PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“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” (Proverbs 3:9-10 KJV).

There is material wealth. You have physical health in verse 8 and material wealth in verse 10.

“Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all” (Isaiah 65:8 KJV).

When somebody runs around in the press with their bare feet, mashing out grapes, what comes out? New wine. “thy presses shall burst out with new wine,” that’s the Bible definition for grape juice. The Bible definition for grape juice is “new wine.” What is liquor then? That is old wine. “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright” (Proverbs 23:31 KJV). That is fermented juice. It’s distilled. That’s when you want to leave it alone. That is not new wine, that is old wine.

So, we have a promise of material wealth. You might ask, as a New Testament believer, “Can I honor the Lord with my substance and with the firstfruits of my increase, and will God fill my barns?” He might. Paul wrote, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:6-7 KJV). God won’t go broke if you don’t give, but you might. He is mostly interested in the attitude behind giving, more than the amount. Jesus was much more impressed with the widow’s mite than He was with the big offerings of the Pharisees.

But verse 8 goes on to say, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” Are there any limits that we can do with “all grace?” Paul was happy for God’s promise, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” I can’t say much about full barns on earth, but I believe I’ll enjoy my full barns in heaven much more. Grace is the undeserved power of God to do anything that God wants you to do, that you couldn’t do otherwise, and you wouldn’t even deserve to have a part in it.

The Jewish believer may have gotten his barns filled on earth, but the New Testament saint will have his treasure stored in heaven. You take that rich farmer in Luke 12; he had his barns full—but his soul was empty. What he had he left all behind, but we are going to take ours with us!

Now, there are promises of physical blessing for the Christian: “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thessalonians 4:11-12 KJV). It’s a general truth. You work hard, do your own business, and you’ll have what you need.

That Old Testament Jew tithed three different times: (1) Numbers 18:21, He tithed to the Levites; (2) In Deuteronomy 4, he tithed to the feasts (even though he partook of the feast, he still had to bring it and dedicate it to God—that’s another 10%); (3) In Deuteronomy 14:28, he brought an additional tithe for both the Levites and the poor. That is 30%. God forced that Jew to walk by faith, but if he did that, his barns were full. On top of that, every seventh year he had to leave that land alone and grow nothing at all. In fact, the Jews went into 70-years captivity because that is how many years that they failed to honor the sabbatical rest of the land. God took it back. That shows that if we ignore God, somewhere down the line He’ll catch up to us.

We Christians give our 10% tithes and think we are so much better than the Jew, but the Jew is so far beyond us that is isn’t even funny. But I’ve never known a Christian yet gave more God to God than He gave to them. You can’t outgive God. Also, God will often give a lot more through you than He’ll ever give to you.

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