What You Do First

“It may be stated as follows: every preference of a small good to a great, or partial good to a total good, involves the loss of the small or partial good for which the sacrifice is made.” — C.S. Lewis

When we fail to prioritize things in the right way, we run the risk of losing everything. We can focus too much on good things and lose sight of the best ones.

When it comes to the things that God has given us—our time, talent, and treasure—this principle holds true.

In the Scriptures, the tithe best represents this principle and the challenge it presents to every person.

In Malachi’s day the people lived under a curse. This curse was brought about because God had become secondary to them. They dishonored God, complaining about serving Him, asking Him where the justice was, and robbing Him. They robbed Him by withholding tithes and offerings. Then He told them that if they brought all the tithes into the storehouse, God would open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing. Their obedience in giving to the Lord would lift the curse.

As long as they chased other things and lived their lives with God being second they were not living an abundant and blessed life.

The Principle of the Tithe

This brings us to the tithe. What is the tithe? The simple meaning of the word tithe is “tenth” or “tenth-part.”

The significance of tithe is found in the principle it represents.

Exodus 13:2 NKJV

“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”

The firstborn lamb, and donkey, and human child all belong to God. Every single one. This principle did not only apply to flocks and family. It applied to harvest and salary as well.

Exodus 23:19 NKJV

The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Where do we give the tithe? The tithe was brought into the house of the LORD. It wasn’t given to different causes or spread out in different places. It was brought to the place where people worshipped God.

Leviticus 27:30 NKJV

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.

Who does the tithe belong to? It is the LORD’s. This is why God considered it robbery when the people didn’t bring it to Him. We don’t give our tithe, we bring—or return—it to the LORD. We give what is ours and we bring that doesn’t belong to us.

To me, this is a no-brainer. The Bible is clear that the tithe belongs to the LORD. It is the first part of what God has blessed us with…God is the one who gives us power to gain wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). We choose to honor God first by recognizing Him and bringing to Him the tithe and offerings.

Our relationship with God began with Him taking the first step. It was because He loved us first that we are able to love Him (1 John 4:19). He gave first (John 3:16). When we bring the tithe to the LORD, we are honoring Him with our obedience.

John 14:21 NKJV

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

The principle of the tithe is that we bring our best and our first to the LORD. It belongs to Him. And it is a representation of our love to Him.

The Purpose of the Tithe

One of the main purposes of the tithe is redemption.

Exodus 13:12–13 NKJV

12 that you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. 13 But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.

This passage gives us two categories: clean and unclean. The firstborn that were clean had to be sacrificed. The firstborn that were unclean had to be redeemed.

Redemption is a repayment or the giving of a ransom for a life. Setting apart the firstborn was an act of consecration. Consecration was not a sacrifice but an act of declaring something as sacred and devoted to God in worship.

To the LORD, the firstborn and the firstfruits are sacred.

Jesus was God’s firstborn. He was God’s tithe. He was sacrificed for us, the unclean. He did so to redeem us from sin and death (cf. Romans 8:2). Jesus was God’s best gift. Jesus was God’s first. And He gave Him for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:6-11).

The tithe is a picture of redemption. It was pointing to our redemption. It continues to point to the promise of God and His goodness towards us.

The Promise of the Tithe

The tithe consecrates the rest. In other words, it brings blessing.

When it came to the Promised Land, Jericho was the first city and it was to be the tithe that redeemed the rest.

Joshua 6:16–19 NLT

16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17 Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies. 18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”

Jericho was doomed for destruction. If the Israelites took anything, they would come under the curse of destruction and bring trouble on the people. They were to bring all of the gold and the silver and bronze and iron to the LORD. They were to bring it into His treasure. Like we bring the whole tithe into His storehouse (Malachi 3:10).

For Joshua and the Israelites, the offering of Jericho lifted the curse off of the Promised Land which God was giving them. For us, the tithe lifts the curse off of all of the resources that God gives to us.

We see this principle in action in the life of a widow woman in the days of Elijah.

1 Kings 17:9–16 NKJV

9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’ ” 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.

The woman was affected by a down economy caused by drought. There was a famine in the land and she and her child was in a desperate situation. When Elijah came and asked her for a drink, she was preparing to die. And in the midst of her need, Elijah said, “First, make me a cake and then you will be provided for.”

She gave first, and then received a miracle. This is the promise of the tithe and the offering. Give to God first, and God blesses the rest.

Trust God first, and He will provide.

Tithing is an act of faith. It takes no faith to give the leftovers after you know that everything is taken care of. It takes faith to give before you know how everything is going to work out. God is faithful and He has promised to provide for us. We trust Him and that opens the door to miraculous provision.

James 2:26 NKJV

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Tithing is a work of living faith that releases the power of God in our lives.

Conclusion

As C.S. Lewis pointed out, when we put secondary things over primary things we end up losing both.

When it comes to giving, what we do first matters.

Before you spend your salary, give to God first.

Before you spend your day, spend time with God first.

Before you spend your talents, give them to God first.

And when we put God first, it lifts the curse and releases a miracle in our lives.

Pray for those who have struggled to tithe; encourage them to start and trust God to provide for them.

Pray for the lost. God redeemed the unclean with the clean, Jesus.