|
|
Tithe
Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you
ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and
offerings. You are under a curse - your whole nation - because you are
robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may
be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty,
“and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and
pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store
it (Mal 3:8-10 NIV).
Apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ, there is hardly any other
subject that has been more preached from countless pulpits than the
preaching of tithing. The church is still on earth, and it is therefore
in need of money to complete its mission. However, this preaching has
caused Christians all over the world to live in frustration and guilt
due to their financial inadequacy to give tithe. Jesus said: Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). We will look to the source of all truth; the Word of God, to see what it says about tithe.
The law of tithe
The tithe was the last of the commandments and laws the Lord gave to Moses. These are the commands the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai for the Israelites (Lev 27:34). The previous verses tell us what the tithes are: A
tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit
from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. Whoever
would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it.
Every tithe of the herd and flock – every tenth animal that
passes under the shepherd’s rod – will be holy to the Lord.
No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If
anyone does make a substitution, both the animals and its substitute
become holy and cannot be redeemed (Lev 27:30-33).
According to these verses the tithe is 10% of all growth the grain from
the soil, fruit from the trees, the herd and the flock provides. In
other words, the tithe is food!
An example is a shepherd who owns a flock of 100 sheep. During spring
his sheep give birth to 50 lambs. 5 of these were according to the law
to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem as a tithe. By following this
Israel expressed their gratitude and acknowledgment to the Lord as
their God.
The purpose of tithe
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman by the well that God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). God neither need nor eat food, and He does not want our offering and sacrifice. Sacrifice
and offering you did not desire – but my ears you have opened
– burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require (Psalms 40:6). Neither does He need us humans in order to gain growth or cattle, He already owns everything: Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me (Job 41:11). David says in Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
These scriptures tell us that God does not eat food, He does not desire
our sacrifice and offerings, and that the whole world belongs to Him.
The
tithe given by the Israelites in the Old Testament was used to provide
for the Levites and their families. The Levites were called to serve
God, day and night, in the tent of meeting and in the temple on behalf
of the Israelites. I give to the
Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the
work they do while serving at the tent of meeting (Num 18:21).
Those
who were musicians, heads of Levite families, stayed in the rooms of
the temple and were exempt from other duties because they were
responsible for the work day and night (1.Chron 9:33).
When the
Lord divided the Promised Land between the Israelites the Levites did
not inherit land of their own, but were given some towns with pasture
lands from the other tribes (Num 35:7). The Lord said (…) I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites” (Num 18:20). The offerings from the other tribes were given to the Levites as their share (Num 18:19).
If it were not for the tithe, the Levites would be required to provide
for their own food; witch would prevent them from serving God. Nehemiah
describes an occasion of this in his book. I
also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been
given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for
the service had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the
officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God
neglected?” Then I called them together and stationed them at
their posts. All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and olive
oil into the storerooms (Neh 13:10-12).
The Israelites robbed God of the serving and worshiping the Levites were assigned to perform, just like described in Malachi3:8.
The Temple
In 2.Chronicles chapter 29-31 we can read about Hezekiah
becoming king after the ungodly Ahaz. Hezekiah removed the defilement
from the sanctuary and reestablished the service of the temple of the
Lord. He assigned the priests and Levites to offer offerings, minister,
give thanks and sing praises. He also restored the tithes: He
ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the
priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the
Lord (2.Chron 31:4). The Israelites brought forward their
contributions and piled them in heaps. It resulted in an overflow of
food, and a big amount was left over and spared in storerooms: Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple of the Lord, and this was done (2.Chron 31:8-11). The storehouse we read about in Malachi 3:10 was connected to the temple in Jerusalem
The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in year 70 AD and has never been rebuild.
*Why?
The old covenant with animal sacrifice as atonement for sin
is brought to an end. The new covenant is based on the blood of Jesus.
He brought forward a final and eternal sacrifice for our sin! With
burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said,
“Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come
to do your will, my God”. First he said, “Sacrifices and
offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor
were you pleased with them” – though they were offered in
accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to
do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands
and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had
offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right
hand of God (Heb 10:6-12).
* Where is the temple today?
However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says... (Acts 7:48). The
God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by human hands (Acts 17:24). God
does not live in buildings made out of wood or rocks anymore, but in
the hearts of His children by the Holy Spirit. Do you not know that
your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your own (1.Cor 6:19).
* What about the Levite priesthood?
The
old covenant is replaced with an eternal covenant because of Jesus
‘blood. This means that the old system with its laws and rules
regarding the Levites and their sacrifices in the temple is no longer
necessary! For by one sacrifice he had made perfect forever those who are being made holy (Heb 10:14).
* Who are today's priesthood?
According
to the law, the priesthood was reserved to the Levites alone. The other
11 tribes of Israel were not able to become priests. This is brought to
an end in the new covenant. Today’s priesthood does not exist of
a small elite of schooled people, but whoever receives Jesus as their
Savior and Lord! You also, like
living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy
priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through
Jesus Christ (1.Peter 2:5). But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called
you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1.Peter2:9). Unlike
the old covenant, the priesthood of the new covenant has free access to
God: Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter
the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Heb 10:19).
