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SOM-16 Hermeneutics of Money

SOM-16-01This class will examine the biblical concept of “giving” with the

goal of improving our teaching & practice of giving. This class includes the Old Testament tithe system, its absence for the most part from the New Testament, & what application

the tithe has for us today. It will also cover Stewardship as an Application of Hermeneutics

of Money.

Please respond to the following:1. ''It's time for us to give the LORD's tithe & our

offerings.’’2. ''God asks for 10% back & allows us to live on 90%’’3. Tithe = 10% of our net income4. Tithe = 10% of our gross income5. All Christians are commanded by God to tithe.6. If everyone tithed in the church, all the church's

financial needs would be met.7. The first step in discipleship is teaching people how

to tithe.

Questions• Should Christians tithe money to the church?• How much are Christians required to tithe?• How does the tithe relate to the Christian faith?• How are tithes & offerings different?• Prove it biblically!

The Tithe.

• The tithe, a one-1/10 offering of the first & best of one’s income from the Promised Land, is merely one aspect of giving in the Old Testament.

• The law taught 3 tithes totaling about 23.3% of one’s income

The Tithe• In both OT & NT tithers are called beyond tithing

to mercy, justice & freewill giving in response to God’s grace (2 Corinthians 9:7). Faithful tithing can even mask selfishness or legalism.

• Some Christians can & should give far more than 10%, so mere tithing becomes a tool to avoid the more difficult pursuit of justice & mercy with our wealth.

The Tithe• Mt 23:23 (Lk 11:42) – "How horrible it will be

for you, scribes & Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God 1/10 of your mint, dill, & cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, & faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses' Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others.”

God’s Standard• God’s standard for our generosity is not a

percentage; it is obedience to the radical command to love others as we love ourselves, imitating the pattern of Jesus’ radical sacrifice on our behalf (2 Corinthians 8:9; John 13:34; 1 John 3:16-18).

There are 3 tithes in the OT

2 every year & a third every third year, or an average of 23.3% of one’s annual produce from the land.

3 Tithes in OT: 1st Tithe – LORD’s TitheLe 27:30-33 – “1/10 of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy & belongs to the LORD. If you buy back any part of it, you must add 1/5 more to it. Every 1/10 head of cattle or sheep that you counted is holy & belongs to the LORD. You must not look to see if it is good or bad or exchange it. But if you do exchange it, both the 1st animal & its substitute will be holy. They cannot be bought back.”

3 Tithes in OT: 1st Tithe – LORD’s TitheNu 18:21-32 – “I am giving the Levites 1/10 of every Israelite's income. This is in return for the work they do at the tent of meeting. The other Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting. Otherwise, they'll suffer the consequences of their sin & die. Only the Levites will do the work at the tent of meeting. They will be responsible for their own sins. This is a permanent law for future generations. They will own no property as the other Israelites will. Instead, I will give the Levites what the Israelites contribute to the LORD—1/10 of the Israelites' income. This is why I said about them, 'They will own no property as the other Israelites do.'" The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Levites & say to them: You will take 1/10 of the Israelites' income which I'm giving you as your property. When you do, you must contribute 1/10 of that income as your contribution to the LORD. Your contribution will be considered to be grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. So you, too, will contribute 1/10 of your income to the LORD out of all that you receive from the Israelites' income. You will give the LORD's contribution to the priest Aaron.”

3 Tithes in OTDe 12:6 – “Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, 1/10 of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, & the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, & goats.”

3 Tithes in OT: 2nd Tithe – Festival TitheDe 14:22-29 – “Every year be sure to save 1/10 of the crops harvested from whatever you plant in your fields. Eat the 1/10 of your grain, new wine, & olive oil, & eat the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, & goats in the presence of the LORD your God in the place he will choose to put his name. Then you will learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live. But the place the LORD your God will choose to put his name may be too far away. He may bless you with so much that you can't carry a 1/10 of your income that far. If so, exchange the 1/10 part of your income for silver. Take the silver with you, & go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, liquor—whatever you choose. Then you & your family will eat & enjoy yourselves there in the presence of the LORD your God. Never forget to take care of the Levites who live in your cities. They have no land of their own as you have.

3 Tithes in OT: 3rd Tithe –Tithe for the Poor

De 14:28-29 – At the end of every third year bring a 1/10 of that year's crop, & store it in your cities. Foreigners, orphans, & widows who live in your cities may come to eat all they want. The Levites may also come because they have no land of their own as you have. Then the LORD your God will bless you in whatever work you do.”

3 Tithes in OT: 3rd Tithe –Tithe for the PoorDe 26:12 – “Every 3rd year is the year when you will store a 1/10 of that year's crops in your houses. During that year distribute what you have stored to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, & widows in your cities, & they may eat all they want.”

Other OT Giving

• There was also provision for freewill offerings & personal giving above & beyond the tithe, so that the tithe never stood alone.

Tithes were given by the patriarchs

• Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20)• Jacob (Genesis 28:22);

Moses’ Law.

• A system of tithes was instituted in the law of God given through Moses (Deuteronomy 12; 14; 26);

The Prophets.

• The prophets rebuked the children of Israel for failing to give the tithe to God (Malachi 3:8).

The Tithe & the New Testament.

• The idea of the tithe is still present in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23), but it is never explicitly applied to believers. Instead, almost all Christians are called to more extravagant freewill giving in response to the gospel of the Lord Jesus, based on faith in God as provider (2 Corinthians 9:6-10).

