Tithing: Is the failure to TITHE robbery by
robbing the priests? No. Malachi said: And now, O PRIESTS, this
commandment is for YOU. Malachi 2:1. If you are still a sharecropper
on your own land then you have been imprisoned by robbers.
A better question is: Is
Tithing robbery
of God's People?
Whatever our religion, most of us have a deep itch to know what the
Bible teaches and are deeply troubled when it is used to whack people
over the head. These notes are from our web page and are prompted by
one of the most popular questions on the Internet: "Do Christians
have to tithe?" The Bible clearly says, "No." Everyone is free to
give everything but no one is free to demand anything but love.
Romans 13:8.
There are several accounts of
the tithe and it can be understood only by looking at the "rest of
the story" and asking: "who, what, when and why?"
Summary of Food Tithe From
Free Land
Following the great exodus from
Egypt, God wanted to rule Israel in a theocratic (direct rule of God) government. Leviticus 26
outlines His direct intervention in their lives -- his rewards for
their obedience, and his punishments for disobedience or disloyalty.
His covenant was always conditional: If you will keep My commandments
I will be your God and you will be My people.
This covenant was given by God
when He created mankind distinct from the "beasts" which could not
worship Him because He had not breathed His spirit nature into them.
The "farms, orchards and gardens" were given to Adam and Eve free of
charge. However, they must tend the garden to enjoy its free supply
of food. This speaks of the always-free grace of God.
However, Satan as superior to
the "beasts" but human-like, challenged God by asking why a good God
would keep them away from a certain tree "at the center" of the
space. Eve was seduced and Paul makes it clear that this was a sexual
seduction. In the ancient accounts, the word "serpent" is related to
brass musical instruments used by those who promised to "move the
worshipers into the presence of the gods to 'know' them in a personal
or sexual sense."
Adam could not be seduced
because of his rational nature. However, he just followed Eve's lead
into a model of pagan ritual worship. For that sin, they were cast
out of the garden and made to grow their food by the sweat of their
own brow. That is, grace was rejected and replaced by legalism.
Grace was free but conditional. However,
legalism was always performing certain rituals
believing that God could be seduced or fed or
appeased. These
legalisitic rituals were always directed to the external body, while
obedience to the Laws of the One God of the universe was internal and
directed by the Word of God.
In time, the self-provided food
again ran out and the Israelites left Canaan and went to Egypt where
they could find food. After over four hundred years, God brought them
out as a great nation by His own grace even as they deserved to
remain in Egypt and die.
When the Israelites moved into
Canaan and the trans-Jordan, each tribe, except
the Levites, was given a specific area of land. These lands were
then given to the tribal families. God, however, in reminding Israel
that they were merely tenants
said, "The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is
mine, and you are but aliens (guests) and my tenants. Throughout the
country that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the
redemption of the land." Leviticus 25:23-24.
The selling of land was
actually a long-term lease because it was returned to the original
owners (families) in the Jubilee
year. The selling price of the land was based on the number of crop
years remaining before Jubilee. Leviticus 25:8-54. The Jubilee year
(each 50 years) broke up
the large land-holdings
(typical of religious denominations?) and freed everyone to return to
their local
area of responsibility.
As a result of rejecting God's grace at Mount Sinai, God consecrated (set
aside as holy) the Levites and they were, in time, responsible for
conducting religion, government, law, education, and military roles
for the nation of Israel. They were given various cities including
the cities of refuge and the adjoining pasture lands. Joshua 21.
The tithe (tenth part) was
God's method of getting rent from the land to support that part of
the economy that was not
agricultural and was not
what we might call the service industry. The food tithe was for the
Levites, orphans, widows, aliens, and the poor (Deuteronony
14:28-29). The Levites were, in turn, commanded to give a "tithe of
the tithe" as their sacrifice because it represented an "increase
from the land." The wage
earner did not tithe.
Money was never permitted as a substitute for food grown on the land.
However, there were other offerings, as well as freewill gifts and
vows. No modern church can claim this as their legalistic right.
The gospel of Jesus Christ
ended or fulfilled the Jewish role of "chosen
people" or race. It removed the temporary police nature of "law" and
sent teachers to all nationalities to bless them. It ended the
Levite's role of intercessor (praying or praising for the people) and
as God's teacher. Therefore, it ended the Jubilee which was fulfilled in Jesus Christ as He restored
everyone to individual freedom from collectivistic, dominant usurpers
of personal freedom.