Tithe in the new testament
As we look
to the Word of God we find that the law of tithe was given to Moses on
Mount Sinai. It was given together with the other laws and
commandments, and is therefore a part of the old covenant, the law. Let
us now look to what the new covenant, grace, says about tithe. Tithe is
described three places in the New Testament.
1. Matthew 23:23
Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a
tenth of your spices – mint, dill and cumin. But you have
neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy
and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without
neglecting the former. This is the only place Jesus tells
someone to give tithe. He told it to the teachers of the law and the
Pharisees, who were Jews under the law, and were obliged to give tithe.
These men paid their tithe, but were nevertheless lawbreakers, since
they did not keep the commands of justice, mercy and faithfulness..
2. Luke 18:9-14
In these verses Jesus tells a parable of a Pharisee who talks of himself as better than other humans in his prayer. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get
(v.12). Jesus teaches us that this Pharisee was not justified due to
the fact that he exalted himself. We will never be justified by our
actions, only by faith! Know that a
person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because
by the works of the law no one will be justified (Gal 2:16).
3. Hebrews 7:1-22
Here we read that Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek,
who was priest and king of Salem (Jerusalem). The story itself is
written in Genesis: Then Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most
High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ”Blessed be Abram by God Most
High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who
delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a
tenth of everything (Gen 14:18-20). Melchizedek came out to meet
with Abraham in the King’s Valley to bring him bread and wine and
to bless him (Gen 14:17-20). Abraham was so blessed by this that he
voluntarily gave him something in return; a tenth of the spoils he won
after defeating king Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him (v.16,
20). Abraham did not give tenth from his personal belongings, but from
something that had belonged to someone else. This was also a one-time
incident.
The
writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is not reasoning for that the tithe
should be given. Rather, he emphasizes that Jesus is the new high
priest and describes how, in comparison to Melchizedek and the other
high priests, Jesus ‘mandate is far greater (Heb 7). The sharing
of bread and wine was a prophetic act pointing towards Jesus and
represents the body of Christ and his blood, given to us in order for
us to live in fellowship with God. I
am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread
will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (John6:51,54). A short time before Jesus died he shared bread and wine with his disciples in the last supper (Luke 22:19-20).
Jesus told his disciples: I
no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his
master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for
everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you (John 15:15). Abraham was a friend of God, …he was called God’s friend
(James 2:23b), and the Lord would not hide things from him, Then the
Lord said: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to
do?” (Gen 18:17). Abraham was also a prophet (Gen 20:7), and
Jesus told the Jews: Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad
(John 8:56). Therefore, when Abraham received the bread and wine from
Gods priest he gave tithe out of love and gratitude. This story is of
profound prophetic significance, pointing towards the new covenant
brought forward with the last Melchizedek: Jesus Christ. If we do not
eat the bread and drink the wine we cannot have friendship with the
living God.
What is really tithe?
Now that we know that the tithe is under the law, let us look into what this means.
* The law is a curse
For
all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is
written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do
everything written in the Book of the Law” Gal 3:10).
* The law is a guardian
Before
the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked
up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was
our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.
Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the guardian (Gal3:23-25).
* The law keeps us bound in slavery
Now
you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that
time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the
power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does Scripture say?
“Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave
woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free
woman’s son” Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not
children of the slave woman, but of the free woman (Gal 4:28-31). It
is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do
not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).
* The law separates us from Christ
Mark
my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man
who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole
law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated
from Christ; you have fallen away from grace (Gal 5:2-4).
* The law cannot lead you to perfection
The
law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming – not the
realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same
sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who
draw near to worship (Heb 10:1).
If
we attempt to become justified by our actions we dishonor Christ!
Because by continuing to act by the law we imply that Jesus’
sacrifice was not enough to pay our dept.
The good news!
* Jesus has redeemed us from the law!
So,
my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of
Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from
the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God (Rom 7:4). Because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you
free from the law of sin and death (Rom8:2). Christ is the culmination
of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes
(Rom10:4). Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a
curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung
on a pole” (Gal 3:13).
* The Spirit leads Gods children
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God (Rom 8:14).
* The Spirit leads us to give with joy, not out of law
Each
of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2.Cor
9:7).
Ending
In the first church the
apostles testified the resurrection of Jesus with great power, and they
did not lack anything (Acts 4:33-34). If the old covenant (law) had
been enough, God would not have replaced it with the new covenant
(grace). The new covenant is better both for the giver and the
receiver. Jesus came so that we could have life and abundance of life
(John10:10). However, God cannot bless his church as long as she
continues to practice tithe, which is under the law. When the church
surrenders from this, and starts practicing giving as an action of
faith, it will come under the blessings given to Abraham (Gal 3:13-14).
To see hove giving is practiced under the grace, we recommend you to read our article called: - “The ministry of giving”.
May God bless you richly!
|
