In G-d's Word humanity is given the remedy for many ailments of the body, soul and spirit. Concerning the condition of poverty G-d gave the remedy in the principle of the tithe.
RULE OF THE TITHE
Tithe means tenth, and the commandment is this: "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 . . . the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto YHVH, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, among the children of Israel they shall have noinheritance"(Numbers 18:21,24).
A tithe is a tenth of every person's increase, but even more correctly, it is a tenth of all Israel's (the Ekklesia's) increase. In truth, all the tithe has been paid only when all of Israel (every person of them) has paid their tenth. The tithe belongs completely to the L-RD. "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is YHVH's. It is holy unto YHVH. And if a man will redeem any of his tithes, he shall add unto it the fifth portion thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto YHVH" (Leviticus 27:30-32).
When a person "borrows" (redeems, takes back) any portion of their tenth, then that person owes ("shall add unto") another twenty percent ("fifth portion") of their tithe to YHVH. So, if their tenth is not paid in due course, then the borrower must pay 12 percent (10%+(1/5*10%)=12%) in order for their requirement to be satisfied. If a person, or Israel as a whole, does not pay their proper tithe, it is robbery of the L_RD. "Will a man rob Elohim? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, How have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings" (Malachi 3:8). Therefore, failure to pay tithes is equal to breaking the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." The person or the nation that will not pay tithes to YHVH is a thief and must repent of larceny (see Revelation 9:21). Adonai has the right to collect it by any means He deems fit. The tithe is a tenth of "all the land." It must be paid on the fullness of our increase.
REASON FOR THE TITHE
Poverty, like sin and disease, is the result of the fall of mankind in theGarden of Eden. From then on mankind had to make his living in pain and fear because, "Cursed is the ground for your sake. In sorrow you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread" (Genesis 3 :17-19).
The ground is divinely cursed, for which reason there is normally famine and disease. Food contamination brings every form of plague. Any society with out enough good food is eventually destroyed. The "cursed ground" problem fosters ripples of strife in all segments of the economy and has eventually brought poverty and general hardship to every nation and person. Therefore, G-d provided His covenant people with a way to overcome this curse, just as He has provided us with covering for sin. The way out of the poverty curse is to give back a portion of the "cursed ground" to Him. When we pay tithes the L_RD blesses the "ground" and brings forth an abundance of provision, thereby overturning the curse! This is what is being talked about in the famous "tithes" verses in Malachi 3:9-12, "You are cursed with a curse, because you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. You must bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now with this, says YHVH of hosts, if I will not open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 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 YHVH of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed, because you shall be a delightful land, says YHVH of hosts."
You see, the "curse", that the prophet says they are cursed with, is already in place because of the fall of Adam. Because of the curse the "fruit of your ground" is destroyed. This is a prior condition placed on every person on earth. Tithing to the Most High overturnes this curse! Tithing is the remedy to the poverty that is due every person because of the fall. So, an individal or a nation is not specially cursed when they do not tithe. Instead, they fall back under the prior curse placed on Adam. G-d gave us a way out of that curse and it is the tithe!
RELATIONSHIP IN THE TITHE
Through Abraham G-d demonstrated the tithe to be a dynamic principle, held in a special relationship between the Most High and those He is in covenant with. In the event of Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek, Abraham pays a tithe of the booty He received from warfare (Genesis 14:16-20). Abraham understood a principle, which is that the tithe is not only to be paid from the ground, but from every possible source of economic supply. In essence, all sources of income are "cursed ground" unless tithes is paid from it.
Also, through Abraham and Melchizedek, G-d demonstrates that the tithe is only properly paid to Him when it goes to an ordained representative of Him for the representative's own sustenance. This tithing relationship is continued in the commandment to Israel to tithe to/through the Levitical Priesthood. The tithe never went to an institution; not even the Temple received the tithe. The tithe is always to go directly to the representatives of the L_RD's ministry, of which Melchizedek and the Levites were the forebearers, so that there "may be food in My house," says YHVH. In this way the minister is to make his living from the tithes. Because of the tithe, the ordained servants are able to continue to provide spiritual upbuilding to the covenant people, who are His house.
