More on "Eating the tithe"

If you have not read the comments on the previous post, I encourage you to do so. The summary I gave of tithing in general did leave me open to justifiable criticism. I certainly do not want to imply that we are still under the law in the sense that Paul uses this phrase. The idea that we are to tithe as an obligation under the Law is not held by me. I make the point that the Old Testament laws have principles behind them that we are to embrace with joy and gladness. The New Testament teaching on giving is about being a cheerful, generous giver since everything  belongs to the Lord.

The task of finding the principle behind many of the Old Testament passages, and indeed of the New Testament as well, calls for an enquiring mind under the control of the Holy Spirit. Our minds are to be renewed (Eph 4:23, Col 3:10), not ignored. If we now have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16) then we will be able to ask the right questions and get the right answers. We must not fall into the trap of anti-intellectualism.

A tithe is a token. It is the baseline if you like, of our giving. We are called to go beyond that and give all that we have to the Lord; to ask ‘what can I keep’, not ‘what can I give’.

Translating this into our time and space leads us along an interesting path. 

Firstly, If we are to bring the WHOLE tithe into the storehouse, then where is the storehouse. I used to think this was the local church, but now I am convinced that the storehouse is Jesus himself. We are to bring it to Him so He can decide where the needs are that need to come out of that storehouse.

Secondly, what are the practicalities that come from this?

This takes us back to the Book of Deuteronomy.

Deu 14:22-29 HCSB  "Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields.  (23)  You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God.  (24)  But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you,  (25)  then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses.  (26)  You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family.  (27)  Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.  (28)  "At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates.  (29)  Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

There are several points to note here:

• 1.       They were to eat the tithe, or its financial equivalent, in the presence of the Lord and where He decreed.

• 2.      They were to learn the fear of the Lord through this.

• 3.      There was no restriction on what they were to spend the money on.

• 4.      We are to rejoice with our family in this activity.

• 5.      The tithe that went to the Levites was for their support and for the relief of poverty.

The question of the third year distribution has been discussed by scholars for some time, and it seems that they believe there were two tithes, possibly at the beginning and end of the harvest. The first was for the Levites alone to receive and the other was the one we are discussing here. I think this is speculation based on Rabbinical teaching. However I don’t want to get caught up in this. I will stick with the five points above.

It seems to me that we can distil the following principles for us from this passage.

• 1.       Serving and giving to the Lord is a joyful thing.

• 2.      God’s love is so great, and His mercy so strong, that what we give to Him, He gives back to us, and even more.

Even in the question of the Sabbath, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Joy is such a common word in the New Testament. Those of us who love Jesus with a passion know how joyful this is, even in the midst of trial and difficulty.

• 3.      We are to remember Him around the table. That was the original point of the Lord’s Supper, not a ritual to be carried out symbolically. This should be done every time we gather around a table for a meal. But especially so, as a grand event, at certain times of the year.

After all, the Sabbath Seder was a recounting of the Exodus each week in Jewish homes. This was a full meal and a joyful occasion every week, in the family, and still is today. The father took time to teach the household about the Lord and His provision for them.

Family is in the forefront here, and the teaching of God’s ways is done faithfully in the family, each week, at this meal.

I remember with gladness the times when our children were very young, how Elizabeth and I had structured times each week teaching our children. In our case it was not over a meal, unless you call “Poppy’s  pancakes” a meal. But it was a structured time when I inputted to the children at least as much as I did to the church I pastored.

• 4.      There was to be  a real provision for the poor. I can hear clearly Paul’s admonition in  Cor 11.

1Co 11:18-22 NIV  In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.  (19)  No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.  (20)  So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,  (21)  for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.  (22)  Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

The Corinthian Church did not even seem to notice the poor in their midst as they feasted in the presence of the Lord. There was to be a special provision made for those people who are often not even noticed.

Let me try to pull this together.

