Let me begin by saying that I believe we should indeed give "gifts and offerings" to the Church - it is our duty to support the Church financially. This is not about not giving or stinginess. This is about the word "tithe" and a fixed obligated compulsion - the 10%.
The New Testament never once tells us to tithe. The only time the word "tithe" is used in the NT is in the context of food. People quote Mat 23:23 - but food is right there in that verse and people just ignore it. In fact every single instance of the word "tithe" in the Bible is related to FOOD. Money is not the tithe.
I also believe that the Biblical model for giving is 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Notice the words "under compulsion". By definition, a fixed 10% is a compulsion. It is no longer "what you have decided in your heart to give". I believe being compelled to give at least a fixed amount robs one of the blessing of giving, because one is giving out of compulsion not out of love. How would you feel if you had to buy a friend a gift that was "at least $X amount" or he wouldn't accept it? Would you feel generous or would you feel that your hand was forced? What if you wanted to give more than $X, but because you were forced to spend at least $X - now you feel compelled, not generous.
Now one could say "why bother with semantics" - well the problem I have with it, is if you extract all the verses about the Tithe from the Bible and ignore everything that you heard from preachers in the past, it is clear that the Tithe is not for Christians, and it has only got to do with food. It's absolute. I don't have problem with my belief in what the Bible clearly says.
My problem is that I have been watching videos on youtube from many Godly preachers etc, some of whom have had visions of heaven or of Jesus where they were admonished for not giving "tithes and offerings" - so I don't get it. How can the Bible be absolutely clear that "tithes" only refers to food, and yet these preachers were admonished for not giving it? I would totally not be confused if Jesus in their vision said "gifts and offerings" - the word "tithe" is tripping me up.
Anyway - I am going to paste some text from another website that shows all the verses about tithes which clearly show to an unbiased reader that it's all about food. Please excuse the phrasing the author used, as it is not mine.
Can you please help me? Please read the teachings below and tell me if I'm wrong: am I wrong to believe that the tithing is clearly ONLY about food? Do not use anything outside the Bible to make your case. Thanks.
-------------------------
Num 18:21 ‘I give to the Levites all the tithes as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving….23
it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. NKJV
NOTE This scripture defines the reason 'why' tithing was required to be given to Levites. It is NOT because they were 'fulltime' workers (a typical Levites roster was 1 week out of 24 ONLY - 1 Chron 24-26). It was primarily because they forfeited their share of the Land as an inheritance.
Num 18:23-24 '..."Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.'" NKJV
This passage defines 'who' was to receive the tithes. No-one else (other than the poor) is ever authorised to receive tithes in the scriptures. (giving it to a preacher or a 'local church' would constitute a SIN according to the Law)
NOTE This passage of scripture is addressed to the priests (vs 20) and the intent is to explain how they were to be supported.
It is NOT a command to the people on 'when' or 'how' tithes were to be given...that is only ever detailed in Deut 14 & 26
NOTE The tribe of Levi had forfeited their inheritance in the land to the rest of Israel and therefore needed to receive the
food grown on it...this supply was secured under an everlasting statute/covenant with God (Numbers 18:23, Mal 2:4-9)
NOTE The requirement to have 'no inheritance in the land' is casually overlooked by most 'clergy' who claim to be entitled
to receive or partake of tithes today! ...as is the fact that the gentiles were never given a share in the 'land' of Israel
NOTE As detailed in Deut 14 and 26 it was only in the third year that ALL the tithe was given to Levites. (& widows & orphans)
(In the bible the meaning of the word ALL is commonly required to be interpreted in line with its context and other scriptures
as to its scope. ie ALL does not necessarily mean all of the types of tithes, from all of the people and all of the time
Refer to section 9 'Single or multiple tithes' for examples of this)
The tithe equated to 10% divided by 3 (ie every third year).... BUT it was also shared with the 'poor' = 3.34% ave per year
Levi had 22,000 people over 1 month old out of 603,000 Israelites over 20 years old = approx 2.2% of Israel's population
(Num 1:32 and Num 3:39)
NOTE This % is confirmed as being correct because the Levites and priests share of the spoils was set by God as 2.2%
of the total (refer Numbers 31:28 & 30)
NOTE Today as New Testament believers WE ARE ALL PRIESTS (1 Pet 2:5 and 2:9 and Rev 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6)
Deut 12 :5-12 '.... There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you. NKJV
NOTE God commands the people to EAT of their tithes...this is repeated many times so that we do not mistake HIS command (i.e. in vs 11-12, 15 and 18 also)
PLEASE NOTE Neither the word 'festival' or 'poor' are EVER found to describe the tithes of Deuteronomy in the hebrew text. These words are illegitimate insertions intended to deceive people and to justify claims of multiple tithes being required. The Law forbids adding or subtracting even a jot or tittle Deut 4:1-2 and Mat 5:18-19. Deceivers be warned.
