Proverbs 3 On Wealth

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.​

The commentary is from Bible-studytools.com.

A biblical view of possessions demands using them for honoring God. This is accomplished by trusting God, by giving the first and best to God, by being fair, by giving generously and by expressing gratitude for all He gives. The result of such faithfulness to honor Him is prosperity and satisfaction.

Honoring the Lord goes much further than just attending church and stating that we are a believer. Our heart is where our pocket book and time is.

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."​

We can see from Jesus' own words here, that if we plan to prosper, we must give both of ourselves and of our possessions.

Malachi 3:10 tells it all. Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it]."​

These two verses have ruined more lives!

Suppose I had so much wealth that tithing was not big deal.... and I religiously tithed on the gross, not the net, and I did all the stuff my priest, pastor, or church leader told me to do.... is that enough sacrifice? Would that secure my soul?

Why did Jesus say....

Matthew 19:24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

There is a "food closet" in my neighborhood. We get extra and put it in the clubhouse... then others can pick up the donation. There's usually stuff like boxes of spaghetti with jars of sauce; bags of beans and bags of rice; day old bread, peanut butter.... you know...staples for people who might need to get through the month til the check hits the bank. At first I wondered how this would work out.... but I noticed... it grows and shrinks but there's always something there to make a meal or two out of.

To me... tithing to the food bank in my neighborhood is just as good as writing a check to the local church so they can go out and buy some plastic water bottles to jam a home made book mark with the name on the church to advertise at the annual neighborhood watch party.... or give the preacher a raise.

People use to have the preacher and his family over to dinner to help them get through the month on the meager salary the church could afford. People use to give the preacher and his family food and clothes to help them get through the month on the meager salary the church could afford. Preachers were never supposed to make money preaching.... a preacher that can buy a new vehicle every year... IMHO... is a thief. IMHO... a preacher who purchases gucci is a thief. [I had to google gucci to see how to spell it!]

Priests got in serious trouble over offerings in the Bible. This is from Bible.org.

The peace offerings were to be communal meals between God and His people – celebrations of blessing and fellowship in which God, the priest, and the offerer (and the offerer’s family) each ate a designated portion of the animal. The first step in the procedure was for the offerer to bring the live animal to the bronze altar at the doorway of the tabernacle, to lay his hands on its head, and to slay it. The priest who received the animal would then sprinkle some of the animal’s blood “around on the altar.” The LORD’s portion, which consisted of the kidneys and lobe of the liver along with the fat that covered the innermost parts of the animal, was offered up in fire to God [Leviticus 3:1-5]. The priest then received his designated portion of the offering, and the offerer took his portion. The offerer was to cook and eat his portion of the peace offering within one to two days after the animal was presented to the priest as a sacrifice at the bronze altar. [Leviticus 7:15-18]

Apparently, the two sons of Eli would send their servants into the homes of the offerers who were cooking their portion of the peace offerings (they’d know exactly who the offerers were because they would have just presented the animal at the bronze altar within the previous 2 days), and the priests’ servants would take a fork and grab from the pot whatever portion they wanted. This in itself was a gross violation of God’s explicit design for the offerings, because the priest’s portion and the offerer’s portion were different parts of the animal. Even if we assume that the offerer took responsibility during this period to prepare the priests’ portion of the peace offerings along with their own, the sin of Hophni and Phineas was that they were thrusting a big fork into the pot and taking for the priest “all that the fork brought up.” In other words, they were indiscriminately STEALING the offerer’s portion along with their own.

Here's a thought...... are we tempting out stupid human priests, pastors, and church leaders? I know a lot of people who claim to be Christians, who tithe regularly.... and spew hate at the homeless.

Nope... I don't like these verses at all... If you ask me... a man who has 700 wives and all the riches of the territory shouldn't be giving me advice about whores or money. Sorry... I'll stick with supplying the food closet.

:coffee:
 
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