Is Tithing a Commandment for You?

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Language: en
What does the Bible say about tithing and
giving?
It's time to UNLEARN the lies.
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There have been a lot of false teachings about
giving, and the Bible warns us about false
teachers who seek to get rich by exploiting
others.
So, when someone talks about giving, it can
make people a bit uncomfortable.
I know the feeling.
I’ve seen the abuse and manipulation that
takes place in certain ministries, especially
those teaching the prosperity gospel, and
it really disturbs me.
However, we can’t abandon giving altogether
simply because certain people have misused
it.
We need to learn the Biblical truth about
giving.
It’s popular in many churches to teach that
you must tithe 10% of your paycheck, but is
that really what the Bible teaches?
Money was not typically used for tithes, except
for the situation when your journey is too
far to carry your tithe to the Feasts, and
in that case, you were allowed to take money
so that you can buy what you need to eat at
the Feast.
“But if the journey is too long for you,
so that you are not able to carry the TITHE,
or if the place where the Lord your God chooses
to put His name is too far from you, when
the Lord your God has blessed you, then you
shall exchange it for money, take the money
in your hand, and go to the place which the
Lord your God chooses.
And you shall spend that money for whatever
your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for
wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart
desires; you shall eat there before the Lord
your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your
household.”
– Deuteronomy 14:24-26
This is speaking about the tithe that’s
used for the celebration of the Biblical Feasts
such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
This money was used to buy whatever food and
drink you wanted to celebrate the Feast with.
This tithe was specifically for you and your
family to eat during the Feasts.
The rest of the examples we see in Scripture
about tithing have to do with providing food
for the Levites and the poor.
So, the first thing we need to point out is
that the Biblical tithe was a tenth of your
produce, grain, and fruit.
“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 to the Lord.”
- Leviticus 27:30
This is the tithe of the land, and we see
from other verses that it can include grain,
wine, olive oil, and various other crops.
We see this type of tithe mentioned in the
New Testament as well.
“But woe to you Pharisees!
For you tithe MINT and RUE and all manner
of HERBS, and pass by justice and the love
of God.
These you ought to have done, without leaving
the others undone.”
– Luke 11:42
We see here that the Pharisees were giving
tithes from their herb gardens.
The next type we see in Scripture is the tithe
of the herd and the flock.
“And concerning the tithe of the herd or
the flock, of whatever passes under the rod,
the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.”
- Leviticus 27:32
Notice that it’s the tenth animal that you
tithe, which means if you only have 9 cows
or sheep, you don’t give a tithe of your
animals.
You were instructed to give a whole animal
as the tithe, not a fraction of an animal.
That’s why the tenth animal was given as
a tithe.
The Bible also says if you want to redeem
your tithe, meaning if you want to keep it
for yourself, you can buy it, but you have
to pay an extra fifth of its value.
“If a man wants at all to redeem any of
his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.”
- Leviticus 27:31
This means if you want to keep your animals
or produce, then you can buy them back, but
the monetary value would be 12%, not 10% because
you add a fifth to its value.
The tithes were given to the Levites as their
inheritance because they were not given a
land inheritance.
These tithes were regarded as wages for the
work they did in the Tabernacle.
"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.”
- Numbers 18:21
The reason for this was because the Levites
didn’t have any land, so they couldn’t
grow their own food or raise their own animals.
The purpose of the tithe was to provide food
for the Levites.
However, even the Levites were required to
give a tenth of the tithe from their portion
to the Lord.
“Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them:
'When you take from the children of Israel
the tithes which I have given you from them
as your inheritance, then you shall offer
up a heave-offering of it to the Lord, a tenth
of the tithe.”
- Numbers 18:26
The Bible also speaks about tithes being given
to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.
"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.
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.”
- Deuteronomy 14:28-29
In the third year, this special tithe was
given from the increase of the land.
This was given to provide for the sojourners,
the orphans, and the widows, as well as the
Levites.
Again, these are people who would have trouble
providing for themselves, so God made provisions
for them.
The Biblical tithe was part of the Temple
service and was given to provide the Levites
and the poor with food.
Tithing was a type of sacrifice that was offered
to God to support the ministry in the Temple.
However, the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD,
and we have no Levites to give our tithes
to.
On top of that, we aren’t even living in
the promised land.
So, is tithing even a commandment that we
can keep?
If we’re only trying to keep the letter
of the law, then no.
But what about the spirit of the law?
The purpose of the tithe was to provide for
those serving in the Temple, for the poor,
the widows, and the orphans.
The principle of tithing has to do with providing
for those in need, and those in ministry.
I don’t know if we should call it a tithe,
and I don’t know if we should hold to a
strict 10% model, but I do believe we should
be giving to those in need.
We may not have a Temple or Levites, but we
do have poor, widows, and orphans.
So, we can give to provide for their needs.
Likewise, we still have people serving in
ministry who need financial support as well.
Paul makes this same application when he compares
the Levites with those who preach the gospel.
“Do you not know that those who minister
the holy things eat of the things of the temple,
and those who serve at the altar partake of
the offerings of the altar?
Even so, the Lord has commanded that those
who preach the gospel should live from the
gospel.”
- 1 Corinthians 9:13-14
Paul said that God has commanded that those
who preach the gospel should live from the
gospel.
This means preachers shouldn’t be seeking
income from other sources.
They are expected to live from what is provided
to them through the ministry.
Therefore, they should be provided for by
that ministry.
Those who labor in teaching the Word of God
are worthy of their wages.
“For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not
muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’
and, ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’”
- 1 Timothy 5:18
Again, I’m not saying we need to give a
tithe to those in ministry, but I am saying
the principle of giving to support ministry
is Biblical.
God uses some people to preach, teach, and
evangelize, but He also uses people to financially
support those preachers and teachers.
This is God’s design and plan for how ministry
is funded.
Paul explains this is a principle found in
the Torah.
“Do I say these things as a mere man?
Or does not the law say the same also?
For it is written in the law of Moses, "You
shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out
the grain."
Is it oxen God is concerned about?
Or does He say it altogether for our sakes?
For our sakes, no doubt, this is written,
that he who plows should plow in hope, and
he who threshes in hope should be partaker
of his hope.
If we have sown spiritual things for you,
is it a great thing if we reap your material
things?”
- 1 Corinthians 9:8-11
If you find spiritual value from a teacher
or ministry, you should give to support that
ministry, because “those who preach the
gospel should live from the gospel” and
“the laborer is worthy of his wages.”
But we should also be giving to help the poor,
the widows, and the orphans.
The principle we learn from tithing is to
share some of what we have with those in need.
The Bible says if you have the ability to
help others and you refuse to do so, then
you don’t love God.
“But whoever has this world's goods, and
sees his brother in need, and shuts up his
heart from him, how does the love of God abide
in him?”
- 1 John 3:17
This is something we all need to think about
because if we are unwilling to help others,
that means we don’t really love God.
Giving to those in need is an expression of
loving God and loving our neighbor.
Here are a few things you can do.
If you know a widow who is struggling, do
what you can to help her.
You can also find an organization that helps
orphans and support them, or you could adopt
an orphan.
If there are ministries that you believe in,
then send them financial aid.
Get involved in things like this to share
the love of God and help the kingdom grow.
And when you give, remember that God loves
a cheerful giver.
“So let each one give as he purposes in
his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity;
for God loves a cheerful giver.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:7
I hope this teaching has helped to clear up
the subject of tithing and has given you a
new perspective on the principle of giving
to support those in ministry.
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