Deut 14:22 "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. NKJV
(tithes were NOT the first 10% nor were they given weekly ...they were set aside over the year and only given once)
NOTE The tithe always specifically referred to produce of the fields only (NEVER the wages of people)
NOTE This is the ONLY place where the people of Israel are commanded in the Law 'how and when' to tithe....
and 'what' is to be done with the tithe.
There is NO scripture EVER given that suggests that tithes were required from Israelites that had other occupations other than land-owner farmers eg laborers, skilled craftsmen, weavers, designers, or carpenters (or being Jews – merchants, bankers, and lawyers or doctors) under the LAW . All the highly regarded rabbis of the past and present concur on this matter.
Deut 14:23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. NKJV
NOTE Eating the tithes is a COMMAND...you SHALL eat!
NOTE This was to celebrate religious feasts as a spiritual family and a community holiday (ie Passover, Feast of Weeks and Tabernacles)..... and to rejoice in the blessing and awesome love of God for His people.
In 33 years of listening to teachings about tithing I have never been told that GOD commands me to EAT my tithe together with my family...Have you?...How can this possibly be missed by so many supposedly knowledgable bible teachers?
Note that in verse 24-26 we are told that (if we are to far away from Jerusalem) we can convert our tithe to money but that we are then buy 'sheep, cattle, wine or strong drink' and 'to eat and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God'. Yes this is in your bible.....God COMMANDS you to eat your tithe in a party to celebrate His blessing on your life and His goodness towards you.
These scriptures are where GOD defines 'what must be done' with the tithe...and 'when' it must be done by the Israelites
These scripture will blow the storehouse money tithing heresy as taught by most churches today right out of the water...which is why they are NEVER preached!
NOTE You the giver are to EAT your tithe in celebration before God to thanks Him for his blessings
NOTE You are only to give the tithe to the Levites and the poor in the THIRD Year...the year of the tithe!
Deut 14:27-29 ……"At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. NKJV
NOTE Only on the THIRD YEAR was the tithe brought to the store in the city (ie the Levites being 2.2% of Israel's population were obviously not intended to get 10% of the nations food every year)
NOTE The poor and the weak were to free to share in the tithe....they did not to have to give tithes!
Deut 26-1-11 …(vs2) take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil …and put them in a basket....(vs11) and you and the Levites, and aliens shall rejoice in all the good things (ie EAT) that the Lord your God has given you
NOTE Firstfruits are clearly not tithes …ie a basket which contains some of the firstfruits (this can be verified in most bible dictionaries) ...and they were also to be EATEN by the giver and shared with the Levites in a celebration!
Deut 26:12 When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year, THE YEAR OF THE TITHE you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied
(This was done by bringing it to the STORE in the towns for them as detailed in Deut 14:28-29)
NOTE Unlike Firstfruits that were the first part of the produce, Tithes were not the first as they were layed aside through the year
NOTE The third year was called THE YEAR OF THE TITHE for a reason ie in that year ONLY was ALL the tithe given to the Levites (as per Num 18:21...and even then it was still to be shared with the poor because it would have been more than they needed proportionately). In the other years God COMMANDED that it was to be eaten by the giver and his family at the feasts Deut 14:22-27
NOTE ALL the tithe of the third year was given to the Levites. NOT a second tithe after the Levites tithe was first given...but ALL THE (singular) TITHE. This scriptural passage single handedly proves that there was to be NO separate 'first tithe' or 'Levites tithe' as some claim because the third year tithe was the Levites tithe of Numbers 18:21-23.
