Foundations of our Faith: Tithe
Notes
Transcript
Interestingly, this is one of those concepts in the Law and the Prophets that most contemporary and historic churches have retained and implemented into their community structure, even though it gets less mention than many of the other laws in the Law and the Prophets.
This comes from the Hebrew root עָשַׂר and it roughly translates to 1/10th. This is why most the church teaches that we are to give 10% of our wages.
22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. Deut 14:22 ESV
And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD. Lev 27:32 ESV
Israel is an agricultural society. When we talk about tithe today, typically we’re talking about money. This particular tithe is for everything your crops produce. That could be the raw materials such as the grain itself, or it could be refined materials such as oil and wine. Whatever your field produces, that you should bring to the Lord. This tithe also included a tenth of your livestock
Because we are so far removed from the culture, we think of tithe as some kind of tax, but tithe wasn’t a tax. Tithe was a sacrament.
Explain Sacrament
A sacrament is a symbol that deepens our understanding of God and commitment to Him.
Now the question is what does tithe symbolize?
Tithe symbolizes a relationship of trust in God as Provider.
Perhaps the oldest example of this is with Abraham.
Chapter 4
17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said,“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth;20 and blessed be God Most High,who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”
Chapter 5
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.7 And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
Abraham trusted in the Lord so much that He refused to receive anything from the King of Sodom for fear that the King of Sodom would try to take the glory of what Abraham would become from the Lord. He paid his tithe to Melchizedek as a sign of this trust, and it was after these things the Lord gave His promise to Abraham. the promise of a possession in the Land.
It’s important to note that this is pre-Sinai. The Law regarding tithe had yet to be given in the context of the nation of Israel.
The tithe in the Law serves three particular functions:
To serve as a portion for the Levites and Priests (Num. 18: 21-24)
To serve the poor and vulnerable of the land of Israel (widows, orphans, etc.) (Deut. 26:12)
For use in the Temple and Festivals in Jerusalem as a sign and symbol of God’s providence (Deut 12: 5, 6)
On the first point, the Levites nor the Priests had any possession in Israel. And because they had no land of their own to grow crops and raise livestock, the Lord had to make a way for them to be sustained. These were men busy serving the tabernacle and later the Temple, and they needed a source by which to be provided. In fact, not only did the Levites receive a tenth, but they also gave a tenth to the Priests. Some scholars believe based on Deut 14:27 on top of the third year tithe, it was customary that every year the families of Israel would invite a Levite to partake of the tithe offering with them. The Lord was concerned with the welfare of the Levites and Priests who were occupied with serving Him and serving His people in matters of worship and teaching. The Priests and Levites had to trust that the Lord would provide for them a tithe.
The second function is that the tithe is used for all the dispossessed of the Nation of Israel. The widows, orphans, and sojourners in the land. These often represented the neediest of the land. Because they had no ancestral inheritance or possession in the land, they were vulnerable to severe poverty. No land on which to grow produce or raise livestock means no goods with which to sell or trade. Ultimately, these people were susceptible to starvation and exposure. This was the Lord’s way of ensuring the lowliest in Israel were provided for and would continue to live in the midst of His land. Every third year, all the Levites, Priests, and dispossessed were given the tithe of the land so that they too would continue to be provided for (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12).
28 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. Deut 14:28-29 ESV
God had other means of providing for the dispossessed of the land the rest of the year, such as gleaning from the outer edges of the field. The Lord, in this case, was concerned with providing for the lowly and vulnerable of the Land of Israel. The lowly of the Israel had to trust the Lord would provide for them.
The final function of the tithe was used by everyone else, namely those with an inheritance in the Land and those growing crops and produce. They had gathered in their harvest, and were going up to celebrate the festival in Jerusalem. They were to take a tenth of all that they had produced and were to bring it up to Jerusalem so that they could eat in the presence of the Lord.
I want to take a moment to highlight the character of our God. The Lord didn’t create these Laws to burden His people, on the contrary, He gave them to teach and sanctify His people that they would understand His character. He made a way so that if the tenth of your harvest was too plentiful for you to carry, you could sell your tithe for money, and use that money to purchase the meal you and your family would eat in the presence of the Lord. What couldn’t be eaten was put into a storehouse.
Your harvest was precious. Next year there could be locusts, drought, fires, or hail. Every ounce of harvest was precious and vital to the survival of the Israelites. To take 1/10th of their was a massive step of trust in their God. To give ten percent to the needy and those serving in the Tabernacle was a risk, but it was the Lord teaching the Israelites that He is the God of the harvest, and each year He would ensure their needs were meet.
6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. Mal 3:6–12 ESV
Now, that I’ve established what tithe is, the question remains: is it something we can and should do today?
Now, that I’ve established what tithe is, the question remains: is it something we can and should do today?
