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Tithing |
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Is It
Scriptural for New Covenant Believers? |
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Under the Law or Led
by the Spirit |
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Part 1 |
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The Purpose of the Tithe
and The Priesthood |
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The Law
and all the commandments given by God to the Hebrew people
were given with a conditional promise of great blessings
from God, if the Laws were fully and completely abided by.
The Laws covered every aspect for living, including tithing,
care of the Levite priesthood and release from debt, not
borrowing anything, including money, and so on. It spoke of
the yearly issues, and three year and even seven year
requirements, and caring for the poor. The tithe
was not instituted until the Mosaic Law as there was no
Tabernacle or Temple, and no regular sacrifices commanded by
God. Once the commandments for the sacrifices were given, it
involved providing hundreds of animals a year, which
necessitated a continual supply. Until the Temple, there was
no anointed priesthood mentioned, which was ordained to be
of Aaron, his sons and the Levites, and the right of
offering sacrifices to God was reserved solely to them. In
fact there are examples of dire consequences upon those who
were not priests of the Levite lineage, such as King Uzziah
[*3][2 Ch 26:19], and Saul
[*4][1
Sa 13:7-14], who made sacrifices and offerings,
thereby going against God's command concerning the
priesthood and sacrifices. The exception were the occasional
sacrifices given by God's chosen prophets, such as Samuel
and Elijah.
Before the Levite priesthood, the
firstborn of each family gave sacrifices in their own
cities and in their own houses. For example, Noah, Abraham,
Job, Isaac and Jacob each offered their own sacrifices, and
there was no fixed place to give the sacrifices, which
changed with the giving of the Law. The
covenant made by God at Mount Sinai, had Moses as mediator,
and various men were chosen from among Israel to perform the
office of priests.[*5] [Ex 24:5]
No other priesthood was
mentioned other than the somewhat mysterious
Melchisedec
who is presented as a type of Christ, and many believe, was
Christ.
Hebrews 6:20 Whither the
forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high
priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7:1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most
high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of
the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being
by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also
King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having
neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like
unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
Therefore, there was no God chosen priesthood commanded to
be supported with tithes.
The tithe, according to
the Law of Moses was what was produced by the land such as
fruit, corn, grain, and the first born of animals.
The tithe, while noted as
belonging to God, had one distinct purpose, and that was
originally to care for Aaron and the Levite priests who were
given no inheritance from God. They owned nothing.
[Numbers 18].
Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
The Levites were the only
ones to enter the Tabernacle, for fear of death, and very
specific procedures, ceremonies, rituals and sacrifices had
to be followed in all they did, or they faced dire
consequences. Their role was to care for the Temple where
the presence of God abode at that time, and they were
required to offer both gifts of thanksgiving and sacrifices
for sins.
[*6]
[Le 17:11] The high priest was the head of all
religious affairs, was the judge and
dispensed judgment for the Jewish nation, and he was the
head of all the other priests.
[*7]
[De 17:8-12] The priests also
were to teach the children of Israel the statutes of the
Lord, and decide
controversies and so on.
[*8]
[Le 10:11; De 33:10]
After receiving the tithes
from the Israelites, the priests in turn were required to
also give ten percent of what was given to them .[*9]
[Nu18:21-28]
Every third year the tithe was to be reserved as a festival
tithe and everything brought for the Levites was shared so
strangers, orphans, widows and the poor could come and eat
and be content
[*10][De
14:27-29; 15:1-7; 26:12-15,
etc] In fact, the one festival and related tithes was
provided for the people to go and spend the tithe on
purchasing anything they lusted after or desired, by
commandment of God.[*11]
[De
12:15, 20, 21; 14:26]
Yet in the
New Testament were are told to NOT lust or covet anything at
all.
1 John
2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but
he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Galatians 5:16 This I
say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the
law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations,
wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I
tell you before, as I have also told you in time past,
that they which do such things shall not inherit the
kingdom of God.
The erroneous idea that every Israelite gave ten per
cent of his dollar income and therefore each Christian
should do likewise, is based on faulty scholarship.
