What is the meaning of Proverbs 3:9? Honor • “Honor” means treating someone as weighty and worthy. In Scripture the verb always calls for action, not mere sentiment. God Himself says, “I will honor those who honor Me” (1 Samuel 2:30). • Honoring the LORD is more than lip service; Malachi 1:6 rebukes priests who spoke piously yet brought blemished offerings. • Each choice we make with money either adds to—or subtracts from—the honor due His name. the LORD • The object of this honor is not an abstract idea of divinity but “the LORD,” the covenant-keeping God revealed in Scripture. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). • Deuteronomy 6:5 commands wholehearted love for Him; honoring Him financially flows naturally from that devotion. • Because He owns everything (Psalm 24:1), acknowledging His lordship over our resources is simply living in reality. with your wealth • Wealth here is whatever God has placed in your hands: salary, savings, property, time, skills. “Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). • David models this perspective: “Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14). • Practical ways to honor Him: – Budget with giving as the first line, not the leftover. – Use possessions to serve others, reflecting the generosity of Christ (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). – Guard against hoarding; stewardship, not accumulation, is the goal. and with the firstfruits • Firstfruits are the very first portion of a harvest, offered before any personal use. Exodus 23:19 commands, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the house of the LORD your God.” • Giving first demonstrates trust. Before you know how big the final yield will be, you acknowledge that provision ultimately comes from Him. • It also declares priority: God is not an afterthought in the budget; He is first place. of all your crops • “All” widens the scope. Nothing is excluded—grain, fruit, vegetables, flocks, today’s paycheck, or tomorrow’s investment bonus. • Deuteronomy 26:2 instructs Israel to bring “some of the firstfruits of all that you have produced,” reinforcing totality. • The promise attached in Proverbs 3:10—“then your barns will be filled with plenty”—shows that God’s blessing rests on comprehensive obedience, not selective generosity. summary Honoring the LORD begins in the heart but shows up in the checkbook. Because He is the covenant God who owns everything, we treat Him as supremely valuable by giving the first and best of all we possess. Trusting His promise, we hold resources with open hands, confident that the One who supplies seed to the sower will also fill barns and overflow vats for His glory. |
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