Farmer Presents Firstfruits Basket to the PriestBible World
3:9Proverbs 3:9
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Honoring the Lord means giving to Him from one's possessions and dedicating the first and best and choicest portion of all increase to Him, setting aside His portion first rather than giving only what remains. All that people have belongs to God as the giver of every benefit and ability to acquire wealth, so giving is returning what is His as stewards and His claim must come first above self and every other claim. Honoring includes consecrating the sacred tenth to God besides the firstfruits of increase with additional grateful gifts, given deliberately and systematically and continuously rather than only by impulse. Faithfulness is joined to the promise of abundance with barns filled with plenty and increased substance, with blessing proportionate to benevolence and obedience and withheld in proportion to what is withheld. Gifts thus given sustain His work and relieve the poor and suffering, and they are to be willing and cheerful and liberal with self-denial and economy, while keeping for self what God reserved robs God and brings poverty and curse and eternal loss.
Words and First Meaning
To honor the Lord is to give to Him from one's possessions and to dedicate to Him the first portion of all increase, and the next verse joins this obedience to the promise of plenty and abundance in return. Faithful giving is pictured as barns filled with plenty and presses overflowing, and caring for people in need is part of the same honoring that receives abundance. Those who work diligently have no excuse to withhold support from God's cause on the ground that they have no increase, for diligent use of time and effort can produce something to give and lay up treasure in heaven. What people have belongs to God, so to give to Him is to return what is His, a trust to be handled liberally, and offerings of any size are acceptable when given sincerely for His glory.
Honoring also means using possessions and increase for God to bless those in need and suffering, and to save others. All wealth and talents are entrusted to people, so they are to be gladly dedicated to His service, with generous, unselfish giving connected to the promise of filled barns. Wealth gathered and used in God's service brings spiritual fruit and lasting riches, while keeping everything for self brings eternal loss, for what is given to God becomes His and is secured as treasure in heaven. Covetousness instead leads people to oppose God's will. This honoring extends to drawing people to Christ, as church members use their opportunities to speak for Jesus, to comfort the troubled and tempted with the promises of Scripture, and to bring others to the light.
Firstfruits means the first and best and choicest portion, with the best and holiest service. God's claim as giver of every benefit must come first and receive prior consideration, bringing a special blessing when honored. His portion from substance and increase is to be set aside first, regularly and in keeping with His provision, not merely given from what remains after personal spending. That setting apart of tithe and offerings expresses gratitude and acknowledgment that all property belongs to Him and people are His stewards, given cheerfully as grateful acknowledgment of His continual gifts and rightful ownership. Giving the firstfruits acknowledges His ownership and righteous requirements, supports His work and the needs of others, and by it He tests people to develop Christlike character, with gratitude and love leading to willing obedience.
Giving includes both the portion owed to God and a generous gift offered in gratitude, and as long as He continues to bless, people remain responsible to return what He claims. Such unselfish use of what is entrusted brings rich blessings, and the final harvest of souls gathered for the Master will reward faithful use of those gifts. The principle is illustrated by Eden, where God provided abundantly for Adam and Eve but reserved one tree as a test of their gratitude and loyalty. To honor God with substance is to place all that one possesses upon His altar and keep it there for Him, sacrificing for His cause with a sacrificing spirit, including generosity to the poor and needy that makes their hearts glad and brings blessing.
God's Ownership and Claim
Everything human beings possess belongs to God as the giver of every benefit and of all ability and power to earn, acquire and accumulate wealth. Wealth and talents are not owned outright but entrusted to people as stewards to be laid upon His altar, used with care and gladly dedicated to His service and to saving others, so that giving to Him is returning what is already His. Resources are committed in differing amounts according to each person's capacity to be used wisely in His service and to bless others, and faithful stewards who so advance His cause and help their fellow men receive more.
His claim is to receive prior consideration and to be put first, above self-pleasure and above the claims of children, by tithes and offerings and liberal returns for the bounties lavished upon men. Tithes and offerings are specified goods given as tokens of loyalty and submission, a tribute acknowledging His sovereignty as rightful owner of all things. He does not require gifts because He needs them, but to give opportunity to practice self-denial, love and sympathy for others, and by giving what He claims people acknowledge His sovereignty and may enjoy His gifts with His blessing and with promised increase of substance.
