Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Tithing Again!

“Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the first-fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9–10).

I wonder, do the Proverbs still apply to Christians? Are these the wise words from God’s Holy Spirit? Or were the nailed to the cross? In spite of the obvious blessings that come to those who obey God’s tithing law (from the Old Testament) some still have arguments or questions. Was the idea of tithing an invention of Moses? Was it done away with by Christ Jesus? Was it just for the physical nation of Israel? Long before the Law of Moses was ever codified, Abraham was faithfully paying tithes to God. We read in Genesis 14:17–20 how Abraham honored God’s High Priest Melchizedek after God had delivered his enemies into his hand: “And he gave him a tithe of all (tithe which means 10%).” This is an important example that is usually overlooked or minimized by many. Abraham in the New Testament is described as the father of the faithful (cf. Romans 4:1, 11, and 16). Certainly the father of the faithful is our example in all that he did, even in tithing. Abraham did not tithe only the fruits of his labor, he tithed on a bounty that had virtually been given him by God (like everything we get isn’t from God). So tithing is not merely on the increase of one’s crops or animals as some say, it is on any financial increase which God grants us as His children.

Later, Jacob promised to serve the God of Abraham and stated: “Of all that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you” (Genesis 28:22). Still later, when God instituted the Levitical priesthood, He directed that the tithe be paid to them during that time as His human representatives: “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the LORD…. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 27:30, 32).

As the Apostle Paul explained to the Corinthian brethren: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1–4). Later in this same chapter—talking about this same time period—Paul wrote: “Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed by serpents” (v. 9).

So it was Christ they were dealing with back in the Old Testament. Most theologians realize this because there are so many references to it. But many ignore this because of the implication that it was Christ who spoke the Ten Commandments and gave other laws which “Modern Christianity” chooses not to obey. Yes, Christ was and still is the “Word” of God, the divine Spokesman for the Trinity from the beginning (John 1:1–10). So the “Word”—who later became the Christ—is the One who guided and blessed Abraham in tithing to God. And Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we must not negate or minimize this fundamental example of tithing set by the Abraham the father faithful. In the New Testament, did Jesus Christ abolish this practice? No. He followed it, as did His Apostles. We find no scriptural command to stop tithing, and no indication that the Apostles and the Apostolic Church ceased to tithe. As we have seen, Jesus Christ is the “Word” of God—the one who inspired the Old Testament. As the Word of God, He gave the laws listed in the Old Testament, and then He spiritually magnified and explained them in the New Testament. Christ fulfilled the Law He did not negate it or nullify it; there is a difference between the two.
17. "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18. "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

In speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, who often made a self-righteous display of strictly keeping some of the smaller points of God’s Law, Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23). Jesus said that spiritual qualities such as mercy and faith ought to be put ahead of carefully and strictly paying tithes on every little plant that might grow in your garden. But Christ said “not to leave the other undone”, meaning not to fail at giving God your full tithes as God commanded.

In Luke 11:42, this same command is repeated in a similar manner—inspired to be placed here also by God’s Holy Spirit. Man would like to regard God’s tithing law as of least importance. But speaking of even the smaller points of God’s Law, Jesus stated: "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19)

If we are looking for an argument, we will always find one. But if we are willing to “hunger and thirst” for righteousness, to obey even the smaller points of God’s Law, we will be blessed for it. (I believe)

I am not trying to present my opinion as Scripture or pass it off with apostolic authority. But I believe there are two types of people who do not fulfill their obligation to tithe. One is the person who is ignorant of the Law and the other is stingy or greedy. Sadly both miss out on the blessing ascribed by the God of grace.

As I have said before, "go ahead rob God, see where that gets you".

1 comment:

The Webels said...

I have found Proverbs 3:9–10 to be true in my life, time and time again. And I don't think its legalistic or getting hung up on words to say that "first-fruits" means "pre-tax." Certainly, God should get His share before the government... -hp