The law of grace made all
believers a royal priesthood who would each serve as God's dwelling
place and who "would be taught by God" through the Word in a
one-another ministry. This is why Jesus said::
"But you, do not be
called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all
brethren. Matthew 23:8
The Origin of Biblical
Tithes
1 - Abraham - Free-Will
Giving
The Bible first mentions
tithing in the story of Abram
in Genesis 14:18f. When foreigners invaded and stole the property of
the king of Sodom, lot and others, Abram rescued them and recovered
everything. Under ancient laws, he could take 10% of the "loot."
Melchizedek as king and priest fed
Abraham. As a result, Abraham voluntarily gave the 10% booty to
Melchizedek. Abraham typified the priesthood of the Levites. His free-will gift is no more binding than
circumcision.
And they took all
the goods of Sodom
and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. Genesis
4:11
And they took Lot,
Abrams brothers son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Genesis 14:12
When they returned, the king of
Sodom went out with empty hands. However,
And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought forth bread
and wine: and he was the priest of the most high
God. Genesis 14:18
FOR this
Melchisedec, king of
Salem, priest of the
most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the
kings, and blessed him; Hebrews 7:1
Melchizedek blessed Abraham and
God. He was both king and
priest of Jeru-Salem or Jerusalem. As a type of Christ,
he gave food to the returning army.
Because food
was the only
thing tithed in the Old Testament, Melchizedek served the people rather than demand a tithe.
By custom, Abraham could claim
10% of the loot but he gave it to Melchizedek. That is, the
king of Sodom owed
the tithe of all to the one who recovered it. Therefore, it was not
Abraham but the king of Sodom who supplied the tithe.
Remember that Melchizedek was
king of Jerusalem as a city-state which would include the surrounding
country. This means that Abraham's gift of the king of
Sodom's goods to Melcihzedek was for both civil (Caesar) and
religious (God) purposes. That is, as with the Levites, the 10% was
for both the government and maintaining the
temple. In the New Testament, Jesus paid the Temple tax and declared
the children of the King to be free.
Abraham was offered all of the
goods by the king of Sodom who could normally claim the tithe or ten
percent of the returned loot. Because Abraham had "lifted up his hand
to God" he would not
take anything for the
rescue because people could say that he had profited from ill-gotten
goods.
There was no command for
Abraham to give to anyone for religious purposes. He gave
only the loot of the king of Sodom and
none of his own income. In fact, there is no
hint that Abraham gave a tithe to anyone for religious purposes
because as senior male and Patriarch he could approach God
without Levitical
intercessors. Hence,
there was no rationale for tithing before Israel sinned at Mount
Sinai and was "laded" down with the Levites to be intercessors to
keep the people away
from the
Tabernacle.
Now consider how
great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoils.
Hebrews 7:4
And verily they
that are of the sons of
Levi, who receive the
office of the
priesthood, have a
commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though
they come out of the loins of Abraham: Hebrews 7:5
Under the Law of Moses, the
Levites took tithes of their brethren so that they could serve as a
priestly class standing
between the people and
God's presence in the Tabernacle.
However, in a typical sense,
the Levites
(priests) gave the
tithe to Melchizedek who represented Christ
and an enduring priesthood which would not need to make sacrifices
over and over and would not, therefore, need a Levite to be the
mediator or intercessor:
But he whose
descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and
blessed him that had the promises. Hebrews 7:6
And as I may so
say, Levi
also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. Hebrews 7:9
For he was
yet in the loins of his father, when
Melchisedec met him. Hebrews 7:10
Out of what the Levites
received from their brethren, it was they
who were responsibile for giving a tithe (1% of the people's tithe)
to Melchizedek who represented both
civil
government and the
total religious
function. Therefore, if
anyone was robbing God it was the
clergy
class who mishandled
what they took from their brethren.