1.       Our financial giving is to be generous (absolutely more than a tithe) and given willingly and joyfully.

2.      There can be no guilt associated with our giving. Giving to the Lord is one of the ways He wants to bless us and how He wants us to enjoy our giving in many ways, some of which are:

a.      In our gatherings to remember Jesus for all He has done for us, we can use what the Holy Spirit has given us and what we have ‘given’ Him, to have a joyful meal at whatever level we decide is most appropriate. Remembering Him in this context does not mean a cursory saying of ‘grace’ before the meal, but a meal centred on Him. Our conversation is to be about Him, teaching &/or testimony, worship, prayer, etc.

Maybe this can be one new form of ‘church’, held entirely within the framework of a meal.

b.      These are not to be exclusive gatherings and should include those who have little or nothing, without expecting them, or anyone else for that matter, to contribute anything at all to the meal.

After all this is a foretaste of the marriage supper of the Lamb!

c.       Outside of all of this we are also to use our giving to the Lord to alleviate poverty and suffering.

There are so many calls on our financial resources today, that we cannot give to everyone. This is where we need to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit to show us where this money is to go.

d.      In all of this we must be led by the Holy Spirit, otherwise it will all become carnal and meaningless as it seems to have become in Corinth.

Commentary Notes on Deuteronomy 26:12-13

Keil & Delitzsch

The delivery of the tithes, like the presentation of the first-fruits, was also to be sanctified by prayer before the Lord. It is true that only a prayer after taking the second tithe in the third year is commanded here; but that is simply because this tithe was appropriated everywhere throughout the land to festal meals for the poor and destitute (Deu 14:28), when prayer before the Lord would not follow per analogiam from the previous injunction concerning the presentation of first-fruits, as it would in the case of the tithes with which sacrificial meals were prepared at the sanctuary (Deu 14:22.). לַעְשֵׂר is the infinitive Hiphil for לְהַעֲשַׂר, as in Neh 10:39 (on this form, vid., Ges. §53, 3 Anm. 2 and 7, and Ew. §131, b. and 244, b.). “Saying before the Lord” does not denote prayer in the sanctuary (at the tabernacle), but, as in Gen 27:7, simply prayer before God the omnipresent One, who is enthroned in heaven (Deu 26:15), and blesses His people from above from His holy habitation. The declaration of having fulfilled the commandments of God refers primarily to the directions concerning the tithes, and was such a rendering of an account as springs from the consciousness that a man very easily transgresses the commandments of God, and has nothing in common with the blindness of pharisaic self-righteousness “I have cleaned out the holy out of my house:” the holy is that which is sanctified to God, that which belongs to the Lord and His servants, as in Lev 21:22. בִּעֵר signifies not only to remove, but to clean out, wipe out. That which was sanctified to God appeared as a debt, which was to be wiped out of a man's house (Schultz).

Matthew Henry

Concerning the disposal of their tithe the third year we had the law before, Deu 14:28, Deu 14:29. The second tithe, which in the other two years was to be spent in extraordinaries at the feasts, was to be spent the third year at home, in entertaining the poor. Now because this was done from under the eye of the priests, and a great confidence was put in the people's honesty, that they would dispose of it according to the law, to the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless (Deu 26:12), it is therefore required that when at the next feast after they appeared before the Lord they should there testify (as it were) upon oath, in a religious manner, that they had fully administered, and been true to their trust.

More comments and interactions please.

Eat the Tithe - a Discussion Paper

I can almost hear the groans from some of you at the thought of yet another blog on tithing, but I have a different slant that I would like you to consider and dialogue with me.

First let me summarise what I have understood up to now.

Many have said that tithing is an Old Testament concept that Jesus eliminated. This does not stand up to even cursory examination. Jesus is quite clear that we are to continue tithing but to recognise that there are greater things we are to worry about.

Matthew 23:23 NIV
[23] “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices---mint, dill and cumin. 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.

 Jesus condemns the legalistic adherence to the minutiae of the law (tithing of even the herbs and spices) but ignoring the crucial matters of the law (justice, mercy, faithfulness). So Jesus certainly draws attention back to the important issues, BUT, they were not to ignore the tithe.

Tithing is mentioned in the time of the Patriarchs, if not earlier. Abraham offered the tithe to the mysterious figure of Melchizedek. I take from this and other passages that tithing comes from creation rather than from the  Law of Moses. In other words it belongs to the Kingdom of God.

