Luke 2:23 The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord.” In the Old Testament, according to the Law, the firstborn son had to be dedicated to the Lord. It was basically a tithe of your family. I don’t know if it was described that way, but it was very much similar to the the tithe. It came from the first fruits of the harvest, in this case the first child of the family. How very fitting that Jesus was this tithe (or maybe gift would be a better word). He would be that tithe in every sense of the word, even down to His death on the cross as a sacrifice. He was dedicated to the Lord, and He would spend several years prior to His death telling Israel about the Lord and what He was truly like. And, like all tithes, He was sacrificed, given away. But it wasn’t us giving to God, it was God giving to us. In the same way that Jesus was Mary’s first born and dedicated to the Lord, Jesus was also God’s first and only Son who was dedicated to the Lord. In our selfishness and pride, we would have kept Him among us because we didn’t understand the full weight of our sin. But in God’s love and humility, He sacrificed His Son, His tithe, His gift, for us, to give us a new gift of forgiveness and hope. Merry Christmas!
Numbers 18:29 Be sure to set aside the best portions of the gifts given to you as your gifts to the Lord. The context of this verse is that it is a change in the earlier law as a result of Korah’s rebellion. Now the people of Israel cannot approach the Tabernacle or they will die. The Levites will no longer get any inheritance of land, but they will get to keep the tithes brought by the people to the temple. In this verse, Moses tells them that they should tithe on this tithe that is given to them. However, I think the wording is pretty interesting. They must set aside the best. Not just any tenth will do. It must be the best portion of what they receive. This is pretty subjective, I think. God leaves it up to them to decide what constitutes the best. In essence, they must be honest about what they have been given and willingly choose to give back what they consider to be the best part. We are asked to do this, too. God blesses us: financially, physically, with family, spiritually. We must choose to give our best back to Him. We get to decide what is considered the best, but it still belongs to Him. We must be honest when we decide this… a true test of character. I also think the wording “of the gifts given to you” holds more meaning for us today. The Holy Spirit gifts us spiritual gifts when we become a Christ-follower and accept the Holy Spirit’s leading in our life. Paul explains some of those gifts, like teaching, mercy, shepherding (not sheep, people), administration, etc. These aren’t given for the fun of it or because they’re cool. We should also give back the best of these gifts to God – using them to honor Him and glorify Him. As I’m learning more and more, it’s not about me. It’s all about Him. He gives us the best, and He deserves the best in return. I am often selfish, but in surrendering my best, I get His best back. And that’s worth everything.
Do you ever wonder if God’s trying to tell you something? Like, no matter whose church you’re at, you always hear about the same subject? Maybe that’s just me, and tithing. We tithe. We believe it’s really important to tithe. And, oddly enough, the sermon at my in-laws’ church that we went to on Saturday was about tithing… but not about the amount. It was about attitude. Maybe that’s the point God’s trying to get home. Yeah, tithing is important, and I feel that 10% is equally important, but I know there are times when it’s more of an obligation, instead of a joy. And I don’t really believe God for His promises… so maybe my attitude needs adjusting. In the Old Testament, when people tithed, they had to recite a short rendition of what God had done for them by bring thing out of Egypt and through the wilderness. Perhaps when I tithe I should focus on and remember the things God’s done in my life. I whine sometimes that God does stuff for other people and not for me… but then I realize how richly blessed I am. Oh, I may not be blessed in the way I’m wanting (like financially so we can get out of debt), but I am very blessed in other ways (like having an incredible husband, and wonderful little boys who are relatively healthy, John and I both have jobs and working vehicles, etc.). So, my whining is invalidated. Oh, and one more thing that struck me, this time from our worship leader on Sunday (Carolyn Pancala who is INCREDIBLE!!!) – she said, don’t focus on the problem, focus on the problem-solver. In other words, GLORIFY the problem-solver, not the problem. Too often I focus so much on the problem, basically glorifying it and making it important. Really, I should be focusing on the One who can solve that problem and bringing Him glory instead! Perspective, I guess.
Proverbs 3: 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. The BEST part of everything is like honoring him with the first part. The best is usually the first part, the initial part – it’s freshest. Then God fills me up and meets my needs. In another version it says our vats will overflow with the finest wine. Like when God turned water into wine at the wedding – he didn’t turn it into decent wine, it was the finest wine at the party! He doesn’t skimp on quality when he blesses His children. He gives the BEST.