Joshua 5-6 | What Belongs To God

Every good and perfect thing in this world belongs to God. He made it. It came from Him, and He has a right to do with it what He desires.

He created things for us to experience and enjoy and, in so doing, glorify Him. But just to remind us of His ownership, He has established a principle: the first fruits of all we receive are to be given to Him. Another word for this principle is tithing.

The word “tithe” literally means a “tenth.” We are to bring the “whole tithe” (the first tenth) into the storehouse (Malachi 3:10). Jesus assumed we would do this when He gave instructions about our attitudes when tithing (Matthew 23:23).

The purpose of this tithe is to fund His work and be a weekly reminder of His ownership and our stewardship.

JERICHO AS A FRIST FRUIT

When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan (present-day Israel), the first city to be taken was Jericho. This city and all that was in it were under this rule of the first fruits.

17 The city shall be under the ban, it and all that is in it belongs to the Lord; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent.

18 “But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban, and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.

19 “But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” (Joshua 6)

In the next chapter of Joshua’s account, we discover that a man disobeyed this principle of the tenth and coveted and stole some of the things under the ban. His disobedience cost him and the whole nation. God wanted this truth and practice clearly established. He lied and tried to cover his sin, just as Ananias and Sapphira would do in the early church, but God knew, and God’s judgment came to them. (Acts 5).

OUR TITHING MATTERS

Just as Jericho was the first fruits of the new land and belonged exclusively to the Lord, so our first fruits of everything belong to Him. It is a glorious privilege to give this without question off the top of all we have been given. It’s a beautiful reminder, and God makes “all grace abound” toward us that “always having sufficiency in everything we have an abundance for every good work” (1 Corinthians 9:8). He promises this, and I can give a lifelong testimony of this sufficiency, as can millions of others.

You can’t out-give Him, and why would you ever want to withhold this giving that blesses others, blesses you, and glorifies Him?

Father, thank You for the wonderful principle of giving the first fruits. Thanks for the joy of giving unto You, the blessed reminder of the Source of all I have. And thanks for letting me be such a vital part of funding Your work that brings life to so many for all eternity!