Sacrificial priorities lesson?
What does "when you have presented the best part" teach about sacrificial priorities?

Setting the Scene

Numbers 18 describes how the LORD provides for the Levites through Israel’s tithes.

• After receiving the tithe, the Levites themselves must present an offering back to God.

• Verse in focus: “When you have presented the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the produce of the threshing floor and the winepress.” (Numbers 18:30)


The Phrase in Focus

• “The best part” (Hebrew: ḥēleb—literally “fat,” the choicest portion) signals that what is brought to God must be the finest, not the leftovers.

• “When you have presented”—the action precedes any personal use. God’s portion is set aside first.

• “It will be reckoned to you” shows God counts the remaining portion as blessed and legitimate only after the best has been offered.


What It Teaches About Sacrificial Priorities

• Firstfruits belong to God

Proverbs 3:9: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your harvest.”

• Quality over quantity

Malachi 1:8 exposes Israel for offering blemished animals; God accepts only unblemished gifts (cf. Leviticus 22:20).

• Giving precedes receiving

– The Levites could enjoy the rest of the tithe only after God’s share was removed.

• Worship costs something

2 Samuel 24:24: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

• The heart, not the amount

Mark 12:43–44: the widow’s two small coins outweighed larger gifts because she withheld nothing.

• Living sacrifice principle

Romans 12:1 calls believers to offer their bodies “as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—your spiritual service of worship.”


Practical Takeaways for Today

• Budget the Lord’s portion first—whether income, time, or talents.

• Evaluate quality: give God your prime energy, not your dregs.

• Let generosity shape identity; once the best is God’s, enjoy the rest without guilt.

• Guard against compartmentalizing; every arena (work, family, ministry) can reflect first-fruit thinking.

• Trust God’s promise: “Then your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:10)

How does Numbers 18:30 guide us in giving offerings with a pure heart?
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