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I wrote a brief summary of what the Bible has to say about tithing. There is much more depth into this topic that I will let readers investigate for themselves. There are so many heretical teachings in the churches today!
THE FIVE TITHES IN THE OT
#1:Abraham Tithe-Gen 14:18-21
-given once
-brought to Melchizedek
-tithe was spoils of war
#2:Jacob's Tithe-Gen 28:20-22
-given once
-how/if it was brought not stated
#3:Levitical Tithe-Num 18:21-24
-given yearly
-brought to Levitical cities
-only eaten by Levites
#4:Festival Tithe-Deut 14:22-26
-given yearly
-brought to Jerusalem
-Levites and Israel families ate this tithe
#5oor Tithe-Deut 14:28-29, 26:12-13
-given every 3 years
-stayed within gates for poor
-eaten by Levites, strangers,fatherless, widows
TITHING AN ORDINANCE UNDER MOSAIC LAW
-3 tithes under Mosaic law(Levitical,Festival, Poor)
-context of Mal 3:8-10 is speaking of Levitical tithe
-Num 18 declares Levitical tithe to be ordinance/statute
-Col 2:14 clearly states these handwritten ordinances were nailed to cross!
THE LEVITICAL TITHE
-Levitical priests had to be descendants of Aaron(Num 18:1-2)
-Priests received the "tithe of the tithe"(1%) from Levites(Num 18:26, Neh 10:38)
-neither priests nor Levites could own or inherit property(Num 18:20, 23, 24, 26, Deut 12:12, 14:27, 29, 18:1-2, Josh 13:14, 33, 14:3, 18:7, Ezek 44:28) Tithes replaced all property inheritance rights.
-only national Israel commanded to give tithes
-tithes were always food
-only those Israelites who had increase of the land gave tithes
-tithes had to come from holy promised land of Canaan(Lev 27:30, Deut26:15).
-poor did not tithe, they received from the tithes!
-Levites & priests lived in priestly Levitical cities for the tithe/offerings they received(Num 35:1-3, Josh 21:1-2, Neh 13:10).Levites received tithes in their own priestly cities, not the storehouse in Jerusalem!(Neh 10:37b)
TITHING NOT ETERNAL MORAL PRINCIPLE
*Many pastors say tithing is for church today because there was tithing before the Law of Moses, ie:Abraham gave a tithe to Melchisedec in Gen 14.
1)There was circumcision(Gen 17:10-14)and animal sacrifices(ie: Gen 3:21, Gen22:13) BEFORE the Law of Moses too! If we have to tithe today because tithing happened before Law of Moses, we should also require circumcision and animal sacrifices today!
2)Abraham tithe-spoils of war(Heb7:4), Mosaic tithes were always FOOD(ie: Lev 27:30)
3)Heb 7 explains how Melchisedec was a TYPE of Christ, and that the priesthood of Christ is GREATER than the Levitical priesthood. In other words, Jesus REPLACES the Law of Moses(Or we could say He fulfilled the law-Matt 5:17). Tithing funded the Levitical priesthood under the Mosaic law.The church is NOT under the Mosaic law, and we are NOT part of Israel, so EVEN if tithing is for today, it is only for national Israel!
4)Tithing is not an eternal moral principle, giving to the poor IS an eternal moral principle
TITHES IN MATTHEW AND LUKE
Tithes mentioned in Matt 23:23, Luke 11:42, 18:12 are speaking to leaders of Israel, not directed to the church! Until the DEATH of Jesus(Matt 27:50-51, Mark 15:37-38), Israel was still under the Mosaic Law. This is why the word “tithe” is still mentioned in the gospels of Matt and Luke.
CONTEXT OF MALACHI
*3 groups of people addressed in New Testament: The Jews, Gentiles, and church(1 Cor 10:32)
1)Book directed to Jewish ISRAEL(Mal 1:1), not the church!
2)Audience is primarily to PRIESTS of Israel(Mal 1:6, 2:1)
3)Priests were cursed for offering polluted sacrifices, stealing, and for being only partial in obeying the law(Mal 2:9). God already cursed the priests before Mal 3:8-10!(“I have cursed them already”-Mal2:2) Even if tithing is for today, tithe preachers who do not also tell their congregations to obey the WHOLE rest of the law of Moses, are GUILTY of only telling people to be PARTIAL in the law(as Mosaic tithing is only part of the law!) For breaking just one, also means breaking them all!
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" James 2:10
4)Israel and the priests vowed to follow the entire law, and agreed to have a CURSE placed upon them if they failed to follow the entire law of the Old Covenant(Deut 27-all chap. and v26, Neh 10:28-29). The curse in Mal 3:9 is the curse of Deut 27:26 (Gal 3:10)! Blessings would follow IF Israel obeyed the law(Deut 28:1-14), curses would follow IF Israel failed to obey the law(Deut 28:15-68).