Deut 26:13 then say to the Lord ‘I have removed from my house the Sacred Portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow as you have commanded me’
NOTE The command to give the tithe to the Levites (in Numbers 18, Heb 7:5) applied to the third years produce only. This is NOT a 'poor tithe' as some choose to misleadingly call it ....it is THE LEVITES tithe
NOTE This ties up with Mal 3:8 as to having robbed God by not obeying this command...ie GOD had given the tithe to the Levites....they were to give 10% of the Sacred Portion as the Lords Offering (Num 18:26) to the Priests ….. therefore by not giving the tithe of the tithe in the THIRD YEAR God ended up being robbed!
NOTE Again that it is confirmed that the 'poor' were to partake of the tithe....not to give it!
Deut 26:14 I have not eaten any of it .......... I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.
Note This confirms that the ONLY tithe God commands to be given away is a SINGLE tithe given every Third Year. ....this constituted 'obeying the voice of the Lord'.... and doing "ALL" that God commanded. As this was ALL that was required, there can be no separate and additional 'Levites tithe'. This is said in 3 different ways so that the Israelites could emphatically KNOW that there was no requirement for an additional tithe as was later taught by greedy Rabbis ....and is still taught by many today!
Deut 26:15 ‘Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people and the land you have given us…..a land flowing with milk and honey'
Note This aligns with Mal 3:12 ‘open the windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing’ .....and Deut 28:1-2
Amos 4:4 ‘bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes every THREE years'
Note that in the seventh year the Israelites did not grow crops because it was a sabbath year for the land....and therefore they could not tithe on them .....but because of the blessing of God on their crops in the sixth year they still had an abundance to celebrate at the festivals with. (Leviticus 25 :20-22). There is no scripture which states that they would not have tithed on the natural increase in their herds and flocks..... and made first fruits offerings.
(This clearly teaches a seven year cycle....with tithes given to Levites in years 3 and 6....and tithes eaten by the giver in years 1, 2 and 4, 5.....and no tithes of crops in year 7)
FURTHER REFERENCES TO TITHING IN 2 CHRONICLES AND NEHEMIAH ARE NOT ADDRESSSED IN DETAIL AS THESE WERE MERELY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE LAW AND COULD NOT IN ANYWAY CHANGE (even a 'jot or a tittle' of ) THE LAW AS GIVEN ABOVE
Some claim that Nehemiah 10:37-38 supports the interpretation that there MUST be an additional tithe in the Law. A simple reading of the preceeding verses shows that what Nehemiah records is NOT Law....it was merely a covenant the PEOPLE made ...for themselves!
Neh 10:32 'we are making a binding agreement (NIV)....a sure covenant for OURSELVES to.....'
This phrase demonstrates that what they decided to do in their time was NOT necessarily what God had commanded as the Law!
Malachi 3:8-12 This scripture, because of its frequent out of context use, can best be described as 'a sledge-hammer to cause fear, guilt, condemnation and confusion’ for Christians today
Note Malachi was an OLD TESTAMENT prophet. Prophets pointed Israel back to THE LAW (read Mal 1 and 2 and you will see it is addressed to the Levites and priests) God did not use prophets to re-write the Law! It was the Levites tithe of the tithe that was to be brought to the temple for the Priests (Numbers 18:26, Nehemiah 10:36-37). The people's tithe was either eaten or stored at the gates for the Levites every third year.
