MY
LEAST FAVORITE TOPIC!
Lev
27:30
30
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit
of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.
I seldom speak on the topic of tithing! I receive my
salary from the church and for a preacher to speak of tithing seems to be a bit
self serving. Yet it is right there in the Bible and it appears many times in
reference to worship. The God who
gives us all asks us to return a tenth for the upkeep of His church and to
teach us something of His Lordship. So, what does my giving measure? What does
my tithe reveal about me?
1.
It is a measure of our integrity and devotion
Mal
3:8
8
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
This verse is, arguably, one of the most
offensive in all the Bible. We bristle at the thought that we might have stolen
anything from God. We loudly cry that we love God; we honor God and would never
do such a horrible thing as to rob God! Yet we feel ourselves guilty! We are
indignant because we have been found out.
2.
It is a measure of our love of ourselves
Mal
1:8
8
And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?
and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy
governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of
hosts.
The Jews were to offer their very best. We take our cue
from the Jews in our giving to the Lord but, like them, we fall into the trap
of offering the things that are worthless to us. Their sacrifices were to be
“without blemish” and the best of their flocks but they were giving the
unusable and unmarketable lambs. I get the image of a yard sale item that was
too worn to sell so it was given to the church. Once received, the church
incurs the cost of repairing the gift so the end result is not a gift at all
but a liability.
3.
Tithing has a practical side
Mal
3:10
10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in
mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Ø
The
gifts of the worshippers provide the operating resources for the church. It pays
salaries, provides heating and air-conditioning, fuel for the transportation
ministry and even snacks for the kids.
Ø
It
enters into partnership with the Lord and gives God an opportunity to
demonstrate His ability to bless your remaining 90% in such a way that it will
be abundantly sufficient.
4.
But we must not allow tithing to REPLACE real worship
Matt
23:23
23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment,
mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the
other undone.
Dear
Lord, thank you for all your rich gifts to me! I will surely give Thee tithes
of all. AMEN
NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today.
ReplyDeleteTHE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.
SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take to the yearly feasts.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”
THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.
Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.
HOW CAN YOU COMPARE THAT WITH CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE TO PAY THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENT OR RENT, INCOME TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES, ETC?
There is no way to justify making some “principle” out of the Biblical tithe and then apply it to Christians today. It is just flat out wrong and makes no sense at all.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was a tenth. The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of a tenth. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving a tenth.