YHVH's ordained representatives are those who provide spiritual food to His flock. This is what Apostle Sha'ul (Paul) said, "Who goes off to war any time at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruit? Who feeds a flock, and does not eat of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things from man's viewpoint, or does not the Torah say the same also? For it is written in the Torah of Moshe, 'You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. ' Does G-d worry about oxen alone, or does He say it allfor our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope, and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your material things? If others be partakers of this power over you, shouldn 't we more so? . . . Do you not know that they who minister concerning holy things live of the things of the Temple, and they which wait at the altar are partakers of the altar? Even so, Yahveh has ordained that those who proclaim the good news should live from the good news" (1 Corinthians 9:7-14).
Sha'ul directly links the tithe that was commanded for the Levitical Priests, "they who minister...things of the Temple", with sustenance for New Covenant ministers, "those who proclaim the good news." He says they both operate from the same principle. Notice Paul does not say any church, synagogue or institution receives the sustenance. The minister is to personally receive it (and pay his tithes from it also, Numbers 18:26-28).
Some stumble over this because they fear ministers will abuse the tithes. Surely there are some that have abused the power of the tithe, but not only today. At the time of the Prophet Malachi there were ministering priests that were abusive of their position. YHVH said there were priests that "despise my name" (Malachi 1:6); that say "the table of YHVH is contemptible" (Malachi 1: 7). YHVH goes on to say of the priests, "you are departed out of the way; you have caused many to stumble at the Torah; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi" (Malachi 2:8); and "you have dealt treacherously" against your wives (Malachi 2:14). Yet, even after exposing such a contemptuous priesthood, G-d still commands Israel to bring all their tithe into the priests' storehouse (Malachi 3:10). This is because the tithe's greatest immediate effect is to break the curse on the land, even if the priests are not as they should be. Getting the tithes paid is more important for the one who pays than it is for the one who receives. In fact, the book of Malachi implies that by paying the tithe, G-d's people (Israel) can eventually turn around its wayward priests/ministers, and become a "delightful land" which all other nations will call blessed (Malachi 3:12).
The tithe is an avenue of relationship between G-d and His people, not between people and G-d's ministers. Yet, by Adonai's design, His ministers are the ones rightfully ordained to receive and live from the tithe of Israel (the Ekklesia). One should tithe to and through the minister who provides them with spiritual food in the form of the truth with love.
REWARD FROM THE TITHE
The tithe is a transaction. Melchizedek brought Abraham bread and wine (Genesis 14:18), actually a spiritual Kiddush or Holy Communion. Then, Abraham brought Melchizedek the tithe. The minister brings his spiritual goods and the one-in-covenant brings his material goods. This is the first part of the transaction. The second part of the transaction is YHVH's return or reward for obedience to the tithe. This transaction proves to be a wise investment when the Most High blesses the one-in-covenant abundantly.
If you read the account of Abraham and Melchizedek (Genesis 14) you will note that Abraham refused to receive any prize from the King of Sodom. Abraham was not looking for a material payoff. "I have lifted my hand unto YHVH, the most high G-d, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelace, and that I will not take any thing that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich" (Genesis 14:22,23). Instead, Abraham received something far greater. "After these things (the tithe to Melchizedek) the word of YHVH came unto Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceedinggreat reward.' " (Genesis 15:1). Thereafter YHVH promised Abraham and Sarah a son of their own flesh. There is much more to the tithe reward than monetary wealth. Aware of this, Abraham tithed with much bigger things in mind. The reward of the tithe includes material abundance, but that is not the ultimate objective of tithes.
Apostle Sha'ul said, "Know therefore, that those which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7). So then, all New Covenant believers are supposed to be children of Abraham. Now, add to that what Messiah Yeshua said, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). Since Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, it is absolutely necessary for anyone claiming to be a child of Abraham to do the same! How can we tithe to a priest like Melchizedek? By tithing to Messiah Yeshua! He is the 'priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Psalm 110:4). He alone is worthy of the tithe of Abraham's children. Messiah Yeshua is the one who has brought us the bread of His body and the wine of His blood. When we tithe to His ministers we tithe to Him. Just as our father Abraham, our reward will exceed material wealth (though it does not exclude it). Our reward is eternal life in the united Kingdom of Israel, the holy nation to come that will be miraculously born in a day.
Tithing is the greatest investment of one's material goods that can be made. "Bring all the tithes . . . [then] I will open to you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, such that there will not be room enough to receive it."
