TITHING- Part 2

Genesis 28: 20-22

“Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.’”

This next passage is the story of Jacob’s tithe. The tithe that Jacob promised has a few unique features of its own that separate it from the Leviticus laws on tithing that incidentally didn’t come until many years later. The first thing we can see from Jacob’s promise is there is a condition for the tithe. Jacob said if God did His part then Jacob would tithe. This is different from the Leviticus laws because of this condition, but it is also different than what is taught in many churches regarding the tithe even though many contemporary churches use the promise of blessings from tithing as an incentive. But here is the most significant difference between Jacob’s tithe and the Levitical codes on tithing: to whom did Jacob tithe? There were no priests or temple. The only logical conclusion is Jacob gave his tithe as he saw fit. Whether it went to the poor or to those who gave him ministry we are unsure. But it is clear he didn’t give it to the church.

If one chooses to use Genesis 28 as the standard for tithing then there are a couple of elements that must be considered. The first is we give out of blessings, not to receive blessings. Jacob might have been bargaining with God to ensure safety, but Jacob also realized he can’t buy the blessings of God. When anyone claims tithing ensures one will receive blessings then they are manipulating the truth. I believe that because of God’s mercy and the natural reward of sacrifice people do experience joy when they give, even when it is under the pressure of manipulation, but tithing does not guarantee you will receive something in return. That is just a lie by the institution. The second thing we can learn is that if one does choose to tithe, it is not necessary to tithe to the church. We give where God leads us to give in the ways He leads us to give. If you are receiving ministry from your church or believe in a ministry that is offered by the church then, by all means, give to the church. If any church gives the impression that attending the church requires tithing to that church then what they are claiming is there are membership dues. To be honest, I wish there were. It would be a lot more honest.

Leviticus 27: 30-33

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock-every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD. He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.”

The Old Testament requirements for the tithe are not listed in the Ten Commandments. They were laws that were added as Judaism became more institutional itself. The modern church doesn’t teach that Christians should practice the Levitical code because it is aware Christ came to complete the Law. There are, in fact, 612 other laws we do not practice that are in the same line as the tithe. The moral laws that we continue to teach, such as not murdering and the like, are more about holiness. Yet the modern church continues to teach the Levitical code of tithing. It is the only code that is still expected to be followed. This is interesting in and of itself, but even the Levitical code of tithing has been watered down to meet institutional goals. There are a number of interesting facts from this law on tithing which are radically different than the contemporary teachings on both the way we are expected to tithe today and how the Israelites tithed in the Old Testament.

The first thing we can see is that an Israelite who had fewer than ten cattle born to him in a year did not have to tithe them because the requirements stated that only the tenth animal that passed under the rod had to be tithed. We also see that the tithe was basically on animals and agricultural products, and was paid in kind (the product itself). If one did not wish to pay the tithe in kind, and decided to give money as a substitute, he was penalized and had to add a fifth part of the estimated value to the amount he paid. Such a law was intended to discourage payment of the tithe in money. Remember, the purpose of the tithe was to take care of the Levites, not as payment to God. The Old Testament required a priesthood which took care of ceremonial duties. Christ is the new priest and, therefore, there are no more priests to take care of. Modern ministers may need money to survive and churches may need to meet annual budgets, but the tithe was established to take care of the priesthood, not simply those who offered ministry.

In addition, we see the tithe comes from the land, not the air or sea. Fishermen, for example, were not required to tithe fish. Others were exempt from tithing as well such as tradesmen, cobblers, carpenters, potters, servants, and women. Remember, the original tithe was to take care of the priests. It met a practical need, not a religious duty. It was also the final tenth that was to be tithed, not the first tenth. This is strikingly different than what is taught in the modern church. Also, God did not require the best, only the tenth. This is another remarkably different teaching from the modern church.

Deuteronomy 26: 12

“When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”

From this passage it is clear the Israelites never tithed from their poverty, but on their increase. God never intended for people to tithe on what they didn’t have, but only on the increase of what God gave them. Paul reflects in 2 Corinthians 8: 10-12, “Giving whatever you can out of whatever you have.” Paul warned about “peddling” the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 2:17. When we as leaders begin to peddle our faith, what we are in essence doing is prostituting ourselves by saying “If you give to my requirements then I will share a little bit of God with you.” We are called to preach the Word of God and make disciples. This does include teachings about giving, but not in a way that ever benefits us. We must be diligent to keep our integrity when teaching the Word of God.

Behind the veil I learned far too much about campaign drives, seasonal offerings, and annual budgets. I understand an organization must maintain itself, but when a ministry becomes an organization it is positioning itself to HAVE TO take care of itself. One of the most frustrating and manipulative things I ever saw the last church that I work at do dealt with a campaign drive to raise money for a new building that was built, but couldn’t afford. The church put together teams to visit members that had stopped coming to the church, started calling members to ask how the church could pray for them, and put together prayer vigils to pray for the health and ministry of the church. Each of these three programs were instituted by the campaign drive committee. The institution didn’t care about the health of the church, only the existence of it.