His Story/our Story: THOU SHALL TITHE! (AN EXCERPT From God's Story )

THOU SHALL TITHE! (AN EXCERPT From God's Story )

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THOU SHALL TITHE

One of the contention of our day which many young believers even old has asked me in the course of relating with them is the issue of their money. Money is a monster that everyone wants to keep and not let go. No matter the consequence, no matter the ugliness it possesses, it does not matter where it’s coming from, every human wants to handle money not just small but large portion of it.

There is nothing wrong with having money as it were, but there is everything wrong with anyone who is looking for a way to exploit people of their monies and resources. It does not matter if God’s name is mentioned in the process.

It does not matter if the bible is used to support that notion. The truth is, people will use whatever seems “good” to them in order to exploit another person.

We will begin the first hybrid of law named Grace in our days.

Tithe is a big issue in this our generation. Circumcision was the big issue in the days of Paul that he boldly opposed in every corner. Just as some Jews were trying to impose circumcision on the gentiles that believed in Christ, the same thing is being repeated now.

So let’s look at what tithing is, why the tithe, who supposed to tithe, what percentage is the tithe, and to whom must the tithe be given?

WHAT IS THE TITHE?

Forget whatever you have been taught to be the tithe, we need to define it from God’s word and see what God actually termed “Tithe”. We’ll begin our study not from Malachi that’s well known by many but from Leviticus where God instituted tithing.

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. 31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. (Lev 27:30-32).

The tithe from the above is not money rather it is the fruit/seed of the Land. This include the herd, the flock and the fruit of the tree. This is what God says Tithe is.

So tithe is the fruit of tree, or seed of the land, herd (cattle) and flock (sheep, goat or geese). The first question that should be asked is “what of fishermen?’’ or those who are not into farming or those who were doing carpentering work? Tithe seems to be strictly the fruit of the land, the livestock and flock.

WHY THE TITHE?

Now that we have seen what the tithe is, let us come to the question of “Why the tithe?” Why did God institute tithing? It can be stated emphatically that tithe was instituted for (1) the sake of the Levites that do service in the temple for God and the nation of Israel, (2) for the enjoyment of the people (the Israel) that tithes and (3) for the purpose of learning how to fear the Lord.

And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. (Deut. 14:23)

And thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household... (Deut. 14:26)

When you tithe, what is the goal? To learn to fear the Lord. Yea, there is a rejoicing that accompanies tithing, but the whole goal lies in the fear of the Lord. God instituted tithing for the children of Israel because he wanted His people to see His generosity and goodness. Tithing was not instituted to lay burden on the people rather to give them vacation every year.

Let us ask ourselves an honest question here “when was the last you went on vacation?”

Every year, the children of Israel would embark on a journey to where the Lord has placed his name to meet their brethren, to celebrate and rejoice before the Lord. It is worth noting that, at the end of the third year, they were to stay in their house or community without going to where God has placed his name. They were to invite the strangers, the fatherless, the widows and the levities to their gates to join them in celebration.

We have seen what the heart of God is when it comes to the issue of tithing. How come what we practice as tithe this day is quite removed from what God instituted for His people under the Law? A little leaven leavens the whole lump.

WHO SUPPOSED TO TITHE?

I hope the picture is becoming clear to you. God’s pattern cannot be alter though men with their invention can try to invent something that is not true into it, but when we dig a bit deeper, we will discovered that God remain true to his word and nothing on earth can change that. We have come now to our third question.

Who supposed to tithe? Yea, I know you have been told by many people to tithe. I know the curse they often carved out from the book Malachi (we will get to that in a moment) in order to make you tithe and I also know how you have been told that you must “pay” tithe as if it has now become a salary or wages.

Well, man can say whatever they feel like saying. Religion can preach anything it feels like, but we are not buying into what religious-systems can preach neither are we interested in what man is preaching. But, what does God actually say concerning this?

These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai. (Lev 27:34)

But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

The tithe is of the children of the Israel not “Gentiles”. The above verses in Leviticus actually summarized the whole thing under one statement “These are the commandment which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel”. If God wanted to include the gentile, he would have made a provision in that statement.

So, who supposed to tithe? The Children of Israel. But, that’s not all. There is still some part of this tithing thing that is not taught in our day.

Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe. And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing-floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the priest. Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.(Num. 18:26-29)

We see again, the levities also need to tithe from all the tithe they received from the hands of the children of Israel. It was not just the people but also the levities that were tithing.

What a perfect system of sharing in those day. Little wonder, the children of Israel were so blessed when they followed this pattern laid down by God for them.

I hope this is clear to you.

WHAT PERCENTAGE IS THE TITHE?

If we actually want to tithe, let us do it in its right pattern under the circumstance in which the Lord gave it to the Children of Israel. I know you may be wondering why I am not mentioning Money in this issue of tithing. We will come to that shortly, but it is important we get the foundation right before building anything on it. This is why I am taking the time to explain it bit by bit.

What percentage is the tithe? Some has said it is 10 percent while others has their own definition of what that percentage is. The bible refers to the tithe as tenth but not 10 percent. I think we have inputted some stuffs into the teaching on tithe this day which were never written in the bible. The tenth is a whole bunch of “stuffs”.

Let’s use a scenario to illustrate this.

Benjamin is a farmer, he has about ten acres of land in which he planted corn, yam, cassava, plantain, banana, vine, beans. On the same land, he has a place where he rears herd and flock. At the end of the first year, meaning during the harvesting period, he is to bring tenth of the seed of the ground and also of his herd and flock.

The calculation will be: tenth of corn, of yam, of cassava, of plantain, of banana, of vine, of beans, of herd/cattle (tenth of Cow, of Oxen, of steers etc.) and of the flock (tenth of sheep, goat, etc.). When we calculate all this together, we will have the tenth of all the seed of the land, of the herd and of the flock.

