Proverbs 3:9-10
Honour the Lord with Thy Substance
9HONOUR THE LORD
1. HONOR = TO BE WEIGHTY; TO BE HEAVY; TO HONOR;
a. There is a similar connection between weight and honor in English too.
• A man carries a lot of weight in town—he is important…
• His word carries a lot of weight around here—people highly esteem his opinion.
b. Originally it came from the fact that money was measured in weight. The more weight, the more value gold coins had.
c. Thus, the concept has to do with the value we place on something or someone.
2. Here, we are told to honor the Lord.
a. We are to value Him… give glory to Him.
b. We should esteem His word highly.
c. The Lord is the One we should value… highly esteem… glorify with our lives.
d. Imagine if there was an objective way to measure and assign everything in our life a certain weight? What would really have the most weight in your life? Imagine if there was a scale we could use to weigh the value we place on things… on pleasure… career… family… friends… money… on sports… etc? Which way would the scales tip?
WITH THY SUBSTANCE…
1. The particular WAY in which this honor is demonstrated is with material possessions.
a. Substance: wealth, riches…
b. Whatever substance we have comes from God anyway! (Jas.1:17)
c. Cf. I Chron. 29:11-16 –
d. Vs.11 – Everything in heaven and earth belongs to God
e. Vs.12 – Riches and honor come from God—God is sovereign in distribution
f. Vs.13 – He is to be thanked and praised
g. Vs.14 – the only reason we are able to give is because we have received from God!
h. Vs.15 – our time on earth is fleeting away
i Vs.16 – all the good saved to build the Temple came from God’s hand anyway!
2. We are to honor Him by sacrificing our material possessions to Him and His service.
a. Thus, there is a link between the concept of honor “weighty” and possessions or money, that which is “weighed.”
b. If you were buy a ticket to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra or Red Sox, you pay top dollar. You could see a AA team for $4! You can hear Salem High band for free. But to see a team or orchestra that has much weight—highly esteemed—you must pay a weighty price!
c. I Tim.5: 17-18 – double honor refers to remuneration for their labors. Their pay is a form of showing honor for the work they do.
d. Thus, we see a link between honor, weight, and giving.
3. Giving to God is one way to honor Him…
a. It shows how much weight we assign to Him…
b. It demonstrates how much we value Him…
c. It demonstrates that we value Him more than earthly possessions…
d. There is a link between our giving and the value we ascribe to God.
• We are not talking about the # of dollars given.
• Rather, it has to do with the degree of sacrifice!
4. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn’t need anything.
a. But when we sacrifice in order to give to Him, it is a form of worship.
b. It shows Him what we think of Him.
c. Luke 21:1-4 – this poor woman honored God more than others who gave many more “dollars” than she did. God measures the honor given Him according to the degree of sacrifice involved.
d. Matt. 6:1-4 – Some men gave lots of money, but did so in such a way so as to be seen of men. Their real goal was not to honor the Lord, but to honor themselves!
e. Our giving should have as its goal the honor and glory of God! (It is far more than paying the mortgage, salaries, and electric bill of the church).
AND WITH THE FIRST FRUITS OF ALL THINE INCREASE:
1. Firstfruits – the first fruit on the vine or the tree.
a. It was a special fruit—the first one! Highly prized—like a firstborn son.
b. It was tantamount to giving the “best.”
c. The firstfruit also implied that after the first fruit, there were more to come. Offering the firstfruit to God was a way of showing that it ALL belongs to Him. The firstfruit also represented the whole.
2. God doesn’t want us to give second best. He was our firstfruit…
a. Mal. 1:6 – God laments because His children were not giving Him the honor He deserved.
b. Vs.7 – they demonstrated what they thought of Him by offering polluted bread on the altar—something that had gone moldy and had no value.
c. Vs.8 – they offered sacrifices that were blind, or lame and sick. God was not impressed!
d. Vs.13 – they were tired of offering sacrifices to God and began to offer Him the leftovers—something that had little value—because they did not value God!
e. Vs.14 – God wanted them to know that He was a great King and deserved their best—not their leftovers.
