THE THREE TITHES
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 - The Three Gifts to God
CHAPTER 2 – The Three Tithes
CHAPTER 3 – Israel’s Tithes
CHAPTER 4 - Getting Practical
CHAPTER 5 – What Christians Say
CHAPTER 6 – What Would Jesus Do?
CHAPTER 7 – How Shall We Give
CHAPTER 8 – EPILOGUE
INTRODUCTION 
The last hundred years have witnessed an emergence of erroneous
teachings regarding biblical views of money, particularly the tithe. Most of
what is taught from today’s pulpits is a “re-teaching” of what has been re-
taught time and again over the last century, requiring both ministers and
congregations to disregard historical fact and accept embedded tradition
as truth, thereby maintaining conformity with the current church culture.
For the last half century, 4000 years of documented, accessible, historically
accepted truth regarding the tithe has been ignored and ridiculed, while
the same Judaizing which the apostles rebuked is modernized and fitted to
replace the foundation of sound Christian giving.
Just as the Romanized church persecuted and excommunicated those
who questioned its authority hundreds of years ago, today’s self serving
charismatic/evangelical doctrines of submission keep many Christians in
fear of simply questioning their leaders when the pulpit’s precepts don’t
line up with the entirety of scripture. Instead, most continue to move
ahead and do as they are taught, ignoring the fact that they do not know
why they do what they do. They are taught that submission to current
church affiliation and doctrine has greater value than enforcing God-
ordained scriptural stewardship. While the fullness of Christ includes divine
health and prosperity, today’s teaching of prosperity has been a blatantly
amateur and naïve application of scripture.
The goals of this book are threefold. First, to remove the context of
modern Christianity and bring the reader to an accurate understanding of
what the tithe actually was to the nation of Israel and early Christianity.
This book presents facts accepted and known for thousands of years. It is
not a “new” revelation, but simply the facts that are both passively ignored
and creatively spun upon by today’s ministries. Secondly, this book will
give a clear understanding of correct and incorrect Christian giving as the
Bible, Christ, and past saints have taught. Finally and most importantly, it is
written to encourage Christians that they are called and enabled to give
well beyond any tithe or financial offering. To limit their giving to a tithe or
Mosaic offering also limits God’s acting in their lives. The goal of this book
is not to eliminate a tithe or support to ministers, the goal is provide CHAPTER 1
proper teaching on Christian giving.
THE THREE GIFTS TO GOD
S.M. Simpson.
The difference in opinions regarding how Christians are actually
supposed to give and the different ways one can read scripture to support
prejudiced views is surprising. Few have (in recent times) taken the time to
review the whole word of God for a complete understanding of Christian
giving. Many operate on the premise that if one or two Bible verses (or
“witnesses”) can be found that support certain beliefs, they may brush off
the audience of 30-40 verses shouting against their convictions. The
teaching on Christian giving over the last half century is the teaching of a
teaching of a teaching, which at its core ignores many scriptures that
oppose it- it resembles the photocopy of a photocopy several times over.

To begin, there were 3 classes of Holy gifts, or “Corbanim,” offered by

Israel.  

1)Sanctuary Maintenance- Property, Gold. Animals

The first class of gifts, known as the dedication gifts, furnished and
maintained Jehovah’s sanctuary. Property, gold, and animals used in the
daily sacrifices were included. Several verses in the book of Numbers give
examples of this first type of Corbanim.

Numbers 7:3, 11-13, 77, 31:50- “And they brought their offering before
Jehovah, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the
princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the
tabernacle… And Jehovah said to Moshe, They shall offer their offering,
each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. And he that offered
his offering the first day was Nahshon-ben-Amminadab, of the tribe of
Judah: And his offering was one silver platter, the weight being an hundred
and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels (after the shekel of
the sanctuary); both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a grain
offering…And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five
male goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel-ben-
Ocran…We have therefore brought an oblation for Jehovah, what every
man has of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and
tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before Jehovah.”.
All of these gifts were presented in accordance with the Mosaic law and
were used only for the maintenance of the sanctuary
 
2)Levites Maintenance
Numbers 18:21 “And I have given to the sons of Levi all the tithes of Israel
for a possession, for the ministry in which they serve me in the tabernacle
of the covenant.”
This second class of gifts, which was dedicated for the maintenance of
the Levites and priests, is this book’s focus and includes first fruits,
firstborn, and tithes. There were restrictions placed on this second class of
gifts. With the exception of a firstborn man- they had to be mainly
agricultural, and included cattle, sheep, grains, olives, etc. If one was to
truly obey this law of first fruits and tithes, no offering of money, silver or
gold was allowed, as those non-agricultural gifts were to be used towards
the maintenance of the sanctuary, not for the salary of those ministering at
the altar.
Leviticus 27:30-33 “And all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land,
of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah’s: it is holy to Jehovah. If a man redeems
his tithes, he shall add one fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd,
or of the flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to
Jehovah. He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he
change it: and if he changes it at all, then both it and the change thereof
shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
3) Altar Sacrifices
Finally, the third class of gift was also agricultural in nature but was
offered directly to God by being placed on the altar and consumed by fire.
Another limitation placed on this class of agricultural/livestock offering is
that man’s labor had to be involved in it. Wild grapes and olives could not
be offered, but wine and oil could. While wild game was prohibited,
livestock raised by the man was allowed. The important point of these gifts
given directly to God was that some part of the man’s soul, his time and
effort, had to be involved in the offering; it was to be intimate and
sacrificed a part of the man’s life. In addition, the entire gift was given to
God and was usually totally consumed in the flames.
 
These Three classes of gift were distinct and separate: The Tithes were
not used to maintain the sanctuary (for they were agricultural), the altar
sacrifices were always totally destroyed (not given to priests), and the
sanctuary gifts were not used by the priests. Any violation resulted in
serious consequences.

CHAPTER 2
THE THREE TITHES
One of the gifts of the second class was called the tithe, meaning “tenth”
and there were three different tithes which represented what was known
as the “whole tithe”. The blessings related to tithing in the Old Testament
resulted from presenting this whole tithe, or 30%. An Israelite could not
come before God, bringing only the Levites tithe, and procure the blessings
of the whole tithe. The law was a whole, and had to be obeyed fully.
Thousands of years before God instituted the tithe in Israel’s worship it
had been customary for ancient kings to receive a tithe tax from their
subjects, as is the case when Abraham honored Melchizedek, though in his
case there were more spiritual implications. To give a tenth of one’s
increase was considered a commonly practiced way to honor a man whom
one had respect towards. Giving a tenth in antiquity was akin to our
practice of bringing money to a wedding or tipping a waiter, it is an
acknowledgement and proper etiquette. In ancient Lydia a tenth of cattle
was offered to the gods; the Arabians paid a tithe of incense to the god
Sabis; and the Carthaginians brought tithes to Melkarth, the god of Tyre.
The payment of tithes was not only a moral but a civil custom payable to
the Hebrew kings, the rulers of Babylon, in addition to being mentioned
among the Persians, Greeks, Romans, and later the Muslims. In both
ancient and modern times, giving a tithe was made law by many nations
because it was an issue of un-debated morality and common courtesy, just
as many of today’s laws are enacted.
Abraham lived in the area we know as Babylon, or present day Iraq. He
was most likely familiar with the “esretu,” the standard Babylonian 1/10 th
tax. The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of
Chicago has several examples of this mandatory Babylonian tax from
writings of the period: “...eleven garments as tithe (on 112 garments) ...
(the sun-god) Shamash demands the tithe...four minas of silver, the tithe
of [the gods] Bel, Nabu, and Nergal... he has paid, in addition to the tithe
for Ninurta, the tax of the gardiner... the tithe of the chief accountant, he
has delivered it to [the sun-god] Shamash...why do you not pay the tithe to
the Lady-of-Uruk?... (a man) owes barley and dates as balance of the tithe
of the years three and four...the tithe of the king on barley of the town...
with regard to the elders of the city whom (the king) has summoned to
(pay) tithe... the collector of the tithe of the country Sumundar... (the
official Ebabbar in Sippar) who is in charge of the tithe...”
Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek because it was customary and
moral to do so in his era, just as not murdering and not stealing were. His
gift had nothing to do with Abraham obeying God’s written law (there
wasn’t one yet) but rather was the result of God’s will already being
written on his heart, resulting in God’s law being fulfilled. Paul speaks of
this in his letter to Rome:
“For the hearers of the law are not just before God, but the doers of the
law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by
nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law
unto themselves: Which shows the work of the law written in their hearts,
their conscience also bearing witness.”- This was the case with Abraham.
The Mosaic Law was God’s command given exclusively to Israel to
perform that which was already commonly acknowledged as good, in
order to prove that it could not be done, and that even God’s chosen
people needed a different righteousness. This law (including tithing) was
not so much given as a means to gain protection and improved standing
before God, but was meant as the vehicle in which Israel was to learn that
they did not have the ability to gain God’s providence through action. The
righteousness Israel sought had their own obedience as the root and
righteousness as the fruit- self righteousness. What God had actually
commanded was the opposite: an imputed righteousness as the root (the
faith in God alone which Abraham had) with obedience as the fruit- Christ
righteousness.
   Now, in regards to Israel’s tithe, Easton’s dictionary states what scholars
and theologians have known for millennia but is not taught in many of
today’s churches: every property owning Jew was required by the law to
pay three tithes of his property:
1.one tenth for the Levites;
2.one tenth for the use of the temple and the great feasts; and
3. one tenth for the poor of the land.
1)The Levite’s/Priest’s Tenth
Not much elaboration is needed on this tenth because, regardless of the
debate over whether Christians are bound to giving a tenth or not, all
agree that Israel’s priesthood and Levites were commanded to receive a
tithe. Numbers, chapter 18, verses 23-32 states: “But the Levites shall do
the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their
iniquity: a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the
children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of
Israel, which they offer- an heave offering unto Jehovah, I have given to the
Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, “Among the children of
Israel they shall have no inheritance.” Jehovah spoke to Moshe, “Speak to
the Levites, and tell them, ‘When you take from the children of Israel the
tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you
shall offer up an heave offering of it for Jehovah, a tenth of the tithe. And
your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though the corn of the
threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. You also shall offer an
heave offering to Jehovah of all your tithes, which you receive of the
children of Israel; and you shall give Jehovah’s heave offering to Aaron the
priest. Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave offering of Jehovah,
of all the best thereof, the hallowed part thereof out of it.’” You shall say to
them, “When you have heaved the best from it, then it shall be counted
unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase
of the winepress. And you shall eat it in every place, you and your
households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the
congregation. You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved
from it the best of it: neither shall you pollute the holy things of the
children of Israel, lest you die.”
These and other verses make it clear that that this tenth was solely for
the ministers’ and their families’ sustenance, a solid principle carried over
and practiced in many churches today. Even Paul, when writing to the
Corinthians acknowledges that it is an ordinance of Jesus that those who
minister the Gospel have the right to live by the Gospel, though he makes
no mention of the tithe. In addition receiving this tithe, the Levite/priest
was not allowed to own any property, “…a statute for ever throughout
your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no
inheritance…” This prohibition of property was as much a part of the law as
the preists right to receive the tithe. The Levites and priests were to have
no property of their own, so the offerings other than the tithe were to be
used towards the maintenance of the sanctuary, and a tenth from land
owners was to maintain them In addition, money or precious metals was
forbidden in the Levite’s tithe, only agricultural products were accepted.
Many examples of people giving money in the temple are mistaken for the
tithe; Jesus wasn’t giving a tithe when he pulled the coin from the fish and
paid his temple tribute, nor was the widow when she gave her small
offering. Edersheim writes that he believes that this prohibition of
money/gold in the tithe was done to prevent religious leaders from
becoming greedy and profiting materially from their positions over the
flock.
This tithe given to the Levites was not to be from the first, or best of the
harvest, it was simply 1/10th. Teachers today confuse the first fruit and first
born offerings with the tithe when they tell congregations that the tithe is
to be the first, or the best tenth. In the case of livestock, for example, the
tithe was to be the exact opposite-the last tenth, or every tenth animal,
whether good or bad. If the giver switched animals and gave a good one
instead of the tenth “bad” one, he would be accursed, having violated the
law: Leviticus 27:32-33 “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the
flock, whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the
LORD. He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he
change it.”
   Now, using a “monetary” tithe to support ministers has merit in principle
and Christian tradition, wheras the literal application of Mosaic law forbids
it. Congregations which require a tithe or some other donation from their
members to pay the full time clergy are doing so on solid moral grounds.
However, when today’s ministers teach that a Christian is obligated to
provide a tithe for their sustenance based on obedience to Old Testament
law, those same ministers should also be realizing that they are forbidden
from owning any property and that they are not allowed to receive money
or Gold as payment of that very same tithe law they are promoting; the
command for Israel to give a tithe to the Levites is in the same chapter that
commands Levites not to own property, “For whosoever shall keep the
whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Those Christians
who say, “but we’re not under law” as their justification to ignore what
they consider to be the “obsolete” ordinances that sit hand in hand with
the tithe while promoting only the tithe, are unable to define where they
get their discernment of which parts are still to be obeyed and which
aren’t, other than their leader’s telling them this is how it works. Confusion
has resulted because of this handing down a belief that has been taught by
others who have been taught, and so on: The blurred photocopy of a
photocopy- no one has the original anymore!
There is nothing wrong when a pastor requests, or if a congregation
requires a tithe to the overseer as compensation for the pastor’s service. It
is a solid Biblical, human, and even pagan principle, an undeniably “good”
idea. The problem in today’s “church” is not the lack of desire to provide
payment for services rendered but rather it’s preoccupation with
obedience to God’s law as the means to obtaining blessing, over the
matters of the faithful heart and faith in Jesus Christ alone as the only end
to any righteousness.
“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees- hypocrites! You pay tithe of mint,
anise, and cumin, and have omitted the weightier issues of the law:
judgment, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have done, and not left the
others undone.”
2) The tenth to be consumed by the family
   After Israel gave the Levites a tithe as just described, a second tenth was
carried by the head of the household to the sanctuary to serve as a sacred
feast for his family and the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:22-26- “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your
seed that the field brings forth year by year. And you shall eat before
Jehovah Elohiym, in the place which he shall choose to place his name
there, the tithe of your corn, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings
of your herds and of your flocks; that you may learn to fear Jehovah
Elohiym always. If the way be too long for you so that you are not able to
carry it; if the place be too far from you, which Jehovah Elohiym shall
choose to set his name there when Jehovah Elohiym has blessed you: Then
shall you turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall
go unto the place which Jehovah Elohiym shall choose, and you shall
bestow that money for whatever your soul lusts after: for oxen, sheep,
wine, strong drink, or for whatever your soul desires, and you shall eat
there before Jehovah Elohiym and you shall rejoice, you, and your
household.”
Contrary to what is often taught today, the firstborn and first fruits were
to be brought to this feast in addition to the “2nd tithe” as a separate
offering- not as part of the “best” or “first portion” of the tithe. It is
humorous to note that those ministers who use verse 22 as a justification
on why the Christian is commanded to bring a tenth to their minister
alone, also ignore the commandment in the following verses instructing
the very same giver not to give this tithe to the minister, but to go out and
spend it on themselves as God intended,”… whatever your soul lusts after:
for oxen, sheep, wine, strong drink, or for whatever your soul desires, and
you shall eat there before Jehovah Elohiym and you shall rejoice, you, and
your household”
3) The Trienniel Tithe
At the triennial tithe, a third decimation was made and a third tenth part
was consumed at home by the family, the Levites, the strangers, and the
poor. This triennial year was called the year of tithes, and occurred once
every three years.
