Honour Jehovah with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase;
Proverbs 3:9 puts honour to God where it can be counted — in income and harvest. The real question is not how much God wants, but where He comes in the order of our spending.
The word "honour" here is not about warm feelings. One writer points to how Jesus used the same word with teachers who dodged the duty of supporting their parents:
First, the Lord brings forward the law of Moses, the word of God — "Honor your father and your mother." This command plainly made it binding on the Jews to maintain their parents, if necessary. (See Proverbs 3:9, for a similar use of the word "honour.") But they wanted to escape this responsibility, and they invented a religious excuse for doing so.
So honouring God with your wealth means parting with it.
"Firstfruits" means the first part of the harvest, given to God before the owner uses any of it. One writer sets the verse beside what God assigned to the priests:
In Proverbs we read, "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce." God also provided for the support of the priests. Besides parts of the various offerings, Scripture says, "All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, their firstfruits that they give to the LORD, I give to you." This gives us another example: the first and best of all we are and have are to be devoted to God. In judging our own state, we can hardly overrate this question: do we habitually give God our first and best?
There is a difference between giving God a slice and giving Him the first slice. One writer presses that the order matters more than the amount:
Everything you possess belongs to God, and you are only a steward. God has a particular claim beyond this. He claims a place in your everyday calculations — and not any place, nor a second place, but the first place... It is not a set quantity of your time, intellect, or money. You may give Him a large portion of these in a legal spirit, thinking you may then use the rest for yourself, and yet be far, far away from the blessing... To give God His place is more to Him than giving Him any portion... Place is greater than portion. God will not accept second place at your hands.
Some assume that because Christians are not under the law of Moses, a verse like this no longer applies. One writer answers that the claim is heavier, not lighter:
We are not under law, but under grace. So we have no such rules about what we are to give to the Lord. But may there not be some most valuable instruction for us in these solemn words? Indeed, is it not true that now all that we are and have belongs to Him who has redeemed us through His precious blood? Much more, then, should we enter into such a word as this, "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce."
God fixes no percentage now. So how do we obey the verse? One writer points to regular giving, sized to what we receive:
Whatever our possessions are, our first thought should be how to honour the Lord in the use of them. For all that we have comes from Him... We do not need to wait for the proceeds of all our labour for the year and then give a tenth. We are not commanded (as Israel was) to give one-tenth of our income to God. Instead, we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "on the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper." No exact amount is even suggested, but "as he may prosper" leaves this to the individual's faith. Yet 2 Corinthians 9:6 tells us, "whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." This beautifully confirms that believers are not under law, but under grace.
The instinctive objection is that giving away the first portion leaves less to live on. One writer meets it head-on:
When believers are enjoying the love of the Spirit there is no lack; the poor are cared for, and every need is met... "Honor the LORD with your wealth" is a word we do well to remember. Will it impoverish us? Not a bit. God knows how to deal with grudging souls.
- Honour costs. The verse uses "honour" the way Jesus did about caring for parents — real support, not religious talk.
- Honour comes first. Firstfruits are the first portion, given before you keep anything back. The best of the oil, wine and grain went to God.
- Honour is place, not percentage. God will not take second place. Give Him a portion but keep first place for yourself, and you miss the blessing.
- Honour deepens under grace. No rule fixes the amount now. But everything we are and have belongs to the One who redeemed us, so the claim grows.
- Honour loses nothing. Set something aside each week, as you prosper. Giving God first place makes no one poorer.
so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
This verse is a promise, and it hangs on the verse before it. Barns and vats overflow only where God has been given the firstfruits. So is this a guarantee of wealth? And does it still hold for us?
The name used here matters. One writer points out that this promise was spoken to a people under a rule where obedience and blessing were visibly linked — and that the link is not the same for us now.
Jehovah is the name for God which He gave to Israel. By it they were to learn His ways and bear witness to Him in His earthly government... the word was: "honour Jehovah with your substance, and with the firstfruits of your increase." It is always true as a moral principle. But at that time God was showing His direct judgment in real events, so the result was certain: "then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." The rejection of Christ brought heavenly hopes to light for believers. It also brought suffering and persecution, along with better spiritual blessings even while they were here. The text speaks of normal results for the earth, and Israel on it.
So the principle holds in every age. The guaranteed harvest belonged to Israel under that earlier arrangement.
The word behind "vats" names the press, not the drink.
The word yekev is translated "wine" in Deuteronomy 16:13. It means "wine-press," or more exactly, "winefat"... The vat is used figuratively for the wine it produced, as the floor is for the corn.
So the promise is physical: grain stores packed, presses running over.
The verse before speaks of firstfruits. One writer makes this a matter of place rather than amount.
Everything you own belongs to God, and you are only a steward. But God has a particular claim beyond this. He claims a place in your everyday calculations — and not just any place, not a second place, but the first place... It is no particular quantity of your time, intellect, or money. You may give Him a large portion of these in a legal spirit, thinking you may then use the rest for yourself, and yet be far, far away from the blessing... To give God His place is more to Him than giving Him any portion.
On the amount, the writers do not speak with one voice. Some hold to the tenth as a floor:
Proverbs 3:9 says, "Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase." Many people live by this principle, especially older ones. From whatever source their income comes, they are careful to see that at least one tenth goes to the Lord... It has been well said that if the law required a tenth, then to give less under grace is a disgrace!
Others read the New Testament as leaving the figure open:
We do not need to wait for the proceeds of all our labour for the year and then give a tenth. We are not commanded, as Israel was, to give one tenth of our income to God. Instead we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 16:2, "on the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper." No exact amount is even suggested. The words "as he may prosper" leave this to the individual's faith. Yet 2 Corinthians 9:6 tells us, "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, but he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." This confirms that believers are not under law, but under grace.
That is the fear the second half of the verse answers, and one writer meets it head-on:
As for stingy souls, what can we say of them? But "the generous soul will be enriched." It holds good to this day. "Honour the Lord with your substance" is a word we do well to remember. Will it make us poor? Not at all.
Yet this is not a technique for getting rich. What God claims is first place, and a gift offered in a legal spirit misses the blessing.
- First — God gets the firstfruits, before you work out anything else. Place matters more to Him than portion.
- Free — grace fixes no figure. "As he may prosper" leaves the measure to each person's faith, though some hold the tenth as a minimum.
- Full — barns packed and presses overflowing. God answers generosity with plenty, not shortage.
- Framed — the guaranteed harvest belonged to Israel under God's earthly government. The principle still stands, but our richer blessings are spiritual.
- Fearless — giving does not leave you poor; the generous soul is enriched, and that holds good to this day.