Tithing - Part 2

Sorry, I realize I'm a day or two late on presenting this. I don't really have a good excuse.

Tithing, comes from the Hebrew "ma'aser" which of course means "tenth". I often hear preachers say that you should give 10%. "If you don't give 10% you are a bad Christian." "Please give 10% so you can make God happy!"

However, since when is 10% the destination? This is the point when people point to tithing in the Old Testament, noting that the people gave 10%, thus, that is the Biblical amount we are to give. Well, let's look at Tithing in the OT to see what we find.

The Bible's first mention of tithing is in Genesis 14:20. This verse alone is kind of frustrating because of the use of the pronoun "him". Is it Abram giving a tenth to God or Abram giving a tenth to Melchizedek? I've heard this verse misinterpreted several times because of this confusion. Hebrews 7:2-4 interprets Gen 14:20 for you. Praise God for those times when the NT interprets the OT easing our confusion greatly. But back to tithing...

Abram gave 10% of his plunder to [look at Hebrews 7 for the answer :D). Thus, 10% is the biblical number, right? I feel like this is a misconception. In the Old Testament we read about multiple giving requirements which totaled well over 10%.

The Lord's Tithe - Numbers 18:21-29
The Lord's Tithe (often called the Levites Tithe) is kind of considered the base tithe. This tithe goes towards the Levite's priestly ministry. This tithe was required of everyone. It was not optional. A man who did not pay the Lord's Tithe was robbing God (Malachi 3:8). We see how how important the Lord's Tithe is in Leviticus 27:30-33, A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock - every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod - will be holy to the Lord. He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, bot the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.

The Lord's Tithe, 10% per year.

The Festival Tithe - Deuteronomy 12:10-11, 17-18, 14:23-27
This was a tithe of celebration. God delivered the Israelites to the promised land Levite's ministry, the purpose of the festival Tithe was to celebrate and bring community amongst the Lord's people. This tithe was brought to a place of the Lord's choosing. If that place was too far, then they were to exchange the tithe for silver, go to the place of the Lord's choosing, then buy the cattle, sheep, etc. and rejoice in the Lord.

I'll be honest with you, this tithe seems a little odd to me, particularly when I compare it to our current state. Look at how much they have to work to give this tithe. The festival tithe requires a lot of work and traveling. But they are glad to do it! I love how the Israelites rejoiced in this tithe. I think we learn a lot about the true spirit of giving. We should rejoice when we give to our churches, charities, each other, etc. God has blessed us immensely. We mustn't forget this.

The Lord's Tithe, 10% per year.
The Festival Tithe, 10% per year.

The Poor Tithe - Deuteronomy 14:28-29
Deut. 14:28 says, At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns. This tithe went towards those who "may come eat and be satisfied". The Levites, again, who have no inheritance, aliens, widows, fatherless, all came to enjoy this. We can see why it's called the poor tithe. This gives the chance for those to come and be provided for.

**Disclaimer**It's really tough to figure out (because we only have 2 verses of information) exactly how this tithe is broken down. It says at the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it n your towns. That could mean that it is a separate tithe, as I have listed, in addition to the other two tithes, or it could also mean every third year their tithe (The Festival Tithe) was to be used for the sole purpose of helping the poor. I've read it several times and it could go either way. Scholars seem to be as split as I am. If it is a separate tithe, then the breakdown would go as follows:

The Lord's Tithe, 10% per year.
The Festival Tithe, 10% per year.
The Poor Tithe, 10% every third year = 3% per year

10%+10%+3% = 23% per year.

As we can see, It is possible that in the Old Testament the total tithes required as much as 23%. That's almost a fourth of what they had!

I believe giving is a journey, not a destination. There is no set chasm to arrive in, where you are giving the proper amount. Instead bugging everyone to give 10%, here is what needs to happen.

We need to (in a loving way) encourage those giving 3% to give 5%.

We need to (in a loving way) encourage those giving 5% to give 7%.

We need to (in a loving way) encourage those giving 8% to give 10%.

But as I said, 10% is not a destination. 10% is just the beginning. This is, after all, a journey.

So let's (in a loving way) encourage those giving 10% to give 12%.

Let's also (in a loving way) encourage those giving 25% to give 30%.

You see what I mean? This is a journey that the Spirit takes us on. Giving is a spiritual discipline that draws us closer to our loving father. I don't think we should put a limit on something like that. We can't say, "I'm giving 10%, I'm good to go for life".

I want to ask that question again, that I asked in part 1. Using some of the info I have provided, continue to chew on this...

Why does God want us to give?

Think about it long and hard. It goes so much deeper than "because he said so" or "because it's his money in the first place".

Think about the tithes. Ask yourself why they were required. What was God trying to communicate by requiring a sacrifice of possibly up to 23% annually?

Wrestle with that, email me or comment me a question. Think about it for awhile, more to come later.