ABRAHAM'S GIVING TITHES

Many mistakenly suppose that tithing as mentioned in the Bible began with the Law of Moses, but not so. The first Biblically recorded instance of tithing was over 400 years earlier; it is stated in Gen. 14, where the battle is described between Abram (Abraham) and his servants and five kings, resulting in a great victory for Abram and his servants and the rescue of his nephew Lot and family (Gen. 14:14-16). Afterward he met Melchizedek, King of Salem, "the priest of the most high God," who blessed him, saying, "Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." Abraham then "gave him tithes of all" the booty he captured (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7:4).

Note, however, that nothing is said or implied about compulsory tithing. Evidently Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek voluntarily, out of gratitude to God, especially for the great victory, and not because he was required to do so. There is no indication that Abraham regularly gave him a tenth of his increase.

The Apostle Paul in Heb. 5 and 7 explains that Jesus is High Priest, not of the Aaronic order (which Jews, to whom he was writing, thought was the only valid priesthood), but of the Melchizedek order (Psa. 110:4). The Melchizedek order, Paul there explains, is the older, higher and greater one, because Levi, from whom the Aaronic priesthood descended, was in the loins of Abraham when he was blessed by and gave tithes to Melchizedek. Thus Abraham and Levi (a future descendant) in his loins are indicated as recognizing Melchizedek as higher and greater than they were — "without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater" (Heb. 7:7, NASB; comp. Rotherham, RSV).

JACOB'S GIVING TITHES

The second instance of tithing mentioned in the Bible before the giving of the Law Covenant by Moses is in Gen. 28. Jacob, fleeing to Haran because his brother Esau had vowed to kill him, was given the wonderful ladder dream, in connection with which he was assured that God's blessings and favor would be with him, and the Abrahamic Covenant promise was confirmed to him (Gen. 28:12-15).

Jacob was so awed by this dream that he exclaimed, "This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven"! He set up the stone he had slept on as a pillar and named the place Bethel (house of God; Gen. 28:16-19). "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, Seeing God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, when I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall Jehovah be my God, and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth [tithe] unto thee" (vs. 20-22; comp. Dr. Young's translation).

It seems evident, as Young shows, that Jacob here was not bargaining with God. Jacob did not say that if Jehovah would be with him give him various things, he would then, on that condition, have Jehovah as his God rather than some other god and would give the tithes to Him, because in v. 15 Jehovah had already promised that He would be with him, would guard him wherever he would go and would bring him back safely to his homeland. Jacob was not doubting Jehovah and His promises; rather, in great faith in Him and His promises, and in deep gratitude and appreciation, Jacob was vowing that he would continue to have Jehovah as his God and would give Him a tenth of all that He would bestow upon him.

Thus Abraham's grandson Jacob also desired to and determined to give tithes to Jehovah. It is not stated to whom Jacob would give them, or did give them, but it seems evident that he would and did give them to some servant of Jehovah, perhaps someone like Melchizedek. It is even more evident in Jacob's case than in Abraham's that tithing was not obligatory. His giving tithes was voluntary, free-will giving.

TITHING UNDER THE LAW COVENANT

Under the Law Covenant, Jehovah made special regulations pertaining to the firstfruits. A sheaf of the firstfruits of the harvest was waved on Nisan 16, the morrow after the sabbath (Lev. 23:10, 11; it types Jesus' resurrection on the third day). The firstlings of man and beast were to be set apart to Jehovah (Ex. 13:12); later the Levites were exchanged for the firstborn of man (Num. 3:12, 13, 41, 45). These firstfruits and also some of the heave offerings of the children of Israel were not called tithes, but other heave offerings were so designated (Num. 18:24).

Tithing under the Law Covenant is first mentioned in Lev. 27:30-34: "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree … the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD."

Tradition says the herds and flocks were driven through a narrow place under a rod, and every tenth one, whether a choice or an ordinary animal, was marked as belonging to Jehovah. If other animals were exchanged for marked ones, then both animals were to be Jehovah's. If certain tithes were redeemed, it was required that a fifth part be added. Thus selfishness was discouraged. These tithing regulations were "commandments" (v. 34); tithing was obligatory upon the children of Israel—it was not voluntary in their case. But also they gave voluntarily (Ex. 35:4-9; 36:5, 6).

TITHES GIVEN TO PRIESTS AND LEVITES

We read of tithes under the Law Covenant also in Num. 18:20-28: "The LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land. … I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service … of the tabernacle of the congregation. … But the tithes of the children of Israel … I have given the Levites to inherit. … Thus speak unto the Levites … When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes … then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even the tenth part of the tithe. … And ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest." Thus the children of Israel gave their tithes to the Levites, since they had no inheritance in the land, and they in turn gave tithes to the priests, so that the priests had "tithes of the tithes." See also Deut. 18:1-5.

SECONDARY TITHES

Tithing under the Law Covenant is mentioned also in Deut. 12, written almost 40 years later. Vs. 5, 6 say, "But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek … and thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes." This arrangement was to be for them particularly after they would go over the Jordan River and would be in the land of Canaan. They were then to go up with their offerings and tithes to God's chosen place for each tribe.

