02/08/2026
MY TEACHING ON TITHE.
Tithing was Abraham's personal response to God who gave him victory with much spoils from the war. It was one of, not his practice.
God didn't make it a law to Israel out of the blues, it was a way of God demanding what Jacob (Israel) vowed to do. Jacob vowed, "if you keep me safe in this journey and bring me back safely, I will GIVE YOU THE TITHES OF ALL YOU GIVE ME" (Gen 28, Paraphrased).
It is the nature of God to place a demand on you if you make a vow to Him. God then placed a demand on all Israel to do it in fulfilment of their father's vow.
His vow included that "I will build a house for you here" God also demanded that.
God first and foremost took "Levi, one of the sons of Jacob as His tithe of the children He gave Jacob. He said " Levi shall be holy unto me".
God is a Master strategist and arranger. God will not eat what Israel brings to Him as tithes, He designed, that since Levi and his sons will work exclusively in His house , let them live on the tithes all Israel brings to Him. So " the tithes of the Israelites and Levi became Holy unto God" under the law. The phrase " Holy unto the Lord " means, " belongs to God".
So, whenever the Israelites get their income, they know that in that income, is a portion that is " holy unto God ". They brought it to the house of God. That becomes the portion of the Levites who work exclusively and only in God's house to order things.
God made it compulsory for them. Failure to do it attracted a curse on their income. And doing it in obedience to God's demands, attracted a blessing.
Note: All these demands were exclusively on the Israelites, not on the gentiles.
Jesus met this practice of tithing and He upheld it as what should be done. (Matt 23:23). That was still under the law. Notice that, Jesus lived and died under the law.
When Jesus died on the cross, all the demands of the law on Israel was "fulfilled in His death". He redeemed Israel from the curse that the law placed on them, and Paul in observing that shift said " that sacrifice paid by Christ on the cross, did not only free the Israelites from the curse of the law, but also brought " the blessing of Abraham" upon the gentiles. Gal 3:13-14. (That includes us)
What happened when Christ died? The temple curtain tore from the top to the bottom, signifying an end to the temple rituals. The priesthood changed from the levitical priesthood to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ ( who came after the order of Melchizedek).
What happened to the law of tithing? Here is where we have to be very careful.
What changed in tithing was
1. The compulsion to "pay" it.
2. Who to now give it to.
3. You no longer " pay it" as a vow, you "give it" as a worship to Jesus Christ, our new High Priest.
You tithe, now not as a compulsory thing, not out of necessity, but willingly and cheerfully. God loves cheerful givers. The silent purpose of tithe underscored by Mal 3 is "so that, there will be meat (provisions) in my house". If you miss the purpose, you will miss the whole truth.
The purpose has not changed, God still want provisions to be in his house. His house, not the temple, but the gathering of His people. Acts 6 shows us how distribution of provisions were done in God's house. Barnabas was a levite from Cyprus. The Bible says of him, " having land, he sold it and brought the proceeds to the apostles" Acts 4. Levites were now involved in working and giving to God's house.
Bottomline: Give tithe to God's house when you are moved to do it, as often as you can do it as an act of worship unto God so that there will be abundant " meat"in God's house. Do it cheerfully, for God loves cheerful givers. Whoever God loves he blesses. So giving tithes still brings God's blessings. No curse is attached to not giving it any more. God bless you for reading.
Bishop Sam Sam U Akpeji
