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Tithing is leglalistic !!
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Nov 5, 2005 10:02 pm
Mood: aggravated,
1345 Views
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It appears that in response to my Blog on tithing; that no one wants to take the time, to research the subject; in order to find answers. So, even though I didn't want to have to give the answers myself; it looks like thats what I'm going to have to do. What is legalism ? Legalism can be defined; as a fleshly attitude , which conforms to a code; in order to exalt self( Chuck Swindal).
This study has been condensed, I don't want to make it so long that others won't read it.
Have you ever heard a person who thinks he tithes; say something like, " I'm blessed because I tithe." Thats self exalting. Sometimes a tither will say to a person who doesn't tithe, " God won't bless you because you don't tithe." Thats telling the non-tither he needs to conform to a code.
The Word God, the Bible; is a book of redemptive history. When studied ( not just read ), it must be studied in it's historical and grammatical context. If you simply read the Bible; like you would any ordinary book, you do it ( the Bible ) and yourself a great disservice. Keeping that in mind lets look at the four questions, and their answers.
1. What was tithed ?
We find the answer to the first question in Lev. 27:30-32
" And all thetithe 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. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithe, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning thetithe of herd or flock,of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD" NKJV
It is clear from the above text that the tithe consisted of food. All of the food grown from the seeds planted in the ground; or food which came from the herds and flocks raised by the Israelites. What's so hard about that ? Well, even though its clear from the text; that the tithe was food, some would have us believe,that since Christians don't have farms; that we are to substitute money for food. But can we do that ? Can we take that kind of liberty with God's Word ? Keeping with the historical context thetithe must remain food More so, if Christ didn't change the law ( Matt. 5:1), what gives us the right to ?
If Lev. 27:30-32 doesn't make it clear enough Duet. 14:22,23 should.
" You shall truly tithe all theincrease of your grain that the field produces year to year. And youshall eatbefore the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the titheof your grainand yournew wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herbs and flocks,that you may learn to fear the LORD your God Always." NKJV ( emphasis mine)
If thats not food ! What is ? This gets better. Have you ever heard a preacher say, the reason the Jews tithed food was because they didn't have money, like we do today. In the same chapter (14) we find something interesting. The LORD commanded Israel, that if the place He chooses to place His name; was too far for them; to carry their tithes. That they could exchange ( sell ) the tithe for money; then carry the money, to that place he had chosen, and buy back the tithe; when they arrived there, and enjoy it before the LORD.
" But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it for money, take themoneyin your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. And you shallspend that moneyfor whatever your heart desires; for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drinkfor whatever your heart desires; you shalleatthere before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household." (emphasis mine) NKJV
This is the only time which money is mentioned in relation to the tithe. The money which they had at that time; wasn't minted as we have today but they definitely had money.
2. Who received the tithe ?
We find the answer to the second question in Lev. 18:21-24
Since the Levites did not get an inheritance of land, and because they were responsible for maintaining the tabernacle. The Jews were commanded to support them with a tithe.
" Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting ..... For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance, therefore I have said to them, ' Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.' " NKJV
If you read on; you'll find that even the Levites were required to tithe, a tithe of the tithe; the best of the tithe ( the best of all of them ) and give it to the priest ( v.28 ). so, its clear the tithe was received by the Levites, in support the Levites as well as the priest. In the Christian church we have no need to support any type of Levitical priesthood, there is no tabernacle and no storehouse. Christ has received a ministry that is superior to that of the Levites; because he is the mediator of a superior covenant(Heb.8:6). Whats puzzling, is why some have turned to a system that didn't work for Israel expecting to be blessed.
Anyone who understands the concept of covenant; should know not to rely on a covenant that brings a curse rather than a blessing.
" You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even the whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may befood in My house." Mal. 3:9-10a (emphasis mine)
looking at this verse in its historical context, we see that the curse was applicable to the nation of Israel, and there is no storehouse to take the tithe to ( the local church is not the storehouse). However, in the New Testament we see a curse of a different kind (much more severe), a warning to those who attempt to keep any part of the law(Gal. 3:10). If you try to keep any part of the law; you must keep it all( some 613 commandments).
3. What was the tithe used for ?
There were three tithes. The Levitical, the celebration, and the welfare tithe. There should be no question as to the primary use of the tithe. However, there was also a special 3rd year tithe, which included the less fortunate (Duet.26:12,13). This special tithe was the only one that didn't have to be taken to the sanctuary. Instead it was stored within the individual cities, and used to feed those with special needs.
4. Where did the tithe have to taken ?
In order to determine the place where the tithe had to be taken; all we need to do is follow the various locations, starting with the tabernacle ( at Sinai ); to the building of the temple. The tabernacle was erected in several temporary locations, Kadesh, Gilgal, Possibly Shechem, Shiloh and Gibeon. Gibeon became the place of sacrificial worship until the time of Solomon. After the erection of the temple in Jerusalem; the temple superseded the tent of meeting( tabernacle ); as the place of worship, to offer sacrifices, and bring the tithe. Years before the building of the temple; the LORD gave strict instructions to the Israelites to be sure to take their offerings to this new place He would choose to put His name ( Duet. 12:5,6 ).
