tithe

Does God Expect us to Tithe?

Tithe is defined by a Christian Encyclopedia as being (1/10th) One-Tenth of a person�s income, claimed by God as an acknowledgement of His ownership of all things, and as a means of training in faithful stewardship.

Deuteronomy 8:18 �But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth�.�

Proverbs 3:9-10 �Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.�

Leviticus 27:30 �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.�

The last section of Leviticus 27:30 says, �it is holy unto the LORD�. Lets look quickly at what �Holy� means.

�Holy�: In general the word refers to that which is sacred, or set apart from the common. It is used not only in the separation from all that defiles but is also used when referring to the people of God. It is used frequently in the concept of moral perfection and often it contains a strong emphasis on dedication to religious or sacred uses. Here are some examples of where it is used in the Bible:
   The absolute Holiness of God:
   1 Samuel 2:2
   Psalms 99:9
   Isaiah 6:3
   Revelation 15:4
�Holy One of Israel� a title of the Lord:
   Isaiah 47:4
   Ezekiel 39:7
The names of the compartments of the Temple:
   Exodus 26:33
   2 Corinthians 4:22
   Hebrews 9:12
The Holy character expected of God�s people:
   1 Peter 1:15, 16

Anciently, Tithe was devoted to the support of the Priesthood and the Sanctuary, which is the church. Today churches generally use the Tithe in the same way by using it to support it�s ministry of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as instructed in the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19,20 �Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.�

The first time we find a record of tithing mentioned in the Bible, goes all the way back to the patriarch Abraham:

Genesis 14:17-21 �And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.�

In the New Testament we find another account of this incident:

Hebrews 7:1,2: �For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;�

Jacob made a vow to God promising to Tithe:

Genesis 28: 20-22 �And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.�

Some people teach that Tithing was a practice found only in the Old Testament under the �Old Covenant� given to Israel and does not apply to Christians today. It is also a common view today that Jesus doesn�t address this matter as being of any importance in the New Testament therefore we are not expected to give back the 10% that God referred to above in Leviticus 27:30 as �Holy unto the Lord�. This view does not carry any weight when the words of Jesus are brought to view:

Matthew 23:23 �Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, 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.� (KJV)

Same verse in a different translation:

�How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law � justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things.� (New Living Translation)

Jesus is reaffirming what His Father and the prophets had told His people that, �yes�; we are in fact expected to tithe. The first, not after everything else is done, but the first 10% of everything God gives us belongs to Him, and He expects us to offer it back as a show of faith and trust in Him. We are not to ignore this part of scripture, nor any other part that details what God requires Christians.

It should be said here that God doesn�t need your money, nor does He need my money. What you do by giving is show God that you stand firm on the promises He has placed in His word to take care of you and bless you for your faithfulness.
Let�s look at Malachi 3:6-10:

�For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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.�

Take a pen, or highlighter and mark this passage in your Bible because it is completely unique. This is the only place in the entire Bible that God asks you to test Him. �And prove me now herewith� is translated in the New Living Translation to read as, �Try it! Let me prove it to you!� What a great promise! What a great offer from God! He is offering to give you a blessing you will not even be able to hold. In this day and time the people of this world hold money above all else. Who would refuse a raise at work in their pay? Who would refuse free money offered with no strings attached? God is offering you something great in return for a simple show of faith in returning that which He has loaned to us. The Lord cannot lie, so this is a solid promise that you can rest assured He will keep.

Looking a little closer at this passage of Scripture we find in verse (8) �Will a man rob God?�, a question asked by the prophet Malachi to God�s people. This is very strong and direct language used by a prophet of God. Malachi goes on to specifically point out the way in which God�s own people are robbing Him. The prophet does this by saying, �In tithes and offerings.� It is important to point out here that he mentions Offerings as well as Tithe. It is possible to rob God in Offerings according to the prophet. A Christian finds himself often moved to give, by means of an Offering, where God has prospered him. The Apostle Paul sent word ahead of him to the church of Corinth to gather offerings which were needed in Judea due to a terrible famine. As we see in the passage Paul tells them on the first day of their work week (Sunday) to lay aside a �collection for the Saints�, so that when he (Paul) arrived it would be ready and they would not need to go about to gather it.

1 Corinthians 16:1,2 �Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.�

Looking back at Malachi 3:9 we find that the prophet tells God�s people they, �are cursed�. A curse is always the result of disobedience, just as blessing follows obedience. There is no neutral ground; a person is either acting in obedience or disobedience to God. The Bible also states that God will reward the person according to their deeds.

Malachi 3:10 states that the people are to bring, �all the tithes� into the Lord�s house. This would seem to indicate that people did pay Tithe, but they didn�t pay their full or honest Tithe. We need to all understand that God knows exactly what you have, because He gave it to you. You cannot hide anything from God, and He knows exactly what you were given and what you gave in return. Please be clear on the fact that paying Tithe is not an act, by which you can earn your Salvation, justify you in any way, or earn God�s favor. It is an act of Faith, which shows that you are grateful to God for the abundance he has given to you.

There is no greater way to show God you love Him, and you are truly thankful, than to follow the instruction He has given you in His holy word. Scripture is absolutely clear on this issue. God gives you 100% of what you have, and in return He asks you to return only 10% so that His church is able to continue spreading the Gospel of Salvation to a world that is running out of time.

Are you willing to show God your truly grateful by returning 10% to Him?

Are you ready to lead by example as Christ did for us?

Are you ready to live in harmony with God�s word?

Are you ready to receive the great blessing God will pour out on you for your faithfulness?

May the Lord Bless you all in your studies of His word and your walk with Him.

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