Tithing was
only turned into money if a person had to travel too far
with their commodities, and there were in fact, several
tithes. There was redemption money, to be paid at the fixed
rate of five shekels a head, for the first-born of man or
beast, and a levy for spoils of war .[*12]
[Nu 18:14-19; Le
27:5; Nu 31:25-47] In Leviticus 27:30-33, it is noted a penalty existed
if one
did not wish to pay his tithe in agricultural produce, and
decided to give money as a substitute. That person was
penalized and had to add a fifth part of the estimated value
to the amount he paid.
Those that are claiming the
"required 10% tithe" as from the Law, and therefore of their
money, are in total disregard to this Law concerning the
tithe. In fact if a person had less than ten cattle born to
him in a given year, they were exempt from the tithe that
year.[*13]
[Le
27:32] God
cared for the poor and all His people.
The
conditional promise of great blessings from God, was an issue that
plagued and burdened the Hebrew people, because
of the commandment to keep all
of the Law of
Moses .[*14]
[De 4:1-6,
8; 5:32, etc] That requirement is stated in many passages
including Malachi 4:4 "Remember ye the law of Moses my
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel,
with the statutes and judgments."
Many disobeyed and suffered death or other consequences.
If one reviews the 613
commandments, which are a rabbinic commentary or further
breakdown of the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses in
the Tenach [Old Testament], it is very clear that many of
the laws can not be kept by Jews living outside of Israel,
or even in Israel, because there is currently no Temple.
Some have stated that less than 300 of the 613 can be kept
by Jews living in diaspora. Practicing Jews will tell you
that the 613 are not for the non-Jews to observe, because
the Law of Moses was given specifically to them, which is
Biblically correct. Yet, as stated, all the laws were
required to be kept, according to the commands of God. That
is why God promised and provided another way that was not
dependent on man's ability or inability to keep the laws,
but rather was dependent on God Himself, His Promises and
His Righteousness. As the Scriptures clearly state, the
patriarchs of the Old Covenant were saved by faith and not
by keeping of the law.
The anointed Levite
priesthood, chosen by God, was a gift from God to the Hebrew people for a
very specific purpose. No other tribe, or person
could fulfill this calling. Their activities included
bearing the iniquity of Israel and themselves, and
giving the sin offerings that were required to be acceptable
before the Lord, and make atonement for their souls. [Lev. 16;17] The book
of Numbers speaks of Aaron and his sons called to that very
specific duty and then the tribe of Levi being set apart
from the rest of Israel.
[*16]
[Ex.
29:7; 30:23; Le 8:12; Nu 8:6-22,
etc] In
Exodus we read:
Exodus 28:38 And it
shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the
iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel
shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be
always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before
the LORD.
See Numbers 17, 18
Note in the various
passages about this, that
specific tithes from the children of Israel were a gift from God to the
Levites. From Numbers 18 "...I also
have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all
the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee
have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy
sons, by an ordinance for ever." God gave those gifts
and promise to no one else. v20
And
the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in
their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I
am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of
Israel.
and
21 And,
behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in
Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they
serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation.
v 22-24 note that the
children of Israel were forbidden to enter the tabernacle,
as to do so meant instant death.
21 And, behold, I have
given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an
inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the
service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come
nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear
sin, and die.
23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle
of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity:
it shall be a statute for ever throughout your
generations, that among the children of Israel they have
no inheritance.
Only the Levites were
allowed to enter, and only the High priest could enter the
inner sanctuary. The high priest alone was permitted
to enter the holy of holies, once a year, on the Day of
Atonement. See the corresponding role Christ took in
Hebrews 9:7-13
[*17]
To suggest that anyone,
any other Jew, or Gentile, could replace the service of the
Levite priests, is going against all that God said their
role was, and the promises He very specifically gave to them.
Christians are not of the Levite lineage, and were not given
their purpose, which, in part, was to bear the iniquity of
the people.
Heb 5:3 And by reason hereof he
ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer
for sins. 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself,
but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 5 So also
Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest;
but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I
begotten thee.