Deuteronomy 14:27-29- “And the Levite within your gates; you shall not
forsake, for he has no part nor inheritance with you. At the end of three
years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase the same year, and
lay it up within your gates. The Levite, (because he has no part nor
inheritance with you,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow
within your gates shall come and shall eat and be satisfied; that the
Jehovah Elohiym may bless you in all the work of your hand .”
Deuteronomy 26:12- “When you have made an end of tithing all your
fruits, in the third year of tithes you shall give it to the Levite, and to the
stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within
your gates, and be filled.”
This 3rd tithe was not taken to the sanctuary or temple, but was kept in
the tithe givers own “storehouse” -within the gates of the person giving
the tithe. Remember, when the Mosaic law was given there were no
storehouses in the temple because there was not a temple- only a portable
sanctuary. The storehouse referred to in this third tithe was usually
privately owned property (Luke 12:18). Those less fortunate and the
Levites were invited to the person’s house and all were filled.
Proponents of the single 10% tithe for the minister usually have not
explored these other scriptures which promote the additional 20% being
consumed by the congregation, or they have purposefully skipped past
them because they go against belief that the church “organization” alone
receives the tithe. Most Christians are quite content with what they are
being taught: If I you give 10% God is obligated to bless and protect you, if I
don’t, you are cursed. With this teaching we still have some level of control
over our financial righteousness, forgetting that the purpose of God’s law
is to bring us to repentance, not righteousness. “I do not frustrate the
grace of God: for if righteousness is by the law then Christ is dead in vain.
Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the
truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified
among you? This only would I learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, having
begun in the Spirit, that you are now made perfect by the flesh?”
 CHAPTER 3
ISRAEL’S TITHES
Having already established how Israel gave tithes using the bible as a
primary source, we can also look back at historians over the millennia who
recorded how Israel’s tithe was applied.
Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian and general who lived shortly after
Jesus and recorded Christian and Jewish events of his day. In his book,
Antiquities of the Jews, written in the 1st century, we find him offering
advice to other Jews on how exactly the tithes were to be given in his day:
1) Book IV, vs.8:8- “Let there be taken out of your fruits a tenth, besides
that which you have allotted to give to the priests and Levites. This you
may indeed sell in the country, but it is to be used in those feasts and
sacrifices that are to be celebrated in the holy city; for it is fit that you
should enjoy those fruits of the earth which God gives you to possess, so as
may be to the honor of the donor.”
2) Book IV, vs. 8:22- “Besides those two tithes, which I have already said
you are to pay every year, the one for the Levites, the other for the
festivals, you are to bring every third year a third tithe to be distributed to
those that want; to women also that are widows, and to children that are
orphans. But as to the ripe fruits, let them carry that which is ripe first of
all into the temple; and when they have blessed God for that land which
bare them, and which he had given them for a possession, when they have
also offered those sacrifices which the law has commanded them to bring,
let them give the first-fruits to the priests. But when any one hath done
this, and hath brought the tithe of all that he hath, together with those
first-fruits that are for the Levites, and for the festivals, and when he is
about to go home, let him stand before the holy house, and return thanks
to God, that he hath delivered them from the injurious treatment they had
in Egypt, and hath given them a good land, and a large, and lets them enjoy
the fruits thereof; and when he hath openly testified that he hath fully paid
the tithes (and other dues) according to the laws of Moses, let him entreat
God that he will be ever merciful and gracious to him, and continue so to
be to all the Hebrews, both by preserving the good things which he hath
already given them, and by adding what it is still in his power to bestow
upon them.”
What is important here is that Josephus seems to be calling to
remembrance the blessings and curses which God promised in Malachi
chapter 3, but only if Israel brought in all of their dues and the whole tithe-
which here plainly indicates all three tithes, not just one tenth. Josephus
reminds the Jewish people that in order to come before God and claim all
of the blessings and protection he promised them, they would have to be
faithful to all three tithes, which includes the 2 tenths they are to consume
themselves. Only bringing 10% does not fulfill the law as God commands,
and as such does not entitle an Israelite to any protection or blessing from
God. There is no dispute, nor can a Christian reconcile that according to
the Old Testament, he has no right to claim he is being obedient by
bringing only one tenth to church.
Tobit 1:6-8
Written in the 2nd century BC, Tobit is the fictional story of a righteous
Jew who lived in the 8th century BC. Though a fictional story, it gives insight
into the practice of giving three tithes in the time before Christ‘s birth:
“But I alone went many a time to Jerusalem for the festivals, as the
Scripture commands all Israel in an everlasting decree, taking with me the
first fruits and the tenth parts of my crops and my first shearings, and I
would give them to the priests, the sons of Aaron, at the altar. A tenth part
of all my produce I would give to the sons of Levi, who officiated at
Jerusalem, and another tenth I would sell, and go and spend the proceeds
in Jerusalem each year, and a third tenth I would give to those to whom it
was fitting to give it, as Deborah my grandmother had instructed me – for I
was left an orphan by my father."
John Chrysostom (354-407) Homily 64, Matthew 19:27
As the Bishop of Constantinople in the 4 th century, Chrysostom is known
as the greatest preacher of the early church. People listening to his
sermons took copious notes on what he preached, as they did with this
observation of his on Jewish giving: “…And how much did they bestow in
alms? one may ask. For this very thing, I am minded to say now, that they
who do not give may be roused to give, and they that give may not pride
themselves, but may make increase of their gifts. What then did they give?
A tenth of all their possessions, and again another tenth, and after this a
third, so that they almost gave away the third part, for three-tenths put
together make up this. And together with these, first fruits, and first born,
and other things besides, as, for instance, the offerings for sins, those for
purification, those at feasts, those in the jubilee, those by the canceling of
debts, and the dismissals of servants and the lendings that were clear of
usury. But if he who gave the third part of his goods, or rather the half (for
those being put together with these are the half), if then he who is giving
the half, achieves no great thing, he who doth not bestow so much as the
tenth, of what shall he be worthy? With reason He said, ‘There are few
that be saved’…”
Again we see the common knowledge in the early church that Israel was
commanded to give three tithes, and then much more on top of that- up to
half! As all other proponents of true grace attest, Chrysostom continues on
that a true Christian is not obliged or commanded to pay the tithe, or any
specified amount because it will do no good. The Christian, he implies, is
called to give all, just as Christ did, for even giving half of all you have ( as
Israel did) “achieves no great thing.”
Jerome (345-419), lived at the same time as John Chrysostom. In his
book, The Sacred Tenth- 1908, Henry Lansdell writes, “… After Josephus we
have the testimony of Jerome, who, like the preceding two witnesses, lived
in Palestine. He says one tithe was given to the Levites, out of which they
gave a tenth to the priests; a second tithe was applied to festival purposes,
and a third was given to the poor… (Commentary on Ezekiel 45:1, 565.
quoted in McClintock and Strong, 10, 434).
The renowned 19th century scholar Alfred Edersheim writes in The
Temple- its Ministry and Services: “According to another Rabbinical
arrangement different degrees of sanctity attached to different localities.
The first, or lowest degree, belonged to the land of Israel, whence alone
the first sheaf at the Passover, the firstfruits, and the two wave-loaves at
Pentecost might be brought; the next degree to walled cities in Palestine,
where no leper nor dead body (Luke 7:12) might remain; the third to
Jerusalem itself since, besides many prohibitions to guard its purity, it was
only there lawful to partake of peace-offerings, of the firstfruits, and of the
second tithes;”
The Talmud
The Talmud was the chief source of how Israelites were taught to observe
the laws during Jesus’ time, and gives another example of how the nation
Israel offered tithes at the time of Christ
1) Lansdell states in The Tithe and Scripture: “In Book VII (chap I, section
I) on Maaseroth, or the first tithe, we find it stated as follows:
‘This general rule has been handed down about the tithe: whatever serves
for food, is worth keeping, and grows out of the ground, is subject to tithe:
and another rule handed down is, that whatever is eatable at the
beginning, as well as when fully grown, although customarily kept till it is
mature, is subject to tithes, be it small or grown large. But when, in its
early stages it is not an ordinary article of food, but becomes so later, it is
not subject to tithe until fit to be eaten”
2) ibid: “Let us now proceed to deal similarly with the book Maaser Sheni,
or the Second Tithe, which has also five chapters and contains fifty-four
sections. We read of the second tithe in Deuteronomy 14:22-27. It
consisted of the yearly increase of the land, which was to be eaten with
firstlings of herd and flock at the ecclesiastical metropolis; but if this place
were too far from a man's home, he might turn his increase into money,
and take the money to this central place of worship, and there spend it at
the religious festivals.
