While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. ~ Genesis 8:22

I heard a minister attempting to prove his point about monetary giving and tithing using this verse. Unfortunately, those who use this verse as a reference to monetary offerings because of the words seedtime and harvest, are simply mishandeling this text.

There is absolutely no reference in this text to monetary offerings. This text is talking about the cycle of seasons on the earth. Notice the context in which seedtime and harvest is mentioned: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

God said this in response to Noah’s burnt offerings which were a type of Christ. God was so moved that he said in his heart that he would never again curse the ground for man’s sake.

And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. ~ Genesis 8:20-22

The intent here is that the earth would continue its cycle of seasons, yielding seeds and producing harvests, and being the habitation every day and night that God had created it to be for mankind. As Noah and his family embarked on the new world after leaving the Ark, they were not giving monetary offerings to preachers because there weren’t any except for Noah whom the New Testament refers to as a preacher of righteousness.

However, they would have to plant and grow food, and endure the heat and the cold as the days and the nights passed. If you are a minister and you are using this text for teaching about monetary offerings, please stop. It’s not talking about that. There are plenty of other texts you can refer to if you want to get your point across about giving. This should not be one of them. This text is not talking about “sowing seed” i.e., giving money. It’s talking about things that grow from seeds in the soil of the earth such as crops, trees, vines, gardens, etc.

Please have integrity when you handle the Word of God and teach it correctly. Don’t build into texts things that are not there and claim that is what the Word says. Have integrity when you handle God’s holy scriptures.

Blessings…