Note We cannot be cursed today as born again believers for disobeying the LAW of Moses (which never applied to Gentiles ...and today cannot even be properly observed Jewish believers....as there is no temple or Levitical priesthood)
Gal 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us as it is written ‘Cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree’
Note As New Testament believers we receive blessing by faith in the completed work of Christ and not by doing the works of the Law (Eph 1:3 and Gal 3:1-14…..a must read)
Note I say ‘out of context’ use as scripture must be used to interpret scripture and ‘in the mouth of two witnesses or three let every word be CONFIRMED’ …….. Doctrines should not be based on one scripture only (eg using Malachi 3:8-12 contrary to the LAW as detailed in Leviticus 27 and Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14 and 26)
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? You ask how have we robbed you? ….. ie God had set out the law in Deut 14 and 26 which they were not obeying by not giving the Sacred Portion, ie the third years tithe, to the Levites who would then bring the Lords offering to the temple for the priests (Numbers 18:26)
Mal 3:9 You are under a curse…. ie Deut 28:1-14 were the blessings for obedience but Deut 28:15-68 were the curses Israel put themselves under by disobedience ..."THIS whole nation of you"...it is only addressed to ISRAEL...and Mal 4:4 confirms this!
Note We are not under the Law today ….. even the Jews...see Romans 7:6 ‘We have been released from the Law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit not under the old ways of the written code’
Mal 3:10 ‘Bring ALL the tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house’
(as per Deut 14 and 26 this clearly means the whole of the Lords offering which was 10% of the THIRD YEARS TITHE which the LEVITES brought to Jerusalem for the priests)
Note The ‘storehouse’ referred to here is the food store in the temple in Jerusalem for the priests and the poor... and it was never the local synagogue. The two rooms could never hold more than a fraction of all of Israel's tithes. NOR was it the 'treasury' which was a place to store money. This again shows that the tithe was NOT of MONEY but FOOD!
Mal 3:12 Then all the nations will call you blessed….ie as per the promises of Deut 28:1-14
TITHING WAS GODS WAY UNDER THE LAW THAT THE LEVITES/PRIESTS WOULD GET THEIR SHARE OF FOOD AND THAT THE POOR OF THE NATION WOULD ALSO BE FED ....from the Promised Land which God provided for them!
AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD CELEBRATE HIS BLESSING ONTHEIR CROPS AT THE RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
The New Testament never once tells us to tithe. The only time the word "tithe" is used in the NT is in the context of food. People quote Mat 23:23 - but food is right there in that verse and people just ignore it. In fact every single instance of the word "tithe" in the Bible is related to FOOD. Money is not the tithe.
I also believe that the Biblical model for giving is 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Notice the words "under compulsion". By definition, a fixed 10% is a compulsion. It is no longer "what you have decided in your heart to give". I believe being compelled to give at least a fixed amount robs one of the blessing of giving, because one is giving out of compulsion not out of love. How would you feel if you had to buy a friend a gift that was "at least $X amount" or he wouldn't accept it? Would you feel generous or would you feel that your hand was forced? What if you wanted to give more than $X, but because you were forced to spend at least $X - now you feel compelled, not generous.
Now one could say "why bother with semantics" - well the problem I have with it, is if you extract all the verses about the Tithe from the Bible and ignore everything that you heard from preachers in the past, it is clear that the Tithe is not for Christians, and it has only got to do with food. It's absolute. I don't have problem with my belief in what the Bible clearly says.
My problem is that I have been watching videos on youtube from many Godly preachers etc, some of whom have had visions of heaven or of Jesus where they were admonished for not giving "tithes and offerings" - so I don't get it. How can the Bible be absolutely clear that "tithes" only refers to food, and yet these preachers were admonished for not giving it? I would totally not be confused if Jesus in their vision said "gifts and offerings" - the word "tithe" is tripping me up.
Anyway - I am going to paste some text from another website that shows all the verses about tithes which clearly show to an unbiased reader that it's all about food. Please excuse the phrasing the author used, as it is not mine.
Can you please help me? Please read the teachings below and tell me if I'm wrong: am I wrong to believe that the tithing is clearly ONLY about food? Do not use anything outside the Bible to make your case. Thanks.