However, we must always
remember that the Levitical priesthood was ordained to
intercede or stand
between the people and God's presence. This was to protect a violent,
sinful people so that they could atone for their own sins through
legally sacrificing. The Levitical priesthood did not make a single
person more spiritual or ever able to stand on their own in the
presence of a Holy God:
If therefore
perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,)
what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and
not be called after the order of Aaron? Hebrews 7:11
For the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. Hebrews 7:12
In giving the Book of the
Covenant God promised to establish a kingdom of priests:
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice
indeed, and
keep my
covenant, then ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is
mine: Exodus 19:5
And ye shall be
unto me a kingdom of
priests, and an holy
nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children
of Israel. Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a
kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which
thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. Exodus 19:6
And all the people
answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will
do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. Exodus
19:8
After the mortal sin at Mount
Sinai, God gave the Levites and the priestood of Aaron. Paul in
Galatians 3 leapfrogs over the Law of Moses and connects the New
Covenant to the Abrahamic Covenant.
Before the Law, Abraham represented the clergy
class giving directly
to the Priest-King Who had taken the initiative by giving the food to
the people. It was unlawful under the Law for a priest or prophet to take a wage of money;
under the New Covenant, it was, according to Paul, unseemly.
Jesus abrogated the tithe by
paying the total debt and permitting each believer to come boldly
before His throne.
For he of whom
these things are
spoken pertaineth to
another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. Hebrews
7:13
For it is evident
that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Hebrews 7:14
And it is yet far more evident:
for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another
priest, Hebrews 7:15
Who is made,
not after the law
of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an
endless life. Hebrews 7:16
Tithing under the law made
nothing perfect. Rather, it gave food (only food) to the Levites because the sinful people (under
law) could not "draw night unto God." However, under a new law, we do
not tithe to have someone intercede for us:
For the law made
nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the
which we draw nigh unto
God. Hebrews
7:19
Christ was not of the tribe of Levi and therefore took no tithes. As God, the Spirit, He does not need
to be fed. A new priesthood of believers does not need a Levite-like
priest or intercessor because our High Priest replaced all legal
priests:
Who needeth not
daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first
for his own sins, and then for the peoples: for this he did once,
when he offered up himself. Hebrews 7:27
Seeing then that we have a
great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
profession. Hebrews 4:14
For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Hebrews 4:15
Let us therefore
come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews
4:16
Tithing of the king of Sodom's
goods represented the Levites tithing to Christ. Christ was not a
Levite and does not make intercession like a Levite who needed to be
fed. Our citizenship is in heaven and we can come boldly before the
throne without a human Levitical intercessor. Therefore, to demand
the tithe is to claim the role of Jesus Christ as Intercessor. To
give to Him we must give cups of cold water (and more) to the poor,
widow and stranger.
2 - Jacob - Free-Will Giving
Later, as Jacob was enroute to
Paddan Aram, God spoke to him in a dream confirming His promise to
Abraham and said, "I will give you and your descendants the land on
which you are lying." When Jacob woke, he vowed, "Of all that Thou
shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto Thee." (Genesis
28:22). We have no record of how Jacob gave this freewill vow as God
already "owned all of the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10.
The heads of the families served as God's leaders within the tribe.
Because there was no priestly class under this covenant of grace, we
might assume, consistent with later rules, that he gave this food to
the poor or had it burned.
Israel's Rescue from
Egypt
When Jacob's son, Joseph, was
sold into slavery in Egypt, he rose to a high position in the
government. When God revealed that a famine was coming, Joseph bought
all of the farm land and rented it back to the people. The renters
gave 20% of their food and it was stored for them for the years of
famine. Genesis 47:24. The priests grew their own food.
If God used justice He would
have left Israel in Egypt to live in slavery. This was because they
profaned Him and caused the Egyptians to ridicule His Name.
Therefore, He removed them from Egypt by grace to protect His own
reputation.
