|
With Your First Fruits
Pastor
Les Kuiper
Proverbs 3:1-20
Intro
“Just give it me in plain English!
I’m not a computer expert.” Have
you ever said that or thought that? About
computers, or about anything?
It is not difficult to imagine someone making such a comment about
God’s plan for stewardship. The
Bible says a lot about how we use stuff. One
author [Wesley Willmer in his book, God and Your Stuff: the Vital Link
between Your Possessions and Your Soul] points out that “17 of Jesus’ 38
parables were about possessions. Possessions
are mentioned 2,172 times in Scripture – three times more than love, seven
times more than prayer, and eight times more than belief.
About 15 percent of God’s Word deals with possessions.”
In reflecting on this area of biblical teaching, Chuck Swindoll observes
that “God’s heavenly plan doesn’t always make earthly sense.”
Some have summarized the teaching of Scripture in three short phrases:
“Make all you can. Save all you
can. Give all you can.” In
response, some say that two out of three ain’t bad.
So deeply in debt that he sees no way of giving, one attempts to make the
message of Scripture seem confusing. “Just
give it to me in plain English! I’m
not a Bible scholar.”
What we do with stuff is a spiritual matter.
Too many people are in bondage. In
Scripture God reveals his plan for complete freedom.
It’s a plan that begins with the understanding that everything belongs
to him, and that our life depends on him.
1.
SOME FACTS ABOUT PROVERBS
Before we focus on our passage, we do well to be aware of some facts
about Proverbs. Proverbs is an
ancient book, but its message is timeless. Some
things in life are constantly changing. Some
of these changes are quite unsettling. Some
are exciting!
Some things never change. God
certainly doesn’t change. He
remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He doesn’t change like the fleeting clouds.
And people don’t really change all that much either.
The wise man of Proverbs wrote about lust, and greed, and laziness.
Those words written thousands of years ago are as fresh today as when
they were first written.
Another thing that is helpful to note about Proverbs is that proverbs are
different than promises. One
commentator [Sid Buzzell] says that “as brief maxims, the verses in Proverbs
are distilled, to-the-point sentences about life.
They boil down, crystallize, and condense the experiences and
observations of the writers. They
tell what life is like and how life should be lived.
They should be recognized as guidelines, not absolute observations; they
are not iron-clad promises.” We
believe that the proverbs included in the Bible are inspired, from the Lord.
We will look at verses 9 & 10 in a moment.
But for now, notice that familiar words in Proverbs 22:6 are not so much
a promise, as a wise observation. “Train
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Normally, that is precisely how life works out.
Our children may not always turn out just the way we want them to.
But, for better or worse, normally what our children become as adults is
directly connected to what we planted in them.
One more observation about Proverbs.
The book of Proverbs is difficult to outline, but its message is simple.
There is not a story line that you can trace from beginning to end.
There is not even a cluster of story lines.
Rather, Proverbs is a collection of small bites of wisdom.
If you want to study what Proverbs teaches about a particular matter you
will want to get a good concordance which lists the verses on lust, or drinking,
or greed, or whatever.
2.
A SIMPLE PRINCIPLE FOR LIFE
HONOR GOD
WITH YOUR MONEY…
Having made these observations about Proverbs as a whole, let’s focus
on a simple principle for life that is recorded in Proverbs 3:9-10.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your
crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim
over with new wine.”
The principle begins, “honor God with your money.”
What does that mean? How does
one honor or dishonor God (who is Spirit) with money (which is so material)?
There are a number of clues the wise man offers.
For example, he refers to first fruits in verse 9.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all
your crops.” It is interesting to
note that this is the only instance of a “religious” command in Proverbs.
The reference is very similar to a number of commands in the law of
Moses. In Exodus
23:19
God says, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the
Lord your God. In Numbers 28:26 God
says, “On the day of firstfruits, when you present to the Lord an offering of
new grain during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular
work.” In the following verses God
specifies the offerings required on the day of firstfruits.
In Deuteronomy 26:1 God says, “When you have entered the land the Lord
your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and
settled in it, take some of the firstfruits...”
He goes on to describe how the people were to give the firstfruits.
The idea of the firstfruits is that God is dishonored when one gives what
is left over. He is honored when one
gives the firstfruits.
The idea of the firstfruits is at least indirectly related to the
biblical concept of the tithe, with people giving the first ten percent of what
they receive.