-------------------------
Num 18:21 ‘I give to the Levites all the tithes as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving….23
it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. NKJV
NOTE This scripture defines the reason 'why' tithing was required to be given to Levites. It is NOT because they were 'fulltime' workers (a typical Levites roster was 1 week out of 24 ONLY - 1 Chron 24-26). It was primarily because they forfeited their share of the Land as an inheritance.
Num 18:23-24 '..."Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.'" NKJV
This passage defines 'who' was to receive the tithes. No-one else (other than the poor) is ever authorised to receive tithes in the scriptures. (giving it to a preacher or a 'local church' would constitute a SIN according to the Law)
NOTE This passage of scripture is addressed to the priests (vs 20) and the intent is to explain how they were to be supported.
It is NOT a command to the people on 'when' or 'how' tithes were to be given...that is only ever detailed in Deut 14 & 26
NOTE The tribe of Levi had forfeited their inheritance in the land to the rest of Israel and therefore needed to receive the
food grown on it...this supply was secured under an everlasting statute/covenant with God (Numbers 18:23, Mal 2:4-9)
NOTE The requirement to have 'no inheritance in the land' is casually overlooked by most 'clergy' who claim to be entitled
to receive or partake of tithes today! ...as is the fact that the gentiles were never given a share in the 'land' of Israel
NOTE As detailed in Deut 14 and 26 it was only in the third year that ALL the tithe was given to Levites. (& widows & orphans)
(In the bible the meaning of the word ALL is commonly required to be interpreted in line with its context and other scriptures
as to its scope. ie ALL does not necessarily mean all of the types of tithes, from all of the people and all of the time
Refer to section 9 'Single or multiple tithes' for examples of this)
The tithe equated to 10% divided by 3 (ie every third year).... BUT it was also shared with the 'poor' = 3.34% ave per year
Levi had 22,000 people over 1 month old out of 603,000 Israelites over 20 years old = approx 2.2% of Israel's population
(Num 1:32 and Num 3:39)
NOTE This % is confirmed as being correct because the Levites and priests share of the spoils was set by God as 2.2%
of the total (refer Numbers 31:28 & 30)
NOTE Today as New Testament believers WE ARE ALL PRIESTS (1 Pet 2:5 and 2:9 and Rev 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6)
Deut 12 :5-12 '.... There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you. NKJV
NOTE God commands the people to EAT of their tithes...this is repeated many times so that we do not mistake HIS command (i.e. in vs 11-12, 15 and 18 also)
PLEASE NOTE Neither the word 'festival' or 'poor' are EVER found to describe the tithes of Deuteronomy in the hebrew text. These words are illegitimate insertions intended to deceive people and to justify claims of multiple tithes being required. The Law forbids adding or subtracting even a jot or tittle Deut 4:1-2 and Mat 5:18-19. Deceivers be warned.
Deut 14:22 "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. NKJV
(tithes were NOT the first 10% nor were they given weekly ...they were set aside over the year and only given once)
NOTE The tithe always specifically referred to produce of the fields only (NEVER the wages of people)
NOTE This is the ONLY place where the people of Israel are commanded in the Law 'how and when' to tithe....
and 'what' is to be done with the tithe.
There is NO scripture EVER given that suggests that tithes were required from Israelites that had other occupations other than land-owner farmers eg laborers, skilled craftsmen, weavers, designers, or carpenters (or being Jews – merchants, bankers, and lawyers or doctors) under the LAW . All the highly regarded rabbis of the past and present concur on this matter.
Deut 14:23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. NKJV
NOTE Eating the tithes is a COMMAND...you SHALL eat!
NOTE This was to celebrate religious feasts as a spiritual family and a community holiday (ie Passover, Feast of Weeks and Tabernacles)..... and to rejoice in the blessing and awesome love of God for His people.
In 33 years of listening to teachings about tithing I have never been told that GOD commands me to EAT my tithe together with my family...Have you?...How can this possibly be missed by so many supposedly knowledgable bible teachers?