5)The entire context of Mal 3:8-10 is speaking of the “nation”. This nation is obviously Israel!
6)Tithes and offerings are clearly food!
a)”meat in mine house” Mal 3:10
b)”fruits of your ground” Mal 3:11
c)”your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field” Mal3:11
d)”delightsome land”Mal 3:12
7)”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.” Mal3:10b
-”windows of heaven”,which is poured out, is clearly speaking of RAIN(read Gen 7:11-12,8:2, 2 Ki 7:2,19). The blessing here is RAIN,that would make food grow!(Deut 28:12). The curse is drought!(Deut 28:23-24)...The whole PICTURE of Mal 3:8 and onward, is that of AGRICULTURE, food! But the tithe preachers conveniently ignore that fact!
8)"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.Mal 3:8
Who robbed who?
Read Nehemiah 13:1-11 for an example of robbery....The Levites were robbed by the priest in this account. The Levites were POOR(They had no land inheritance-Numbers 18). Proverbs 19:17 says those that give to the poor give to God.Those that robbed the poor had robbed God!
GIVING IN THE NEW COVENANT
1)Old covenant giving was mandatory/compulsory(tithes and offerings)
2)New covenant giving is voluntary-”Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give;not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. “2 Cor 9:7
CONCLUSION
1)Tithing is of the Old Covenant law(Heb 7:5)-”according to the law“
2)The Bible says “the law is not of faith”-Gal 3:12
3)If tithing is of the law, and if the law is NOT of faith, then tithing,which is part of the law, is not of faith!
4)If we are commanded in Rom 1:17 “the just shall live by faith”,then tithing cannot be applicable today!
5)Giving is NOT just money.....God GAVE His only Begotten Son in John 3:16.....Christians gave themselves to the Lord in 2 Cor 8:5! Did Paul go begging for money in the ministry? NO! He worked to fund his own ministry according to 2 Cor 11:9, 1 Thess 2:9. The brethren in churches in the NT FREELY gave to help those in the ministry out of a willful heart, not of compulsion!
I pray this message will liberate those who have been taught they had to give 10% to the church. Don't give 10% to the church, give 100% to God! Flee from such preachers/teachers who abuse the Word of God!
Jesus paid your tithe! He fulfilled righteousness perfectly, something that no man could ever do! Tithe preachers who demand 10% of your income, etc...pretend/or act like there is only one Mosaic tithe in the Bible...are liars and thieves according to the Bible!
THE FIVE TITHES IN THE OT
#1:Abraham Tithe-Gen 14:18-21
-given once
-brought to Melchizedek
-tithe was spoils of war
#2:Jacob's Tithe-Gen 28:20-22
-given once
-how/if it was brought not stated
#3:Levitical Tithe-Num 18:21-24
-given yearly
-brought to Levitical cities
-only eaten by Levites
#4:Festival Tithe-Deut 14:22-26
-given yearly
-brought to Jerusalem
-Levites and Israel families ate this tithe
#5oor Tithe-Deut 14:28-29, 26:12-13
-given every 3 years
-stayed within gates for poor
-eaten by Levites, strangers,fatherless, widows
TITHING AN ORDINANCE UNDER MOSAIC LAW
-3 tithes under Mosaic law(Levitical,Festival, Poor)
-context of Mal 3:8-10 is speaking of Levitical tithe
-Num 18 declares Levitical tithe to be ordinance/statute
-Col 2:14 clearly states these handwritten ordinances were nailed to cross!
THE LEVITICAL TITHE
-Levitical priests had to be descendants of Aaron(Num 18:1-2)
-Priests received the "tithe of the tithe"(1%) from Levites(Num 18:26, Neh 10:38)
-neither priests nor Levites could own or inherit property(Num 18:20, 23, 24, 26, Deut 12:12, 14:27, 29, 18:1-2, Josh 13:14, 33, 14:3, 18:7, Ezek 44:28) Tithes replaced all property inheritance rights.
-only national Israel commanded to give tithes
-tithes were always food
-only those Israelites who had increase of the land gave tithes
-tithes had to come from holy promised land of Canaan(Lev 27:30, Deut26:15).
-poor did not tithe, they received from the tithes!
-Levites & priests lived in priestly Levitical cities for the tithe/offerings they received(Num 35:1-3, Josh 21:1-2, Neh 13:10).Levites received tithes in their own priestly cities, not the storehouse in Jerusalem!(Neh 10:37b)
TITHING NOT ETERNAL MORAL PRINCIPLE
*Many pastors say tithing is for church today because there was tithing before the Law of Moses, ie:Abraham gave a tithe to Melchisedec in Gen 14.