Prosperity in making money is granted for a time to test what a person will do with God-given powers. The test proves gratitude, loyalty, obedience and love, and is meant to develop Christlike character through willing obedience and support of His work and the needs of others. To fail this test of prosperity by setting affection on property, loving it and exalting self against God instead of honoring Him with material means is to fail to honor Him, robbing self and laying up where no true return is realized rather than laying up treasure in heaven and becoming rich toward God.
Tithes and Systematic Giving
Honoring the Lord with substance means consecrating the tithe to Him and refusing to spend means on vanity or selfish indulgence, for one-tenth of increase is sacred and reserved for Him. Besides the tithe He claims the firstfruits of all increase as His own, with additional gifts and offerings given in gratitude from what He has bestowed, a portion to support missionary work at home and abroad. Tithes and offerings are the specified tokens of loyalty and submission acknowledging His sovereignty, laid upon His altar in recognition that ability to earn and accumulate wealth comes from Him.
Giving is to be deliberate, intelligent, regular, systematic and continuous, made willingly and cheerfully and set apart regularly in keeping with God's provision, rather than given only by impulse or feeling. His portion is to be set aside first from substance and increase, not merely what remains after personal spending, including regular and annual contributions to support His work and advance His kingdom in acknowledgment that what is offered comes from Him. This is His plan of systematic benevolence through tithes, gifts and offerings, acknowledging His claims and complying with His requirements, and when willingly followed prosperity attends labor in proportion to obedience.
One-tenth is reserved for God to carry forward His work on earth, just as six days are given for human work and the seventh day is reserved for God, while ancient Israel devoted no less than one-third of income to sacred purposes in connection with the three yearly gatherings. The duty is no rigorous burden to the willing heart that loves God, and the spirit of sacrifice widens and deepens in the last days because of more urgent necessities and a great work to be done in a very short time. Faithful payment of the tithe by all, old and young, with devotion of the firstfruits of mercies to the Lord, amply sustains His work and gives full supply of funds with no dearth in the treasury, providing means for messengers to teach without meager supply or handicap, for advancing the work at the right time and in new fields, and for deeds of mercy to the poor and suffering. Disrespect, neglect and disobedience to God's law in withholding tithes and firstfruits robs Him and leaves the work in want under pressure of need.
Promise of Abundant Blessing
Honoring the Lord with possessions and with the first portion of all increase carries a joined promise of plenty and abundance in return. That abundance is pictured as barns filled with plenty and presses overflowing, with increased substance and material provision for the faithful giver. The requirement is to give from property and gain, dedicating the first and best part to God rather than what remains afterward. This generosity includes using entrusted means to care for those who need help, to relieve the poor and suffering, and to glorify His name, and its blessing is received when His people enter the work and act according to His Word.
Blessing is made proportionate to benevolence and obedience, as with ancient Israel whom God multiplied in substance when obedient and straitened when disobedient. Prosperity attends labor and the work of the hands just in proportion to obedience and to the offerings given. Withholding tithes and offerings limits divine blessing just in proportion to what is withheld, and robbing God in this way also robs self, bringing poverty and want where no true return is realized. Liberal returns for His bounties bring barns filled with plenty, while disobedience forfeits that fullness.
The promised blessing is conditional upon giving from what one has and offering the first portion of increase in His service and to bless others. Resources are entrusted in differing amounts according to each person's capacity, to be used wisely, and faithful stewards who advance His cause and help their fellows receive more. Faithfulness is deliberate and regular rather than by impulse or feeling alone, expressing gratitude and supporting His cause. Living faithfully under His blessing brings His care in temporal affairs, while His hand against the unfaithful can frustrate plans and diminish gains.
Keeping possessions for selfish purposes brings eternal loss, while giving them to God makes them His and secures them as treasure in heaven. Wealth gathered and used in His service to bless those who suffer, to save others, and to support His work brings spiritual fruit, lasting riches, and a final harvest of souls. Such giving cultivates self-denial and benevolence in the giver and makes him more like Christ in character. The duty belongs not to the wealthy alone, for those with only health, strength, and time honor God by diligent labor with their hands, first supplying the comfortable needs of family and then imparting willingly and gladly to advance His cause as stewards He holds accountable.