Note that in verse 24-26 we are told that (if we are to far away from Jerusalem) we can convert our tithe to money but that we are then buy 'sheep, cattle, wine or strong drink' and 'to eat and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God'. Yes this is in your bible.....God COMMANDS you to eat your tithe in a party to celebrate His blessing on your life and His goodness towards you.
These scriptures are where GOD defines 'what must be done' with the tithe...and 'when' it must be done by the Israelites
These scripture will blow the storehouse money tithing heresy as taught by most churches today right out of the water...which is why they are NEVER preached!
NOTE You the giver are to EAT your tithe in celebration before God to thanks Him for his blessings
NOTE You are only to give the tithe to the Levites and the poor in the THIRD Year...the year of the tithe!
Deut 14:27-29 ……"At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. NKJV
NOTE Only on the THIRD YEAR was the tithe brought to the store in the city (ie the Levites being 2.2% of Israel's population were obviously not intended to get 10% of the nations food every year)
NOTE The poor and the weak were to free to share in the tithe....they did not to have to give tithes!
Deut 26-1-11 …(vs2) take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil …and put them in a basket....(vs11) and you and the Levites, and aliens shall rejoice in all the good things (ie EAT) that the Lord your God has given you
NOTE Firstfruits are clearly not tithes …ie a basket which contains some of the firstfruits (this can be verified in most bible dictionaries) ...and they were also to be EATEN by the giver and shared with the Levites in a celebration!
Deut 26:12 When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year, THE YEAR OF THE TITHE you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied
(This was done by bringing it to the STORE in the towns for them as detailed in Deut 14:28-29)
NOTE Unlike Firstfruits that were the first part of the produce, Tithes were not the first as they were layed aside through the year
NOTE The third year was called THE YEAR OF THE TITHE for a reason ie in that year ONLY was ALL the tithe given to the Levites (as per Num 18:21...and even then it was still to be shared with the poor because it would have been more than they needed proportionately). In the other years God COMMANDED that it was to be eaten by the giver and his family at the feasts Deut 14:22-27
NOTE ALL the tithe of the third year was given to the Levites. NOT a second tithe after the Levites tithe was first given...but ALL THE (singular) TITHE. This scriptural passage single handedly proves that there was to be NO separate 'first tithe' or 'Levites tithe' as some claim because the third year tithe was the Levites tithe of Numbers 18:21-23.
Deut 26:13 then say to the Lord ‘I have removed from my house the Sacred Portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow as you have commanded me’
NOTE The command to give the tithe to the Levites (in Numbers 18, Heb 7:5) applied to the third years produce only. This is NOT a 'poor tithe' as some choose to misleadingly call it ....it is THE LEVITES tithe
NOTE This ties up with Mal 3:8 as to having robbed God by not obeying this command...ie GOD had given the tithe to the Levites....they were to give 10% of the Sacred Portion as the Lords Offering (Num 18:26) to the Priests ….. therefore by not giving the tithe of the tithe in the THIRD YEAR God ended up being robbed!
NOTE Again that it is confirmed that the 'poor' were to partake of the tithe....not to give it!
Deut 26:14 I have not eaten any of it .......... I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.
Note This confirms that the ONLY tithe God commands to be given away is a SINGLE tithe given every Third Year. ....this constituted 'obeying the voice of the Lord'.... and doing "ALL" that God commanded. As this was ALL that was required, there can be no separate and additional 'Levites tithe'. This is said in 3 different ways so that the Israelites could emphatically KNOW that there was no requirement for an additional tithe as was later taught by greedy Rabbis ....and is still taught by many today!
Deut 26:15 ‘Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people and the land you have given us…..a land flowing with milk and honey'
Note This aligns with Mal 3:12 ‘open the windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing’ .....and Deut 28:1-2
Amos 4:4 ‘bring your sacrifices every morning and your tithes every THREE years'
Note that in the seventh year the Israelites did not grow crops because it was a sabbath year for the land....and therefore they could not tithe on them .....but because of the blessing of God on their crops in the sixth year they still had an abundance to celebrate at the festivals with. (Leviticus 25 :20-22). There is no scripture which states that they would not have tithed on the natural increase in their herds and flocks..... and made first fruits offerings.
