Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

So far in this series we have explored 3 keys to our relationship with God:

Trusting Him

Acknowledging Him

Humbling ourselves before him. 

The fourth key to spiritual growth is Honoring God.

To honor someone is to show them great respect and esteem. 

In the ancient world you would honor a King with a crown or a valuable gift. Think of the wisemen bringing gifts to Jesus or Abraham giving a tithe to the high priest Melchizideck.

The gifts in these situations are never about pay or taxes or owing, but honor.

Proverbs 3:9 instructs us to honor God in the same way: with a gift, not a tax, not an exchange, not pay for services rendered.

The honor God is looking for is your first fruits offerings of your resources. 

In this ancient time you would take the first 10% (first fruits) of your crops, herds, wool, and anything else you were able to produce and give it to the Temple. This produce was used to provide for the priests and the maintenance of the temple and the sacrifices.

At this time much, if not most, of your wealth was in property and produce. Cash was used, but it was used in a much less prominent way than today. Often trading goods was the economic exchange rather than cash.

The passage teaches us today that we honor God with our first fruits. In a cash society this means that every time I get money I set aside the first 10% to honor God by providing for the temple, which in the New Testament is the church, its ministers and its ministries.

We don’t give what is leftover after we pay the bills, spend, and save, rather it’s the first part of what we do with our money. 

This honors God because it is a recognition that He is our provider, sustainer and guide.

He has blessed us with what we have. Even the pastors and priests are to give off the tithes given to them, the tithes of the church. In other words, pastors and ministers also give the first 10% of their salary to honor God as well. 

Tithing is an act of trusting.

Giving is an act of worship.

Firstfruits giving is an act of honoring the character and goodness of God. 

Tithing is saying to God, “I believe you can care for me better if I live, save and spend off 90% than if I kept 100% for myself.”

Another way to say it is honoring God does and must include your money. As long as you hold back there is a part of you that does not fully honor God (thank him for grace!).

The path to spiritual growth is to honor, trust and obey the one who saved you by grace.

Finally, there is a wonderful promise here. “Your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

Notice it does not say God will make you rich or famous, but that you will be blessed with more than you need.

You don’t LOSE anything when you give, you only gain.

You will have more than enough money to eat and pay the bills and actually you might have the blessing of overflowing wine, which was a picture of blessing and joy in scripture.

He will give you many wants and not just what you need!

But greatest of all, you will go to new depths with God. You will see his face like never before.

May All Souls honor God and let’s watch what he does in our church and our lives.

“Those who honor me I will honor…” (1 Samuel 2:30).

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey