Readings for today: Deuteronomy 26-27, Mark 15:1-20
“A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly and humiliated us and laid on us hard labor. Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great deeds of terror, with signs and wonders. And he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.' And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you.” (Deut. 26:5-11)
The principle of firstfruits is an important one in the Bible. Simply put, when we produce whatever it is we produce, we are to take the first portion. The best portion. And offer it to the Lord. Before we take care of ourselves. Before we meet our own needs. Before we pay the mortgage. Before we head to the grocery store. Before we pay the bills. Certainly before we take that vacation. Before even putting money into savings or paying off debt. (Sorry Dave Ramsey…) We are to give unto the Lord first.
Why? Is God short of cash? Does God need our money? Isn’t this just a way for churches to stay solvent? Doesn’t this give license for unscrupulous preachers to manipulate the vulnerable? How do we make sure the money actually gets to God or the people God loves? After all, we’ve all seen the celebrity pastors buying their multi-million dollar homes. We’ve all watched ministries spend all kinds of money on stuff that’s not important rather than helping people. We’ve seen the abuse. We’ve seen the waste. Furthermore, we may have all kinds of opinions on what our church should spend their money on. We may not agree with the way they do ministry or what they emphasize or how they operate. Why then should we give them any money at all?
Those are great questions. And if we’re honest, we’ve all probably asked them. But let’s go a level deeper. Let’s bring it closer to home. How are we spending our money? Are we actually any better than the church or organization we criticize? If we were to open our personal books and give ourselves an audit, what would we find? How much money did we waste in last year? What extravagances did we indulge in? How much did we spend on stuff that’s not important rather than helping others? It’s a sobering exercise, is it not? The reality is we are all corrupted by sin and our natural tendency is to hoard our wealth. To spend it primarily on ourselves. To make sure we improve our lifestyles. To make sure we get our needs taken care of. To make sure we get to live the lives we believe we deserve. And after we accomplish all we desire then maybe we’ll send a little money God’s way just to hedge our bets. Throw Him a bone on autopay. Keep Him happy by dropping a $20 in the plate when it passes by. And we walk away feeling like we at least did something.
According to recent research, the average Christian gives 2.5% of their income away. (For comparison, during the Great Depression the average was 3.3%.) Average giving by adults in Protestant churches across the United States is $17/week. 37% of regular church attenders don’t give at all. And the higher the income, the less likely a person is to tithe or give 10%. Only 1% of those making 75k or more tithe their income. That’s the bad news. Here’s the good news. About 10 million Christians give 10% or more, totaling $50 billion dollars a year to churches and non-profits! That’s awesome! 77% of those who tithe actually end up giving between 11-20% of their income away! Even more awesome! And charitable giving has grown in recent years in the US with the increase coming from individuals, corporations and foundations. Of course, the pandemic will impact these trends but it remains to be seen whether it will be positive or negative overall.
But back to the principle of firstfruits...why is it important? It serves as a reminder that everything we have comes from the Lord. Israel was descended from a wandering Aramean named Abraham. A man of no consequence other than the fact God chose Him to become the father of a mighty nation. His descendents immigrated to Egypt where they grew into a large and prosperous people until the Egyptians felt threatened and enslaved them. For hundreds of years they suffered until they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God brought them out from Egypt with miracles and signs and wonders. He fought on their behalf. He defeated Pharaoh and his army. He provided for them in the wilderness. Fed them with manna. Brought water from a rock. And now He would bring them into the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey. A land full of natural resources where they would flourish. None of this was their own doing. None of this happened through Israel’s strength or ability or hard work. They are not masters of their fates or captains of their souls or in charge of their own destinies. They are God’s people. His treasured possession. Among all the nations of the earth. So in recognition of this special status that they did not earn...they give. They offer the first and the best of what they have to the Lord.
What about us? Do we do the same? Do we live our lives in recognition of all God has done for us? Do we offer Him the honor He deserves? Do we thank Him for where we were born? The family we were born into? The nation in which we get to live? The talents we are naturally endowed with? The opportunities He’s given us along the way? The gifts we’ve received that we did not earn? And do we acknowledge His sovereign grace over our lives by offering back to Him our firstfruits of time, talent, and treasure? This is truly what it means to love God with all our hearts and souls.
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 28, Mark 15:21-47