(This clearly teaches a seven year cycle....with tithes given to Levites in years 3 and 6....and tithes eaten by the giver in years 1, 2 and 4, 5.....and no tithes of crops in year 7)
FURTHER REFERENCES TO TITHING IN 2 CHRONICLES AND NEHEMIAH ARE NOT ADDRESSSED IN DETAIL AS THESE WERE MERELY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE LAW AND COULD NOT IN ANYWAY CHANGE (even a 'jot or a tittle' of ) THE LAW AS GIVEN ABOVE
Some claim that Nehemiah 10:37-38 supports the interpretation that there MUST be an additional tithe in the Law. A simple reading of the preceeding verses shows that what Nehemiah records is NOT Law....it was merely a covenant the PEOPLE made ...for themselves!
Neh 10:32 'we are making a binding agreement (NIV)....a sure covenant for OURSELVES to.....'
This phrase demonstrates that what they decided to do in their time was NOT necessarily what God had commanded as the Law!
Malachi 3:8-12 This scripture, because of its frequent out of context use, can best be described as 'a sledge-hammer to cause fear, guilt, condemnation and confusion’ for Christians today
Note Malachi was an OLD TESTAMENT prophet. Prophets pointed Israel back to THE LAW (read Mal 1 and 2 and you will see it is addressed to the Levites and priests) God did not use prophets to re-write the Law! It was the Levites tithe of the tithe that was to be brought to the temple for the Priests (Numbers 18:26, Nehemiah 10:36-37). The people's tithe was either eaten or stored at the gates for the Levites every third year.
Note We cannot be cursed today as born again believers for disobeying the LAW of Moses (which never applied to Gentiles ...and today cannot even be properly observed Jewish believers....as there is no temple or Levitical priesthood)
Gal 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us as it is written ‘Cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree’
Note As New Testament believers we receive blessing by faith in the completed work of Christ and not by doing the works of the Law (Eph 1:3 and Gal 3:1-14…..a must read)
Note I say ‘out of context’ use as scripture must be used to interpret scripture and ‘in the mouth of two witnesses or three let every word be CONFIRMED’ …….. Doctrines should not be based on one scripture only (eg using Malachi 3:8-12 contrary to the LAW as detailed in Leviticus 27 and Numbers 18 and Deuteronomy 14 and 26)
Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? You ask how have we robbed you? ….. ie God had set out the law in Deut 14 and 26 which they were not obeying by not giving the Sacred Portion, ie the third years tithe, to the Levites who would then bring the Lords offering to the temple for the priests (Numbers 18:26)
Mal 3:9 You are under a curse…. ie Deut 28:1-14 were the blessings for obedience but Deut 28:15-68 were the curses Israel put themselves under by disobedience ..."THIS whole nation of you"...it is only addressed to ISRAEL...and Mal 4:4 confirms this!
Note We are not under the Law today ….. even the Jews...see Romans 7:6 ‘We have been released from the Law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit not under the old ways of the written code’
Mal 3:10 ‘Bring ALL the tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house’
(as per Deut 14 and 26 this clearly means the whole of the Lords offering which was 10% of the THIRD YEARS TITHE which the LEVITES brought to Jerusalem for the priests)
Note The ‘storehouse’ referred to here is the food store in the temple in Jerusalem for the priests and the poor... and it was never the local synagogue. The two rooms could never hold more than a fraction of all of Israel's tithes. NOR was it the 'treasury' which was a place to store money. This again shows that the tithe was NOT of MONEY but FOOD!
Mal 3:12 Then all the nations will call you blessed….ie as per the promises of Deut 28:1-14
TITHING WAS GODS WAY UNDER THE LAW THAT THE LEVITES/PRIESTS WOULD GET THEIR SHARE OF FOOD AND THAT THE POOR OF THE NATION WOULD ALSO BE FED ....from the Promised Land which God provided for them!
AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD CELEBRATE HIS BLESSING ONTHEIR CROPS AT THE RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
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