OCCASIONALLY receive letters and e-mails from Christians of all backgrounds, asking important questions about tithing. There is seldom a question concerning

offerings, missions project support, or fundrais-ing for ministry facilities. It is the tithe that is an issue, creating two opposing sides: the tithe lovers and the tithe fighters. Each has their own theories and opinion-based biblical interpre-tations. A common misconception, as you will learn, is the idea that tithing was only in the “law,” and it is not a part of the New Testament covenant.

WHAT IS THE TITHE?Scholars note that the tithe did not originate in the Bible but was a part of the early culture. For example, in Mesopotamia, the concept among the various religions was that the “gods” had given you ten fingers in which to work and pro-vide for your family. Therefore, one-tenth of all produce should be given back to the priest and the temple. Abraham, being from this re-gion (from Ur of the Chaldees), was familiar with this concept when he presented a tithe to Melchizedek (see Gen. 14).

Tithe Loversand Tithe FightersThe Battle of the Blogs and the Tithe Controversy

B Y P E R R Y S T O N E

Most Christians believe the first mention of tithes is in the “law” given to Moses. The first mention, however, is Abraham. He gave a tithe to Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem), from the spoils of a military victory when he and 318 servants recaptured the goods and the people from Sodom that had been seized by five kings (see Gen. 14:20). The word “tithe” is the Hebrew word ma’aser, meaning a tenth. Melchizedek, the first priest of God, received the tenth from Abraham.

Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, continued the tithe when he promised that if God brought him back safely from exile, he would give God “the tenth” (Gen. 28:22). This is odd since, at the time, there was not a tabernacle, a temple, nor a Levitical priesthood in Israel. However, when Jacob returned to the Promised Land, he gave his brother Esau an elaborate gift of a se-lection of animals from each type that Jacob had amassed while working in Syria. Some scholars suggest this number amounted to one-tenth (the tithe) from Jacob’s flocks which consisted of two hundred female and twenty male goats, two hundred lambs and twenty rams, thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten small donkeys

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(see Gen. chapters 32-33). Jacob called this “a present” for his estranged brother Esau (Gen 33:10). The Hebrew word pres-ent is minchah, which is also translated as an “offering or bloodless sacrifice.” This could have been the tenth that Jacob had promised God, especially if Melchizedek, the priest in Jerusalem, was already dead.

THE LAW OF THE TITHEThe Torah (first five books of the Bible) consists of numerous references to tith-ing after the Levitical priesthood was es-tablished. The sons of Levi (the Levites) owned no land among the tribes as their inheritance was to serve God, serve in the ministry activities at the Tabernacle, and later serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. The High Priest’s family, the Levites, and their families were sustained by the nu-merous offerings given by the people at God’s Tabernacle and later the Temple. The priests from Levi were given the tithe in return for their numerous services per-formed at the Tent of Meeting. Not hav-ing a land inheritance, the Levites had no way in which to plant and harvest food for their families. Thus, as full-time ministers, they were sustained through the people’s tithe. This tithe was known as the “first tithe.”

A second tithe was known as the masser sheni. This second tithe was taken from the remaining produce after the Levites had received the first tithe. This was eaten by the owner and his family while in Jeru-salem after undergoing ritual purification at the Temple. If the person was unable to bring the produce to Jerusalem imme-diately, he could bring an equivalent sum of money and purchase the food and drink while in Jerusalem.

An interesting third tithe was to be col-lected in the third and sixth year of every seven-year shemitta (sabbatical cycle), called the masser ani, or the masser (tithe) for the poor. These tithes (various foods) were distributed to the stranger, the fa-therless, and the widow that lived within the confines of Israeli towns. There was a special blessing placed upon Israel in which God said He would bless the work

of their hands for caring for the poor (Exod. 23:11; Prov. 19:17). The instructions for providing for the poor are called mitz-vahs; Hebrew for commandments. An-cient Israel was an agrarian society whose entire economy was financed by grains, fruit trees and animals; chiefly sheep, cat-tle, goats and donkeys.

The VOE ministry tithes ten percent

from all non-designated donations. This tenth goes into our Samaritan Fund and is used for numerous projects connected with the poor and needy. This includes providing food each month through min-istries that we have a personal relationship with, trusting their honesty in distributing to the needs of the people, especially in impoverished areas.

There are many facets of an offering. It should be noted that certain temple of-ferings involved fruits and grains, which could be eaten. The blood from sacrifi-cial animals was for the atoning of sins and transgressions, the meat from the of-

fering was eaten by the priests, while the grains and fruits were seasonal offerings throughout the year.

