You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe produce and your juices. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.

Exodus 22:29

Starting from chapter 20, God starts telling Moses about the law. Now these laws were specifically written for the Israelites. This is part of the first covenant God made with a group of people which you’ll read more about later in Exodus.

When Jesus came, He was the start of the second covenant (Hebrews 9:15). Christians are part of the second covenant. This is why Christians do not follow many of the laws found in the first covenant. By believing and following Jesus, you actually fulfill the laws of the first commandment (not literally, but the essence of the law).

Jesus says that the two greatest commandments are to “love the Lord your God will all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Mark 12:29) and “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) . By doing this, the rest of the law is fulfilled (Matthew 22:40).

This is why in chapters 20 to 22, there are laws on how you should treat God and treat your neighbours.

One particular law I would like us to focus on is the Exodus 22:19 as stated at the top. This law states that we should give the first of what we produce and have to the Lord as an offering.

I’m not going to lie, this is hard to do. It takes a lot of love and a lot of faith to do. Imagine giving the first hour of everyday to God, the pay cheque of the year to God, or even just your first thoughts to God. It’s hard.

It’s hard because we lack faith. Are you going to meet your financial obligations this year if you give your first paycheque to God? Are you willing to wake up an extra hour early to give that time to God before you start your morning routine? Are you willing just to be still in the morning and ask God what His plan for you today is?

But thanks be to God that He is gracious God and accepts our offering based on the size of our faith (2 Corinthians 9:7). Maybe right now, you don’t want to give your whole first month’s pay to God. Can you give the first week? What about the first day or maybe the first hour? It’s whatever you decide in your heart that you can give cheerfully to the Lord. He doesn’t want this offering out of compulsion, grief, or regret.

I’ve struggled in this area over the years in regards to time and money. But everytime I’ve chosen to dedicate time or money to the Lord, my worries never materialized.

The more you trust God, the more you’ll be able to offer back to God. After all, He is the one that provides for you everything that you need. God is faithful and He won’t let you down. So give in faith and don’t worry.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7