Accordingly Chapter I begins: They do not sell the second tithes, nor pledge
them, nor exchange, nor weigh anything against them as an equivalent;
neither does any one say to his neighbour at Jerusalem, ‘Take of my wine
and give me of your oil,’ or the like with other products. Men may,
however, give to each other reciprocal presents.”
The Talmud, with all of its specifics on how to obey Moses’ law is very
clear that money can not to be brought as a tithe. If one didn’t have crops
or livestock, then one didn’t tithe, unless they owned food or meat which
they learned hadn’t been tithed from. There were no provisions for
carpenters, fishermen, or other trades to offer tithes of their monetary
gains, though they were permitted to pay temple tributes, taxes and give
other offerings with gold or furniture. If the distance was too far to carry
the tenth of crops and livestock, one was permitted to exchange it for
money. When the person arrived to present or consume their tithe they
did not offer the money, they repurchased the equivalent offering and
presented (or consumed) it .
There is nothing wrong with a religious leader requiring a set amount of
money for their services if the congregation expects the person to serve
them full time. However, even Jews today know not to collect a tithe
because they can’t- there is no temple nor are there Levites. Instead they
require set donations in their synagogues.
   Albert Barnes - from Barnes Notes (electronic edition): [Matthew 23:23 -
"Ye pay tithe"] A tenth part. The law required the Jews to devote a tenth
part of all their property to the support of the Levites, Num 18:20-24.
Another tenth part they paid for the service of the sanctuary, commonly in
cattle or grain, but where they lived far from the place of worship they
changed it to money, Deuteronomy 14:22-24. Besides these, there was to
be every third year a tenth part given to the poor, to be eaten at their own
dwellings Deuteronomy 14:28-29; so that nearly one-third of the property
of the Jews was devoted to religious services by law. This was besides the
voluntary offerings which they made. How much more mild and gentle are
the laws of Christianity under which we live!”
Barnes here does mention that the bible allows the tithe to be converted
to money if the distance was too far; these verses have been wrongly
taught as proof that God accepts money as the tithe. The fact is that the
money which one had received in exchange for their tithe was to be
brought to the place of worship, and then that same money was to be used
to re-purchase the livestock and produce of the tithe. Only this produce
and livestock could be offered, not the money, and it was consumed by the
person giving the offering. Quite frankly it was a violation of the law to give
money as a tithe, unless one needed the livestock and agriculture
themselves. In this case one could redeem or “buy back” their tithe by
adding one fifth of the value to it.
   McIntosh’s Commentary on Deuteronomy, 14 th chapter- “…The tithe of
De 14:22-27 is clearly conditional to that spoken of in Numbers 18, which CHAPTER 4
was to be given to the children of Levi for their service…Then the chapter
before us speaks of a second tithe, which is to be eaten before Jehovah in GETTING PRACTICAL
the place which He chooses to cause His Name to dwell there…Then ‘at the
With a strong understanding of what exactly the tithe was, we shall
end of three years’ there is another tithe; it suggests the result of a
examine the resulting disorder and double standards of the church’s
prolonged experience of the wealth of the land. The third year is called
attempts to apply it practically today. First we must briefly cover who gave
specifically ‘the year of tithing’ De 26:12. And this tithe is to be laid up
tithes under Mosaic law.
‘within thy gates; and the Levite-for he hath no portion nor inheritance
with thee-and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are Israel tithed 20%- 30% (depending on the year) of whatever food or
within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah meat they had; no money, gold, or treasures could be accepted. Every
thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest’.” seven years there were no tithes given. However, only Jewish people who
were farmers or who raised livestock could tithe, under the law workers
could not pay their wages earned. It has been said that in modern times
   Thus far, there are facts enough substantiating that the whole tithe, from
that we give 1/10th of our gross income, because we are no longer farmers.
its institution in Moses’ day until the temple’s destruction in 70 AD,
This justification bears no weight, however; In “tithing” times tradesmen
consisted of 3 separate tenths. To summarize so far, regarding the tithes
did not tithe, nor did the hired help. Everything (vegetable/animal) was
only:
tithed one time. Here’s a comparison:
1) The head of each household was to bring 1/10 th of each year’s harvest
or new livestock, and give to the Levites
Old MacDonald has a farm that he just started. He plants some corn in
th
2) In addition, 1/10 was to be eaten with your family and shared with the the spring for the first time, and in the fall it comes up, a bumper crop. It
Levite as a festival tithe. costs him 1,000,000 dollars harvesting 100,000 acres of corn over the year,
including watering, paying his help, etc. According to today’s teaching, if he
3) 1/10th was to be shared with the poor, the widow, the stranger, and the sells it for 100$ per acre, he makes 10 million dollars and gives a tithe of 1
Levite every 3rd year. million. In addition, all of his hired help and suppliers would also pay tithes
totaling 100,000 dollars. So, in the end the church gets 1.1 million, Old
4) In the seventh year, there was to be no planting, no reaping, and no
MacDonald has 8 million, his helpers and supplies get 900,000.
tithing. (Lev. 25:1-7)
If he actually did it according to Old Testament law, the offerings come
5) The tithe was only to be livestock and agriculture, money was not
out different. One tenth of his crop goes to the priests and Levites, the
allowed to be offered.
second tenth feeds his family, friends, etc, and he  ends up selling the rest
for 8 million; he’s given twice as much, helped more people, even
consumed some himself. And yet has the same amount in the end.
According to the bible and other sources, the first thing he does before
he ever gives a tithe is to take a portion of this as a “first fruit offering” to
the Levites. That’s about as far as I can describe the first fruits because
despite the fact that all of today’s televised preachers have such
knowledge on the subject, my research indicates that most reputable
scholars are unsure as to how much of this field counts as first fruits, nor
has anyone left any reliable details about it. Had it been the livestock, the
first born from any animal’s womb was given to the Levites; but in the case
of crops it just isn’t known if it was the whole first harvest that a field
produced, or just a portion of it.
Returning to the tithe, it is important to understand how much was
actually given in quantity- NOT VALUE. Old Macdonald has spent 1,000,000
dollars harvesting 100,000 acres (He has invested 10$ per acre). He takes
the first 10,000 acres of produce and gives it to the Levites. Next, he takes
the second tenth, and eats it with his family, the Levites, and his friends in
celebration to God for his bumper crop. As for what’s left over from this
second tithe, he probably stores some up, gives some away, etc. Now, if
it’s not the year of the third tithe. He takes his 80,000 acres of remaining
corn and sells it at the market for 100 dollars per acre just as before,
making 8 million$. Does he tithe off of that? According to Old Testament
law, absolutely not! He has already given 20% of his gross harvest. In plain
dollars, he tithed 20% (200,000$) worth of crop; that’s what it cost him to
harvest it. He did not tithe off the value of the crop. Most Christians today
would have given a tithe of $1,000,000 in cash instead of Old McDonald‘s
20% investment ($200,000). Though the Christian gives ten times more
money, they are disobeying the law by bringing in only 1/10 th! In
addition, Old MacDonald now has  8 million dollars (instead of 7.9),  has
actually given twice as much to the Levites AND the people, and his help
has an extra 100,000 in their pocket because they don’t tithe in addition to
what Old MacDonald has. More was given, yet everyone ended up with
more- Now that’s biblical giving.