TITHING IS A TWO-WAY BLESSINGToday, we tithe financial benefits derived from the works of our hands. Tithing is a two-way blessing; first to God’s work, and then to the giver. The tithe can be distributed to assist numerous ministries that enable the church to reach the com-munity, the nation, and the world with food, clothes, biblical teachings, gospel literature, and the evangelistic events. The second blessing is the “return promise” where God guaranteed He would “pour you out a blessing that you could not con-tain” (Mal. 3:10). Throughout the Bible, the only reference where God instructed Israel to “prove Him” was in the area of bringing their tithe to the Temple.

Most pastors who encourage tithing, reference the Scriptures in Malachi.

“Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the win-dows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes…”

– Malachi 3:8-11

In this setting, after seventy years in captivity, the Jews returned to Jerusalem. The city had laid in ruins during these seventy years. The Jews were excited to return home but were distraught with the condition of their homes and lands that their ancestors had left. The vines had not been pruned, the grass and weeds had grown, and of course, the roofs of their home would have deteriorated. Jerusalem was in ruins with burned gates and with gaping holes in the wall.

THERE ARE “TITHE FIGHTERS” USING

INTERNET SITES AND BLOGS, ATTEMPTING

TO TALK PEOPLE OUT OF TITHING.

HONESTLY, I WOULD BE FEARFUL OF BEING

IN THEIR SHOES.WITHOUT FUNDS,

CHURCHES, CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND MISSIONS PROGRAMS

SUFFER. THIS PREVENTS POOR PEOPLE FROM

RECEIVING FOOD, CLOTHES, MISSIONS EVANGELISM, AND

NEEDED ASSISTANCE.

VOICE OF EVANGELISM | JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 20198

According to other Biblical prophets and writings (Ezra, Nehemiah, and Hag-gai), fellow Jews were borrowing money from wealthy Jews at “interest rates” (for-bidden in the Torah law) and were getting in debt, attempting to rebuild their homes and resettle. The spiritual problem was the Holy Temple was being neglected as it also needed to be restored, angering God that His chosen people thought only of their own needs while, at the same time, neglected His Holy house. Through Mala-chi and Haggai, God rebuked the entire na-tion, telling them they were putting their money in a bag with holes (Haggai 1:8). God then promised, if His people focused first on His Temple, He would supernatu-rally bless the entire nation with rain to produce a great harvest which would lend toward their economic security.

In the Torah’s instructions, God con-tinually reminded Israel that any and all blessings originated with Him. He would bless the works of their hands, increase their crop harvest by sending rain in the proper season, and would bless their live-stock, preventing an animal from miscar-rying its young! God warned He would “curse” their agricultural work if they re-sisted in putting His house first (Malachi. 2:2; 3:9).

What did God mean by being “curses with a curse?” According to Haggai, this curse would include:

•  Sow seed but the harvest would be little

•  They would drink yet not be full

•  They would eat and not be satis-fied

•  They would be clothed but not be warmed

•  Their money would be like putting coins in a bag with holes

The controversy today seems to center upon an incorrect theory that the “Old Tes-tament has been done away with through Christ, and anything written in the Torah is no longer valid.” Without arguing with ignorance, if this were true, then the “law” that taught against lying, stealing, com-mitting adultery, and taking God’s name in vain must also be done away with. Many are unaware that all Ten Commandments are also part of the lifestyle for a believer in the New Testament! The fact is, tithing is also taught in the New Testament.

CHRIST AND TITHINGChrist was speaking of tithing in this statement:

“But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” – Luke 11:42

The Pharisees were strict observers of the law, including tithing at the Temple, as indicated in this Biblical narrative. Christ was not rebuking them for tithing, which was a daily occurrence at the Temple, but for picking and choosing which parts of the law they followed and which parts they ignored. Christ taught that tithing should be done but that the smaller mat-ters should not be ignored.

Tithe critics point out that this conver-sation occurred before the crucifixion, or before Christ “fulfilled the law.” However, as many as thirty years after the crucifix-ion, the epistle to the Hebrew notes that tithing was still active. We read:

“Here men die that receive tithe; but there he receives them, of whom we witness that he lives.” – Hebrews 7:8

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This verse is a critical defense of pres-ent-day tithing. The significance is that when we tithe on earth, Christ, our heav-enly High Priest, is receiving them at the temple in heaven! Our prayers are stored in golden vials in heaven (Rev. 5:8), and our praise from earth is received at God’s throne. When we give on earth, our giving is recognized and received in heaven, and our future blessings are planned in heaven and later released on earth. This is evident when the Roman Centurion, Cornelius, was praying and suddenly the angel of God appeared informing this Roman cen-turion that his “prayers and alms (charity to the poor) had “come up before God as a memorial.”

