I cannot and will not tell you how much to give. That’s not my prerogative. But I am obligated to preach that you and I are to give to God first.

That’s the message of Moses to the Israelites here in Deuteronomy 26 and we will see that this message is also the message of Christ for us today, as Christians.

REMEMBER WHAT GOD GAVE YOU:

Read verses 1-11 because the whole basis of the Israelites putting God first is motivated by what God did for them.

Notice what Moses says first – “when you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you.” That verb “gives” relative to this beautiful land, the land flowing with milk and honey, is found 7 times in this chapter, 6 times through verse 11 and once in verse 15. The focus is that Israel did not earn this land and they do not deserve this land. It is God’s gift! Can you say “grace”? This land was given by God to Israel by His grace, by His love.

What do I have to say about us today? What has God given us today? Start making a list and you’ll quickly come to the word “everything” – everything good: health, spouse, children, job, house, car, money to go out to eat, TV, internet, the list goes on. We do not deserve good. But God gives it to us.

Our worship is motivated out of what God has given to us. In fact, all of our spiritual responses are motivated out of what God has given to us. We pray to God because He first spoke to us. We study the Bible because God first spoke to us. We sing to God because He first put the “new song” into our hearts. We give every Lord’s day because God first gave to us – not just His Son but especially His Son. That’s why it is very appropriate for us to take up the contribution right after we observe the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper reminds us of what God and Jesus gave to us and it ought to motivate us to give cheerfully back to God.

But let’s return now to the idea of giving God what is “first”…

GIVE BACK TO GOD FIRST:

With the background in mind of what God had done for Israel, now we can go back and see what God commands of Israel. Let’s return to verse 2.

So the Israelite is to harvest his crops and he is to take the first of those crops and put them into a basket and bring it to the priest in the tabernacle / temple. This was in early summer, corresponding to our May/June.

At the end of the summary of the history (verse 10), the worshiper says that he has now brought to God the first fruits which God had given to him. At that point, verse 11, he is to worship God and in that act of worship, they would “rejoice” in all the good that the Lord God had “given” to them and their household.

So it is that our contribution, our offering each Lord’s Day is an offering of rejoicing, an offering of joy, and it should be the first fruit of what we have received. We know that Jesus does not command the “tithe”  for Christians as He had done with Israel but God still commands us to give to Him first. It’s all an act of faith (Matt. 6:33; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 8:5; Col. 1:18).

If we are going to be God’s special people, we need to act like it and in this context, we act like it by trusting God, by giving Him the first fruits of our increase.

Give to God first and let His blessings flow richly into your life. A hand that is closed to give (especially to God) is closed to receive.

–Paul Holland