|
Rather than allow the people to
be destroyed in Egypt and let the Egyptians to make fun of
Jehovah for having such an evil group of worshippers or from
just destroying them, God removed them from Egypt
In the day that I lifted up mine hand
unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a
land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and
honey, which is the glory of all lands: Ezekiel 20:6
Then said I unto them,
Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and
defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord
your God. Ezekiel 20: 7
But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not
every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither
did they forsake the idols of
Egypt: then I said, I will
pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against
them . Ezekiel 20: 8
But I wrought for my names sake, that it should not be polluted before the
heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself
known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of
Egypt. Ezekiel 20: 9
God made the same
choice (even if He knows the end from the beginning) in the
wilderness:
Wherefore I caused them to go forth
out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the
wilderness. Ezekiel 20: 10
And I gave them my
statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do,
he shall even live in them. Ezekiel 20: 11
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths,
to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that
I am the Lord that sanctify them. Ezekiel 20: 12
But the house of Israel rebelled
against me in the wilderness:
they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my
judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I
said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness,
to consume them. Ezekiel 20: 13
But I wrought for my names
sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in
whose sight I brought them out. Ezekiel 20: 14
The righteous
decision would be to leave Israel in the wilderness. Again,
god had to protect His people to protect His
Name:
Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them
in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and
honey, which is the glory of all lands; Ezekiel 20: 15
Because they despised my
judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my
sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols. Ezekiel
20: 16
Nevertheless mine eye spared them from
destroying them, neither did I
make an end of them in the wilderness. Ezekiel 20: 17
But I said unto their
children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of
your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile
yourselves with their idols: Ezekiel 20: 18
Notwithstanding the children rebelled
against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my
judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live
in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said, I would
pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against
them in the wilderness. Ezekiel 20: 21
Nevertheless I withdrew
mine hand, and wrought for my
names sake, that it should not
be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I
brought them forth. Ezekiel 20: 22
The idolatrous
worship of Apis at Mount Sinai sentenced Israel to captivity
and almost total destruction -- then and there -- because
they would always be unfaithful to God. Therefore, He gave
them a law which could not give life (as the Covenant could
have) and helped them on their way to destruction when they
"fired" Him and demanded a king like the nations so that
they could worship like the nations:
I lifted up mine hand unto
them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among
the heathen, and disperse them through the countries;
Ezekiel 20: 23
Because they had not
executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had
polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their
fathers idols. Ezekiel 20: 24
Wherefore I gave
them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby
they should not live; Ezekiel 20: 25
And I polluted them in
their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire
all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate,
to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 20: 26
To worship like the
nations meant that Israel, under violated law, was doomed to
worship like the nations. This included burning "spare"
children in the red-hot arms of Molech. With minor
exceptions for short periods this destructive worship
persisted until Israel was lost and Judah was sent to
Babylon for 70 years to have their noses rubbed in idolatry
so that they could comprehend the sorrow of God.
|
This is what Ezekiel said. Now,
look back and see the actual event.
At Mount Sinai, God gave Israel
The Book of the
Covenant (Exodus
20-23). This restated the Covenant made with Abraham. It contained 70
laws to amplify the original ten commandments. It had no priestly class, but the
first born sons or elders were to serve God as Patriarchs. Everyone
could pray, praise or sing to God or offer sacrifices without clergy
to bear the pain.
When Moses was slow coming down
from meeting God on Mount Sinai, the Israelites returned to the
festive calf (Apis) worship of Egypt. As a result, the Levites were
forced to kill three thousand of their sons and brothers and a great
plague broke out
God then gave Moses
ten
commandments which are
never recorded as identical to the first ten written with the finger
or Spirit of God. Exodus 31:18
As a sign of the lost Covenant,
Moses had to personally chisel out the two stones and write the
second set of tablets (Exodus 34:27). Of the full 613 terms (micvah)
of the Law, it was recorded that:
"These are the
terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the
Israelites in Moab,
in addition
to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb (Mount Sinai).
Deuteronomy 29:1
The Levites now replaced the patriarchs (ELDERS) or eldest sons in order to live under law. (Numbers 3:12). However,
Korah did not understand that they had lost the covenant of grace and
the "priesthood of believers"--
And they gathered
themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto
them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are
holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then
lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? Numbers
16:3
The rebels were swallowed up by
the earth or consumed by fire.
This showed how serious it was
under law to try to offer your own worship or, as we see later, even sing your own songs. The whole of Israel grumbled against
Moses and 14,700 died of a plague (Num 16:49).
When the
people finally understood that they were separated from God, they
asked for a remedy
(Numbers 17:12-13).
"AND the Lord said
unto Aaron,
Thou and thy sons
and thy fathers
house with thee shall
bear the
iniquity of the
sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of
(connected with) your priesthood. Numbers 18:1
As Adam and Eve were expelled
from the garden of Eden and the tree of life was now guarded by
Cherubim with a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24),
the Levites
guarded the symbolic place of God's dwelling in
the Tabernacle to keep everyone out. The common people worshipped God
out in the shops and farms where righteousness and justice was needed
and the national, representative "debt-paying rituals," were
performed by the clergy for the nation.