I will not detail the many references to tithing, or first fruits, in the Old Testament, but will go straight to the oft quoted verse from Malachi.

Malachi 3:6-12 NIV
[6] “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. [7] Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, 'How are we to return?' [8] “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' “In tithes and offerings. [9] You are under a curse---your whole nation---because you are robbing me. [10] Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. [11] I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe, ” says the Lord Almighty. [12] “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Many, including me, have written much on this, usually concentrating on the ‘storehouse’. I have usually interpreted this to mean that we are to pay our tithes into the place where we get our spiritual nurture. This I interpreted, at that time, to mean the local church. However I now believe that Jesus is the store house. Jesus made it very clear that 100% of what we have and earn is from Him and belongs to Him. This is seen in the sermon on the mount and elsewhere.

Matthew 6:19-21 NIV
[19] “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. [20] But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? [26] Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? [27] Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ? [28] “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. [29] Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. [30] If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you---you of little faith? [31] So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' [32] For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. [33] But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The tithe was originally, so I have taught, equivalent to the rent we pay to God for the environment within which we live: the sun, air, soil, etc. As such it is to be PAID and not seen as an offering, which is what we are to give above the 10%. However now we see that the tithe is 100%. Everything we have belongs to God. The only question we have to ask is “how much can I keep, and what do I spend it on?”

There is much more to say about these basic matters but the new emphasis I have seen recently is found in Deuteronomy 14:22-29

[22] Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. [23] Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. [24] But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), [25] then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. [26] Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. [27] And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. [28] At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, [29] so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

What hits me here is the matter of how the Israelites were told to deal with the tithe. They were to use it for themselves while remembering the Lord. They were to eat the tithe, or its financial equivalent, in the presence of the Lord and so remember Him through the ages.

They were to use the tithe themselves for two years, but the third year was for the support of the Temple and the Levites.

This came as a real revelation to me. The tithe is to be used by us for 2/3 of the time. The other 1/3 is for the support of those who are living by faith for the propagation of the Gospel. This last point is still being thought through by me. In other words, do the Levites represent the clergy (I think not), or faith based ‘missionaries’, or who?

For the moment I am wrestling with the first 2/3 of our base 10% ‘giving.’ We are to EAT it ourselves in a situation that enables the Lord to be remembered. Can this mean that we celebrate the Lord in some way with other believers over a banquet, or something else.

Watch this space!!!!

Straight Talk or Safe Talk?

Luke 11:37-39 NIV
[37] When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. [38] But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. [39] Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.


Jesus is such a straight talker. There is no beating around the bush, whatever needs to be said is said with no possibility of being misunderstood. This Pharisee had been listening to Jesus along with the crowd which had gathered. There must have been some interest in what Jesus had been saying, and so this prominent man invited Jesus to come and eat with him. Presumably he wanted to hear more from Jesus and to ask questions.

However things went wrong right from the beginning. It was customary to wash your hands before eating, not just for cleanliness, but as a ritual. After all they ate with their (right) hand just as you do in many countries today.

It would not seem to be an unusual comment for the man to make. After all when I eat with the Santal tribal people in India I do just the same. The host brings round a jug of water and a basin and he, or more usually she, pours the water over your right hand, catching it in the basin. It is a matter of hygiene, but there is also a ritual element in it.

So why do we find this interchange with Jesus. At face value Jesus is being rude. However there is a deeper issue at stake here. Jesus had been speaking earlier about the need for true inner cleanliness rather than ritual cleanliness, and He clearly wanted to continue this debate. Why do I say this?

This was not going to be a private conversation. Also present were “teachers of the law.” These are the guardians of the ‘purity’ of the Word of God, largely the Pentateuch. It was clearly a setup.

Luke 11:45-46,52-54 NIV
[45] One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” [

Here is where Jesus’ straight talking comes to the fore. There follows a series of ‘woes’ against all these religious leaders.

46] Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. [52] “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” [53] When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, [54] waiting to catch him in something he might say.