The reason Israel did not tithe money is because God never intended it to
be a commercial society. Edershiem writes, “There can be no question
that, according to the Divine purpose, Israel was not intended to be a
commercial people. The many restrictions to the intercourse between Jews
and Gentiles, which the Mosaic Law everywhere presents, would alone
have sufficed to prevent it. Then there was the express enactment against
taking interest upon loans, (Le 25:36,37) which must have rendered
commercial transactions impossible, even though it was relaxed in
reference to those who lived outside the boundaries of Palestine (De
23:20). Again, the law of the Sabbatic and of the Jubilee year would have
brought all extended commerce to a standstill. Nor was the land at all
suited for the requirements of trade.” (Sketches of Jewish social life,
chapter 13). In short, Edersheim points out that God never wanted us to be
so money focused.
Many examples of people giving money in the bible really have nothing
to do with the tithe, but are various other freewill offerings, or annual
temple taxes. These monetary gifts were expected of all Jewish people, but
the tithe was limited to the produce of one’s land: agriculture or livestock.
Who were the beneficiaries of Israel’s tithes? As mentioned earlier, they
were the widows, the strangers in the land, the Levites, orphans, and
priests. In Offerings Sacrifices and Worship in the Old Testament, Kurtz
points out: “…And since they had, as strangers, no relations to fall back
upon, they were urgently commended in Deuteronomy to the especial
protection of the authorities, in common with the widows and orphans;
and because they had no inheritance in the holy land, and could not even
acquire landed property, they were to be admitted to the festal and tithing
meals along with the poor of the nation … (Ex 12:48; Nu 9:14; De 14:28-29,
16:10, 26:11).”
Those who received the tithe did not tithe, nor were they allowed to as
they did not own land (with the exception of the Priests and Levites). Jesus
does, however, commend the scribes and Pharisees for tithing everything
they ate. He was pointing out that even though they may not have owned
land, they made sure that they tithed, just in case the landowner who sold
their food to them didn’t tithe it correctly.
Tradesmen didn’t tithe money from their income as it was against God's
law. Servants and hired labor who worked in the fields of landowners did
not have to give a tithe of their paychecks as it was the landowner’s
responsibility to give tithes from his crops. This system of tithing prevented
people from tithing 4-5 times, keeping them from being overtaxed by
religious rules. People are taught today to tithe everything. First, there is
10% of one’s gross paycheck. If there is a tax refund many are under
compulsion to tithe off of the money they’re getting back which has
already been tithed on. Others, who may be given an expensive gift like a
car, pay 2000$ to their church because that is the tithe of the value of the
car. People have received loans to purchase something and tithed off of
that, in addition to tithing on the money they earn to pay back the tithed
loan. While there is nothing wrong with giving large sums of time and
money to a church or any organization one is committed to, many give out
of compulsion; there is a genuine fear, taught using only portions of
scripture, that God will lift his hand and allow curses to fall. This cannot, by
any means, be considered an offering. In the simplest sense it is a bribe, or
protection money; if the money isn’t paid, bad things will happen. Many
people freely and joyfully give 10% and more out of a free heart and
genuine desire to give more. Other Judaized Christians give 10% so that the
curses of the law will not fall and so they can come to God believing that
he now owes them protection because they have given him 10% -not even
the 30% “whole tithe” God requires to be blessed!
In Malachi 3 God tells the Levites and the priests to get the “whole tithe”
into the store house. His address is to the religious rulers of the day, not
the people. At that time God’s ministers and people were not all bringing
the “whole tithe” as he had instructed them to; they may even have been
bringing in only one tithe. Note that, contrary to today’s teaching, the
store house was on one's own property, and the second tithe was to be
brought there and shared by the storehouse owner with his family and
others, promoting fellowship. In Malachi, God’s priests had displayed by
their own actions that they thought partial obedience was acceptable- they
were not teaching and enforcing the “whole” tithe, and were being
rebuked for teaching only particular verses and commands, not the whole
of scripture. The result was that the people came before God, week after
week, bringing the priests tithe, confessing the blessings of the law over
the “whole tithe” when it wasn’t all being brought in. Today, the whole
tithe (30%) is not brought in, nor do the faithful stop tithing every seven
years as commanded. Most come to church, stand before God and
demand blessings because they have been obedient by bringing in one
tenth to the church (just like they did in Malachi), while not doing the thing
he has commanded in his word to get that blessing (bringing in the whole
tithe-all 3 of them to share with others). Many would rather give 10% so
they can feel justified, than actually give 100% of themselves as God
requires today.
Most Christians don’t know why they are picking and choosing parts of
the law and throwing away others, they are simply doing what they are
told as a matter of being under a certain level of grace and out of
submission. Because their Christian leaders already seem to know what
scriptures are to be obeyed and which may be disobeyed, they
conveniently delegate responsibility and promote a mild form of
Gnosticism. The New Testament says: “For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all,” and “Christ is become
of no effect to you, those who are justified by the law; you are fallen from
grace.”
I have heard some proclaim that to be blessed we must perform
Deuteronomy 14:22, “Thou shall truly tithe all the increase of thy seed,
that the field brings forth year by year,” and at the same time say that
curses will fall if we ate our own tithe, even though the very next verse
commands us to, “And you shall eat before the Jehovah Elohiym, in the
place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of your corn,
of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of your
flocks; that you may learn to fear Jehovah Elohiym always”? Upon
reviewing that last verse, God is clear that that the way to learn the fear of
the Lord is to rejoice in him and eat one’s own tithe. Why obey the first
verse without the second; what rules are being followed in deciding which
commands must not be obeyed? The true answer is that there is no logic
or tradition being followed, only fear of being different, and a drive to have
some involvement in our own righteousness; an unwillingness to
acknowledge God’s ability to operate and act apart from our own actions.
   Why do you tithe? Do you really know what you are doing? Are you
cursing yourself by using Malachi as the grounds to be blessed, when you
are doing the very thing that caused Israel’s rebuke ?
Back then, everyone partook of the tithe and everyone was blessed; the
Levite, the widow, the orphan and the stranger. Farmer MacDonald was
blessed sowing 20%-30% of his crop (costing him 200,000$ instead of
tithing 1,000,000$), profiting million dollars and feeding his neighbors.
Even the land was blessed and received rest for 16 months every seven
years.
   How does this compare with how our tithe today? MacDonald shells out
$2 million in combined cost and tithe instead of $200,000 worth of crop,
much of it going straight towards maintaining the church infrastructure,
not the people as God intended. While the church receives the tithe, more
and more is spent on maintaining the ministry than on ministering outside
its walls. Using portions of the Mosaic law, widows, the poor, and the sick
are told that the only way God can bless them is by giving their tithe to the
church while the parts of the very same law that exempt them from the
tithe are ignored! I have watched the pulpit publically tickle the ears of the
rich and affirm that they are blessed because they gave a million to the
church this year for the new sports facility. At the same moment I have sat
with the humble, prayerful mother feeding her children Macaroni and
cheese, trying to keep a humble smile on her face that God is with her
since she also tithed.
   I believe most ministers are not teaching a flawed message of giving out
of malice or greed- they are merely ignorant. They cannot be blamed
anymore than a blind person trying to be helpful describing the color red.
They are held accountable, however, when truth has been brought to
them and they will not pursue it out of fear that they will be going against
the grain or may suffer financial loss.
   Let us conclude this chapter with one more statement: Jesus did not tithe
his income, nor was he even allowed to under the Mosaic law he perfectly
followed.
If he did give a tithe of his income he violated God’s law, is no longer
sinless; and died on the cross in vain. The last two thousand years of
church history and the deaths of millions of martyrs have been a waste of
time. One seemingly small wrong teaching can tear down the core of
salvation.
   Jesus paid taxes; he paid the ½ shekel at the temple from a fish. He
commended when people tithed food and animals as they were required
to do. He blessed the widow who brought her offering (it was not a tithe).
His parents obeyed the law by bringing his redemption price to the temple
(he was a firstborn and had to be redeemed) when he was born; and not
the offering of a rich family as some will teach, but the offering which the
law allowed for the poor. Yes, Joseph and Mary were poor, or else they lied
to God by their offering; they were also probably fed at times by the
second and third tithes of others.