Jesus & the Tithe• Jesus commands us to love God with all we have & to love our

neighbor—even our enemies—as we love ourselves, just as He did. Our giving is based upon this gift of Jesus.– Mt 22:37-40 – “Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your

heart, with all your soul, & with all your mind.' This is the greatest & most important commandment. The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' All of Moses' Teachings & the Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

– 2Co 8:9 – “You know about the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor in order to make you rich through his poverty.”

– 1Jo 3:16-19 – “We understand what love is when we realize that Christ gave his life for us. That means we must give our lives for other believers. Now, suppose a person has enough to live on & notices another believer in need. How can God's love be in that person if he doesn't bother to help the other believer? Dear children, we must show love through actions that are sincere, not through empty words. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth & how we will be reassured in his presence.”

Jesus & the Tithe• Jesus does refer to the tithe sometimes but never

with the goal of applying it to the lives of Christians. –Mt 23:23 (Lk 11:42) – "How horrible it will be for

you, scribes & Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God 1/10 of your mint, dill, & cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, & faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses' Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others.”

Jesus & the Tithe• In fact, Jesus, on one occasion, reprimands rich

people from merely giving tithes but praises a poor woman for giving all she had. – Luke 21:1-4 – Looking up, Jesus saw people,

especially the rich, dropping their gifts into the temple-offering box. He noticed a poor widow drop in two small coins. He said, "I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of these people have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on."

• No system of tithing• No command to

tithe• All giving was

voluntary

• Giving was more than 10%• Tithe only went to

the Levites, widows, poor, or foreigners (or was eaten)• Pastors are NOT

Levites• All Christians are

priests• Israel was

disobedient in many ways – verses on tithing refer to this

• No NT passage has tithing as its main subject. .

Pre-Mosaic Law Mosaic Law New Covenant

Matthew 5:17-20Don't ever think that I came to set aside Moses' Teachings or the Prophets. I didn't come to set them aside but to make them come true. I can guarantee this truth: Until the earth & the heavens disappear, neither a period nor a comma will disappear from Moses' Teachings before everything has come true. So whoever sets aside any command that seems unimportant & teaches others to do the same will be unimportant in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does & teaches what the commands say will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. I can guarantee that unless you live a life that has God's approval & do it more faithfully than the scribes & Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What the New Testament says about Giving

• There are 2 passages that we will look at the will help us understand what giving as Christians should look like.

• But before we look there we need to realise that salvation in Jesus is not dependent upon Law but upon grace. Time & time again the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the only way to salvation, that he is the light of the world, that he is the bread of life, that he is the door, that he is the true shepherd.

• The Bible also teaches us that following the law does not save us & that all of our obedience must be in response to what Jesus has done for us.

Romans 12:1

• “Brothers & sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God & pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you.”

Romans 12:1

Romans starts out talking about the wrath of God being revealed “… against every ungodly & immoral thing people do as they try to suppress the truth by their immoral living” (Ro 1:18). But it would be a mistake to think that the book is only about God’s wrath.

In fact, when we get to Romans 12 we find that, in fact, Paul has been discussion God’s mercy as reflected in the salvation Jesus brings to us. Chapter 12 is the beginning of what we can give back to God.

Notice that we are encouraged to not give merely 10% of our money, or a small part of our lives – we are encouraged to give our lives themselves! And, after all, what else can we do, in light of the fact that Jesus has done so much for us?

2 Corinthians 9:6-10 – “Remember this: The farmer who plants a few seeds will have a very small harvest. But the farmer who plants because he has received God's blessings will receive a harvest of God's blessings in return. Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn't be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver. Besides, God will give you his constantly overflowing kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more & more good things. Scripture says, "The righteous person gives freely to the poor. His righteousness continues forever." God gives seed to the farmer & food to those who need to eat. God will also give you seed & multiply it. In your lives he will increase the things you do that have his approval.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-10 – • This is the verse that provides the NT’s answer to

the OT’s tithe. (It is also a verse that makes church leaders nervous because it doesn’t specify any amount that is required from Christians.) Note that in these verses it is my heart that determines what I will give, not the law. It is truly generosity that motivates us.

Principle Description Location

1 Systematic Give on a regular basis, that is, weekly, bi- monthly, monthly, etc.

1Co 16:1

2 Proportional Give as you have been prospered; according to your ability

1Co 16:2; 2Co 8:2–3

3 Sacrificial, Generous

Give generously, even sacrificially, but not to the point of personal affliction

2Co 8:2–3; Phil 4:17–18

4 Intentional Give deliberately in order to meet a genuine need, not out of guilt merely to soothe a pressing request

2Co 8:4; Phil 4:16

Principle Description Location

5 Motivation Our motivation for giving should be love for others, a desire for reciprocity, and an eye to the reward from God

a. Love As Jesus died for the sins of others, believers should give of themselves out of love

2Co 8:9

b. Equality Believers are to give so that all needs are met

1Co 9:14–15; 2Co 8:12–14; cf. Ga 6:6

c. Blessing Give in order to receive more from God so that you can continue to bless others generously

2Co 9:6

6 Cheerful God loves a cheerful giver 2Co 9:7

7 Voluntary Giving ought to be done out of one’s free volition

2Co 8:2–3, 8; 9:7; Phil 4:18

• Is it give and God will do great things for you or give because God has done great things for you? (ie. Salvation)