Yes and no. We aren’t going to tithe in the way it is prescribed in the Law. We’re not an agricultural society. There are no Levites or Priests. There’s no Temple for us to eat our tithe in nor do we travel to Jerusalem. However, I would suggest the Scripture absolutely prescribes tithe both in principle as well as sacramentally.
Firstly, I’d like to point out that the concept of tithe precedes the Tabernacle and the priesthood.
Recount the story of Abraham and Melchizedek.
Another instance where we see tithe being referenced is by Paul
13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. 1 Cor 9:13-14 ESV
Paul said“in the same way”… the same way as what? Well, here he references the sacrificial offerings, and tithe was a subcategory of those offerings. And this direct line between temple service and those who deliver the good news isn’t coming from Paul, but from the Lord. It says “the Lord commanded”. Paul makes this statement while a Temple and a priesthood are still in tact, so the fact that Paul uses this statement not with reference to the Temple that was still standing, but makes reference to the body of believers of that age, means we can draw the same comparisons.
It’s important to note, that while Paul draws a direct comparison to giving to the Levites, He never calls it a tithe. I’m going to going ahead and lay this on the table, the only reason we don’t call this a tithe is because Scripture doesn’t mandate that we give exactly a tenth. It does, however, retain every other category we have already mentioned.
We are to give to those who are vocationally devoted to serving the Lord.
We are to give to the local community, and the local community is to help those in need.
We give to our local community as a sign and symbol of trust in God’s providence.
(Point 1) We have already noted that in 1 Cor 9:13-14 what Paul said. I have found many people within our culture offended that someone delivering the word of the Good News would receive payment. That is specific to our culture, but would have been completely foreign to the culture of Yeshua and the Apostles. Yeshua fully expected those who labored for the kingdom of God to receive compensation.
(Point 1) We have already noted that in 1 Cor 9:13-14 what Paul said. I have found many people within our culture offended that someone delivering the word of the Good News would receive payment. That is specific to our culture, but would have been completely foreign to the culture of Yeshua and the Apostles. Yeshua fully expected those who labored for the kingdom of God to receive compensation.
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. Mt 10:7–10 ESV
Here Yeshua says bring nothing with you, but receive what is given to you as you are preaching the good news of the kingdom. Yeshua had an expectation that the Apostles’ ministry should be supported by those that are benefiting from it.
Paul makes a similar statement based off of the comment Yeshua had already made.
17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Tim 5:17–18)
Explain benefactors.
The idea that those doing the work of ministry should be doing so for free is completely antithetical to the Scripture and foreign to the culture of the Apostles. The clear teaching of Scripture is that as we see someone laboring for the kingdom, we as a community and as people of God are to support them in this endeavor. We are to hold the rope for the those descending down into the caverns of ministry.
(Point 2) Scripture teaches that we are to extend our hand to the needy.
(Point 2) Scripture teaches that we are to extend our hand to the needy.
34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:34–35)
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. (Acts 6:1–3)
The expectation among Apostles is that they would do the work of aiding the poor and vulnerable of society. According to Galatians 2, this was also Paul’s mandate, which was to remember the poor. We as a body of believers are fully expected to do the work of extending our hand to the needy, first of those among with the body, and then those in our local community.
(Point 3) We are to participate in an ancient and sacred act of trusting that the Lord will provide for us by giving to our local congregation. In the same way that the Lord demonstrated His providence to the Israelites by requiring they tithe, He requests nothing less from us.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Co 9:6–15).
Paul uses harvest language here to draw symbolism from the agrarian society of the Israelites. He’s indicating to us that God, who provides for us the seed and bread, will multiply that year by year, so that we may continue to have the means to give. Each time we give, we are given an opportunity to entrust ourselves to the Lord in our giving, and trust that God will continue provide, not only for us but also so that we may continue to give.
We’re specifically told not to give out of compulsion, but out of a “cheerful heart”. Giving to the Lord’s work isn’t a burden, but a sacred rite to trust Him and watch Him use our resources for His purposes.
To answer the question, do we tithe? As I said, yes and no.
To answer the question, do we tithe? As I said, yes and no.
Tithe establishes for us a foundational structure by which to appropriately and Biblically express our giving. We see that all the principles as laid out by God’s intention for tithe remain in the teachings of Yeshua and the Apostles. Perhaps, the only feature of a tithe that ought to be considered is that tithe means tenth, and there isn’t necessarily a mandate to give to our local congregation a tenth, but to give abundantly as each person understands it.
Yeshua looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Lk 21:1–4).
God is much less concerned with how much you give, but that your giving is coming from your heart and is a clear acts of trust in Him. Only you and the Lord can answer that question. In this passage the rich men were giving what was easy. It took no sacrifice and no act of trust in the Lord. The widow gave everything she had to give. There’s no question that the rich men gave more, but that isn’t the point of giving. The point of giving is the act of worship in your giving that transpires between you and the Lord. The Lord is looking at your ability to give, and He is looking at your heart.
I pray that your giving not be out of compulsion, but out of a deep commitment to advance your relationship with the Lord.
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