March 24th, 2025: Proverbs 3.9,10

Proverbs 3:9,10
9 Honor Yahweh from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will burst with new wine.

We are often removed from the agricultural language used in the scriptures, which can cause us to not fully digest what has been given. Here we are asked to give of the first of what we have to God, and through this act, God will provide plentifully. Imagine yourself in the shoes of someone who sustains themselves solely from the land. As winter passes and spring arrives, supplies dwindle. You have diligently planted and worked the ground, and now, food begins to grow. Fresh produce that has been scarce for months is being produced, and you are being asked to give it up. To pluck it from the tree or the bush and give it to God, with the faith that God will produce more food for you thereafter. Do we often think about giving to God entirely, placing our faith and reliance in the belief that all things originate from God? This isn’t giving from surplus or the extra that remains after getting our fill; but, giving first to God from what we have been given by Him.

In our modern world it can be hard to work out what it is to give first of our produce. Is it giving away our first paycheck? Is it giving away the spare time we come by? How do we give firstly to God when we often aren’t wondering where our next meal is coming from? Each of us have to answer these questions and find what we are convicted to do in our lives. What we do know, however, is that we all must get to the heart where we rely on God rather than the materials around us. It is God who blesses us with what we have, not us who have obtained it.