Ask eBible Thumper: Firstfruits and tithing
Posted by Mark Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:23:00 GMT
This is a monthly column where we attempt to help you answer your own questions using eBible.com, or at least start you off on your search. This month, our eBible Thumping Team tackles this question:
Please tell me more about the first fruit and tithes. Thank you.
This is a subject that is actually in the Bible so that means lots of content at eBible.com to dig through. I love it! Here are some links to get you started followed by some of my thoughts after going through them. Please post your own eBible.com links and comments below for all to see as together we dive into what the Bible has to say about first fruits and tithing.
Bible
Library
Bookmarks
Sometimes in the Bible we run into things that are difficult to relate to in this day and age. One example I have been thinking about lately is the “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” Jesus refers to and that appears in the Gospels over a hundred times. Back then people completely understood the meaning of a kingdom and a king. They lived it everyday. Today I understand democracy and voting and cities, states, countries and continents a lot better than I know anything about what living in a kingdom under a king is really like. It isn’t a huge stretch to think in terms of countries and presidents but I wonder if I am missing out on the full meaning because of the culture and times I live in.
Similarly, firstfruits is a concept that made a whole lot more sense to people back in the Bible times than in today’s information age. I don’t work the land or farm barley, wheat, wool, honey, fruit trees, wine and oil or any agricultural produce for that matter (see these firstfruits Bible examples here). I don’t fully know what it means to live off a yearly harvest and to take the first and best of the harvest to the temple to help with the maintenance of the building, the support of the priests and the sustenance of the poor and marginalized the church is responsible for.
While some of this may be foreign, here are some things that I do know:
- God owns everything and any possession or resource I think is mine is really only entrusted to me to manage according to His will
- It takes money to build/buy/maintain a building to meet and serve God out of. It takes money to free up the people whom God has chosen to lead the Church (1 Cor. 9:13,14, Gal. 6:6). It takes money to help the poor and marginalized in our communities that Jesus so clearly wants us to care for and reach out to.
- The “first” part of firstfruits is important. Instead of giving what is left over after we have taken care of ourselves we should strive to give first to God each week or month with faith that HE will take care of us
My wife and I are currently giving to our church by means of direct debit. That means on the 1st of every month a certain amount is automatically drawn from our account. We do the same for a missionary friend we support. At first I thought this was a good way to ensure we gave the amount we both felt God wanted us to give each month. Now I wonder if it is more about convenience than giving our firstfruits to God. It sometimes feel too close to paying just another bill ask I look at our bank statement and see the other bills on direct debit right beside it. Does anyone have some practical tips on giving our firstfruits to God?
There are many questions and debates around how much to give, is tithing still relevant under the new covenant, etc? Let’s focus on the firstfruits aspect of tithing and remember that simply loving God and worshiping Him are at the heart of tithing.
Lord teach us practical ways to give our firstfruits to you in this day and age so we can acknowledge that it is all yours and that you are the one that provides for our all of our needs. Increase our faith and let us hold loosely the possessions and money that we sometimes mistaken as our own.
