Posted on 12/09/2020 3:42:46 AM PST by jimfr
This is not about how much to tithe but about our view of tithing.God has multiple purposes for instituting the tithe; including His Glory and His love for us. Deut 14 22:"You shall surely tithe ..." 23: "you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God... in order that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always..." First notice that they ate their sacrifice; it was not a total give away. What does it mean to "fear the Lord"? It includes appreciate, revere, love. The following verses point this out. 24-25:"if the distance is so great...you shall exchange it for money ... go to ..." They were not given the burden to carry a massive amount of grain and fruit a great distance. Nor to drive herds and flocks great distances. Only a pouch of coins. 26-27: "spend the money for whatever your heart desires ... rejoice, you and your household ... not neglect the Levite." They were not required to exactly replace what they originally sold; whatever your heart desires! During a feast what do people do while eating turkey, potatoes and blueberry pie with whip cream? Talk? brag? What about? Possibly the massive bounty that God provided, and other good things that happened that year, while eating with the Levites, poor, relatives and friends. You are to learn fear of the Lord while you rejoice eating the tithe in thankfulness recounting God's provision.
28-29:"every third year...." The local church is to receive a third of the tithe to provide for the minster, alien, orphan and widow, for them to see God's goodness; the remainder goes to Jerusalem or a more broad and wider ministry.
Deut 26 Again, 2: " go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name ...", Jerusalem , to bring the whole nation together as one. 12: "in third year ... give to the priest, widows, orphans and strangers in your own town." A third of their tithe did not go to Jerusalem but to local concerns. 13: " You shalt say before the Lord thy God ..." While they were rejoicing, during their feasting, they were to remember the Lord where all that is front of them came from. 15: "Look down from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel ..." They were to request God's blessing as they see His provision.
Lord, let us also no longer rob You through our lack of tithes and offerings. Please add this prayer to the others here:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3913635/posts
In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Dueteronomy is Moses and laws for Jews. Where is Paul’s admonition for Gentiles?
2 Cor 9:7
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
It is a honor to tithe. It is a pure joy to give more than one’s tithe.
The lord has made my life bountiful beyond belief. Whenever there has been a need in my life a generous resolution has always a
ppeared.
Give not to meet your duty, but with joyous heart that welcomes the opportunity.
“...Deuteronomy is Moses and laws for Jews. Where is Paul’s admonition for Gentiles?...”
It is true that the Mosaic law was for the Jews.
The Lord didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.
In the NT, we are held to an even higher standard in that we are to give from the heart as guided by the Spirit.
The tenth is not set in stone in the NT but it is often used as a minimum guideline.
Acts 20:35 come to mind when it comes to the words of Paul.
I can personally say this: 90% with Him, is so much more than 100% without Him.
When Paul told,1 Corinthians 16:1 & 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 to collect money for those in Israel He did not tell them how much only to follow through with their commitment and as God has prospered them.
Deuteronomy was used because that is the book I am reading currently and God is using in me now.
I still tithe to my church 10% of my income. Even though I haven’t been to church since March but one time. My kids would rather watch online than wear a mask during service. Our pastor is a germaphobe so I suspect we won’t have normal services for quite some time.
I also tithe to hornaday, nosler and others as much as I can afford even though I lost everything in the woods a couple of months back. Eventually I think I’ll find my rifle and backpack.
The post started out with “This is not about how much to tithe but about our view of tithing.God has multiple purposes for instituting the tithe; including His Glory and His love for us.” It is disappointing to see many have instantly gravitated to much to give, the legalism and the pride of going beyond ( I can imagine the defensive arguments forming now), instead of seeing God’s graciousness towards us as the post intended to emphasize, enjoying His gifts to us and praising Him in front of others so they can see His goodness.
Maybe a weird question about tithing... but why does it HAVE to be for a church or religious house? Couldn’t tithing be a donation for food to a food bank OR socks to a homeless shelter? I guess my point is if it is done for the Glory of Our Lord and we take from “our purse”.. is’t it considered tithing?
Amen.
Thanks. You beat me to it.
Tithing is something that under the Law and as Christians, we’re no longer under the Law.
We need to give and give cheerfully and without expectations of any return.
We give to our church but we also directly support a few ministries on a monthly basis.
My wife is always telling me that she wants to donate something to this or that ministry.
For most of our lives, money was very tight, sometimes very, very tight. We never went into debt and we also never neglected to give our offerings to the Lord and his people.
We also give thousands of hours a year of our time in service to the Lord and his people.
While we try to target 10%, we don’t believe a strict tithe to be biblical, just a nice lofty goal. Sometimes we miss, sometimes we surpass.
I’ve heard that there are some churches that tell members to turn in their tax returns so they can examine their tithing.
Not a chance.
Not weird at all. Tithing in the OT was never in cash, only in kind. It was about food, not money. If you didn’t deal in any kind of eatable product, you paid no tithe. A carpenter or a stonemason was not required to tithe anything. A keynote passage often quoted is Malachi 3:8-9: “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you.” A close reading of the book reveals that this is directed toward the Levites, not the general public. Levites got their living from the people and were supposed to tithe from that to support the inner circle of priests. So, next time the collection plate passes by, put a banana in it.
IMHO... I think God wants us to be part of a church body, and support it. With that I believe to tithe to our local church, give offerings to support projects, and missions. And, to give donations to other Christian and non Christian charities.
“...Maybe a weird question about tithing... but why does it HAVE to be for a church or religious house? Couldn’t tithing be a donation for food to a food bank OR socks to a homeless shelter? I guess my point is if it is done for the Glory of Our Lord and we take from “our purse”.. is’t it considered tithing?...”
Not a weird question at all. I’ve had that same question myself before in the past.
Tithes and offerings are not the same thing.
We should tithe to where we’re being spiritually fed and should be done first, which for most folks would be the church that they attend.
Depending on our abundance that we’ve been blessed with, we’re led by the Spirit to give offerings from our heart to those ministries that are in need. It could be a church-sponsored/affiliated ministry or one that is totally separate, but should all be based from the heart and on the Spirit’s leading.
Those “offerings” are above and beyond the tithe.
But yeah....whether it be tithes and/or offerings it should be done as a “cheerful giver” and, of course, ALL for the Lord’s Glory.
That’s my take on it...hope it helps.
Exactly. Tithing was an old testament commandment. And while a Christian will cheerfully gift, he will not tithe.
And Jesus said the law would pass away when all was fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled the law. The law passed away as a result.
“...And Jesus said the law would pass away when all was fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled the law. The law passed away as a result....”
No disagreement there. “He who the Son has set free, is free indeed!” The veil was torn top to bottom allowing us full access to the Holy of Holies through His finished work.
IMHO, we look back on the original purpose of it, not in a legal sense for today, but more for a historical & spiritual perspectives as to why/how He interacted with His people.
The Lord Jesus, himself, often quoted many of the commandments, not in a legal manner as the Pharisees to bind us, but as examples of how we ought to be spiritually in our walk with Him. IF one loves Him, one keeps His commandments and follows His Word. Not because one is “legally bound” by the Law to do it, the Law is long since dead, but because He has set us free to do so by our own volition and free will. He paid the price for us and I, for one, will be forever thankful to Him even though I sometimes clumsily fail.
I’m just posting what is written in the Bible and letting you folks interpret it yourself.
Thank you :)
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