March 21, 2023
Dear friends,
“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Did you do your homework? What did you discover about your priorities and proportions? What comes 1st, 2nd, 3rd? How do you divide up the pie?
Everyone puts something first. Maybe it’s your mortgage or rent. Maybe it’s groceries or your car payment. Medical insurance. Cell phone. Something tops the list, and that’s the thing that gets first dibs on your paycheck. Even if it’s not always the same thing – even if it’s just whatever is stressing you out or whatever you really, really want at this moment – something tops the list.
The government knows that there are fewer and fewer guarantees the further down the list you go, and that’s why they implemented tax withholding. Employers are required to withhold a portion of your paycheck before it hits your bank account to help ensure that you can meet your tax obligations. They take it off the top.
Maybe you think about your budget in terms of needs and wants. You need to pay your taxes, you need to pay for your housing, groceries, etc. You don’t need a boat or a TV, but you want them, and so if you have money left over, that’s where it goes. Needs first, wants later.
This is where the Bible does a number on worldly wisdom. God’s order is not needs first, wants later. Instead, it’s offerings first, needs second, wants later.
When God gave the people of Israel instructions for managing their wealth, he told them to start by giving back to him. They were to dedicate the firstfruits to him. And he told them to set aside 10%. It’s called the tithe, which is just another way of saying tenth.
This was a theme in God’s law for his people: “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God” (Exodus 23:19).
That is to say, offerings to God were to come first. The first lamb that was born. The first of the harvest. The first and the best.
Why?
It’s a reminder of where it all came from. It’s a reminder that it’s all a gift from God.
A great example of this comes from the Passover. When God sent the angel of death to strike down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, he gave his people a way of salvation. They were to slaughter a lamb and paint its blood on their doorposts. Then the angel of death would pass over their houses and their sons would be spared.
To remind them of this great salvation, and that their firstborn sons were a gift from him, God told them to set apart all the firstborn. All the firstborn animals were to be given as offerings to God. Their firstborn sons were to be redeemed, bought back with a substitute offering (Exodus 13:11-15).
The people could have given offerings to God as an afterthought (is this what Cain was doing? Genesis 4:2-4). After they’d made sure that all their needs were met and that their wants were satisfied, they could have given from the leftovers as offerings.
But what would that mean? That would mean that they were trusting in themselves, in their own accounting, in their own provision. God wanted them to trust in him and to remember that he had promised to give them daily bread.
“I’ve given you a whole pie, and I want you to give the first slice back to me.”
“But if I give back the first slice, I might not have enough!”
“I’m the one who gave you the pie, and I’m the one who told you to give me a slice. And I promise you – I gave you enough.”
That was God’s law for his people in the Old Testament. Bring the firstfruits. Bring the tithe.
But what about us? There’s no temple, no altar, no sacrifices. Do these laws have any significance for us?
That will be for next time. Stay tuned!
God bless and keep you,
Pr. Buchs
COMING EVENTS:
Christian Doctrine – Wednesday, March 22 @ 6pm
Choir Practice – Wednesday, March 29 @ 6pm
Maundy Thursday – Thursday, April 6 @ 7pm
Good Friday – Friday, April 7 @ 7pm
Easter Breakfast – Sunday, April 9 @ 7-8:30am