Work That Gifts Support
Honoring the Lord with substance and firstfruits means imparting earthly possessions willingly and gladly to advance His cause and bring salvation to fellow men, first supplying the comfortable needs of the family and then laying up treasure in heaven as accountable stewards. This giving is regular, willing, systematic and annual, made to support God's work and advance His kingdom in recognition that what is offered comes from God Himself. Its appointed use, in addition to the tithe, is to sustain the work adequately by supporting those who teach the truth and supporting His workers and servants, including establishing centers where truth is shared and erecting houses of worship and schoolhouses. It plants truth in dark places, assists brethren in poorer fields, advances missionary work at home and abroad, and brings the gospel into new fields, with a precious reward for faithfulness.
The same honoring uses possessions and increase for God to bless those in need and suffering, joining faithful giving to the promise of abundance and plenty in the next verse. It relieves the poor, suffering, afflicted and hungry through deeds of mercy, makes glad the hearts of the poor and needy, and considers the poor, trusts in God and does good, gives liberally, shows pity and feeds the hungry. Such generosity blesses others and cultivates self-denial and benevolence in the giver, making givers more like Christ and securing true riches and treasure in heaven, while keeping everything for self brings eternal loss. Its blessing is received when people enter the work and act on the Word, for using what God has entrusted to help people in need brings His blessing and honors Him.
The gospel is to be sustained by God's grace in the heart, by Christ's example and lessons on benevolence, and by willing generosity flowing freely from love of God and sacred concern. It is not to be sustained by entertainments, feasting, amusements, lotteries, or other worldly inducements and appeals to selfish pleasure used to raise church funds. Such generosity for the cause and its servants is to be exercised with caution, since aid given to those who appear deserving may sometimes be applied unworthily.
The duty requires working diligently, providing for the family, and setting aside for charitable purposes as God prospers, so that lack of increase is no excuse for giving nothing. Idleness can keep a person from having anything to contribute, while diligent labor with the hands, even by those with only health, strength and time, makes it possible to devote some increase to God's cause. It calls for care in how families spend their means, deliberately and prayerfully resolving to practice self-denial and economy, carefully considering every dollar to use means wisely and not improvidently or extravagantly. What is beyond positive wants is to be brought as a thank offering and administered where necessity demands in lines where God is working to establish His kingdom, rather than misappropriated to selfish enterprises, extra clothing, rich furniture, expensive buildings, pride, ambition and display.
Manner Duty and Warning
The obligation rests on all, not on the wealthy alone, and those whose only capital is health, strength, and time are to work diligently with their hands to have something to devote to God's cause. Lack of increase is no excuse for giving nothing, for idleness itself can leave a person with nothing to give, while diligent use of time and effort can produce means to impart and treasure laid up in heaven. Even after providing for the comfortable needs of the family, each is to set aside for charitable purposes as prospered, advancing the cause and the salvation of fellow men in gratitude for the great sacrifice made for them.
Giving that honors God is willing and glad imparting from earthly possessions, yielded as love and genuine faith in acknowledgment that all is lent by Him and belongs to Him. It is to be cheerful, liberal, and sincere, a grateful recognition of His continual gifts and rightful ownership, with the first and best of increase dedicated to Him. Offerings of any size are acceptable when given sincerely for His glory, but giving in a grudging or limited way does not receive His reward. To treat possessions as too precious to surrender shows failure to grasp the worth of the soul, while placing all upon the altar with a sacrificing spirit includes generosity that makes glad the hearts of the poor and needy.
Stewards are to live as pilgrims under covenant by sacrifice, practicing self-denial and economy and carefully considering every dollar so means are used wisely and not spent improvidently or extravagantly. What lies beyond positive wants is to be brought as a thank offering rather than misappropriated to selfish enterprises, extra clothing, rich furniture, expensive buildings, vanity and selfish indulgence, or the gratification of pride, ambition, and display. Means thus saved are to be administered where necessity demands in the lines where God is working, and the duty is no rigorous burden to the willing heart, whose spirit of sacrifice widens in the last days because of urgent necessities and a great work to be done in a very short time. Bringing the first fruits of the new year to the treasury teaches children that giving is a privilege and turns what might be spent on self-pleasing toward the Lord's work.
Those who keep for themselves the portion God has reserved are unfaithful stewards who rob God and at the same time rob themselves, bringing poverty, want, and curse instead of barns filled with plenty. Withholding tithes and offerings limits blessing in proportion to what is withheld, for prosperity attends labor in proportion to obedience, while living faithfully brings His care in temporal affairs and He can frustrate plans and diminish gains when His hand is against them. The unfaithful lose not only what they withheld but also what was entrusted to them, surrendering heavenly treasure and investing where no true return is realized. If lifted up by prosperity to love property and exalt self against God, He can quickly scatter possessions and break them down financially.
