Having taken the first three steps toward financial freedom – Accounting, Budgeting, and Saving, you are now ready for STEP 4 – TITHING.
Malachi 3:10 “’Bring all the tithe into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my temple. If you do,’ says the LORD ALMIGHTY, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!’”
Proverbs 3:9, 10: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything your land produces. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with the finest wine.” (Note: God is not telling us that giving to Him is an investment strategy or a motive to satisfy greed - Solomon is simply stating a fact that he discovered was true.)
Tithing (giving the first 10% of our money to God) puts God in His rightful place – it makes a statement that He is first! Everything comes from Him and is His. Since everything (all of our money) belongs to Him, every financial decision is a spiritual decision. Though He does not need our money, He knows how important it is to us, so He wants us to use it to: 1) thank Him, 2) to show Him that He is first, 3) to express our faith, and 4) to express our gratitude.
There is no way that we can out-give God.
He laid out the challenge: “Try it!” Though tithing sounds totally illogical when we are in financial bondage, it works! It is the next step on the road to financial freedom.
Principle: Whatever you want God to bless in your life, put Him first in that area!
Affirming that these steps work ~ Bob
Sir
ReplyDeleteYour use of the word "tithe" is unbiblical. In God's Word it is always the tithe "of food" only from inside Israel. Although money was common in Genesis and essential for sanctuary worship, money never occurs in 16 texts which describe the contents of the tithe.
Jesus, Peter and Paul did not qualify as tithe-payers. The products of man's craft are exempted from what God miraculously increased. And the products from outside Israel only counted as defiled.
The only way to be blessed by tithing is by observing all 600+ commands of the OT law which is impossible.
Malachi 3:10 has been replaced by Galatians 3:10; 1:8-9; 3:1-2 and 2 Cor 3:10.
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
See Deuteronomy 28-29. The entire law was a TEST. Obey and be blessed; disobey and be cursed.
NT giving is primarily sacrificial with no set limit up or down.
For over 150 articles on tithing see: www.tithing-russkelly.com
Thank you for your dialogue on tithing. Granted that there are many different opinions about this subject. It is true that many of the tithes in the Bible were gifts from produce - produce was the currency of the day, just as money is the currency of today. In fact, scholars debate over how many tithes are listed in the Bible.
ReplyDeleteThe Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible states, "In the age of Deuteronomy, however, when Israel was about to enter the land and inaugurate a permanent national existence, they were conmmanded both to bring tithes in kind or money to the main sanctuary and partake of a sacred meal with the Levites....." Here, even in their agricultural economy, money is referenced as acceptable.
Jesus did not condemn the Pharisees for tithing dill and cummin. Scholars tell us that Roman currency was unacceptable for sacred purposes because it had Caesar's image inscribed on the coinage which violated the commandment concerning idols.
Undoubtedly, the tithe is a floor and not the ceiling of giving. Even the tithe was to be given cheerfully.
Paul talks quite freely about "cheerful giving" as an expression of love, an act of faith, a stimulant for prayer, a statement about Jesus who "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."
Since we are not an agricultural economy, most would interpret the contemporary "tithe" in reference to money.
It seems that the tithing principal which was given by God in the Old Testament has not changed and still impacts our handling of money in a way that pleases Him.
Having practiced it and witnessing it practiced as one of the "steps toward financial freedom", I can attest that it is still an operative principal tody.
Inviting your discoveries ~
1. Contrary to popular belief produce was not the currency of the day. Perform a word search of "money," "shekel," and "gold" and you will be surprised.
ReplyDeleteOne argument to support non-food tithing is that money was not universally available and barter from food was used for most transactions. This argument is neither biblical nor historical. Genesis alone contains “money” in 32 texts and the word occurs 44 times before the tithe is first mentioned in Leviticus 27. The word shekel also appears often from Genesis to Deuteronomy.
Many centuries before Israel entered Canaan and began tithing food from God’s Holy Land money was an essential everyday item. For example money in the form of silver shekels paid for slaves (Gen 17:12+); land (Gen 23:9+); freedom (Ex 23:11); court fines (Ex 21 all; 22 all); sanctuary dues (Ex 30:12+); vows (Lev 27:3-7); poll taxes (Num 3:47+), alcoholic drinks (Deu 14:26) and marriage dowries (Deu 22:29).
According to Genesis 47:15-17 food was used for barter only after money had been spent. Banking and usury laws exist in Leviticus even before tithing. Therefore the argument that money was not prevalent enough for everyday use is false. Yet the tithe contents from Leviticus to Matthew never include money from non-food products and trades.
2. There were clearly three different tithes.
The first religious tithe, called the "Levitical tithe," had two parts. Again, the whole first tithe was given to the Levites who were only servants to the priests (Numb. 18:21-24; Neh. 10:37). The Levites, in turn, gave one tenth of the whole tithe to the priests (Numb. 18:25-28; Neh. 10:38).