The verses in God’s word that go against everything being taught should
not be ignored. God’s word, as a whole, works perfectly if only wrestled
with long enough. More often than not it is man’s willingness to be led and
told what to do, rather than a desire to know God, that misleads us.
Submission is a virtue often molded into the idol of apathy.
“Jacob was left alone; and there a man wrestled with him until the
breaking of the day. When he saw that he prevailed not against him, he
touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of
joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.”
And he said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me. And he said to him,
“What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” And he said, “Your name shall
be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince you have power with
God and with men, and have prevailed.”
CHAPTER 5
WHAT CHRISTIANS SAY
Hopefully, it is understood what the tithe is and who was allowed to offer
it. If, by now, sufficient evidence has not been presented that today’s tithe
is misrepresented, than the rest of this book will be a waste of time. By this
point, however, these facts should be established:
1) The Old Testament laws of tithing are only partially taught and are
misrepresented by clergy and flock alike
2) Jewish landowners alone tithed. Being under a new dispensation and
most likely, not being Jewish landowners, Christians have no claim to any
curses or blessings related to the tithes of the bible.
3) Many Christian organization’s operations are tied to this wrong tithe;
neither applying Jewish law properly, nor removing it altogether would be
a benefit and would either leave a spiritual and financial vacuum in its
absence or re-institute Judaizing altogether.
4) Proper teaching must be brought about without sacrificing God’s word
in the least, nor jeopardizing his church.
If you consent to these four points you are ready to move on, if not, you
are encouraged to research yourself what has been presented. Admittedly,
the intention has been to destroy old beliefs about tithing in order to make
room for truth- a better, fuller form of giving. There is little room for
mixture here: the church must give under grace and repent from being the
Galatian church for the last 50 years in regards to money. This section will
examine what the church’s attitudes toward tithing has been historically,
and whether our current tithe was taught and endorsed by Christ and his
apostles, or instituted by man in order to perpetuate religion.

   Ignatius, the early church father and student of the Apostle John, (c. 105)
wrote, “If we still live according to the Jewish Law, we acknowledge that
we have not received grace.” He considered tithing as part of this law, as
Jewish law is a “whole” law. To endorse tithing and not endorse stoning to
death for disobeying you parents back then, would be like us trying to have
a swim competition without any water; both are integral to the whole
idea.
   In volume 5 of the Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible, mention
is made that the 2nd century Church fathers, Irenaeus and Epiphanius,
believed that the emphasis of the church should be strong on the freedom
and liberality of Christian giving. Irenaeus goes so far to say that Jesus gave
a stronger commission than just tithing; that we are to give all: “And for
this reason did the Lord, instead of that [commandment], ‘You shall not
commit adultery,’ forbid even concupiscence; and instead of that which
runs thus, ‘You shall not kill,’ He prohibited anger; and instead of the law
enjoining the giving of tithes, to share all our possessions with the poor;
and not to love our neighbors only, but even our enemies; and not merely
to be liberal givers and bestowers, but even that we should present a
gratuitous gift to those who take away our goods.” (c. 150-200 Against
Heresies, book 4, chap. 13). He also said, “[The Jews] had indeed the tithes
of their goods consecrated to Him. In contrast, those who have received
liberty set aside all their possessions for the Lord's purposes, bestowing
joyfully and freely not the less valuable portions of their property, since
they have the hope of better things.....” Note that Iraneaus describes
Christian giving as being “in contrast” to (the opposite of) the tithe, and
involving “all their possessions”, not just 10%.
   Around the same time (c. 150-220), Tertullian wrote on how the early
church collected and distributed finances, “Our presidents are elders of
proved worth, men who have attained this honor not for a price, but by
character. Every man brings some modest coin once a month or whenever
he wishes, and only if he is willing and able; it is a freewill offering. You
might call them the trust-funds of piety; they are spent…on the support
and burial of the poor (Apology, XXXIX, 1-18).
It is worth note that there are no mentions of the church tithing in early
Christian literature, besides those newly converted Jews who still felt it
necessary to obey Moses’ law while the temple existed in Jerusalem. All
indications are that donations were voluntary, and went towards
ministering to the flock. Churches met in private. Unlike today, most funds
went directly back to the saints and not into maintaining a building. The
family of Christ was intimate, meek, and valued people more than the
institution. Continuing on in his Apology, Tertullian writes on Christian
worship, “We do not now deal with the Law any further than [to remark]
that the apostle here teaches clearly how it has been abolished - by
passing from shadow to substance. That is, it has passed from figurative
types to the reality, which is Christ. Though we have our treasure chest, it
is not made up of purchase money, as of a religion that has its price.
Rather, on the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation - but
only if it is his pleasure and only if he is able. For there is no compulsion; all
is voluntary.”
   Around the year 248, Origen writes, “We do not regulate our lives like
the Jews. For we are of the opinion that the literal following of the laws is
not the thing that conveys the real meaning of this legislation.”
In describing Christian worship and giving of his day, in his First Apology-
chapter 67, Justyn Martyr writes, “Then we all rise together and pray, and,
as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water
are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and
thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen;
and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which
thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by
the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each
thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who
succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any
other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers
sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But
Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is
the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and
matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose
from the dead.”
The tithe began to enter the church and appear in church doctrine after
Constantine’s successor effectively made Christianity the state religion of
his empire. This had the effect of creating a celebrated institution where
persecution and secret, intimate worship had previously existed. All
institutions need to be financed, and the empire’s treasury paid for much
of this initial establishment. Over time, as cathedrals were built and the
clergy’s payrolls increased, it became necessary to establish regulations,
insuring not that true religion could be promoted, but that the institution
would be strengthened. At this period in time the church’s influence in
government grew, with The Council of Tours in 567 and the 2nd Council of
Macon in 585 advocating the tithe. The tithe was made mandatory by civil
law in the Carolingian empire in 765; Pope Adrian I formally recognized it
in 787, followed by England by the 10th Century. While many claim that
the tithe was practiced in the early church, they should ask themselves
this: Why was it necessary to have so many councils on instituting a tithe 3-
5 centuries after Christ’s death, if it already existed in early Christianity? In
2000 years this thought process would allow future historians to use all of
the current political debates over gay marriage as evidence it was accepted
and practiced already.
The Reformation did not abolish tithing, it allowed the state to collect
and distribute the tithes to the churches. It should be noted that many
European countries did not abolish remnants of the tithe tax until the mid
1800’s, with England abolishing them in 1977, and Scotland in 2000.
Austria, Germany, Italy, and Finland still collect and distribute tithe taxes to
churches.
In a sermon delivered on August 27, 1525, Martin Luther had this to say
about the tithe, “But the other commandments of Moses, which are not
[implanted in all men] by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these
pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe…”
John Wesley preached a sermon in 1744 entitled, On the Use of Money,
where he said, “…give all you can; or in other words, give all you have to
God. Do not stint yourself, like a Jew rather than a Christian, to this or that
proportion. Render unto God not a tenth, not a third, not half, but all that
is God's (be it more or less) by employing all on yourself, your household,
the household of faith and all mankind, in such a manner that you may give
a good account of your stewardship when ye can be no longer stewards; in
such a manner as the oracles of God direct, both by general and particular
precepts; in such a manner, that whatever ye do may be "a sacrifice of a
sweet-smelling savour to God" [cf. Lev. 8:21], and that every act may be
rewarded in that day when the Lord cometh with all his saints.” Wesley’s
words form the crux of how the Christian should be giving today, and
mirror John Chrysostom’s words mentioned earlier.
