Using Tithe Dec 04

There is a Scripture which says:

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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 to the LORD. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof [20%].

32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

Numbers 18:

21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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These verses appear to contradict the ones we have under discussion, but that cannot be, for the Bible does not contradict itself. Yet the message of Deuteronomy says that we can eat our tithe so long as we go to the LORD, while the one from Leviticus says it is exclusively the LORD’s to be given to the Levites as the "wages". So how do we reconcile this?

It should be obvious that the LORD who changes not, must be speaking of two different things which are called by the same name.

This means that we must distinguish between a first tithe and a second one.

It seems natural to call that which is given directly to the LORD the first tithe, and that which we can convert and use as we desire, the second.

So now we have two separate "tenths" to consider.

In our opening text we are told that we may eat that second tithe "before the LORD your God" in the place which He chooses and we may share them with all of our family and the local worker for God. In another place He tells us, "If the place which the LORD your God has chosen to put His name there be too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your gates [at home] whatsoever your soul lusts after [greatly desires]. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten [clean foods], so you shall eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike." Deuteronomy 12:21-22.

So the general rule is not to change anything about the first tithe under penalty of a fine, but the second can have variations according to circumstances. Then the Son of God goes on to say:-

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Deuteronomy 14:

22 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your seed that the field brings forth year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name [character] there, the tithe of your corn, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks; that you may learn to fear [respect] the LORD your God always.

24 And if the way be too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from you, which the LORD your God shall choose to set His name there, when the LORD your God has blessed you: 25 then shall you turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand [look after it carefully], and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose. 26 And you shall bestow that money for whatsoever your soul lusts [greatly desires] after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever your soul desires: and you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you, and your household, 27 and the Levite that is within your gates; you shall not forsake him; for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

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Lateral thought:

The phrase "strong drink" brings to our mind the thought of alcoholic beverages such as whiskey or gin and therefore prohibited, but that is not how the Spirit of God sees it. His advice is, "It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish [such as criminals waiting to be executed], and wine to those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." Proverbs 31:4-7.

The ancient "strong drink" was a kind of beer, very common in all the world in those days, translated as "ale" in The Torah. There were four varieties, dark, light, young and lager, usually made from barley. For a Christian to use his tithe to purchase such a drink would require great consultation with God and a pressing necessity on the part of the receiver, but it was not impossible, for our God is a pragmatic Person. However, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 20:1.

We are also told:

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Deuteronomy 14:

28 At the end of three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and shall lay it up within your gates: 29 and the Levite, (because he has no part nor inheritance with you,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

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The idea of this second tenth is that it will become a fund for serving those who need help for it is not restricted to the third year. Included in this category are the fatherless, the widows and the sick, and they are incorporated in the statement we have just read. At first it should be used for religious purposes such as helping poor people to get to the annual feasts, and supplying them with the necessities of religious instruction, as well getting you there too. But in the case of infirmity or other commitments which meant that the tither or the recipients could not get to Shiloh (or Jerusalem, depending on where the ark of God was) then it could be used at home for the same religious purposes.

If for any reason the second tithe was not used up during the first two years, then at harvest time of the third year a special effort must be made to wipe out the account. This means that the tither must search out those who need it and return it to God by sharing it with them. Then he or she could come to God and fulfill the following verses.

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Deuteronomy 26:

12 When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, which is the [final] year of tithing, and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within your gates, and be filled; 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God,

"I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me: I have not transgressed Your commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

14 "I have not eaten thereof in my mourning [returned it with sadness], neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean [sinful] use, nor given ought thereof for the dead [in honour of the dead]: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless [not me, but] Your people Israel [the poor in Israel], and the land which You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, a land that flows with milk and honey."

16 [Then Moses said] "This day the LORD your God has commanded you to do these statutes and judgments: you shall therefore keep and do them with all your heart, and with all your soul. 17 You have avouched [announced] the LORD this day to be your God, and [promised] to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to hearken to His voice.

18 "And the LORD has avouched [pronounced] you this day to be His peculiar people, as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; 19 and to make you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken."

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God does not need our money, or our cattle and crops, so why does He ask for it in such specific terms? It is because WE NEED TO GIVE that He does this. He who supplies us with all the necessities of life, including the life itself, wants us to recognise this and practise an unselfishness which will teach us to RETURN the two tenths to Him.