Vs. 17, 18; 14:22-29 mention the secondary or festival tithes: "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed. … And thou shalt eat … in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe." "At the end of three years [comp. Amos 4:4] thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 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. These additional, secondary tithes were to be eaten by themselves when they went up to the yearly festivals (Ex. 23:14-17). Also, they were eaten at times by others as just mentioned. Thus all in Israel were well provided for, without some becoming very rich and others very poor.

In Deut. 26:12-15 the children of Israel were exhorted that after they had finished their tithing, "Then shalt thou say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments … I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them: I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey."

Thus they renounced any known guilt, and assured Jehovah that they considered that they had done according to His commandment. Obeying it was obligatory for them.

TITHING AND THE TEMPLE

Centuries later, after the temple was built, the tithes were taken into the temple treasuries. In Neh. 10:38 we read, "The Levites shall bring the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, unto the treasure house."

One of the great problems of the nation of Israel (a problem wherever human nature is) was difficulty in keeping this tithing law. From time to time Israel backslid, and more or less forsook tithing, and then from time to time repented and resumed it. For example, in the days of Hezekiah, after a period of national backsliding, he decreed great reforms, including tithing, in Israel: "And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly" (2 Chron. 31:4, 5).

Neh. 12:44; 13:4, 5, 12 describe what happened in his day: "And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited." This was after the 70 years' desolation and the return from exile, and after the temple had been rebuilt.

MAL. 3:7-10 EXAMINED

An outstanding Old Testament passage on tithing is Mal. 3:7-10: "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?" The nation of Israel was then greatly backslidden and corrupt (Mal. 1:7-14; 2:1-17). Yet they were apparently so self-righteous that they saw no need of reformation.

Accordingly, God now gave them a specification: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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. 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. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts."

This passage is used frequently to try to prove that tithing is obligatory upon Christians, but it does not say or imply this; rather, as it plainly states, it applies to "the whole nation" of Israel, the only nation that "from the days of your fathers" was ever given the tithing law as an obligation.

Of course, there are good thoughts that Christians can take from this Scripture; but they should not try to use it to prove that they are under the law of compulsory tithing, or any other feature of the Law Covenant.

JESUS' PERTINENT TEACHINGS EXAMINED

The tithing law, given by Jehovah to the nation of Israel as an obligation under the Law Covenant, was obeyed by them at times and in varying degrees, from the time of its giving onward throughout the Jewish Age and into its Harvest, when Jesus was on earth. He spoke of tithing in Matt. 23:23, as follows: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin [they were very diligent in tithing even the smallest kinds of seeds], and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith [love is mentioned in Luke 11:42]." Then He added, "These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

This is another passage that some, including the Armstrongs and their followers, use to try to prove that Christians are obligated to pay tithes. But notice that here Jesus was speaking to Jews—scribes and Pharisees. It was an obligation on them as Jews under the Law Covenant to pay tithes (Luke 18:12); and so He said, "These ought ye to have done." If they would have come into Christ, then they would no longer have been under the Law Covenant, including tithing as an obligatory requirement. "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" in Him as Messiah (Rom. 10:4; 7:1-4).

Christians, during the Gospel or Church Age, are shown by the Apostle Paul not to be under antitypical Hagar, the Law Covenant, but under antitypical Sarah, the Grace Covenant (Gal. 4:22-31).

MATT. 5:17-19 EXAMINED


Matt. 5:17-19 is another New Testament passage in which some claim that Jesus taught tithing is obligatory on Christians. He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

They claim that if any break the tithing law, or one of the least commandments of the Law, such will be considered least in the Kingdom of heaven, but that if they obey such precepts, they will be called great in the Kingdom. What such teachers do not give sufficient weight to are Jesus' words, "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

"Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant … but Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Heb. 3:5, 6). Tithing was made obligatory on the house of servants, "Israel after the flesh" (1 Cor. 10:18), but not on the higher house, the house of sons. Jehovah and Jesus have recognized in the Gospel-Age house of sons only those with the mind of Christ in sufficient measure (Phil. 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:16).

For the Gospel-Age house of sons, Jehovah has had higher, greater and grander precepts than the commandments of the Law Covenant, which He had for the house of servants. Jesus shows this in the context following Matt. 5:17-19. E.g., in vs. 21-26 He shows that instead of having "thou shalt not kill" only as their precept, as the house of servants did, His followers are given a higher, greater and grander precept, namely, that being angry with a brother (or having hatred for a brother—1 John 3:15) is in God's sight considered as being like murder (the oldest Greek MSS. omit the words "without a cause" in v. 22). Other examples are given in vs. 23-37.

Furthermore, in vs. 38-48 Jesus shows that instead of having "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" as their precept, His followers are to have a higher, greater and grander precept, namely, they are not to return evil for evil. He told them additionally, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Jesus thus taught His followers, the house of sons, to have unselfish, disinterested love, or good will, for God, for Himself, for fellow Christians, for people of the world and even for enemies. This is the highest, greatest and grandest of all qualities—"the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13).

