22/10/2021
Something to consider
A tithe means the tenth part of a thing. A tenth part of the possessions of the Jews (Here, again, the Mosaic ordinance only enjoined tithes of corn, wine, oil, and cattle. ) was required for the support of the Levites, Numbers 18:21 Malachi 3:8-10 is often cited in support of the tithe but lets ask the following questions:
1. What is the tithe? | The tithe is 10% of the increase, established in Leviticus 27:30-33 as an offering Holy to the Lord. The scripture identifies the tithe as grain and fruit, herd and flock. The tithe is food Not PAYCHECKS OR INCOME! An example of the tithe can be seen in a shepherd with a flock of 100 sheep who is blessed with the birth of 50 lambs in the spring. Five of the lambs must be offered to the Lord as a tithe. The tithe was brought to the temple in Jerusalem in acknowledgement and appreciation of God’s provision for His people.
2. What was the tithe for? | God doesn’t need the food – God doesn’t eat. God doesn’t desire sacrifices or offerings ( Psalm 40:6; Hosea 6:6 ) – He desires mercy. God doesn’t need us to give Him a 10th of everything – when He already owns it ALL. ( Psalm 24:1 and Job 41:11 ). The tithe was used to feed the Levite priests (and their families) who were required to work in the temple day and night ministering to God on behalf of God’s people ( 1 Chronicles 9:33 ). Without the tithe, the Levite priests would have needed to raise their own food, thereby taking them away from ministering before God. Hence the reference in Malachi 3:10 "…that there may be food in my house". Nehemiah 13:10-13 records a time when the Levite priests were not receiving the tithe wherein they abandoned their daily temple responsibilities to work the farms to feed their families. The reference to ‘robbing God’ in Malachi 3:8 is in fact robbing God of ministry and worship by failing to take care of God’s priests through the tithe of food items. Unlike the other tribes of Israel who were given land as their inheritance, the Levites were not given any land – only a few cities in which to live. God was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20-21 ). Thus, the remaining tribes were obligated to provide the Levites with food since they had no land on which to grow their own.
3. What is the storehouse? | 2 Chronicles 31 teaches that the storehouse is the Temple in Jerusalem. When the tithe was re-instituted under King Hezekiah, the king gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple to hold the tithe. Apparently the grain "tithe" was heaped up in the streets, which caused a traffic jam of sorts. King Hezekiah had the storehouse built to relieve a bad case of urban congestion in ancient Jerusalem. The Apostles Did Not Teach Gentiles To Tithe! Listen, Acts 15:1-31 records a dispute over circumcision that arose in the Gentile church at Antioch. Several false brothers had attempted to require Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians to be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas sharply opposed the false brothers and traveled to Jerusalem to discuss the issue of circumcision with the other apostles. In Jerusalem, they reported the miracles and conversions among the Gentiles. The apostles were filled with joy over God’s work there, and they agreed that circumcision was not a requirement for salvation. Following the meeting, the apostles and elders in the church at Jerusalem sent Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with a letter of welcome to the Gentile Christians. The essential text of the letter is found in Acts 15:28-29. It reads: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." The apostles did not want to burden the Gentiles with Old Testament practices! The proof is in their letter to the Gentiles and the fact is that the apostles did not impose the tithe on them.
Though The Tithe Is Not A Requirement For The Body Of Christ, We Are Still Instructed To Give. What Changed From The Old Testament To The New Is Our Motivation For Giving. In The Old Testament, Giving Was Compulsory – A Tenth (Tithe). In The New Testament We Are To Give With Joy As We Are Led To Give (2 Corinthians 9:7), Not By Compulsion. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2Cor 9:7 KJV)
