4. MONEY MUST BE TITHED IN A BIBLICAL WAY

What about the tithe? Let us get the Biblical perspective.

Genesis 14:20 "... And he (Abram) gave him tithes of all."

This was on returning victorious from the battle of the kings. He tithed to Melchizedek. Abram gave a tenth as a worshipful act of gratitude to God for protection and help in battle. Tithing, the giving of one tenth, was before the law, and on Abram's part a voluntary act. It was not at this time a command as it was to become for national Israel. We are to learn from this that just as in the dispensation of promise, in which Abram lived, our giving in this day of grace should be out of thankful, grace-filled hearts, not motivated by controlling command. Our giving should be out of personal love and worship for the lovingkindness of our bountiful God who has richly given us all things in Christ Jesus.

Numbers 18:20-24 "Then the Lord said to Aaron: "You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. ²¹ "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.'""

The Levites received no land through inheritance, but were supported by the tithing given to the Lord. Their work was that of the tent of meeting. So that the work would not be neglected by the Levites leaving their spiritual work to work for their living, God gave them His tithe. The Lord's tithe required ten percent of the produce of the land - grain, oil, fruits and animals.

Numbers 18:25-31 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ "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. ²⁷ 'And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. ²⁸ 'Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ 'Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the best of them, the consecrated part of them.' ³⁰ "Therefore you shall say to them: 'When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. ³¹ 'You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting."

A tenth of all tithes received by the Levites was to be given to the Lord. The Lord's portion was given to the high priest.

Deuteronomy 14:22-27 "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. ²³ And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. ²⁴ And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: ²⁵ Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: ²⁶ And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, ²⁷ And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee."

This tenth of the field produce was to pay the expenses of the visits three times a year to celebrations. They were to convert the produce to silver if it was too far to carry what was needed to supply their maintenance and what was needed for the celebration. Further, they were not to neglect the Levites (Deuteronomy 14:28, 29 ). They were not released from the tithe to the Lord for the support of the priests. So their tithe was now 20 percent.

Deuteronomy 14:28,29 "At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: ²⁹ And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest."

Every three years they were to bring tithes for the poor and needy. Interestingly, the aliens and strangers, or foreigners, who lived with the Israelites were to receive gifts out of the poor tithe. God would not have them forgotten or treated unfairly. Every third year they tithed 30 percent.

Malachi 3:8,10 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

Then follow the promises upon testing God by bringing in the tithes. Read on to v 12.

Malachi 3:11,12 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts."

By not properly maintaining the storehouse, i.e. the Temple, by supporting the Levites, worship stops and God is robbed of the central place in the nation. These verses must be understood in their context. Failure to keep the Temple operative would have resulted in a blighted land. Giving God His tithe would cause the return to natural blessings. The church today is universal and there is no one storehouse in the sense of one national temple to which proportional giving may be brought. Interestingly, 1 Corinthians 16:2 instructs every believer to set up a personal storehouse to administer for the Lord in biblical giving:

1 Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."

Jamieson Fausset and Brown comment: "Though there be not a weekly public collection, each is privately to set apart a definite proportion of his weekly income for the Lord's cause and for charity."

Ryrie commenting on the same verse explains: "The Christians giving is to be done, (1) Regularly on Sunday. (2) Into a private fund (aside) at home from which he makes distributions. (3) In proportion to God's prospering"

God has entrusted us as stewards to responsibly administer that placed in store. We are accountable to God to use it in His interest. So then the worshipful act of giving begins at home where with joy the amount available for giving, that is your investment in God's interest, is put in store to be given at the direction of the Lord. Every individual believer throughout the universal church is to have a personal storehouse from which to give. The Old Testament requirement of tithes and offerings is intended to enrich the Christian understanding of giving - stirring to giving that will glorify Christ.