Converted in 1920, Ní Tuòshēng changed his name to Watchman Nee
and spread the gospel throughout China. He was jailed by the Communist
government in 1952, and spent the rest of his life there until his death 20
years later. In his book, The Normal Christian Life he takes the churches
offerings a step further: “It is right for the brethren to give occasional gifts
to the workers, as the Philippians did to Paul, but they must not bear the
responsibility of any. The churches have no official obligations regarding
the workers, and the latter must see to it that the former do not take such
obligations upon themselves. God permits us to accept gifts, but it is not
His will that others become responsible for us. Gifts of love may be sent to
the workers from their brethren in the Lord, but no believers must regard
themselves as under any legal obligations towards them. Not only have the
churches no official responsibility towards the workers; they are not even
responsible for their board, lodgings, or traveling expenses. The entire
financial responsibility of the work rests upon those to whom it has been
committed by God… 2 Corinthians 7:2; 12:14; 1Thessalonians 2:5; 3:8…
From these passages we see clearly the attitude of the apostle. He was not
willing to impose any burden upon others or in any way to take advantage
of them. And this must be our attitude too. Not only should we receive no
salary, we should be careful not to take the slightest advantage of any of
our brethren.”
While Watchman Nee uses Paul’s example as a justification for not
imposing a burden upon others, he neglects that Paul received “wages”
from an outside congrecation while ministering, and said that a ministers
right to live off of the gospel is an “ordinance” of the Lord.
Leonard Ravenhill – from Heart Breathings: “Our present ‘Christianity’
sputters along on the two cylinders of tithing and token commitment
instead of speeding along on the eight cylinders of total commitment.”
One of my favorite preachers of the 20 th century still has a weekly radio
broadcast that I strongly recommend. In his Thru the Bible Commentary
Series, J. Vernon McGee states:
1) Galatians (p.23) Paul now calls the religion in which he was brought up
the "Jews' religion." Paul was saved, not in Judaism, but from Judaism.
2) Malachi (p.84): Under grace God wants you to give as you are able to
give. For some people that would be less than the tithe. And I’m of the
opinion that a great many in this affluent society ought to be giving more
to God.
3) Malachi (p.85): Again I would remind you that we are not under the
tithe system today. There are many humble believers with very little
income for whom a tenth would be too much to give.
4) Malachi (p.86): There is no such thing today as that which is called
‘storehouse giving.’ That’s not quite the way we give, because Israel’s
giving was in the form of produce.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association states: “…the question as to
whether to tithe from one's net or gross income is not answered in
Scripture, nor is the question of whether to give it all to the local church or
to include other ministries. We feel that such decisions should be based on
personal conviction… It is not mentioned in the New Testament except
where it is describing Old Testament practices or in the Gospels where
Jesus is addressing people who were under the Old Testament law. Note
Jesus' comments to the Pharisees in Luke 11:42… A New Testament
teaching on giving which may be helpful to you is found in 1 Corinthians
16:2: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a
sum of money in keeping with his income." This passage brings out four
points: we should give individually, regularly, methodically, and
proportionately. The matter of your giving is between you and God, and He
always takes into account our circumstances. He knows when they are
beyond our power to direct and control. The important thing is that we see
giving as a privilege and not a burden. It should not be out of a sense of
duty, but rather out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His kingdom
advanced. Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says: ‘Remember this: Whoever sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also
reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to
give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’
The deeper question, you see, is this: What has priority in our lives? Is
Christ really first--or do we put ourselves and our own desires first? Make
sure Christ is first in your life, and then ask Him to guide you.”
 Jewish Rabbis today (those who should know the Mosaic Law better than
Christians), do not collect tithes because they know only the Levites can
collect the tithe. Because the genealogical records were destroyed in the
destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, they cannot determine true Levites.
They use a patron system of so many dollars for each seat in their
synagogues to raise funds for the maintenance of their synagogues. Of
course, the more prominent seats command a higher price, but they do
not tithe.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: The early Church had no tithing
system ... it was not that no need of supporting the Church existed or was
recognized, but rather that other means appeared to suffice.
   It also states: “In the Deuteronomic code the tithe is limited to grain,
wine, and oil (Deu. 12:6, 11, 17; 14:22). These texts more or less equate
the tithe with other ritual offerings and sacrifices. [223] No law of tithing is
found in the New Testament, although the principle of church support is
laid down in Matt. 10:10 (see also Luke 10:7) and echoed in 1 Corinthians
9:13-14.”
The tithe was to be kept in a storehouse at the tither’s home, as many
translators can attest: In 1Cor.16v1-3 Paul tells the Corinthians, “Upon the
first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has
prospered him.” The following Greek scholars make it clear that this
statement of the 1st century church says the storehouse is located within
the Christian’s home:
1) Bloomfield translates this, “’Par heauto,’ ‘by him.’ French, ‘chez lui,’ ‘at
home.’
2) Alford's Greek Testament translates it, “let each of you lay up at home
in store whatever he may by prosperity have acquired (lit. ‘whatever he
may be prospered in:’ i.e. the pecuniary result of any prosperous
adventure, or dispensation of Providence).”
3) A.T. Robertson writes in his Word Pictures in the New Testament, “Lay
by him in store, (“par heautoi titheto thesaurizon”). By himself, in his
home. Treasuring it (cf. Matt.6v19f. for “thesaurizo”). Have the habit of
doing it, “titheto” (present imperative). As he may prosper (“hoti ean
euodotai”). Old verb from “eu,” well, and “hodos,” way or journey, to have
a good journey, to prosper in general, common in Septuagint. In N.T. only
here and Rom.1v10. and 3John.v2.”
We should also review something else Paul said; that those who live
ministering to others have the right to live by them. The 17 th century
puritan theologian, Richard Baxter, sheds further light on this in his letter
to English ministers, The Reformed Pastor. Baxter believed that full time
ministers should be provided for by their congregations, but that this was
not to motivate them in their calling, “Think not of being rich; seek not
great things for yourselves or your posterity. What if you do impoverish
yourselves to do a greater good; will this be loss or gain? If you believe that
God is the safest purse-bearer, and that to expend in his service is the
greatest usury, show them that you do believe it.”
 CHAPTER 6
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO
 
Let us now go to the source of our faith and look into how he gave, and
how he instructed we should give. It is important to remember that often
times Jesus was talking to Jewish people who were still under the law and,
since he had not died yet to remove them from the law, he encouraged
them to obey the law- including the tithes. What he also did, however, was
address the heart issues which should precede obedience. In his life, he
fulfilled the law perfectly in our place and made us righteous in regards to
the law. In addition, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have now
been empowered to live perfectly, not through obedience to the written
law (which purpose it was to prove we needed another form of
righteousness) but to the Spirit:
“I say then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary to one another so that you cannot do the things that
you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Eph
5:16-18)
Matt 17:24-27 (see also Exodus 30:13)
And when they came to Capernaum, they that received the didrachmon
(temple tax) came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your master pay tribute?”
He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him,
saying, “What do you think, Simon? Whom do the kings of the earth take
taxes or tribute from, of their own children, or of strangers?” Peter said to
him, “Of strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then aren’t the children free?
Regardless, so that we don’t offend them, go to the sea, cast an hook, and
take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth,
you will find a piece of money. Give it to them for me and for you.”
This story is an example of the temple tax that was given towards the
upkeep of the temple, and was paid once a year by all Jewish males over
20 years of age. Peter was approached by men who, most likely, weren’t as
much concerned with him paying the annual tribute as they were with
entangling Jesus & him in a brilliant trap; if Jesus didn’t pay the tax they
would have something with which to the stir people up against him, but if
he did pay he couldn’t still claim to be the son of God, because sons didn’t
pay taxes to their fathers. These men approached Peter away from Jesus,
and when Peter came into the house where Jesus was, our savior already
knew how to handle it. Before Peter said a word Jesus asked if children of
the King are obliged to pay taxes, to which the obvious answer was no.
Christ establishes 3 important principles in this verse. The first is while
servants and subjects pay tribute, the son’s have no need to. Many
Christians today give out of an attitude of “servant-hood” not yet
recognizing they have been adopted by God. Other Christians use their
son-ship as a reason not to give, but they miss the mark as well. A true son,
though not under the same obligation as the servants, will pay tribute and
serve his father more than all of the servants if he loves his father.
