into His care, first, trusting the bills will get paid. And also, making God first in this enables and improves the organization of the rest of the managing of monetary possessions. Everything improves!
And yes, like many others here have testified, the blessings are real. God and I are partners -- what an awesome privilege!!
The condition is, if we pay an honest tithe and offering, God will bless us by increasing what we have left. The lesson says that tithing is an act of faith. We give him our first fruits. If you don’t have much, God understands your situation. He has already prepared and made a way. He listens to us complain as he stands there waiting to bless us. If we will stop panicking and have faith in his promise and trust him, then He will honor his part in the agreement. He says “Don't look at what you have left after you pay tithe; do what’s right from your side, and I will do what’s right from mine." And don’t forget, we must be good stewards of what we have left over.