Honoring the Lord means giving to Him from one's possessions and dedicating the first and best and choicest portion of all increase to Him, setting aside His portion first rather than giving only what remains.
All that people have belongs to God as the giver of every benefit and ability to acquire wealth, so giving is returning what is His as stewards and His claim must come first above self and every other claim.
Honoring includes consecrating the sacred tenth to God besides the firstfruits of increase with additional grateful gifts, given deliberately and systematically and continuously rather than only by impulse.
Faithfulness is joined to the promise of abundance with barns filled with plenty and increased substance, with blessing proportionate to benevolence and obedience and withheld in proportion to what is withheld.
Gifts thus given sustain His work and relieve the poor and suffering, and they are to be willing and cheerful and liberal with self-denial and economy, while keeping for self what God reserved robs God and brings poverty and curse and eternal loss.
Words and First Meaning
To honor the Lord is to give to Him from one's possessions and to dedicate to Him the first portion of all increase, and the next verse joins this obedience to the promise of plenty and abundance in return. Faithful giving is pictured as barns filled with plenty and presses overflowing, and caring for people in need is part of the same honoring that receives abundance. Those who work diligently have no excuse to withhold support from God's cause on the ground that they have no increase, for diligent use of time and effort can produce something to give and lay up treasure in heaven. What people have belongs to God, so to give to Him is to return what is His, a trust to be handled liberally, and offerings of any size are acceptable when given sincerely for His glory.
Honoring also means using possessions and increase for God to bless those in need and suffering, and to save others. All wealth and talents are entrusted to people, so they are to be gladly dedicated to His service, with generous, unselfish giving connected to the promise of filled barns. Wealth gathered and used in God's service brings spiritual fruit and lasting riches, while keeping everything for self brings eternal loss, for what is given to God becomes His and is secured as treasure in heaven. Covetousness instead leads people to oppose God's will. This honoring extends to drawing people to Christ, as church members use their opportunities to speak for Jesus, to comfort the troubled and tempted with the promises of Scripture, and to bring others to the light.
Firstfruits means the first and best and choicest portion, with the best and holiest service. God's claim as giver of every benefit must come first and receive prior consideration, bringing a special blessing when honored. His portion from substance and increase is to be set aside first, regularly and in keeping with His provision, not merely given from what remains after personal spending. That setting apart of tithe and offerings expresses gratitude and acknowledgment that all property belongs to Him and people are His stewards, given cheerfully as grateful acknowledgment of His continual gifts and rightful ownership. Giving the firstfruits acknowledges His ownership and righteous requirements, supports His work and the needs of others, and by it He tests people to develop Christlike character, with gratitude and love leading to willing obedience.
Giving includes both the portion owed to God and a generous gift offered in gratitude, and as long as He continues to bless, people remain responsible to return what He claims. Such unselfish use of what is entrusted brings rich blessings, and the final harvest of souls gathered for the Master will reward faithful use of those gifts. The principle is illustrated by Eden, where God provided abundantly for Adam and Eve but reserved one tree as a test of their gratitude and loyalty. To honor God with substance is to place all that one possesses upon His altar and keep it there for Him, sacrificing for His cause with a sacrificing spirit, including generosity to the poor and needy that makes their hearts glad and brings blessing.
God's Ownership and Claim
Everything human beings possess belongs to God as the giver of every benefit and of all ability and power to earn, acquire and accumulate wealth. Wealth and talents are not owned outright but entrusted to people as stewards to be laid upon His altar, used with care and gladly dedicated to His service and to saving others, so that giving to Him is returning what is already His. Resources are committed in differing amounts according to each person's capacity to be used wisely in His service and to bless others, and faithful stewards who so advance His cause and help their fellow men receive more.
His claim is to receive prior consideration and to be put first, above self-pleasure and above the claims of children, by tithes and offerings and liberal returns for the bounties lavished upon men. Tithes and offerings are specified goods given as tokens of loyalty and submission, a tribute acknowledging His sovereignty as rightful owner of all things. He does not require gifts because He needs them, but to give opportunity to practice self-denial, love and sympathy for others, and by giving what He claims people acknowledge His sovereignty and may enjoy His gifts with His blessing and with promised increase of substance.