JESUS GAVE HIS FOLLOWERS A HIGHER TEACHING THAN
COMPULSORY TITHING


In the case also of giving for the furtherance of God's work on earth, Jesus gave His followers, the house of sons, a higher, greater and grander instruction on giving than tithing. We are helped to understand this by considering the case of Jesus and the rich young Jewish ruler (Matt. 19:16-29), who asked him, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" Jesus replied, "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

The young man then told Him that he had kept all these precepts from his youth up, and asked, "What lack I yet?" He thought that he had been doing everything he should have been doing, which undoubtedly included paying his tithes, according to his obligation as a Jew under the Law Covenant. But he wanted to know if there was possibly anything more he should do.

"Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Here Jesus was setting forth the higher, greater and grander teaching, which does not involve merely giving 10%, but involves full dedication, or consecration, giving to God all we have and are — 100% — all of our time, talents, influence, means, possessions—everything. After we have consecrated, or dedicated, our human all to God, He then makes us stewards of it. In the Bible we are exhorted repeatedly to be faithful as God's stewards (Matt. 25:14-29; Luke 12:42; 16:1-12; 1 Cor. 4:1, 2).

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

As God's stewards He expects us to use for furthering His work whatever of our human all that is not necessary for us to use to provide and care for things that are decent and needful for ourselves and those who are properly dependent on us (1 Tim. 5:8.). Whatever proportion of our human all is not needed for this purpose, whether large or small, we as God's stewards are to seek to use wisely day by day (Luke 9:23) to further His interests, in spreading the Gospel message as due in our day, in doing good to all men as we have opportunity, especially to the household of faith (Gal. 6:10). This may include using for this purpose 90% or more of our income in some cases, or 50%, or 10%, or even less, or nothing at all if all of our income is needed to provide properly for ourselves and our dependents. Bible teachings and principles seem nowhere to indicate that destitute, debt-ridden Christians must donate money, or must tithe their income, as some claim who teach that all Christians must tithe. But voluntary giving, even by the very poor, is highly commended in the Bible (Mark 13:41-44; 2 Cor. 8:2).




The giving of the tithe (tenth) under the Law Covenant is thus fulfilled in the higher, greater and grander arrangement that God through Jesus gave to Christians—the full consecration or dedication of all. The compulsory tithing arrangement was for the house of servants, but it is not what God has arranged for the house of sons. The Scriptures do not, nor do we say anything against Christians giving 10% of their income to further God's work, if this is the amount they have available after meeting proper obligations. Many have been blessed richly and will continue to be blessed greatly by tithing; [b]but the giving of this 10% should not be regarded as compulsory for Christians. All giving should be voluntary. And we are not to regard 10% as God's and 90% as belonging to us. Rather, we are to regard the whole 100% as belonging to God and that after providing for ourselves and our dependents, we are to use whatever portion we can, whether more than 10%, or even less, to further His work on earth. This giving should be joyful (2 Cor. 8:2; 9:7).




Some look on their tithing, including tithing they consider as compulsory, as a form of "insurance" with God, and attribute their measure of material prosperity, good health and success to it. Such a viewpoint was justifiable for the Jewish nation under the Law Covenant, who were promised abundance and national prosperity if they kept God's laws (Lev. 26:1-13; Deut. 5:29-33; 29:9; Josh. 1:7; Prov. 3:9, 10). But we who are under grace, and not under the Law Covenant (Rom. 6:14, 15), are not guaranteed material prosperity, good health and success, no matter how great our faithfulness to God (John 15:18, 19; 16:33; 17:14; Acts 14:22; 2 Tim. 2:12; 3:12).

soulpeppersoup:


Sorry God willed his blessing to Abraham that Jesus has no blessing beside the Abrahamic blessing. He said, Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and[b] in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed[/b]. Gen 12:1-3 (KJV). Christ can't give you blessing, he can only make you a seed of Abraham to partake of the inheritance of God. After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: [s]I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward[/s][s][/s].
Gen 15:1 (KJV)

You can mock but that is the written will of God. It's given to Abraham and his descendants.

Exactly Bro.

Don't mind all those people claiming that Jesus said "Before Abraham, I am".

rejosom:


Exactly Bro.

Don't mind all those people claiming that Jesus said "Before Abraham, I am".

The way some people dey read Bible dey weak me...

So the kingdom of new Heaven and Earth would be ruled by Jesus, but the blessings dey inside Abraham pocket.

Jesus na Abraham servant be that na...as according to soulpeppersoup states "Jesus has no blessing beside the Abrahamic blessing"

The blessings wey Jesus dey preach for Sermon on the Mount na Abrahamic blessings be that na...

NA WA O

On a side note;

If Freeze comes out to state "all forms of sexual intercourse before or outside marriage does not automatically translate to fornication"...then that would be the second red flag I would be noting from his teachings

I don't know why I have this funny feeling he might head towards this direction, BUT I HOPE THE PASSAGE OF TIME WOULD PROVE ME WRONG!

God help us all...

To all true worshipers, despite the our differences... this is my prayer

May the Spirit of the Eternal Creator (and not Daddy Freeze or any imperfect human being - myself included) guide us to the perfect & undiluted Truth and save us from false teachers and doctrines. Amen!