Proverbs 3:9-12
Honor the LORD with your wealth… (v. 9) As I mentioned yesterday, I memorized Pr. 3:9-10 years ago. My guess is that Fred, our treasurer, may have memorized those verses, too. 🙂 While the immediate message may be that one should give financially to the church (and that reward will follow), I think the deeper message is an echo of Pr. 3:5-8; that is, trust in the LORD… without requiring an explanation of how everything will work out, no spreadsheet explaining the budget. (The same can be said for resting on the Sabbath, even when you have a thousand things to do — while our frenetic culture refuses.) Do we trust the Lord enough to part with the firstfruits, those dollars that come in before we see any surplus?
Trust is again hiding in the next two verses, Pr. 3:11-12. To not despise the LORD’s discipline requires that we recognize and trust that the LORD reproves him whom He loves. When we are in the midst of difficult circumstances or suffering, such trust can be a good deal more difficult than the trust it takes to tithe. I think I may need to add these last two verses to my memorization list, too. (And since they are quoted in Hebrews 12:5-6, that will be like a “two-for-one” deal! 🙂 )