The Effect of the
Law
No one can escape life-changing
moments of decision. The fork in the road in the Bible led to the
path of noise as the cry of violence in worship; or it lead to the
quiet, peaceful rest promised when Jesus came as "Prince of Peace" to
lead His lambs beside quiet waters. You know, lambs cannot feed
beside noisy, rushing streams.
After the people stripped off
all of their idol-jewelry in repentance, the tabernacle was set up
"outside the camp and far away." In the Book of the Law, the nature of the Tabernacle was
changed and the Levites were deprived of an inheritance in Canaan and
stood between the people and the symbol of God's presence. If modern
clergy demands to be the mediators of the Word and ritual of the
church then they, consistent with all priests, strip themselves of
wealth and live on the day-to-day dole Paul defined as the "daily
ration of the Roman soldier."
Israel's Mandatory
Tithe
The Levites now stood between
Israel and God to offer sacrifices when people broke the law. The
legal tithe was one of the burdens
of the law which would be enforced by the unauthorized kings (1
Samuel 8:15).
"And, behold, I
have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an
inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of
the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 18:21
"Neither must the children
of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation,
lest they bear sin, and die. Numbers 18:22
This service of mediating between God and the people required giving 10% of
the food grown in the land to the Levites who, as a type,
absorbed the punishment
for sins by service and poverty.
After the tribes received their
lands in Canaan, God reminded them through Joshua that He had gone
before them and had driven out the inhabitants, and said, "...you
did not do it with your
own sword and bow. So I
gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not
build; and you live in them and from vineyards and olive groves that
you did not plant." Joshua 24:12-13.
And the Lord said,
"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or
of the fruit of the tree, is the Lords: it is holy unto the Lord."
Lev. 27:30 "And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock,
even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy
unto the Lord." Leviticus 27:32
How the Tithes
Worked
Food from free lands which
Israel had not developed was paid as rent at different levels. First,
10% of the food increase was given to the Levites for government and
religion to "bear the iniquity." It is possible that this is the same
grain and animals used to make offerings:
"Only unto the
tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the Lord
God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto
them. Joshua 13:14 (Deuteronomy 18:1f)
Of this 10%--
1 -- One Levitical Food
Tithe
A. The Levites first gave a tithe of the
tithe (1%) or the very best to represent their increase of food for
the year from all of the lands. "And this your heave offering shall
be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshing
floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. Numbers 18:27
B. A second tithe of the tithe (1%) was
given for pure religious mediation:
"Thus ye also shall
offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye
receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the
Lords heave offering to Aaron the priest. Numbers 18:28
C. The remaining 80% of 10% (8%) was for
the entire tribe of Levi including wives and children. The Levites
performed what we would call civil or governmental tasks. While their
primary task was the Tabernacle, after entering into Canaan, the
Levites were magistrates, school teachers and legal authorities. They
were also the department of Health Education and Welfare as well as
peace keepers and musicians for state, law-based dedicatory or
purification animal sacrifices.
The Levites not serving in
Jerusalem lived scattered out among the other tribes and in their own
cities including the cities of refuge that served as protective
custody of those guilty of involuntary manslaughter to prevent blood
revenge. They earned their own money for a new "chariot" which was
not covered by the tithe.
2a -- The Food Consumed
before God
The Festival food was not a
second Levite tithe. This food enabled Israelites who "went up" to
Jerusalem to "eat their own food before the Lord." If they lived too
far to lead the firstborn lamb or carry food, they could sell it,
take the money to the place where God would meet them and spend it to
eat and feed the poor.
"And thou shalt eat
before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place
his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil,
and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest
learn to fear the Lord thy God always. Deuteronomy 14:23
2b -- The Poor
Food
Every third year food was to be
stored locally: "within thy gates."
"And the Levite
that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him: for he hath no
part nor inheritance with thee. Deuteronomy 14:27
"At the end of
three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase
the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: Deuteronomy
14:28
"And the Levite,
(because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy
gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy
God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
Deuteronomy 14:29
When the farmer fed the local
Levite, stranger, fatherless and widows from his house ( Deuteronomy
26:13), he personally "avouched" or "certified" that he had done so.