That’s why He asks for these two tithes.

I repeat: It is not that He needs the money or the goods, but that we need to give them as a recognition of His gift of the other 80%, and also because those who are less fortunate than us also need them. The first tenth is used to help them spiritually by paying the way of the teacher of the law (the Bible teacher), and the second is used to help them physically by supplying them with food and clothing and whatever else may be needed to make them comfortable while they listen to the teacher.

Only after we have RETURNED this amount to God are we able to make an offering. Only after we have fulfilled our obligation can we decide to help. That’s the test.

But God has this to say about the representative people.

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Malachi 3:

7 "Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from My ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you," says the LORD of hosts.

But you said, "Wherein shall we return?"

8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me."

But you say, "Wherein have we robbed You?"

"In tithes and offerings."

9 "You are cursed with a curse: for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation."

10 "Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [food] in My house, and prove Me now herewith," says 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."

11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field," says the LORD of hosts. 12 "And all nations shall call you blessed: for you shall be a delightsome land," says the LORD of hosts.

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In this conversation we are made aware that in God’s sight His people had not returned their tithes and offerings to Him right from the beginning of their nation. What then were they doing? For most of this time the majority of the people had paid their tithes into the treasury, so what does He mean?

We have a glimpse of the answer in the tithing prayer. One of the qualifications for the blessing on Israel was "I have not eaten thereof in my mourning [returned it with sadness or reluctance]. That attitude was what was stopping the LORD from expanding His protection, as He would have liked. Too many of His people thought that they were "paying" God from their hard-earned cash and crops, and entirely missed the point that it was all His to start with and that they were merely returning a portion of it. They were "robbing" Him of that which was rightfully His, the knowledge that His gift is appreciated. Too many of His people were also under the impression that they were responsible for the wise use of it, and wanted to control it and the receivers of it. This was a confusion of the facts.

The first tithe is used by God and the Levite as they see fit (Numbers 18:26-32), while the second is used after a joint decision between God and the tither. Because of this, we need to stay close to Him while we seek out the needy and use the second tithe for them, and accept His decision as to who to help as the right one. Rather than send the money or goods to a "welfare" organisation, the LORD intends that by co-operating with Him we can use it to a good advantage right in the district we live in.

Then, when we do this, we can tell the recipient that we are not giving them anything, but that our God has asked us to share His money with them! The glory then is His. It is written: "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked [or poorly clothed], that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh [your own relations]? Then shall your light break forth as the morning, and your health shall spring forth speedily: and your righteousness shall go before you [as a beacon drawing them to God]; the glory of the LORD shall be your rearward [as we leave there should be behind us those who are giving thanks to God]." Isaiah 58:6-8.

That’s what tithing is all about.

Just as the Jews confused the first and second advents, so many Christians today confuse the first and second tithes, with the same result.

Tithing did not start with Moses and the children of Israel. Long before that both Abraham and Jacob (aka Israel) are recorded as returning the tithe to God. Because it is a fundamental principle of life, it naturally commenced with Adam and his family (Jewish tradition tells us that they had 97 children!) but we are not told about them directly. But we are told about two particular witnesses from before the time of Moses.

Abraham returned it through God’s special priest, Melchizedek;-

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Genesis 14:

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 and blessed be the most high God, which has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he [Abraham] gave him tithes of all.

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From Israel we have only the fact that he recognized God as the Giver.

It is not important for us to know to whom he gave it.

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Genesis 28:

20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If [because] 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, 21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God. 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that You shall give me I will surely give the tenth to You [as the owner of it]."

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To some it appears that Jacob was making a bargain with the LORD, but this is not so. "Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse" (Malachi 3:10), is God's command. No appeal is made to gratitude or to generosity. This is a matter of simple honesty. The tithe is the LORD's; and He bids us return to Him that which is His own. "It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:2. If honesty is an essential principle of business life on earth, must we not recognize our obligation to God – the obligation that underlies every other?

Conclusion:

Query for the Month

Who wants to add (or subtract!) from these thoughts? I won't argue as I have stated, but I will publish your Scriptures so that we may review all the words of God on the subject.

Some of the comments on this page are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly.

Next query. To be discussed from January 1st 2005.