According to Deuteronomy 12 and 14, the second religious tithe, called the "feast tithe," was eaten by worshipers in the streets of Jerusalem during the three yearly festivals (Deut. 12:1-19; 14:22-26).
And, according to Deuteronomy 14 and 26, a third tithe, called the "poor tithe," was kept in the towns every third year to feed the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29; 26:12, 13).
3. The Zondervan article is wrong. It only discusses the second tithe where long travel allowed the tithe to be converted into money but the tithe itself was still not money and no text says otherwise. All 16 texts which describe the contents of the tithe prove otherwise.
4. Why did Jesus approve of tithing herbs? Such an effort of counting would be oppressive. He approved of it because they sat in Moses seat (Mt 23:2-3) and were the accepted interpreters of the law. Jesus commanded tithing herbs but no church teaches it. Why not if Jesus commanded it? The context of Mt 23:23 is "matters of the law." Note that Jesus could not have commanded his Gentile disciples to tithe.
5. Your comment that "Undoubtedly, the tithe is a floor and not the ceiling of giving" is based on the false assumption that the Law required everybody to begin their level of giving at 10%. That is simply not true. Only food producers inside Israel qualified at tithe-payers from God's miraculous increase from his own holy land. Not even Jesus, Peter or Paul qualified as tithe-payers. You cannot disprove that.
6. The Bible does not say "Even the tithe was to be given cheerfully." The first Levitical tithe was cold hard law whether one was cheerful or not.
7. You said "Since we are not an agricultural economy, most would interpret the contemporary "tithe" in reference to money." However merely making a statement does not make such statement biblical.
8. You said "It seems that the tithing principal which was given by God in the Old Testament has not changed." Where is this found in God's Word --our source for final truth?
9. You said "Having practiced it and witnessing it practiced as one of the "steps toward financial freedom", I can attest that it is still an operative principal today." ----- You may have given 10% of your income, but that is not biblical tithing. Did you give it sacrificially until it actually made a dent in your bank account?
10. NT giving principles are: freewill, generous, sacrificial, joyful, not by commandment or percentage and motivated by love for God and lost souls. That is more than sufficient to fulfill God's purposes. God has blessed you under New Covenant giving principles and not under annulled Old Covenant principles. You have not observed all 600+ commands of the law. And I doubt that your church requires its pastor to forfeit all property ownership as required by the same law. The secret of successful churches is evangelism and good gospel preaching -- NOT OT TITHING.
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
As a layperson considering how the Bible speaks to me...and It does say to ask God for understanding which I always do, especially on conflicting things such as tithing.
ReplyDeleteJesus speaks of giving our first fruits, and also uses fruits as an example of fruits of the spirit. So God wants the best from us, He wants our selves first from us. We need to give not just money, but ourselves. Tithing is usually considered 10% but the first 10%. Not after taxes, but our first best 10%. Imagine, 10% of our time, 10% of our talent, 10% of our passion and purpose, 10% of our money!? That is very little expected from a God as awesome as ours. Even 10% of our time is nothing compared to what He gives us. We are to give of ourselves, to others, and not just a Church. Tithing is so very much more than giving to a Church. It's giving the Light and Love of Christ to one another. Money means nothing to God. That's an earthly thing. Money can buy things and get things for others but if it's done without being Christ centered, it's for nought. PS We are blessed with every breath we take. Everything is His!
Joann
ReplyDeleteR: Yes, God wants the best from us. This is sound NT post-Calvary doctrine to the church. I merely point out that this does not apply to OT tithes. Firstfruits in Prov 3:9-10 are not the same as tithes. Tithes in Lev 27:30-34 were the tenth; the texts say they were not the first or the best. Numbers 18:21-24 says the Levite-servants to the priests received the first whole tithe and they gave their best tenth of a tenth to the priests in Num 18:25-28. I do not want us to twist scripture.
J: We need to give not just money, but ourselves.
R: Yes, that is sound NT post-Calvary doctrine to the Church.
J: Tithing is usually considered 10% but the first 10%. Not after taxes, but our first best 10%.
R: This is not found in the Bible. Biblical firstfruits were very small token offerings per Deu 26:1-10 and Neh 10:35-37. If you have $20 and need $20 worth of medicine to keep your father alive, buy the medicine instead of giving it to the church first. That is in accordance with 1 Tim 5:8. Otherwise you mock Christianity.
J: Even 10% of our time is nothing compared to what He gives us.
R: Our time and talents should always be as Christians.
J: Tithing is so very much more than giving to a Church.
R: Sounds good but it is not biblical. Our support of the gospel ministry has no up or down limits. We give to the best of our ability from the heart. For many that is far more than 10%. And for many who cannot meet their medical, food and shelter needs it may be little. Much of the 2nd festival tithe and all of the third year tithe went to the poor.
J: Everything is His!
R: Yes it is --- but that fact was never used in the OT to received tithes from outside of national Israel.