6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for
ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Anyone except God's chosen
Messenger of the covenant, prophesied as coming to the
temple in Malachi 3. Note in that passage that lack of the
tithes and offerings in the Temple, (which was where the
"storehouse" was) according to God's commandments, was
robbing God.
It was the Levites who
were to, “bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of
our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house."
Nehemiah 10:38 And the
priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when
the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up
the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the
chambers, into the treasure house. 39 For the children of
Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering
of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the
chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the
priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers:
and we will not forsake the house of our God.
Malachi 3, which so many
use to attempt to prove Christians are to tithe, is found to
be misquoted by many. All of Israel was cursed,
[*18] [3:9], and God rebuked the
Levites
[*19]
[1:6,
10-13, 2:1,7,8] who, while mistreating
God's people, were not putting the tithe that they were
commanded to also give, into the storehouse of the Temple.
Rather, they were keeping the tithe for themselves.
Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the
Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold,
he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall
stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire,
and like fullers' soap:
3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and
he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and
silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness.
4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant
unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former
years.
5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a
swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the
adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those
that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the
fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right,
and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of
Jacob are not consumed.
7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from
mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and
I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye
said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
The messenger that
prepared the way before Christ was John the Baptist. Matthew
3:3 "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias,
saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight."
[*20]
[Matthew
11:10; Luke 7:27, 3:4; John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3] In the
above Malachi verses it becomes a prophecy that, when it
took place, No longer could the Levites purify anyone by
their sin offerings and their God given office. Instead they
would need to be purified by 'the refiner's fire,' as
everyone else needs to be. Because God ordained and provided
a New Covenant and
a New, Sinless and Perfect Sacrifice. Just as God had
provided a ram in place of Abraham's only son, He had now
provided Himself as God's Son.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He
shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he
hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him.
1 Peter 2:21 For even
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his
steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not
again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed
himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own
self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we,
being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by
whose stripes ye were healed. [*21]
[Isa
53:4-6]
The prophesied Messenger of the
covenant is the promised Messiah, Savior, Redeemer, King ,
Priest and Deliverer, the Anointed, The Good Shepherd.
He is the same
person as, the "Shiloh",
[*22]
[Ge
49:10]
"the priest after the order of Melchizedek"[*23] [Ps 110:4],
"the corner stone"
[*24]
[Ps 118:22];
'the Anointed One"[*25] [Isa 61:1]
"Messiah the Prince"[*26]
[Da 9:24-26]
"the seed
of the woman"[*27] [Ge 3:15],
"the seed of Abraham"
[*28] [Ge
22:18],
the "Prophet like unto Moses" [*29]
[De18:15]
,
"the
rod out of the stem of Jesse", "the Branch "[*30] [Isa
4:2 ,11:1-4,10, 49:6, Jer 23:5, 33:15; Zec 3:8; 6:12],
"Immanuel," God with us
[*31][Isa 7:14, 8:8; Mt 1:23],
Mighty One
[*32] [Isa 60:16]
"man of sorrows"[*33]
[Isa
53:3]
and "the messenger of the covenant"
[*34]
[Mal
3:1]
This is He whom Moses in the
law, and the prophets wrote about and waited for. He is
Mighty God:
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is
born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace.[*35]
[Isa 7:14; 40:3]
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Next:
Tithing Part 2: The Prophesied New Covenant |
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Previous
Section: |
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Tithing
Is It Scriptural for New Covenant Believers? Introduction |
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Sections |
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Tithing
Is It Scriptural for New Covenant Believers? Introduction |
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Tithing Part 1: The
Purpose of the Tithe and The Priesthood |
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Tithing Part 2: The
Prophesied New Covenant |
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Tithing Part 3:
Changes to the Covenant Through Christ |
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Tithing
Part 4: From The Law
To The Covenant of Grace |
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Tithing
Part 5: Keeping
the Words of Christ And Giving for The Love of
Christ |
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All Scriptures From the King James Bible |
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