This is not 10 percent, it is more than that. This is why it is not something they can carry on their heads to take to where God has placed his name. To some it may be 25 percent, some may be 30 percent, some and may be 10 percent. The yardstick of measuring the percentage depends on how individuals’ land yielded or produced fruits.

So, we cannot out-rightly say “this is the percentage that individuals must bring”. It all depend on how the land yielded its fruit to them and in any case that any of their herd and flock produced nine, tithe cannot be given out of that.

TO WHOM MUST THE TITHE BE GIVEN?

And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 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. (Num. 18:20-21)

The Levities has no inheritance in the Land, the land was shared among the eleven tribes. In order to function in the field the Lord has called them to properly, the tenth of all the resources gathered by the children of Israel must be shared with them. I will explain what I mean by “shared”.

The levities’ inheritance is the tithe they are receiving from their brethren, it is like the wages for their service unto God and to the people. Notice also that the Lord said “I am your part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.”

To whom must the tithe be given? To the Levities.

There are few other thing I want to call our attentions to.

First, the tithe MUST not be brought to the levities’ house. God’s commandment was “unto the place that I will place my name”

But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: 6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:7 And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.(Deut. 12:5-7)

Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: 14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee. (Deut 12:13-14)

Now we know that the children of Israel did not tithe while in the wilderness because they had not entered into the Land wherein they will have crops, flocks and herds.

This commandment was given beforehand to them. Most of the “Mitzvoth”(613 Laws) are to be observed when they entered into the land and have rest round about them. We should also know that, the temple in Jerusalem was where God put his name and this was the place the Lord chose for himself among his people.

So all the tithe of the children of Israel must be brought to the temple in the Jerusalem because that was where God chose to placed His name and into the hands of the levities, because they are the worthy servants that was to take the tithe from the hands of the Children of Israel.

Secondly, Tithes are big stuffs. God knew how it will look like when His children begin to follow this commandment. He knew that it will be a great burden transporting all the tithes to the place he has put his name, so he made an alternative for them.

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.(Deut. 14:22-27)

If the place be too long or far from where you live, the alternative is to turn the tithe into “MONEY”. It is really striking that in those days, the children of Israel had money but they were not commanded to tithe from their money, rather from the fruit of the land and from the herd and flock.

In fact, God’s commandment was to spend the money gotten from the sale of their tithes for whatsoever their soul lusted or desired after, for strong drink and wine, for oxen and for sheep. The only clause while doing this is “do not forget the levities, why? Because they have no inheritance with thee. They have no land, no flock, and no herd.

Maybe you did not get that, God said the tithers should eat the tithe.

Is not it amazing that God has such a great heart for all his people. He wants every one of his people to enjoy His goodness.

Whenever I meditate on God’s goodness to man, I am always in awe of Him. I am in awe of his wisdom and understanding.

This is why the bible is more about God telling His own story than us trying to fix ourselves into every details of it.

It is unfortunate that tithe that supposes to show to man the generosity of God and his blessing, has now turned into an instrument of curse in our days.

What about the verses in the book of Malachi and in Genesis where Abram was paying tithe to Melchizedek? After all, it is said in the book of Hebrews that Levites paid tithe in the loins of their father, Abraham.

It is in human's nature to use whatever means to get something out of others.

Let’s look at the pattern of tithing that Abram practiced in genesis.

Abram had received the blessing from God before he met Melchizedek after the slaughtered of the kings. Although, we have no record that Abraham tithed again after that first time.

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. (Gen 14:18-20)

There is a pattern here that we need to pay attention to. Abram did not give Melch anything until he has finished pronouncing blessing on Abram and blessing the God of Abraham. (We will explore this more in the latter chapters)

Secondly, the scripture recorded that Abram gave him “tithes of all”. The question then is “from which all did Abram give the tithe?”

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. (Heb. 7:4)

Abraham did not give from what he has, rather from the spoil he got from the slaughters of the kings. It is also important to note that Abram did not keep the spoil.

And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. (Gen 14:21-24)

Abram refused to take the spoil to himself because of his faith and assurance in God. Look at what he said again “I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth. That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich”

If anyone want to advocate the tithing of Abraham as a yardstick for tithing then such person should include this “Pay/give tithe from the spoil of the kings not from your possessions”. If that is not enough, to further establish that tithing was not something that was practiced by Abraham’s descendant. We have no account of Isaac paying any tithe. Scripture would not have glossed over such a thing.

The practice of tithing that we see in Jacob was even different.

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. (Gen 28:20-22)

This type of tithing is called “Bargain or conditional tithing”. It solely on agreement with a condition that required God to keep his part. Jacob is well known as a supplanter. He entered into a bargain with God to give tithe. But it was not commanded by God, God did not ask him to pay any tithe not to talk of any agreement on tithing.

Jacob’s example of tithing is not something to follow because we have no record of him fulfilling that vow he vowed.

The point here is that, God is showing to us that there is generosity he wants us to enjoy as his children. This thing is not far from us, we have the ability to give to others but something has dis-configured that ability in us which has now turned us to a selfish people.

If we must preach or ask people to tithe, the example from Abram and Jacob is not worth following. Anyone that teaches tithing out of that is not seeing the truth that God is presenting to us.

And remember that all the children of Israel never tithe until the Law was introduced. Joseph did not tithe, Reuben and all the sons of Jacob has no record of following that tithing thing. If it was a perpetual commandment from God to Abraham, then his children should have carried it over to their generations.

We do see that circumcision was one thing they continued to do while in Egypt till it was instituted in the law for them.

Read part 2 HERE