3. Increase – The increase is in contrast to the “substance” which is already in their possession.
a. We are to honor God with the “substance”—that which we already possess.
b. We are also to honor God with any “increase” He sends our way.
c. When God sends an increase to us, it is only right and fitting to express thanksgiving, and to show honor and respect to Him by giving back to Him from that increase.
d. It is a way to acknowledge that we realize that it came from Him.
10SO SHALL THY BARNS BE FILLED WITH PLENTY, AND THY PRESSES SHALL BURST OUT WITH NEW WINE.
1. This verse records the RESULT of honoring God sacrificially: God will supply all your needs!
2. Caution should be used in interpreting this passage.
a. There is a big push today in what is called the “gospel of success.”
b. It is found primarily in charismatic churches. They believe that God wants us all to be healthy and now, wealthy too!
c. Bible verses are YANKED out of their contexts to support their claims.
d. They wrongly assume that passages that promise physical blessings to Israel apply to the church.
e. Example: Deut.28:1-6 – physical blessings for obedience.
• This is not a promise to us!
• Jesus obeyed His Father, and had not a place to lay His head!
f. Example: II Cor.8:9 – He became poor that ye through His poverty might be rich!
g. Example: Matt.6:12 – and forgive us our debts… (Bring your bills and tear them up! We are going to have a debt forgiving.)
h. Have you ever wondered why there is such a market in Christian circles today for Larry Burkett’s books… with an inordinate emphasis on money?
3. The passage in Prov.3:10 does NOT give us the MOTIVE to give (so that we will get). Rather, it gives us a PROMISE in giving… that when we give sacrificially, God will provide for our needs!
a. Some charlatans I have heard on the radio have suggested that God will give you threefold if you give to his ministry. (Give 100 and God will give you 300!)
b. What is the motivation in giving? GREED!
c. They have turned the whole concept of giving around. Instead of a sacrifice, it becomes a means of getting more for self!
d. Instead of an investment in eternity, they see it as an investment in the here and now! It is giving in order to get! It is self oriented.
e. In the Bible giving is an investment in eternity. We give sacrificially—we turn over riches in this life that we might have riches in heaven. That is based on faith and grace.
• II Cor. 9:6 – the farmer that hoards his seeds and wants to keep it all now, is really a fool.
• He needs some “long range vision.” If he scatters his seed now, much later, he will have a large harvest… with many MORE kernels of corn!
• Long range investments pay off. The application is to the believer giving sacrificially and generously today—and in heaven he is richly rewarded! Long range planning is wisest and best.
f. The PROMISE found in this passage is that if we give sacrificially to God, He will provide all of our needs. We will have plenty in our barns to meet our needs.
g. This promise is similar to that found in Col. 4:14-19
• Vs.14-16 – The Philippians gave sacrificially to Paul that he might preach the gospel.
• Vs.18 – their sacrificially giving was well pleasing to God.
• Vs.19 – Because of their sacrificially giving, they have assurance that God would provide for their needs…
• The promise is NOT given to selfish, greedy believers who are seeking financial gain. Rather, it is given to those who are already giving sacrificially.
4. If we are giving SO THAT God might bless us, our motive is wrong.
a. God MAY bless us if we give generously. But our giving should not be done that we might get.
b. Rather, our giving should be gracious… selflessly… sacrificially… and for God’s glory. God knows those who are giving for selfish reasons and those who are giving for His glory.
c. God honors those who honor Him.
5. I Kings 17:8-13 – Elijah told this poor woman to take her last meal, and feed him with it first!
a. It sounds quite selfish and not very manly of Elijah. BUT—this was really a test from the Lord.
b. Vs.14 – it came with a promise from that her oil and wheat would not diminish.
c. Vs.15 – she obeyed…she gave sacrificially by giving to God’s prophet first. She put God first—others first—and God provided for her needs.
d. Vs. 16 – and God kept His promise!