Nehemiah 10
We started these thoughts on Nehemiah 10 a couple of weeks ago when we particularly noticed how the Jews pledged to give of 'the firstfruits' or 'firstborn' of their ground, trees, sons, cattle, herds, flocks, dough, wine and oil to the house of God (verse 35-39). This followed the law as set out in Exodus (22:29-30).
We firstly considered that in giving firstfruits to the temple they were providing the food etc which those serving in the temple needed. Doing so not only honoured God by obeying him but also meant the priests and Levites could be free to spend their time serving God in carrying out the temple duties, rather than needing to be working in the fields to provide for their own families. They were also honouring God by recognising that he had given these providential blessings to them and that they were trusting he would continue to bless with more.
We wondered if this could be applied to us today in how we give of our finances, time, natural talents and possessions for our public worship of God and place of worship.
Last week we considered how this could be likewise applied to how we support fellow believers, who are today's spiritual church, and we looked at the 'grace of giving'.
Today, we complete these thoughts in regard to our lives and eternity.
Whilst originally thinking about how we give our firstfruits to the Lord it suddenly came to me - dear reader - what is the most important and best thing we have that the Lord has given us? Is it not our life?! Can we liken this, our life here on earth, as a firstfruit of that which is to come - eternity? The Lord says in Proverbs 23:26, 'My son, give me thine heart'. If he opens our spiritual ears to hear this call and enables us to give him our heart - our lives - what an eternity of life there is to be looked forward to and enjoyed with him forever and ever.
Jesus says in Matthew 10: 39, 'He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it', and, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me' (Matthew 16:24). It is like that giving up of their firstfruits to the temple, trusting that God had given them and would give more. So in taking up of our cross and following the Lord, seems to me to speak of that giving of our firstfruits- our earthly life, our heart- to the Lord.
Maybe you cannot yet say that your life is the Lord's or that you are trusting he will give you an eternal life. You haven't yet been brought to publicly declare what the Lord has done for your soul. Maybe you only have fears of going to hell, deep unsatisfied longings - you know not what for - or perhaps you do know that you long to hear the Saviour's love. Perhaps you feel such a dreadful sinner, unworthy in God's sight and feel too guilty to come to him - or don't know how to.
Can we liken this condition of soul and heart to the first evidences of life within - the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit working within a sinner? The light of God shining into your heart and showing you how dark, empty and hard you are and how you need him? As a new baby can only squirm and cry without expression of its need - it only feels it - and as you unhappily have deep unrest in your soul but maybe cannot express or define it, so these are signs of life within.
A baby stillborn does not move or cry. A person without the Holy Spirit within does not feel any spiritual need of God or have any desires towards him - I say spiritual need because people do sometimes pray to God for help in providential cases when they are desperate and they may have answers, but they do not take up their cross and follow him. Remember the ten lepers who all cried to Jesus to have mercy on them and heal them? When they realised they were healed, only one returned to Jesus (Luke 17:11-19).
May I encourage you, dear restless, longing heart. The Lord does not want a purely outward religion - one of your own making in which you keep yourself as good as you can be. Be encouraged by Isaiah 58 when the LORD is decrying the way in which Israel were fasting, and from Malachi 1 in which the LORD decries the offerings they were bringing to his temple. He didn't want outward delight in their religion in maintaining all the laws and traditions but no compassion and love in their hearts towards their fellow men; and he didn't want the worst of their firstfruits for their offerings in his temple.
So let me encourage you in two ways - bring all these firstfruits of the Spirit working in your heart to the Lord. All these genuine, real heart cries - these thoughts and longings that are at the very centre of your being. Offer it all up to him in prayer. It worships him when you fall before him and cry, 'Lord help me'. It honours him when you express your need of him. Ask him to bless you - for these firstfruits of the Spirit working are indications of his love and blessings for you.
And then when the Lord gives you those first blessings in your heart, those first tastes of his love, bring them to his spiritual temple, the church, the believers. Not only does this profess your trust in the Lord that you are his and he is yours, but as the Levites and priests in the temple were blessed by the providential firstfruits so too the church of believers are renewed and refreshed in their souls to hear what the Lord has done for you.
May the Lord bless you as you seek after him, draw you to him, enable you to give him those firstfruits of his working in you, and that firstfruit of the life he has given you - your heart - to him.
And may those of us who have already been brought to give our hearts to the Lord come to him again every day in an attitude of confession and submission, giving him that best time of day when we can come to him with least distractions, shut ourselves away from other disturbances and turn off our phones, that we might pray, read his word, meditate and listen for his voice. May we then know those further blessings of the graces of love and giving that we might serve the Lord, his people, his church here below.
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