This food was, as Paul commanded the Corinthians, "laid by him in
store" to feed the poor when it was called for.
Robbing God in Tithes
As prophesied when Israel
sinned at Mount Sinai, Israel worshipped like the nations. Because of
ignorance of the Word the entire nation went into captivity and most
died or never returned to Jerusalem. (Amos 5; 6; 8, Isaiah 5). This
was because the mediators robbed but couldn't teach: "
Yea, they are
greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that
cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his
gain, from his quarter (corner). Isaiah 56:11
When God restored the people to
Canaan after 70 years in Babylonian captivity, the Levites had to be
bribed to move back to a poor land. Because the singers and other
Levites received a dole of food each day, they fled to the country to
farm. The small supply of food was a failure of all, but Malachi
addressed the priests and Levites and accused them of robbery against
God:
"And now, O
priests, this commandment is for you. Malachi 2:1 The broken covenant
was with Levi (Malachi 2:4) and the people couldn't get God's Words
out of the mouth of the priests (Malachi 2:7). Therefore, they were
the primary robbers: "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold
and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness". Malachi 3:3
The religious leaders practiced
an ancient (but modern) form of Babylonian "witchcraft." They
"whispered a magical song or spell." They replaced food and Bible
study with frequent religious rituals financed by obscene collections
from the poor and wage earners. Therefore, God said:
"And I will come
near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the
sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers,
and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages,
the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from
his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. Malachi
3:5
Only then did God ask of the
whole nation:
"Will a man rob
God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8
Again, the wage earner did not
tithe. Therefore, they could never be called robbers. They worked
eight hours for eight hours of wages and had no increase from the
free land. Let us say it again:
Tithing was only
food
It was only food grown on
the free lands
It was only from lands
inside of Canaan
The wage earner did not
tithe
Christ's
Intercession
The Levites stood between God
and the people because of the sin at Mount Sinai and the murmuring.
They also stood between man and man to prevent revenge.
This mediation and "speaking
for God" as teacher was eliminated when Jesus created a kingdom of
priests. He demanded that we call no man our Teacher or Intercessor
because we are spiritual children of the covenant of grace made with
Abraham (Galatians 3) and not of the Law of Moses or David. Jesus
even provided the "unearned" coin to pay the temple tax because "the
sons are free." Matthew 17:26 Christ rejected the Jewish clergy who
now stood between the people and the Word by saying:
Woe unto you,
lawyers for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not
in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
Luke11:52.
Rather than taking away sins
they were taking away the key to knowledge by, "raising the voice,
keeping in suspense, weighing anchor, or lading down." Christ came to
remove this "lading" which was "spiritual anxiety from religious
ceremony."
This is why Jesus said
that:
"All that ever came
before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
John 10:8 Christ and Paul told us that it was safe to reject human
intercessors without being intimidated:
"For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:15-16.
To restore priests, festivals,
days and seasons, Levites and tithing rejects freedom in Jesus Christ
and restores the burden He died to lift.
What Is The Message For
Christians
A first principle of Christ is
that no human stands between the believer and His throne.
Furthermore, "Caesar" now fights the wars.
God does not need Levite teams
to arouse and call him to His temple because:
"God that made the
world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and
earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands Acts 17:24
"Neither is
worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he
giveth to all life, and breath, and all things Acts 17:25
"God did this so
that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:27 While paying
rent on the "Lord's" lands was always the law even before Moses, this
does not extend into Christianity any more than circumcision:
"Behold, I Paul say unto you,
that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I
testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor
to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
(Galatians 5:2-4)
James said that even to prefer
one person over another would "spring the trap" and bring the 613
laws down upon our heads For those who want to depend upon legalism,
he said:
"For whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty
of all. James 2:10
"So speak ye, and
so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. James 2:12
Our next article will look at
Malachi who is used to accuse those who do not tithe with being
robbers in order to develop grand "ministries" based on fraud. Thanks
to a brother who beats you on the head until you tell the whole
truth. Failure to tithe is robbery only if you want to live under the
legalistic Law of Moses.
Tithing ] 1 [ ] 2
[ ] 3
[
Kenneth Sublett
Church
Index
Home
Page
Counter added 3.4.05 9a