Prosperity in making money is granted for a time to test what a person will do with God-given powers. The test proves gratitude, loyalty, obedience and love, and is meant to develop Christlike character through willing obedience and support of His work and the needs of others. To fail this test of prosperity by setting affection on property, loving it and exalting self against God instead of honoring Him with material means is to fail to honor Him, robbing self and laying up where no true return is realized rather than laying up treasure in heaven and becoming rich toward God.
Tithes and Systematic Giving
Honoring the Lord with substance means consecrating the tithe to Him and refusing to spend means on vanity or selfish indulgence, for one-tenth of increase is sacred and reserved for Him. Besides the tithe He claims the firstfruits of all increase as His own, with additional gifts and offerings given in gratitude from what He has bestowed, a portion to support missionary work at home and abroad. Tithes and offerings are the specified tokens of loyalty and submission acknowledging His sovereignty, laid upon His altar in recognition that ability to earn and accumulate wealth comes from Him.
Giving is to be deliberate, intelligent, regular, systematic and continuous, made willingly and cheerfully and set apart regularly in keeping with God's provision, rather than given only by impulse or feeling. His portion is to be set aside first from substance and increase, not merely what remains after personal spending, including regular and annual contributions to support His work and advance His kingdom in acknowledgment that what is offered comes from Him. This is His plan of systematic benevolence through tithes, gifts and offerings, acknowledging His claims and complying with His requirements, and when willingly followed prosperity attends labor in proportion to obedience.
One-tenth is reserved for God to carry forward His work on earth, just as six days are given for human work and the seventh day is reserved for God, while ancient Israel devoted no less than one-third of income to sacred purposes in connection with the three yearly gatherings. The duty is no rigorous burden to the willing heart that loves God, and the spirit of sacrifice widens and deepens in the last days because of more urgent necessities and a great work to be done in a very short time. Faithful payment of the tithe by all, old and young, with devotion of the firstfruits of mercies to the Lord, amply sustains His work and gives full supply of funds with no dearth in the treasury, providing means for messengers to teach without meager supply or handicap, for advancing the work at the right time and in new fields, and for deeds of mercy to the poor and suffering. Disrespect, neglect and disobedience to God's law in withholding tithes and firstfruits robs Him and leaves the work in want under pressure of need.
Promise of Abundant Blessing
Honoring the Lord with possessions and with the first portion of all increase carries a joined promise of plenty and abundance in return. That abundance is pictured as barns filled with plenty and presses overflowing, with increased substance and material provision for the faithful giver. The requirement is to give from property and gain, dedicating the first and best part to God rather than what remains afterward. This generosity includes using entrusted means to care for those who need help, to relieve the poor and suffering, and to glorify His name, and its blessing is received when His people enter the work and act according to His Word.
Blessing is made proportionate to benevolence and obedience, as with ancient Israel whom God multiplied in substance when obedient and straitened when disobedient. Prosperity attends labor and the work of the hands just in proportion to obedience and to the offerings given. Withholding tithes and offerings limits divine blessing just in proportion to what is withheld, and robbing God in this way also robs self, bringing poverty and want where no true return is realized. Liberal returns for His bounties bring barns filled with plenty, while disobedience forfeits that fullness.
The promised blessing is conditional upon giving from what one has and offering the first portion of increase in His service and to bless others. Resources are entrusted in differing amounts according to each person's capacity, to be used wisely, and faithful stewards who advance His cause and help their fellows receive more. Faithfulness is deliberate and regular rather than by impulse or feeling alone, expressing gratitude and supporting His cause. Living faithfully under His blessing brings His care in temporal affairs, while His hand against the unfaithful can frustrate plans and diminish gains.
Keeping possessions for selfish purposes brings eternal loss, while giving them to God makes them His and secures them as treasure in heaven. Wealth gathered and used in His service to bless those who suffer, to save others, and to support His work brings spiritual fruit, lasting riches, and a final harvest of souls. Such giving cultivates self-denial and benevolence in the giver and makes him more like Christ in character. The duty belongs not to the wealthy alone, for those with only health, strength, and time honor God by diligent labor with their hands, first supplying the comfortable needs of family and then imparting willingly and gladly to advance His cause as stewards He holds accountable.
Work That Gifts Support
Honoring the Lord with substance and firstfruits means imparting earthly possessions willingly and gladly to advance His cause and bring salvation to fellow men, first supplying the comfortable needs of the family and then laying up treasure in heaven as accountable stewards. This giving is regular, willing, systematic and annual, made to support God's work and advance His kingdom in recognition that what is offered comes from God Himself. Its appointed use, in addition to the tithe, is to sustain the work adequately by supporting those who teach the truth and supporting His workers and servants, including establishing centers where truth is shared and erecting houses of worship and schoolhouses. It plants truth in dark places, assists brethren in poorer fields, advances missionary work at home and abroad, and brings the gospel into new fields, with a precious reward for faithfulness.
