ON THE VANGUARD

REMEMBER
“And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 8:17-18

Recently I have been reading a book concerning the principles of seedtime and harvest. This isn’t anything new to me since in college it was part of the structure that the school I attended was built upon. But I must admit that in reading on this topic again, and refreshing my mind, I have learned something new. One of the biggest problems within the church concerning seed time and harvest, according to the author, is ignorance. What people do not know becomes the issue that cripples them. And this concept is stated also within the Bible when we are told the people perish from a lack of knowledge (Hos 4:6). So first I would like to point out that it may be to our advantage to learn of seedtime and harvest.
In order to give a start in this learning, I would like to point your attention to Leviticus 27:28. “’But nothing that a man owns and devotes to the LORD--whether man or animal or family land--may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.’” While we could be here and study this verse and its depth for quite some time, I want us only to pull out the word ‘devoted’. We read the words of Adonai here stating that everything ‘devoted’ is most holy to Him. This word ‘devoted’ is the Hebrew word CHARAM, meaning consecrated or first fruit. In truth, the verse is telling us that what is God’s, be it man, animal, land, money, whatever, cannot be given for another purpose because it is for God alone. The first fruit is His and we must give it to Him. When we do not give Him the first fruit, we set ourselves up for the curse that comes. I know this seems harsh, but this is in God’s Word. It may not be the fluffy preaching we want to hear from the stage on Sunday morning, but isn’t it time we come back to the truth within His Word?
Yet let us move on to the main text I want to pull from in Deuteronomy 8:17-18. It is easy to assume and declare that we are rich because of the work we do, things we make, stocks and bonds we invest in and such. The people of Israel also faced this thought. It is here in this passage, though, that Adonai reminds His people that their wealth is not based on what they invest in and such, but based rather on their obedience to giving their first fruit. He states, “’ But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…’” We cannot go on here without defining a couple key words. First, the word ‘power’ is the word KOACH, meaning anointing or ability. We do not become wealthy based on our own talent, but rather we mix our talent with His ability to become wealthy. And for the record, wealth is not money. Wealth, or prosperity, is a wholeness which includes spirit, soul, mind, and emotion. This is the wealth that we read of in III John 2, that we would be prospering and in good health as our soul is prospering and in good health.
The second word I want us to define from the Deuteronomy text is ‘remember’. The word in Hebrew is ZAKAR. Remember is many times defined in the Old Testament as honor or reference. But translated from Zakar, it takes on a different meaning. This definition is the calling to mind, or the purposeful reminding. Think with me to the times when the covenantal head of the family was called to do something. That one act was done as a covering or on behalf of the entire tribe. The covenantal head was set apart for God, in essence as the first fruit of His family. In context to our verse, again it is not us who brings forth our own prosperity, but it is the first fruit mixed with the power of Adonai. The two must be hand in hand in order to see the prosperity flow. This is what we are to call to remembrance. This, then, is what I am learning to do, and am now encouraging you to do as well.
We all know the economy of the word is tight. But praise Adonai, my prosperity in every arena is not based on the world’s system. My prosperity is based, founded, established, and secure in offering to Him the first fruits. He is turn will mix it with His power and His blessings will flow. I may not have all that I want, but I know based on the track record that I have everything I need. I give unto that which is His and He continually opens unto His prosperity.