MADE TO GIVE PT.2

The Principle of the First and the Tithe

How many of you have heard of the word “tithe” or “tithing” in church?

Tithe: tenth-part

10% of $100 is $10

Proverbs 3:9–10 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

First-fruits: what comes first, and is the best; first choice

Most say that King Solomon was writing to his son here. In this chapter, he talks about building your life on the trusty foundation of God. We find in these verses that he challenges his listener (or his son) to give God the first-fruits.

Honor: a weighty respect

King Solomon was telling his reader that the way to trust God in your finances and your money is to give “weighty respect” to Him by giving the first-fruits of all your produce.

Those first-fruits aren’t just what is left over after everyone is fed (or in our case, all the bills are paid). The first-fruits are “the first thing to leave our hand after reaping a harvest (or in our case again, being paid).”

After the “weighty respect” is given as you give of your first-fruits, Solomon promises that you will overflow with a harvest (in our case, have everything you need and more)

By natural means, this doesn’t make sense. You can’t give away and get more.

It is because this principle is supernatural

The first has always meant something to God. In Exodus 13, God speaks to Moses about the people of Israel giving Him the firstborn of all they had, man and animals.

What is so cool about the giving of the firstborn and the first-fruits is that it ties to Jesus.

Colossians 1:15–20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

Jesus was around during creation, so He is technically the firstborn of all creation (John 1)

He is also the firstborn of the dead because He died and rose from the dead. Because He rose from the dead, that is why we have the opportunity to pass from death to life through salvation in His name.

Lets look in Exodus at the law of the firstborn

Exodus 13:1, Exodus 13:11–13 ““When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.”

A lamb was a clean animal for sacrifice. A donkey was an unclean animal for sacrifice.

Something had to be sacrificed to be redeemed

Redeemed: to set free, be bought back

Jesus represents the perfect lamb that bought back the unclean donkey (us) by His sacrifice.

The “first” is important to God. Our “first” is important to God.

NOTICE: God said, “when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites...”

God would bring them the provision and then they would be able to give Him their first-fruits

If you don’t have the fruits, you can’t give the first-fruits.

God doesn’t ask for the first-fruits unless He provides you the means to make the fruit (Ex. a job, income)

So coming back to the word “tithe”, so giving 10% of your first-fruits is a principle. The giving of the first-fruits predates the law back to Genesis with Cain and Abel. This principle doesn’t go away because the Old Covenant is no longer in action.

Principle: a truth that serves as a foundation for a belief system

Malachi 3:8–12 “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”

When you rob something of someone, you take what is not yours.

God had ordained the tithe and offerings (which includes the first-fruits) to be brought to him

God was telling His people that they had two choices: either be blessed to overflowing because they gave or be cursed because you kept what was God’s

God challenges His people here to giving saying that He will bless them abundantly and the fruits they produce from their labor will be protected by Him as they make the choice to give.

There was no negotiation on the tithe and offerings according to God, He said “bring the tithe” not “choose what you want to bring”.

People will tell you that tithing is outdated because Jesus came. Even Jesus addresses the topic of tithing with the religious teachers of His day:

Matthew 23:23 ““Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

Just because you tithe or give your first-fruits doesn’t make you any more spiritual or any better than any other person who doesn’t

Jesus was correcting these Pharisees as He continues throughout Matthew 23 that they cared more about the action than the heart behind it.

We looked at Paul’s words last week in 2 Corinthians 9 where he talks about giving cheerfully (sacrificially willing) and without obligation (“I get to do this”)

In the same way, God wants us to look at the first-fruits and tithe as not just being forced to do it, but from a mentally of “I get to do this”

God’s given you a choice. He told you the outcomes of each choice. Now the ball is in your court.

People can get really religious about giving the tithe and first-fruits, but look at the perspective from back in Exodus 13 where we were earlier....

Exodus 13:14–16 “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.””

God told Moses and the people of Israel to not look at this as just a ritual we do, but as an act of worship for what God has brought us through

Your first-fruits and tithe is another way of worshipping God

Giving also makes sure that your money or provisions doesn’t have your heart instead of God (Matthew 6:24 “you cannot serve God and mammon - money and riches)

God wanted them to recognize everything He had freed them from and all the blessing He had brought them into, and by that, they would WANT to give.