Deuteronomy 26:1 – 15 “When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it and settle in it,you are to take some of the first fruits of all your produce from the soil of the land that the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name, to the priest who is serving at that time, and say to him, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have entered the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.”
Then the priest shall take the basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the LORD your God, and you are to declare before the LORD your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous. 6But the Egyptians mistreated us and afflicted us, putting us to hard labor. So we called out to the LORD, the God of our fathers; and the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, toil, and oppression. Then the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, signs, and wonders. And He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land that You, O LORD, have given me.”
Then you are to place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before Him. So you shall rejoice—you, the Levite, and the foreigner dwelling among you—in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
When you have finished laying aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you are to give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat and be filled within your gates.
Then you shall declare in the presence of the LORD your God, “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all the commandments You have given me. I have not transgressed or forgotten Your commandments. I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while in mourning, or removed any of it while unclean, or offered any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything You commanded me. Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
The first of anything is always a gamble. If I dedicate this son to the Lord, will there be more? If I dedicate this animal to the Lord, will there be more?
God has already described the year of the tithe, and now He reinforces that idea. The Israelites were to lay aside the first fruits, whether or not they were good. In addition, the Israelites were to lay aside a tenth of all their produce in the third year, the year of the tithe. Once set aside, the first fruits and the tithes belonged to God and no man could touch them. In addition, as the Israelites were offering their tithes and first fruits, they also had to swear that they had not diverted or consumed any of those offerings themselves. Here God is promising that if the Israelites will be faithful, He too will also be faithful.
Does tithing really work? Yes! Several years ago, I was at a midweek church service when God asked me to empty my bank account by writing a check for the outstanding balance. Shrugging my shoulders, I obeyed and wondered what would happen next. Suddenly friends were inviting me over for meals and leaving vegetables on my door step. I had no problems making it to the next pay day.
God has never asked me to do precisely that again. (Whew!) But if we really are serving God and not ourselves, we must recognize that God owns everything we call ours. Why not ask God how He wants you to bless others and see what He says. But be ready! You might find yourself emptying your checking account.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to remember that everything we have really belongs to You and that it is only a loan. Help us to trust that if You ask us to do something, You will do miracles to fulfill Your perfect Will. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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