God operates by precise laws

The First

By Robert Carter

There are many principles or Laws in the Kingdom of God that, when applied will work every time. When I say Laws, I am not referring to the Ten Commandments or Jewish Law in its literal sense but to ways of doing things. Take the various laws of nature or science for example. The law of gravity works for everybody, but we cannot see it, smell it, taste it or discern it tangibly with the natural senses. Fall out of a tree however and you will soon discover that it is very real and the affects can then be felt for sure.

The First of the First ...you must give a tithe of all the yield of your seed, ⌊which comes forth from your field year after year⌋. And you shall eat before Yahweh your God in the place that he will choose to make to dwell his name there, the tithe of your grain, your wine and your olive oil and the firstling of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to revere Yahweh your God always. Deuteronomy 14:22-23.

of your Firstfruits

There is another Law that I like and that is the Law of aerodynamics. Again natural faculties cannot detect it, but its application allows tons of metal and fabric to float in the air. There are certain elements that include, thrust, drag and lift. When the engines develop enough power, the aircraft moves through the air to combat drag.

When sufficient forward speed is attained, the shape of the wings produces lift and so the aircraft flies. It will work for a WW1 biplane just as much as it will for a modern stealth fighter. The application may vary, but it will work every time. So too will the principles found in the Word of God.

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THE FIRST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS

The Tenth or the First? Out text reveals that it is the First of your Firstfruits that God wants, not the last or some other portion.

It is not the Tenth portion Bring the first of the first-fruits of your land into the House of יהוה your Elohim. Exodus 23:19 Clearly, God is not interested in one tenth, but the very first or the best, or, the cream of the crop.

It is not a portion that comes at any other time, but the first handful, the first apple off the tree, the first grape off the vine or the first lamb born in your flock.

It is not what is left over, but the first.

If it were the tithe only, it would be one tenth, but not necessarily the first. The tithe could be much more than the first. Permit me to explain. Let us use corn as an example.

Let us say that 400 cobs of corn are ready for harvesting. The tithe would be forty, but there is also the matter of the First Fruit what had to be offered to the Lord. Please note the word play— the First! Somewhere in the harvesting of the crop, regardless of size, one of those cobs has to be picked before any other. That is the first! If that is the first, then there is a second, a third and so on until harvesting is finished. When harvesting is completed, the tithe is taken. If my deductions are correct, then this means that forty-one cobs are given to the Lord! Some people say that the ordinary people are not so obliged under The Law and that only a certain class of people were involved and others exempt. They also state that the priests had special privileges.

In a manner of speaking, they are partially correct, but God wants all people blessed, not a handful. He is not willing that anyone should perish but all come to repentance. He is no respecter of persons and His plans are for all people who will avail themselves of His promises and provision, whether they be Jew, Gentile or otherwise.

To pursue this further, we could look at the things that we value, such as money or possessions. If, for example, I receive $1000 cash and want to honor God as I aught, the questions that arise are, “How much do I give” and “To whom do I give it”?

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THE FIRST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS

Equate this to money or

possessions

We shall see where and to whom shortly, but continuing in this present line of thought, most of us would say that the tithe would be $100 and I would agree with that, but what about the Firstfruits of my increase? My Firstfruit is that cash in hand which is where it gets interesting.

Let us say for argument that it came in denominations of ten-dollar bills. One of them must be the first one I touch, so there is a single $10 note that I offer to God. Then there is the tithe, which is 10%, or, $100. This actually means that what I give to the LORD is $110.

Now I have been a tither since I was saved 44 years ago at the time of writing. I also sow much into the Kingdom of God, but I have never seen it like this to the degree I have and it has amazed me. What I have discovered is a real blessing.

Where did the offering go?

The House Of The LORD

The scripture designates that it is to go to the House of the LORD. I support other ministries and hope you do too.

I hope you will partner with me, but the word of the LORD says it is to go to the House of the LORD, not to a television ministry or a missionary, although they are worthy of support. I suggest that this is where you get fed. It SHOULD be your local church. The scriptures are very clear on this, saying- Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God. Exdus23:19.

Always give to the House of the Lord first. That way you can be assured you are honoring God in a way that produces the desired results.

The Overflow Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10.

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THE FIRST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS

Tithing to the LORD’S House is honoring Him with both the Firstfruits and the tithe. The guarantee of His word is overflow. This is not to satisfy personal greed, but with this overflow, one can pass the blessing onto others. May I say that if you are not being fed in your local Church— find one that will feed you and give there. Where you plant your seed determines what harvest you will reap later. If the soil is infertile then no crop can grow, so go to good soil and plant there.

The Increase is important Most people in Old Testament times were farmers. They raised animals and grew crops for their living, so most of their increase was agricultural. Today, we have a far wider range of occupations, so our increase and subsequent giving differs, but the concept is unchanged. The promise for them was that their barns would be full and their vats would overflow.

Today we would say our kitchen refrigerators and pantries would be full. One thing that they did with the Firstfruits was to eat them. Yes, I did say eat them! The only time money was mentioned was when they had to carry their offerings too far for practical purposes. Either it was too far to go or the food would spoil, so God said that they could sell it, travel to where He told them with the money they got from the sale and buy whatever food they wanted when they got there!

Jesus is the Firstfruit

God gave & took the best first And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18

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THE FIRST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS

In a sense, they were not really losing anything. If you read Deuteronomy 14 carefully, most of it speaks about food. From verse 22 to the end of the chapter, God dealt with the aspect of giving, linking it with food.

Part of their worship and thanksgiving involved eating what they presented to the LORD. They had to do so in the place that He chose!

They did not have the right to choose what to give, where to give it, when to give it or how to give it. Neither do we!

People often think that they cannot afford to give, but they cannot afford not to give. What you sow is returned, because this is one of those laws I mentioned earlier. It is the law of the harvest and it works for everyone.

In plain language, you reap what you sow. Galatians 6:7.

I previously stated that such matters are like a law. Many people think that tithing was given under the law and avoid it, saying, “Well we’re under grace now”. If anything we are actually living under a higher law that is the Royal Law of Love.

The Law dealt harshly with theft and it forbade adultery. Although that was under law, we cannot disregard them today thinking that they are under grace. That debate is foolishness. Please look upon

what I am sharing as a Principle and the principle still applies.

God does not want to take your money. He wants us to realize who owns what. Do we own the money or does it own us? It is a commodity that we use for everyday life. People have a job to earn money to use for living expenses. God wants us to be free to give and to receive—to bless and to be blessed—to testify about His goodness, His love and His grace.

He does not need the stuff. What we consider precious like gold is so commonplace in Heaven that they walk on it. We wear precious gems for precious jewelry but they are used as decorations in Heaven.

God wants to bring increase to you. See Proverbs 11:23-26.

There are two kinds of people we should consider in this matter. There are those who testify, “I am blessed”, or “God is prospering me”. They all tithe and give. The other group of people say, “I can’t afford to tithe” and when asked often admit that they do not give and that they are constantly struggling. There has to be a reason. Perhaps they are not honoring God first. God says that He will honor those who honor Him. See 1 Samuel 2:30.

He wants to release you and bless you. One way He does this is by your seed sowing. If no seed is sown, there can be no harvest. Jesus told us to give, so that the return can come, so that we can give to others again.

Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38.

PO Box 152 Mount Tamborine, Qld 4272, Australia www.bashanministries.org info@bashanministries.org

Good Measure

Bashan Ministries

THE FIRST OF THE FIRSTFRUITS

Be blessed