TITHING TODAYBoth Pam and I were raised in church to participate in offerings and tithes. Today, however, there are “tithe fighters” using internet sites and blogs, attempting to talk people out of tithing. Honestly, I would be fearful of being in their shoes. Without funds, churches, charity organizations, and missions programs suffer. This pre-vents poor people from receiving food, clothes, missions evangelism, and need-ed assistance. To brag that your blog has talked Christians out of tithing is danger-

ous, and a person will have blood on their hands for hindering the gospel.

Tithing is a strong act of faith, especially in a generation that is over its head in debt and has little expendable income at the end of the pay period. However, for those who have been steady and faithful in their giving, I have heard thousands of testimo-nies, throughout four decades of ministry, on how the Lord came and provided in a supernatural or unexpected manner. He assisted in a time of crisis or met a specific need. This is because tithing has a promise connected with it. Those who bring their tithe into the storehouse will be marked with blessing.

I have tithed since I was eleven. I can honestly confess that I do not use tithing to “strong arm God” into blessing me. I do not place any demands on the Lord that He must bless me, because the promises of covenant blessings for financial giving are well-established in Scripture. My motive is to be a blessing to the local church and to the kingdom of God, enabling minis-tries to use financial resources to continue ministering locally and internationally.

REBUKING THE DEVOUREROne unique promise that results from tith-ing is that God Himself will “Rebuke the

devourer for our sakes” (Mal. 3:11). The Hebrew word “devourer” is akal and re-fers to eating something. In Israel’s case, the seed and harvest were being destroyed for lack of rain. God said he would rebuke the seedeater by “opening the windows of heaven,” figuratively referring to spiritual blessing but literally alluding to the rain-fall needed to produce a bumper crop.

Relating this promise to our time, our “seedeaters” could be house repairs, medical bills, car repairs, or any type of situation that requires additional income to care for unexpected crisis or circum-stances. Years ago, the stucco on our home began to crack and fall off, requiring us to go into our personal savings and take thousands of dollars to repair the faults from a bad builder. Near the same time, our master bathroom shower had to be completely redone. We were blessed that the insurance company paid for the bath-room repairs. We were unaware that we would receive an unexpected tax refund that helped recoup the money spent for the outside of the house. We took this as a provision from the Lord. Throughout our lives, Pam and I have watched God provide, often from unexpected sources, bringing to us additional income, or cre-ative ideas (from the Lord) that helped us.

“ IN THE TORAH’S INSTRUCTIONS, GOD CONTINUALLY REMINDED ISRAEL THAT ANY AND ALL BLESSINGS ORIGINATED WITH HIM. HE WOULD BLESS THE WORKS OF THEIR HANDS, INCREASE THEIR CROP HARVEST BY SENDING RAIN IN THE PROPER SEASON, AND WOULD BLESS THEIR LIVESTOCK, PREVENTING AN ANIMAL FROM MISCARRYING ITS YOUNG! GOD WARNED HE WOULD “CURSE” THEIR AGRICULTURAL WORK IF THEY RESISTED IN PUTTING HIS HOUSE FIRST (MALACHI. 2:2; 3:9).”

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We credit this to being faithful tithers and givers.

GROSS OR NET TITHE?There are various opinions as to whether a Christian with a paying job should tithe on the gross or the net income. Pam and I have always tithed on what our salary is and not what we bring home. However, there is no set biblical instruction, so I have told individuals they should follow what they sense in their own spirit. As an evangelist, when I receive offerings at a local church, I remind the attendees their tithe belongs in their church, and I am re-ceiving offerings which are “free will do-nations” given to support our work. Pam and I tithe, not only our salaries but on all forms of financial blessing we receive, including royalties, personal sales, and gifts. It is interesting that Christians trust God with what they can’t see; heaven has streets of gold, there is the Lamb’s Book of Life, and Jesus is alive. However, some have difficulty trusting him with what they can see — the money in their hands. Tith-ing and giving is the ultimate act of faith and trust in God’s promises. This makes it a powerful act of obedience and spiritual weapon against the devourer.

When we tithe, we do so out of our ap-preciation for God’s many blessings. It’s an act of faith. It shows that we trust Him to meet all of our needs and is a way to as-sist the Kingdom of God in the work of the ministry.

For some, the thought of tithing can be an economic challenge, especially with high debts. However, I challenge each Christian that has never tithed to begin doing what you can in faith and believe God to give you wisdom in your spend-ing, and financial increase with the works of your hands. Those on a limited income or ones without a job can plant special offerings as God provides or you can vol-unteer your time in the church as you are able. After nearly forty-five years of me personally tithing, I can say “God is faith-ful.” Never let an unbeliever talk you out of your blessing!

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