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Title: 'Ephraim's Tithe'

Ephraim's Dilemma

Ephraim was upset. He had just received confirmation that when Moses had read out the Tithing regulations for the nation of Israel, his kind had been left out. Ordinarily he would have been excited to have been left out of the burden of giving out yet another set amount of his increase by command of the Lord but his spirits were vexed because of his wife’s nightmare.

How was it that her dreaming visions sometimes set out to upset him? If he was being truthful he would acknowledge that it was due to the uncanny abilities of her dreams to come true. Like the time she dreamt his cousin Makeda was pregnant and due to give birth to a boy with soft brown curls. It had come to be. And the time she dreamt and saw his long lost brother Nathan, thought to have died in a battle with the Amalekites return in a company of two other people and by God! He had shown up with a strange woman and a little boy in tow. He had been captured by the Amalekites. They had been so benevolent to the 17 year old boy with kindly eyes. They had kept him first as their slave and when he had saved the family’s son from near death from a wild animal a few years later, he was given a son’s status and allowed to be married from amongst them. And here he was, returned with Miri his wife and Natom his four year old son. Ephraim sighed.

Naomi’s dream was an echo from afar; she had seen a vision of fallen walls and aged derelict walls. Her dream was of a band of the children of the Nation of Israel return to their lands from being torn away and kept away; back to rebuild the glory of Israel. She spoke of a store house, tithes and curses, of a prophet named Malachi; and that those who had not kept the word of the Lord had robbed God.

Exempt from Tithing

You see, Ephraim was a carpenter. He was kept extremely busy as the temple was in the process of being built making him a man of means in shekels. He loved to jiggle his bag of coins. Was it possible that Moses had not given out the entirety of God’s word? What if, being old and near infirm he had neglected to inform the people that tithes must be given on increase of items other than farm produce and farm animals? Ephraim’s older sister was married to the fisherman Dan and he had celebrated wildly the day he heard the tithing laws did not apply to him and other fishermen. “Stingy man”, Ephraim thought out loud, he suspected Dan slapped his sister around but she always spoke up and denied it ever happened.

He loved the imagery of the heavens and blessings pouring out. Ehmmm, Malachi had said rain but what if rain was symbolic? What if? What if it was not symbolic? Was it literal rain to water the earth? It would appear the message from the Prophet meant literal rain because rain was needed for the produce to multiply in farms. “Ai!” Ephraim was getting a headache, this was the stuff for philosophers, he was a mere carpenter. But he dreaded the idea of being under a curse! He knew what he must do.

Ephraim gathered a few of those who agreed that they must be part of those who were commanded to tithe. After all, father Abraham tithed. That fool Levite who was meant to have been spending his time studying the scriptures must have been spending time lazing around, “fool” Ephraim muttered under his breath. He had said that father Abraham tithed once according to the written word. And from war spoils. “So?!!” Ehrpaim so wanted badly to tithe, the Levite's confirmation that Moses had exempted carpenters annoyed him even further, he wanted to be safe from the curse sure to bring him to crippling oblivion should he not pay a tithe. His carpentry business was booming and he didn’t want the devourer to get him; what if he didn’t pay and he got injured at work or something baaad only the evil devourer could conjure up happened to him? He couldn’t take the chance.

The Meeting

Dan was present (after much persuasion), the stranger, Miri was present. Other blacksmiths, artisans, widows, orphans and strangers were present. Ephraim began in measured tones. “We all get an increase. When we earn our income from our work, we are increased. When some here glean the edges of the fields, they are increased. When some here (widows and orphans and poor) receive from the tithe of others, they are increased, why are we not mandated to tithe by God? Did Moses intend for us to be cursed? I fear he may have been old and senile. I mean the other day; my friend Jonathan said his sheep only increased by one and therefore didn't need to tithe. Shouldn’t he have cut it up into ten pieces and tithed a tenth? Naomi, please come and tell them more about your dream”.

Naomi's Vision of 21st Century Christians

Naomi began. She spoke in superfluous terms. She described with vivid imagery times right up to the future where a nation dressed differently to the nation of Israel rose up in unison and worshipped Yahweh! The praised like David and desired very much to please Him who sits on the Throne. They loved the Ancient of Days and their hearts melted at the sight of the Lamb; the one who was slain from the foundations of the earth. Naomi was overcome with awe. Who were they? How come they were grafted into the vine? Naomi paused; unspoken words that could not be uttered but she was urged on due to the severity of the moment.

“I see a man in front of a pulpit and he reads from the word of the Lord and the Prophets, he reads to a multitude of saints in distant lands. He is called a pastor and his members sit in wonder as they read and meditate on the word of the Lord. They seek to please God in every way. He speaks of a man named Jesus who takes away sin and of them being grafted into the vine. He reads of the command that the saints must pay tithes or else they rob God and therefore are under a curse. Or else the heavens will not open to release a blessing. And the people tremble in fear like we do here. I see their hearts palpitating and a multitude rush forward to give unto the pastor a tenth of their income.”

"Amend God's Law to allow us Tithe"

Ephraim spoke to the others “We must do likewise; the Law on tithes must be amended to allow those of us deliberately left out to be able to pay tithes. Or else the Christian's foundation for paying is weak and the Pastor strikes fear in their hearts out of his own words”.

Naomi continued “The saints who are subject to the pastor rush forward, they shove the poor, the widows the orphans to the side in their haste to get to the pulpit to pay a tenth of their income to their pastor. Their churches build beautiful edifices to Yahweh, so beautiful I cannot describe the splendour. But I see Jesus weeping at the side, for the weak shoved to the side, for the crying children, for the weak whom the mighty have trodden. I see the mighty who steal the children’s bread from the Nation's coffers; I see them up front almost to the pulpit, happily paying their tithe to the dancing pastor while Jesus cradles the broken, those whom he likened to Himself in a book called Matt 25:31-46; those for whom He blurted out these words “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”

Ephraim's Decision

Ehraim and the others sat down silent and even more confused. A tithe of mint, dill and cumin would mean farm produce, maybe they shouldn’t be too worried after all, maybe Moses was right. Even if they had taken their coins of money to the storehouse, there would be no way to receive it as tithe. They felt a burden lift off their hearts, they were free not to keep a Law not directed at them, but still, justice, mercy and faithfulness must prevail in the land.