“Who’s On First?”

There was a very funny comedy duo in the 1940’s by the names of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. They made a lot of movies and radio shows in those days that kept people laughing all of the time. One of their most famous comedy routines is known as “Who’s On First?”

It is a comical conversation between the two about players on a baseball team with unusual names. A miscommunication between the two takes place and Costello becomes frustrated because he is thinking in common terms while the facts of the conversation is centered around uncommon terms.

Below is a video of this routine:

As I said the routine is very funny to me but it highlights a very important principle that many believers miss when it comes to finances and the management of money. Just as Costello was confused about who was ON first, so are many believers are confused about who IS first when it comes to income. King Solomon’s answer is God is always the first to receive the benefit from our income.

It doesn’t matter how much money we receive we should always honor the Lord with the firstfruits of our income. We should do it consistently and without fail. The scripture says in Proverbs 3:9-10,

“Honor the LORD with your substance, and with the firstfruits of all your increase:

So shall your barns be filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst out with new wine.”

The Amplified Bible says it this way,

⁹Honor the Lord with your capital and sufficiency [from righteous labors] and with the firstfruits of all your income;

¹⁰So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine.

Sometimes I hear the arguments about whether tithing is New Testament or Old Testament. I usually hear it from those who are not consistently giving to the Lord and they are experiencing financial problems at the moment. The argument between “Old Testament and New Testament” is typically just a cover-up for the selfishness, greed and fear in the heart of this person. “Flesh” always tries to find a way to keep from fulfilling righteousness, even if it has to use an intellectual argument to do it.

Scripture after scripture, whether directly or indirectly, informs us that God expects to be first in our lives in every area of our life. And if there was any one area we NEED God to be first, it is the area of finances. What we do (or don’t do) with our money is one of the clearest indications of what is important to us. It reflects our true heart. And if we are not giving to God FIRST we are disobeying and dishonoring Him and consequently we are tightening the yoke of financial bondage around ourselves.

Let’s look directly at the verses in Proverbs 3:9-10 that speak to making God first. Let’s dissect them and see the wisdom that is revealed.

The first word is verse 9 is “honor.” This is a very descriptive word and one pregnant with meaning because it basically means to make weighty, make heavy, lay heavily upon. The word picture idea described here is as if God was on a scale and He weighed a certain amount. You were to then lay heavily upon Him your substance thereby increasing His weight or making Him more heavy or weighty.  So the less that you give in substance is the less honor you give to the Lord. Little substance = little honor (weight). The more that you give the more honor you give to the Lord. More substance = more honor (weight.)

So to honor the Lord in Proverbs 3 didn’t mean to say nice things about Him but to give of your substance and to give a lot! In other words, make God “heavier!”

Now let’s move on to the next important word - “firstfruits.”

The word firstfruits means “the first in place, time, order or rank.” It is the first and best of what we have and it is representative of the whole.

Whenever we experience increase God Himself should get the first of it because God literally is first in place, first in time and definitely first in rank. What God deserves to get should be first in our minds. Sadly for many people God is not the first person thought about when increase comes. Usually these are the kind of thoughts that run through a person’s mind:

“What do I want or need?” “What bills do I have to pay?”

These very thoughts violate the principle of God being first in our lives. Instead of “honoring the Lord with the firstfruits” we “dishonor the Lord with the leftovers.” And then we wonder why we aren’t blessed!

I don’t know one person who consistently practices this principle who is experiencing lack in their life. God consistently performs miracles and causes men to pour into the bosom of those who make Him first.