Leviticus 23:10-11 (ESV)

Originally published 06/20/2015

The people of Israel were farmers and when the crops were harvested, there was no more food until the next harvest. God told them: "When you come into the land and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that you may be accepted" Leviticus 23:10-11 (ESV). Giving the very first of the harvest acknowledged that what they had was given to them by God and that all they had was really God's, and giving the first fruits without knowing how much they would actually get when the harvest was over was an act of faith that God would provide for them. This act showed their acknowledgement that God was the ruler of the world and that they could trust him to provide for them. We do the same thing when we give our offerings to God. We acknowledge that he has provided the money and we give it first, before we pay the bills, to show that we trust God to provide all of our needs. Giving to God is to be for us a great act of worship and faith, not just fundraising.


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