The idea of the firstfruits is also at least indirectly related to the
vow. In Ecclesiastes 5:4-7 we are
warned: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it.
He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.
And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.”
Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your
hands. Much dreaming and many words
are meaningless. Therefore stand in
awe of God.”
What does all of this have to do with honoring God with our firstfruits?
Well, we honor God when we pledge or commit ourselves to giving a
specific amount, and trust God to provide so we can meet that pledge.
Imagine how God might be honored when the members of your church stretch
to meet a $700,000 budget, supporting local and denominational ministries.
On the other hand, imagine how God is dishonored by the following
conversation: A one dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill were comparing notes
what their life was like. The twenty
dollar bill talked about how exciting life was.
“I go bowling, and golfing, to the casino, to nice restaurants, to the
gas station, and the grocery store. There
are very few places that I don’t go,” said the twenty.
The one dollar bill hung his head as he sighed, “The only place I ever
go is to church, church, church.”
In addition to honoring God with your firstfruits, the wise man urges
that we honor the Lord with our wealth.
In other words, we can honor God not only with the firstfruits, but also
with what is left over, with what we don’t need, with our abundance.
Do you ever have any of that? If
not, does that suggest what your god may be?
In the Old Testament the firstfruits and the tithe were the minimum; a
starting point. The New Testament
standard goes beyond that. We are
commanded to give generously, in proportion to how we have been blessed.
Commentator James Moffatt says that “a person’s treatment of money is
the most decisive test of their character – how they make it and how they
spend it.”
I remember the day that my wife and I ached to be able to give in
significant ways. God has blessed us
over the years, and we are thankful for the privilege and the joy of being able
to give significantly today.
How do we honor God with our wealth?
One example is recorded in Acts 2:44-47.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
God was being honored by these people, who found their identity not in
being consumers, but in being Christ-followers.
Another example is recorded in 2 Corinthians 8:9.
“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become
rich.” Also in 2 Corinthians
8:3-4, “I testify that they gave
as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.
Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of
sharing in this service to the saints.”
This kind of giving is rooted in a clear understanding that God doesn’t
need one cent of what I have in my pocket. God’s
Kingdom doesn’t need what I might give. God’s
Kingdom has been established by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross and with
the empty tomb! But when, in
response, we give eagerly, and generously, and joyfully we will move people
around us to exclaim, “Their God is an awesome God!”
HONOR GOD WITH YOUR MONEY, AND YOU WILL BE BLESSED!
The principle begins, “honor God with your money!”
And the principle concludes, when you do “you will be blessed.” Remember,
this is a proverb, not a promise. In
other words, this is way life normally works, in spite of the fact that this
seems to be contrary to conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom says, “save, cut, keep, and spend frugally for
yourself.” To do that in the most
effective way possible you may even hire a financial planner.
USA Today provides this kind of insight as a regular feature for
its readers. The wise man, we are
told, will follow such advice.
In contrast, Jesus refers to the “rich fool,” who followed the best
of conventional wisdom, and accumulated all the wealth he would ever need.
Similarly, James warns “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow
we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make
money.’ Why, you do not even know
what will happen tomorrow. What is
your life? You are a mist that
appears for a little while and then vanishes” (
4:13
-14). People are here today and gone
tomorrow. And so are the best of
stocks.
Jesus raises a piercing question. “What
does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?”
(Matthew 16:26) The
conventional wisdom of the “wise” is ultimately foolishness.
Listen to the wise man again. “Honor
the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your
barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new
wine.” This is not a promise.
This is not the gospel of health and wealth.
Rather, this is indeed the way life normally works.
The wise man paints a picture of the life you want.
The life you really want is rooted in “fear of the Lord.”
Life rooted in the fear of the Lord is better than you can picture it.
Often that happens during the 70 or 80 years we normally live on earth.
Scripture concludes, not with a proverb, but with a promise.
“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything
new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this
down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’
He said to me: ‘It is done. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring
of the water of life. He who
overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son”
(Revelation 21:5-7). To quote Nathan
Saint, “He is wise who gives away what he cannot keep to get what he cannot
lose.”
CONCLUSION:
The Bible insists that how we relate to stuff is a measure of spiritual health.
So, are you wise, or are you a fool?
Are you a slave, or are you free? Are
you healthy, or are you sick? Measuring
ourselves is really not all that difficult.
The wise man gives a simple principle for life.
|