In our society you might expect this to be the time for a graceful exit, or for an apologia regarding these teachings. I can almost here the guest of honour re-explaining the issues so that the words are softened, with comments like “you know that we are really on the same side, and I was just ensuring that people maintained a pure lifestyle”, or some other softer comment. But not Jesus!

Jesus knows what is at stake here and doesn't mince his words. Woe to you. Woe to you. Woe to you. And so on.

There is no compromise here. We would try to maintain our relationship with these leaders. Jesus speaks the truth uncompromisingly, fully knowing the results that would inevitably follow. And follow they did.

Once Jesus had left they started plotting His death.

John 8:12 NIV
[12] When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Mark 8:34-38 NIV
[34] Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. [36] What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? [37] Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.” 

Where does that leave us? We compromise so easily. Often we use an excuse such as maintaining a relationship. But is that really the case? Could it be that we are not propared to suffer the cost of speaking up for Jesus in a forthright way? Everyone has to answer this for themself, but I hope I will be found faithful when I am put to the test. What about you?

Where are the Christian Philanthopists?

There has been a great shift in this generation where people of significant wealth have determined to give away their wealth (or a major part of it) while they are still alive. The greatest example is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. However it is much wider than this for bequests to medicine, education, science and the arts.

But where are the entrepreneurs in the Christian sphere? Where are those who are prepared to put their wealth to work in the service of the Kingdom of God?

I am not talking about the building of church buildings or other things which are of only occasional use. However there are projects which need large amounts of capital for their fulfilment.

Much of the money raised for the promotion of the Kingdom of God comes from those with least ability to give. This money goes by and large to the support of people on the ground, and this is very good. However there are large projects that can never be funded in this way.

To give just two examples from my own experience:

• 1.       Bendigo, the largest inland city in Australia, has contributed to the life of Australia way above its size. Politically it had a major contribution to the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia. Economically, the gold extracted here exceeded, until recent times, every other goldfield in Australia and was the source of the capital for the building of Melbourne. Even more importantly, Bendigo saw one of the largest revivals in Australian Christian History at the turn of the 20^th Century.

At the moment Bendigo is becoming known as the site of the largest Buddhist Stupa in the Southern Hemisphere. Why can’t we celebrate Bendigo’s Christian History by the building of a major interpretive centre at the edge of the city as you drive up from Melbourne. There are already conceptual plans in place for this, but where are the funds to come from? There are many very wealthy Christian people who could fund this easily. Where are they?

• 2.       In North East India there is the largest tribal community in India, estimated at up to 12,000,000 people. They are known as the Santals, or “the people of the land” . They are ethnically related to the Australian Indigenous people, as shown by DNA analysis. They are an oral people whose history is passed on orally, like our indigenous people. They have a very large Christian component and are easy to bring into the Kingdom of God when they come into contact with more urbanised people.

The Santals are mainly subsistence farmers, or in the cities, day labourers, which is more correctly described as slave-like labour. There is a very active work among these people based in Madhupur in the State of Jharkhand. I have the great privilege of being involved with them. All work there is carried out within THEIR culture with their elders determining the forms of meeting, worship, etc. Several schools have been built to enable them to avoid the exploitation that has been their experience so far. Santal language and culture is maintained wherever possible.

Their culture, and their Christian culture, needs to be preserved in an interpretive centre there. Land is already available, but again there are no funds for the interpretive centre.All monies raised so far has gone into evangelism, social uplift, and the preservation of life of mothers and babies. This emphasis must not change but this does not take away the need for an entrepreneur to fund an interpretive centre. The alternative is the gradual erosion of an ancient and beautiful culture, much of which preserves the creation narratives found in the Bible.

They have 12 tribes in their culture and many of the tribal laws and living values echo the life of the Israelites. There is much to be done in investigating and preserving this culture. Where is the money for this?

More information on these projects and on the beginning of a Kingdom of God Foundation for the funding of capital works in the Kingdom of God and not just the building of more church edifices, can be obtained from John Steele at john@bendimar.com.au, or at www.bendimar.blogspot.com.au

 

Please share this with your followers and see if we can send this viral and enthuse the Christian wealthy who will join a coalition to fund these, and other, activities, without diverting funds going to living transmitters of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.