" But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks." NKJV
In verses 8- 12 they are warned not to do whatever seamed right in their own eyes. The LORD then repeats His commands ( v.13 ) ......
" Take heed to yourselves that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see; but in the place which the LORD chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you."
Now, if the Lord warned Israel not to do what seemed right in their own eyes, and if He established the only place where offerings ( which included the tithe ); could be taken. What makes Christians today think they can change the location, to any place that seems right to them ( anywhere other than Jerusalem ) ?
So, is it legalistic to teach tithing ? We have examined several places which clearly describe the tithe as part of the law. Jesus Himself taught, that tithing is part of the law ( Matt. 23:23 ); ( which was put in a negative context ) and the writer of the book of Hebrews also relates the tithe to the law.
" And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the peopleaccording to the law, that is from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham." Heb. 7:5
Just as a side note. Many will say that tithing is not legalistic because Abraham tithed to Melchizedek ( before the law was given ). For the sake of shortening this BLOG, I'm going to briefly show; that its not wise to appeal to Abraham in support of the tithe. The problem with that is found in Gen. 17:9-11.
" And God said to Abraham: " As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you." NKJV
In verse 13; God declares this covenant to be an everlasting covenant. So, was Abraham circumcised before the law was given at Mt. Sinai or after ? It was before. What is the Torah ? The Torah comprises the first five books of the Bible, and all five books are refereed to as the law. Any one who wants to appeal to Abraham for teaching Christians; we're suppose to tithe, must also ( to be consistent ) teach Christian males to be circumcised. How can you, on one hand teach Christians; they should be tithing, and on the other hand neglect to teach circumcision ?
See what happens when you attempt to keep only certain parts of the law. You become guilty of preaching a different gospel ( mixing law and grace ), and come under an ecclesiastical curse. Gal. 1:6-9
How then are Christians suppose to support the church, and those who serve in the church ? Clearly not by tithing. Paul gives us great insight; into the manner in which those who serve in ministry are to be supported ( 1 Cor. 9:11-13 ), and their right to receive such support ( 1 Cor. 9:14 ). Yet, Paul refused such material support ( v. 15 ) for himself; because he felt so compelled to preach the gospel, voluntarily ( free of charge ) not using 9 or abusing 0 his rights for preaching ( vv. 15-18 ). That's having a real passion for preaching the gospel, a willingness to preach the good news of Christ ; without expecting to receive a salary from it.
Today, there aren't many churches where you'll find pastors; who don't expect to receive a salary for preaching. Some are paid astronomical yearly salaries ( 100,000.00 to over 1,000,000,000.00 ) Where's the passion in that ? At one time I attended a church that didn't take up a collection ( by passing a plate ) at all. Instead they had two cedar boxes near the entrance of the church. Members simply dropped their offerings into those two boxes, ( without putting their names on envelopes ), and they collected ( in a 3 year period ) enough money to run the affairs of the church for ten years ! And all that was done without teaching the members they had to tithe. What's stopping other churches from doing the same ?
" So let each man give as he purposes in his own heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9: 7
That's not a tithe.........is it ?
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Do you pay your tithes ?
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Oct 25, 2005 12:28 pm
Mood: mellow,
1169 Views
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" Will a man rob God ? Yet you have robbed me ! But you say, In what way have we robbed you ? In tithes and offerings"
How often have you used Mal 3:8 to convict another Christian, that he or she should be tithing; ten percent of their income to God ?
Perhaps you even went so far as to tell him or her, that they should also tithe ten percent; of their time and talent. But is this correct......can money, time and talent be tithed ? In order to find the answer to this question; we must first understand the importance of praying for the Lords illumination( of scripture ) before beginning any study of the Bible. Then, we must study scripture; not only in its historical context; but also in its grammatical context. Once we understand; that the entire Bible ( both old and new testaments ) was written for the Christian believer. Yet, realizing that not everything in the Bible is directed toward the Christian; or is talking about the Christian ( this is one of the mistakes made by the word of faith teachers ); we will become good students of the Bible. Keeping that in mind, lets look at what the Bible says about tithing.
There are four questions which we must answer when addressing this subject.
They are:
1. What was tithed ?
2. Who received the tithe ?
3. What was the tithe used for ?
4. Where did the tithe have to be taken ?
Can you answer these questions ? Its going to take a little time to research this, so don't rush it. Then post your findings here.
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Galations 3:10
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Oct 13, 2005 6:48 am
1184 Views
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" For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."
My reason for quoting the above verse, is because some years ago while a member of a church in Philadelphia PA; I became aware of false teaching, that was being taught concerning the Ten commandments. I was one of the adult Bible teachers at the church, and was leading a study in the book of James. While going through the forth chapter; of the book of James. I asked a question that started a debate about the law. The question was concerning verse 11; and was taken from the Serendipity Study Bible for groups. This is the question........ Is the law in verse 11 the same as that in the first chapter verse 25; the second chapter verse 8; and the second verse 12 ? Why or why not ? Do you know the answer ?
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