On the origin, concept, and meaning behind tithing
While one does not have to be of a certain denomination to give of ones substance today I would like to look at the mainly christian concept of tithing. Some would lead you to belief tithing has been a requirement from the time of the fall of man. While the bible does say Adam offered burnt offerings to god in thanks at no time does it say Adam was given the command of tithing. Cain and Abel were taught to give an offering of blood (in similitude of the sacrifice of blood that Christ would make) and not one of their own industry. Genesis 4 Some would say this is why Cains sacrifice was not accepted.
So if the law of tithing was not established from the beginning where does it originate?
The first mention of tithing is made at the time of Abram.
Gen 14:17-20: “at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.”
Is the tithe of all in reference truly a tithe of all Abram possessed? Not if taken in context; consider the previous verse.
Gen 14:16: ”And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.”
The “tithe of all” is really the spoils of war they received after rescuing Lot and defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him as further demonstrated in Hebrews 7:4: ”Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.”.
In fact this is the only recorded instance of Abram paying tithing and it was not at the admonition of god but rather as thanks for the safe return of those taken captive.
If the law of tithing was not instantiated at the time of Abram was it created at the time of Jacob?
Genesis 28: 20: ”And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”
Again the act of tithing was not one initiated by god but rather a conditional personal vow to tithe if god would keep him safe.
So if tithing as a law wasn’t put into place at the time of Abram or Jacob when was it created?
Leviticus 27:30: “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 unto the LORD. Verse 34: “These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.” Chronicles 31:4-5: “Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.” Deut. 14:27-28: ”You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you. ”At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates.”
Tithing was setup at the time of Moses when the tribe of Levi was established to be the priestly tribe that performed ceremonies on behalf of the rest of the tribes of Israel. In fact the 11 others tribes of Israel were taxed 22% on behalf of the tribe of Levi to support them in their role.
Numbers 18:21-26: “Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.”
The tribe of Levi was then to pay 10% of the amount they received as tithing.
What is the 10% set aside by the Levites for?
Deuteronomy 26:12: “When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled.”
Essentially the 10% was set aside for those in need.
If a family member is in need and we give the money to the church instead are we justified?
Mark 7:9-13: He was also saying to them, “You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father, anything of mine you might have been helped by is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many such things as that”
If you have money your family needs, but you withhold it from them in order to pay it to the church as ‘tithes’, you are doing exactly what the Pharisees did. You are saying your money is “Corban” and Jesus taught that by doing so you were invalidating the Word of God.
Does paying tithing make you a better person than those that do not pay tithing?
Luke 18:10-14:“Two men went up into the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all I get.’
But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted”
Tithing does not make one acceptable in the eyes of god but rather the intention and where the heart is.
In conclusion it would appear tithing does not have to be in the form of money and was intended as willingly giving of ones gain to benefit those in need. In other words helping others even outside the confines of a church is acceptable as tithing by god.
Posted on July 8th, 2009 at 11:09 am
I think this is a lesson that has been lost to most modern religions or at least the practitioners of the religions. The churches of today, along with the people of today, have become entirely too focused on the monitary value of things and on money itself. During high school I dated a girl whose family believed they were destined to be poor by decree of a religious document given to the father and they would fight to scrap together the 10% needed to pay tithing every month despite this condition because they believed they had to. Any religion that supports this life style and supports a family keeping itself floating above the poverty line because of these beliefs seems fundementally flawed in my opinion.
- Tim