The same honoring uses possessions and increase for God to bless those in need and suffering, joining faithful giving to the promise of abundance and plenty in the next verse. It relieves the poor, suffering, afflicted and hungry through deeds of mercy, makes glad the hearts of the poor and needy, and considers the poor, trusts in God and does good, gives liberally, shows pity and feeds the hungry. Such generosity blesses others and cultivates self-denial and benevolence in the giver, making givers more like Christ and securing true riches and treasure in heaven, while keeping everything for self brings eternal loss. Its blessing is received when people enter the work and act on the Word, for using what God has entrusted to help people in need brings His blessing and honors Him.
The gospel is to be sustained by God's grace in the heart, by Christ's example and lessons on benevolence, and by willing generosity flowing freely from love of God and sacred concern. It is not to be sustained by entertainments, feasting, amusements, lotteries, or other worldly inducements and appeals to selfish pleasure used to raise church funds. Such generosity for the cause and its servants is to be exercised with caution, since aid given to those who appear deserving may sometimes be applied unworthily.
The duty requires working diligently, providing for the family, and setting aside for charitable purposes as God prospers, so that lack of increase is no excuse for giving nothing. Idleness can keep a person from having anything to contribute, while diligent labor with the hands, even by those with only health, strength and time, makes it possible to devote some increase to God's cause. It calls for care in how families spend their means, deliberately and prayerfully resolving to practice self-denial and economy, carefully considering every dollar to use means wisely and not improvidently or extravagantly. What is beyond positive wants is to be brought as a thank offering and administered where necessity demands in lines where God is working to establish His kingdom, rather than misappropriated to selfish enterprises, extra clothing, rich furniture, expensive buildings, pride, ambition and display.
Manner Duty and Warning
The obligation rests on all, not on the wealthy alone, and those whose only capital is health, strength, and time are to work diligently with their hands to have something to devote to God's cause. Lack of increase is no excuse for giving nothing, for idleness itself can leave a person with nothing to give, while diligent use of time and effort can produce means to impart and treasure laid up in heaven. Even after providing for the comfortable needs of the family, each is to set aside for charitable purposes as prospered, advancing the cause and the salvation of fellow men in gratitude for the great sacrifice made for them.
Giving that honors God is willing and glad imparting from earthly possessions, yielded as love and genuine faith in acknowledgment that all is lent by Him and belongs to Him. It is to be cheerful, liberal, and sincere, a grateful recognition of His continual gifts and rightful ownership, with the first and best of increase dedicated to Him. Offerings of any size are acceptable when given sincerely for His glory, but giving in a grudging or limited way does not receive His reward. To treat possessions as too precious to surrender shows failure to grasp the worth of the soul, while placing all upon the altar with a sacrificing spirit includes generosity that makes glad the hearts of the poor and needy.
Stewards are to live as pilgrims under covenant by sacrifice, practicing self-denial and economy and carefully considering every dollar so means are used wisely and not spent improvidently or extravagantly. What lies beyond positive wants is to be brought as a thank offering rather than misappropriated to selfish enterprises, extra clothing, rich furniture, expensive buildings, vanity and selfish indulgence, or the gratification of pride, ambition, and display. Means thus saved are to be administered where necessity demands in the lines where God is working, and the duty is no rigorous burden to the willing heart, whose spirit of sacrifice widens in the last days because of urgent necessities and a great work to be done in a very short time. Bringing the first fruits of the new year to the treasury teaches children that giving is a privilege and turns what might be spent on self-pleasing toward the Lord's work.
Those who keep for themselves the portion God has reserved are unfaithful stewards who rob God and at the same time rob themselves, bringing poverty, want, and curse instead of barns filled with plenty. Withholding tithes and offerings limits blessing in proportion to what is withheld, for prosperity attends labor in proportion to obedience, while living faithfully brings His care in temporal affairs and He can frustrate plans and diminish gains when His hand is against them. The unfaithful lose not only what they withheld but also what was entrusted to them, surrendering heavenly treasure and investing where no true return is realized. If lifted up by prosperity to love property and exalt self against God, He can quickly scatter possessions and break them down financially.