The more that you dig for the buried treasures in God’s Word, the more you discover treasures God left for us in His Word. Case in point is Proverbs 3:9 and 10

Proverbs 3:9,10  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Where did Israel take the firstfruits? To the temple.

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.

God’s house in the Old Testament was the temple, and here it was called a storehouse. What was the temple to do with the stuff brought into it?

Numbers 18:21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

The priests and the Levites lived off the tithes brought into the temple or storehouse.

Proverbs 3:9 says we are to honor the Lord with our increase, our tithes, and offerings. God does not need our money in heaven. He created everything. There is nothing He needs to buy. God set up the principle of tithing/giving first to be able to bless the givers and then to take care of those that serve in the temple and now in the church.

We are to honor the Lord by giving of our substance — tithing. The tithe meant a tenth. Offerings were above and beyond the tithe.

As a noun, “honor” in the Bible means “esteem, value, or great respect.” To “honor” someone is to value him highly or bestow value upon him. It can also be used as “glorify,” and it indicates great weightiness in wealth and respect. Job and Abraham come to mind.

The word “honor” has a lot of weight to it. It is not like: “We gave Bob a gold watch at his retirement party.”

Genesis 13:2 And Abram was very rich (honor, very weighty) in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

Very wealthy, heavy in wealth, it speaks of the magnitude of his wealth.

A person of high social position and accompanying wealth was automatically an honored or weighty person in society.

Having honor for God is something that should come from our heart. It is easy to say or do things that sound or look like you are honoring God but not really honoring Him in your heart. Honor is a heart issue.

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

One could be honored because of heroic feats of courage or fidelity. The mighty men of David made a name for themselves. God is also to be honored. God’s name is glorious in righteousness, faithfulness, judgment, and in salvation. He is to be honored not only because of His position as sovereign head of the universe and being the author of salvation but because of His unsurpassed character in all realms.

 Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

The trappings of glory or honor without an accompanying weightiness of character is an offense to life.

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

The Pharisees and scribes giving of the tithe did not come from a heart of love for God. Jesus said if they really loved God and gave out of love, they would also have just judgment, mercy, and faith. We not only need to give, but we need to do it from the heart. Honoring God is a heart issue, not just a strict obedience issue.

When it comes to honoring God as it tells us to do in Proverbs 3:9, this next verse is interesting.

1 Samuel 2:30 …. them that honour me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

We could conclude that when God tells us to honor Him with the firstfruits of all our increase, filling our barns/storehouses is part of how God honors us back.

Giving should be a matter of the heart. Giving honor should be a heart matter as well. Romans teaches us that believing comes from the heart and that there is joy and peace in believing. Therefore, we can be cheerful givers. To believe and do from the heart what God has said can result in joy or in being a cheerful giver. God loves that.

Interestingly, Chapter 3 of Proverbs verse one addresses the heart issue also:

Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments.

If we do all the right things but not out of love, Romans teaches us that this is sin. We just need to up our game. We need to add believing and love because of all our Father has done for us.

So how does honoring the Lord with the firstfruits of all our increase work in the Grace Administration that we live in? Well, God set up a similar scenario to the Old Testament in our administration.

1 Corinthians 9:13  Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?

In other words, the priest’s and Levite’s income was what the people brought to God as tithes and offerings in the temple.

1 Corinthians 9:14  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

Just as the priests and Levites lived on the tithes and offering of the children of Israel, God set it in order that those that have the oversight in the churches and fellowships, should live of the gospel.

God still does not need our dollars in heaven, so He asks us to give our firstfruits to those that preach the gospel. This is part of how we honor God in our day and time. He tells us to honor those He put in positions in the church.

Romans 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

1Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

This word “honor” used here is the same word as used in the gospels where it says they honor me with their lips. This word for honor can be traced back to the Old Testament. God used it consistently throughout His Word. It is an interesting study.

As a side note, the honoring of overseers in the church should be for the office more than the person as indicated by the following scriptures:

Acts 23:1-5 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest? Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

Here, we see Paul had respect for the office but not necessarily the man. He sets the example for us that our respect and honor is for the office.

Most do not teach this subject of honor in their church or fellowship probably because it would seem that they are expecting this for themselves. They would seem to be self-promoting. I can do this here because most of you that read or listen to this are not in my fellowship. But the truths are still in the Bible, and the more we as God’s children know and understand these things, the better we will prosper as individuals and as a church or fellowship.

Some people think that all they must do to honor God is to give, and God will give back to them. You cannot ignore many of the principles of prosperity and expect that giving is all that is needed. Giving is not a magic pill to receiving all on its own. We need to honor all of God’s Word not just part of it. The more we learn of God’s Word the better our walks should become.

The first Psalm says that the psalmist meditated in God’s Word day and night, and Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God. These are attitudes of the heart. This is part of honoring God and a great part of prosperity.

We also honor God by honoring our pastor and those who have the oversight over us.

October is recognized as pastor or clergy appreciation month in the United States, and October the 9^th is the specific day. Some believe that idea came from the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the churches.

Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

1Thessalonians 5:12,13  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

If you as an individual honor those that have the oversight, that is to honor God who put them there. God has said that He will honor those that honor Him. The same would be true of a church or fellowship. The better care you take of those in authority in the church the more your church/fellowship will prosper in finances and growth.

To honor God as it says in Proverbs then includes obeying His Word from the heart — staying out of debt, saving money, tithing, giving, and honoring those in authority in the church.

Galatians 6:6,7  Let him who is being instructed in the Word [of God] share with him who instructs him in all good things. Do not be misled. God is not to be sneered at. In fact, whatever a person sows, that will he also harvest, (WTJ)

This translation uses the word “share” in place of “communicate.”  Interesting. This would not only be a financial sharing but also a full sharing in many areas. For example, in one place, God told Paul to write “pray for me.”  In another place, Paul by revelation talked about those who were his helpers. Sometimes, just saying “thank you” is a blessing. All these things and more are part of honoring God and those that are overseers.

God put these instructions in His Word to help us understand how life works best.

1Timothy 4:8 …but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

Developing our relationship with God, including the proper use of finances is profitable now and in the life that is to come. Keep on digging for the treasures of God’s Word; that is the way of The Prosperous Life.