Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honour the Lord

The principle we find in these two focal verses has been much abused in recent times – that of giving to the Lord. Many modern-day false prophets and teachers have used these verses, and others like them, to ‘fleece’ the flock of God. Although this is a grievous issue, the purpose of this article is not to focus on the abuse of this principle, but rather to direct our attention to how the Lord meant it to be used. By God’s grace, let us examine these verses in the light of His Word.

Prov. 3:9-10    Honour the Lord with your possessions,

And with the firstfruits of all your increase;

So your barns will be filled with plenty,

And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Reading these verses quickly, we are tempted to think that they represent some sort of deal with God, that goes along the lines of: ‘if you give some of your money/stuff to God, then He will give you back much more than that’. Thus, if I put a bit of money into the collection box at church on Sunday, then the Lord will give me a fancier car and a bigger house in return. With this perspective, God is reduced to some sort of ‘celestial banker’ who takes your money and returns it with interest. Sounds like a good idea, right?

Such a view of these verses has one fatal flaw: it ignores the very first word entirely. The word Honour is crucial to truly understanding what the Lord is asking for when He requests offerings or sacrifices. The entire point of giving to the Lord (and His church or ministers) is to honour Him. Treating God as a celestial banker that is bound to return our ‘investments’ with interest is the very opposite of honouring Him as our Lord and Father.

To honour God is to glorify His name, to praise Him for what He has done in our lives, to witness to others that He is Lord of all that we possess. When next you give something to the Lord, ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?” Do you want other people to praise your generosity? Do you hope that God will respond by giving you more money or possessions? Do you want your name or reputation to be associated with God’s work, so you can share in His glory? Or do you simply want to thank Him and praise Him for all He has done in your life, and acknowledge that He is the rightful Owner of you and all that you have? Only the last of these motivations is acceptable in the Lord’s sight, as we will see from other passages.

Firstly, we must understand that God is not an accountant, or a banker. He does not count every penny of your offering, or every second of your time. Why should He? Does He desperately need our money? Can He not do His will whether or not we make ourselves available to Him? Psalm 50 shows just how ridiculous the notion is that God actually needs what we give Him (I highly recommend you read all of it):

 vv. 9-15  I will not take a bull from your house,

   Nor goats out of your folds.

   For every beast of the forest is Mine,

  And the cattle on a thousand hills.

  I know all the birds of the mountains,

  And the wild beasts of the field are Mine.

 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you;

  For the world is Mine, and all its fullness.

  Will I eat the flesh of bulls,

  Or drink the blood of goats?

  Offer to God thanksgiving,

  And pay your vows to the Most High.

  Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

  I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

v.23     “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me;

 And to him who orders his conduct aright

 I will show the salvation of God.”

It is abundantly clear then, that God isn’t after our possessions. He wants an attitude of thanksgiving, such that we recognise Him as Lord and give Him the glory that is His due. Paul elaborates on this point in his letters to the churches. For example: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:7). The amount they give is secondary to the attitude they should have when deciding what to give. Even when the church’s offerings directly supported Paul’s ministry, he was clear that the actual money was not nearly as important as their willingness to glorify the Lord. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. (Phil. 4:17).

All of this said, we must not use the fact that God doesn’t need our offerings as an excuse to give as little as possible. In our verse, we are told explicitly to Honour the Lord with your possessions. In other words, what is the use of our possessions if we do not honour the Lord with them? He has given us many things, both material and non-material (e.g. talents, spiritual gifts, time) for the very purpose that we will have something to use for His glory. When Jesus fed thousands of people (Matt. 14 and 15), He did not call manna down from heaven, but rather asked His disciples for the food they already had. He took the meagre offering of a few loaves of bread and some fish, and multiplied them to feed the people. Yes, God can do great things without our input, but He most often chooses to use our little sacrifices. Giving to the Lord’s work is thus a privilege – He graciously invites us to play our small part in His great plans.

How do we know how much to give, or what to give, to honour the Lord? Our focal verse gives us the answer: with the firstfruits of all your increase. What is your increase? In the Old Testament, the Lord commanded that the animals sacrificed to Him should be without blemish. Furthermore, the fruit and grain offerings had to be from the firstfruits – i.e. the best of the season. If God really doesn’t need our offerings, then why does He demand the very best of what we have?

Once again, it is a question of honour. In Malachi 1:6-10, the Lord judges the priests and the people for offering lame or sick animals to Him: And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favourably?” Says the Lord of hosts. If the mayor or other dignitaries came to eat at your house, would you provide them with leftovers from another meal? Obviously, dignitaries don’t need your food, but you would give them the best that you have out of respect. If that is how we would treat the mayor of our town, how could we possibly offer the King of kings and Lord of lords the leftovers and scraps of our time, money, and talents – all of which come from Him?

Regardless of the exact amounts of time or money we give to the Lord, if we give our best out of the sincerity of our hearts, for the sole purpose of glorifying and honouring Him, then we are promised great blessings. Although I cautioned at the start of this article not to think of giving as a means of getting more from God, we cannot simply ignore the promised blessing of verse 10: So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Does this mean that by giving to the Lord we will become unspeakably wealthy? Considering the lives of relative poverty led by the Lord Jesus and His apostles as an example for us, I think not. What then does it mean? I believe that the key lies with the phrases filled with plenty and overflow. Does the farmer who has harvested more than his barns or vats can store worry about his income for that year? No, he is at ease, knowing that he can pay his bills and provide for his family both this year and the next.

The point I am trying to make is this: when we seek to honour the Lord above all else, then we can leave all our cares about material possessions in His capable hands. He will provide for us from His own great barns and vats, which contain more than we could hope to imagine. Furthermore, the blessings He wants to give us are likely to be far greater than a fancy car, a nice house, or an exotic holiday. Many people who have these things would give them all up if they knew of the riches of joy, peace, and love God lavishes upon those who honour Him!

Let me end with Paul’s note of thanks to the Philippian church for their gift to him as the Lord’s minister: Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:18-19).