Chapter 2
Tithing
So did you count your debt to God? Do you even know the amount you owe? In this chapter, “Awakening the Heart” the emphasis is on tithing. Tithing is sowing to the Spirit. Leviticus 27:30-34, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part 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 the Lord. 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. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.”
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 shall give me I will surely give a tenth unto thee.” Jacob was terrified after a dream when he made this vow. Have you ever been terrified after a dream? Have you ever gotten into trouble and said to God, “Oh, God, I’ll do anything, just get me out of here?” Maybe you are saying that right now.
So, how many sheep in your flock? None? How many fruit bearing trees do you have in your grove? None?
Remember, that from that time until now there have been two major types of people on earth. The first are the nomads. They are the people who move from place to place so that their flocks can graze. The second are the farmers or the people who stay in one place year after year and sow and reap according to the laws of nature. It is not to say that some nomads didn’t plant for a time when they would return to a location or that farmers didn’t have herds. They often had both. So, what are you? Farmer? Nomad? It doesn’t really matter because both were a part of the “estimation of the tithes”.
The important aspect of the tithe was that, “all that any man gives of such unto the Lord shall be holy.” Leviticus 27:9
Leviticus 27:14, “And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.” So in the Old Testament, the priests were the accountants. They did all of the estimating.
So what is all of this mumbo jumbo about sanctifying his house? To sanctify is to make holy, to consecrate, to purify or free from sin, to impart spiritual blessing to or to make productive or conducive to spiritual blessing.
Awakening the heart means knowing what you know. You actually begin to live what you know in your heart is true. Your life is a living legacy to those who see your fruit. Tithing begins in the heart. It is an awakening. You give your very best to God. Live richly.
Awakening the Heart
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 shall give me I will surely give a tenth unto thee.” Jacob was terrified after a dream when he made this vow. Have you ever been terrified after a dream? Have you ever gotten into trouble and said to God, “Oh, God, I’ll do anything, just get me out of here?” Maybe you are saying that right now.
So, how many sheep in your flock? None? How many fruit bearing trees do you have in your grove? None?
Remember, that from that time until now there have been two major types of people on earth. The first are the nomads. They are the people who move from place to place so that their flocks can graze. The second are the farmers or the people who stay in one place year after year and sow and reap according to the laws of nature. It is not to say that some nomads didn’t plant for a time when they would return to a location or that farmers didn’t have herds. They often had both. So, what are you? Farmer? Nomad? It doesn’t really matter because both were a part of the “estimation of the tithes”.
The important aspect of the tithe was that, “all that any man gives of such unto the Lord shall be holy.” Leviticus 27:9
Leviticus 27:14, “And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.” So in the Old Testament, the priests were the accountants. They did all of the estimating.
So what is all of this mumbo jumbo about sanctifying his house? To sanctify is to make holy, to consecrate, to purify or free from sin, to impart spiritual blessing to or to make productive or conducive to spiritual blessing.
Awakening the heart means knowing what you know. You actually begin to live what you know in your heart is true. Your life is a living legacy to those who see your fruit. Tithing begins in the heart. It is an awakening. You give your very best to God. Live richly.