1)There was circumcision(Gen 17:10-14)and animal sacrifices(ie: Gen 3:21, Gen22:13) BEFORE the Law of Moses too! If we have to tithe today because tithing happened before Law of Moses, we should also require circumcision and animal sacrifices today!
2)Abraham tithe-spoils of war(Heb7:4), Mosaic tithes were always FOOD(ie: Lev 27:30)
3)Heb 7 explains how Melchisedec was a TYPE of Christ, and that the priesthood of Christ is GREATER than the Levitical priesthood. In other words, Jesus REPLACES the Law of Moses(Or we could say He fulfilled the law-Matt 5:17). Tithing funded the Levitical priesthood under the Mosaic law.The church is NOT under the Mosaic law, and we are NOT part of Israel, so EVEN if tithing is for today, it is only for national Israel!
4)Tithing is not an eternal moral principle, giving to the poor IS an eternal moral principle
TITHES IN MATTHEW AND LUKE
Tithes mentioned in Matt 23:23, Luke 11:42, 18:12 are speaking to leaders of Israel, not directed to the church! Until the DEATH of Jesus(Matt 27:50-51, Mark 15:37-38), Israel was still under the Mosaic Law. This is why the word “tithe” is still mentioned in the gospels of Matt and Luke.
CONTEXT OF MALACHI
*3 groups of people addressed in New Testament: The Jews, Gentiles, and church(1 Cor 10:32)
1)Book directed to Jewish ISRAEL(Mal 1:1), not the church!
2)Audience is primarily to PRIESTS of Israel(Mal 1:6, 2:1)
3)Priests were cursed for offering polluted sacrifices, stealing, and for being only partial in obeying the law(Mal 2:9). God already cursed the priests before Mal 3:8-10!(“I have cursed them already”-Mal2:2) Even if tithing is for today, tithe preachers who do not also tell their congregations to obey the WHOLE rest of the law of Moses, are GUILTY of only telling people to be PARTIAL in the law(as Mosaic tithing is only part of the law!) For breaking just one, also means breaking them all!
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" James 2:10
4)Israel and the priests vowed to follow the entire law, and agreed to have a CURSE placed upon them if they failed to follow the entire law of the Old Covenant(Deut 27-all chap. and v26, Neh 10:28-29). The curse in Mal 3:9 is the curse of Deut 27:26 (Gal 3:10)! Blessings would follow IF Israel obeyed the law(Deut 28:1-14), curses would follow IF Israel failed to obey the law(Deut 28:15-68).
5)The entire context of Mal 3:8-10 is speaking of the “nation”. This nation is obviously Israel!
6)Tithes and offerings are clearly food!
a)”meat in mine house” Mal 3:10
b)”fruits of your ground” Mal 3:11
c)”your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field” Mal3:11
d)”delightsome land”Mal 3:12
7)”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.” Mal3:10b
-”windows of heaven”,which is poured out, is clearly speaking of RAIN(read Gen 7:11-12,8:2, 2 Ki 7:2,19). The blessing here is RAIN,that would make food grow!(Deut 28:12). The curse is drought!(Deut 28:23-24)...The whole PICTURE of Mal 3:8 and onward, is that of AGRICULTURE, food! But the tithe preachers conveniently ignore that fact!
8)"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.Mal 3:8
Who robbed who?
Read Nehemiah 13:1-11 for an example of robbery....The Levites were robbed by the priest in this account. The Levites were POOR(They had no land inheritance-Numbers 18). Proverbs 19:17 says those that give to the poor give to God.Those that robbed the poor had robbed God!
GIVING IN THE NEW COVENANT
1)Old covenant giving was mandatory/compulsory(tithes and offerings)
2)New covenant giving is voluntary-”Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give;not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. “2 Cor 9:7
CONCLUSION
1)Tithing is of the Old Covenant law(Heb 7:5)-”according to the law“
2)The Bible says “the law is not of faith”-Gal 3:12
3)If tithing is of the law, and if the law is NOT of faith, then tithing,which is part of the law, is not of faith!
4)If we are commanded in Rom 1:17 “the just shall live by faith”,then tithing cannot be applicable today!
5)Giving is NOT just money.....God GAVE His only Begotten Son in John 3:16.....Christians gave themselves to the Lord in 2 Cor 8:5! Did Paul go begging for money in the ministry? NO! He worked to fund his own ministry according to 2 Cor 11:9, 1 Thess 2:9. The brethren in churches in the NT FREELY gave to help those in the ministry out of a willful heart, not of compulsion!
I pray this message will liberate those who have been taught they had to give 10% to the church. Don't give 10% to the church, give 100% to God! Flee from such preachers/teachers who abuse the Word of God!
Jesus paid your tithe! He fulfilled righteousness perfectly, something that no man could ever do! Tithe preachers who demand 10% of your income, etc...pretend/or act like there is only one Mosaic tithe in the Bible...are liars and thieves according to the Bible!