The second principle Christ establishes is a Christian’s making sure that
their freedom in Christ does not cause another to stumble. Jesus did not
pay the temple tax because he acknowledged any servant-hood or
obligation, after all, was he to pay taxes to himself? He paid the money for
himself because it was better to pay 2 days wages than give Satan anymore
foothold into these men’s hearts. This is another example of a Christian
valuing the condition of the heart over the legal aspects of God’s rules;
love must be the root of our obedience.
The final principal Jesus establishes is responsibility and accountability.
Having now taught that neither Peter nor himself are obligated to pay the
temple tax, he teaches that they also should not offend because of it ;
Jesus proves his Lordship by paying both of their temple taxes-not out of
his own purse -for how can Christ deny his son-ship - but from the mouth
of a fish, thereby not paying the tax himself and also crushing offense.
Jesus not only taught Peter the truth, but took care of the moral
conundrum which his teaching produced: how to pay the tax so as not to
offend but also not deny Christ’s authority by paying it.
We, as fellow brothers, are called to teach one another and then bear
one another’s sufferings, not teach someone and leave them hanging. If a
brother needs advice or help, we are called to step down from our
platform of intellectualism and authority in order to mentor others; we
must get bloody and dirty doing their work with them. In the context of
our book we may draw from these verses this point: The Christian has no
legal or moral obligation to fulfill in his giving to God, other than the
perfected worship and unreserved tributes of a grateful son.
Matt 19:16-23 (see also Mark 10:17-25, Luke 18:18-27)
“And, behold, one came and said to him, “Good Master, what good thing
shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you
call me good? No one is good but one- God. If you want to enter into life,
keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which?” Jesus said, “You shall
not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall
not bear false witness, honor your father and mother and, you shall love
your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these things
have I kept from my youth up. What do I lack still?” Jesus said unto him, “If
you will be perfect, go sell what you have and give it to the poor and you
shall have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” But when the young
man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “Truly, I say to you that a
rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
This young man approached Jesus, not out of sincerity, but in order to
prove his own righteousness. Can there be any doubt that when he asked
Jesus what he must do, the young man already was convinced he had been
perfect in his obedience to the law? His question does not seem to arise
from lack of knowledge, but more from a need to be praised for his
righteousness- something is missing. To hear Jesus words at first must have
been a delight to his ears, a justification. Deep inside, however, something
had moved; after just being told he had done everything right, the young
man asks, “What do I lack still?”; he knows in his spirit that something is
amiss despite our savior’s confirmation of his obedience to the law.
This man had done everything right, and in our church of today would
probably be looked at as one of the people we should emulate; a
successful, prosperous, giver of god’s prescribed offerings- a good
Christian. Yet he had not given all to Christ’s work, nor was he willing to.
 
We should recall a similar man who, most likely, was just as obedient to
God’s law, but did it out of a right heart with God. This scribe had been
listening to Jesus debate with the Pharisees, Herodians, and Saducees,
about giving to Caesar and about marriage (Mark 12). Unlike the rich
young man, this scribe, a man of the law, was not trying to justify but
understand:
vs. 28-34- “And one of the scribes came, and having heard them
reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked
him, “Which is the chief commandment of all?” And Jesus answered him,
“The first of all the commandments, ‘Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is
one Lord’ and ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’, this is
the main commandment; and the second like it, ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’ There are no other commandments greater than
these.” The scribe said to him, “Well, Master, you have said the truth, for
there is one God; and there is none other but he; and to love him with all
the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with
all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole
burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered
discreetly, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
On the outside these two men (the young rich man and the scribe) would
have looked very similar in their walks with God, both would have probably
appeared faultless. The difference was in their giving and surrender to
God. While the rich man did everything right (including his giving), he had
not surrendered all to God, and that was the only thing that Jesus asked of
him to get into heaven; he valued his earthly riches over eternal life and
had to face that fact. The scribe, while justified under the law as well, did
not see that as the means to approach God; he recognized that total love
and surrender to God was more important than the entire law, or in his
words, “is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Christians
need to change the view that obedience to God’s law is the vehicle which
empowers them to profit. While obedience has its advantages over
disobedience, it must be paired with a right heart. Without the Spirit as the
source, mere obedience is a limitation when compared to the gain in
Christ’s perfect law, “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father
seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship in spirit and in truth.”
We may draw this conclusion from these verses: Christ has called us to
love others and give all to him; obedience to the limitations of God’s laws
is subservient to surrendering everything to him.
Matt 21:12-13 (see also Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-17, Mark 11:15-17)
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold
and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers
and the seats of them that sold doves, and said to them, “It is written, ‘My
house shall be called the house of prayer;’ but you have made it a den of
thieves.”
   Jesus cleansed the temple twice, once at the beginning of his ministry
and once at the end. Both instances addressed the same issue; the
religious leadership was approving and endorsing what appeared
outwardly to be obedience to religious duty, but which in fact was rooted
in their own greed.
   Jews would come from around the world to Jerusalem for the various
offerings, and since they would bring different currencies, it was the
money changers job to exchange their coins and offerings for approved
temple currency to eliminate debate as to the value of offerings one gave.
Rabbinic sources detail the corruption and greed at these events; the
money changers and religious leaders intended to make a profit. Jesus’
rebuke in these verses was directed not at those obedient people who
were just trying to give their offerings the way they had been taught, but at
the religious leaders allowing wrong principles and attitudes into their
oversight, and for promoting a money oriented religion in the people.
Notice that the religious leaders did not confront Jesus and tell him he
was wrong; they knew they were guilty of what he accused. They simply
sidestepped the issue and asked what gave him the authority to cause this
trouble among them.
   This belief of the Pharisees manifests today with the church’s default
doctrine, “Give money to the church and God will give you back more.”
From this statement stems all sorts of wrong teaching and covetousness,
taking one or two verses out of context in order to build an entirely new
doctrine on how to “give so I get more back.” When confronted with their
misdirected teachings and attitudes on Christian giving, many church
leaders will react in much the same way the Pharisees did; They avoid
entering into a common sense scriptural debate that they know they will
lose by side stepping and questioning the accusers authority or motives,
using their ministry position to justify some greater “anointing” that others
do not have on the issue- they need not explain themselves.
 Have you ever heard the untrue statement, “Jesus talked about money
more than hell”? The unchecked message that carnal Christians hear is that
money is more important than salvation. We have been conditioned so
that that whenever the terms “sowing and reaping” are brought up, our
carnal minds shift to giving MONEY in order to receive more MONEY. We
are taught, “God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he
also reap”, without the next verse, “For he that sows to his flesh shall of
the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting.” (Gal 6:7-8)
“What about Luke 38?” is the objection, “Even Jesus said, ‘Give and it
shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken
together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the
same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.’”
Reading the entire chapter it is obvious that Jesus is speaking about giving
mercy and love, not money. In regards to money he says that if we lend we
should not expect to get back. He does not promise more money in return,
but instead persecution, and at best, “…with the same measure that ye
mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Another objection is heard, “but the bible says ‘He which sows sparingly
shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also
bountifully.’” Yes it does, and though Paul is speaking of money, in these
same verses (2 Corinthians 9) he goes on to clarify (if the entire chapter is
read) that our giving produces “fruits of righteousness,” and that giving not
only supplies the saints but is returned in thanksgivings and glory to God,
not money! Let us not fall into the false teachings of today’s church that
our main end use of Jesus Christ is to be provided for, for if that be the
case than Paul and the martyrs died out of Christ’s will.
Matt 22:15-22 ( se also Luke 20:21-25, Mark 12:14-17)
“Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle
him in his talk. They sent out their disciples with the Herodians, saying,
‘Master, we know that you are true, and teach the way of God in truth,
neither do you care for any man: for you regard not the person of men. Tell
us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or
not?’ Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why tempt me,
hypocrites? Show me the tribute money.’ They brought him a denarius and
he said to them, ‘Who is this image and superscription?’ They said to him,
‘Caesar’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give to Caesar the things which are
Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they had heard they
marveled, and left him, and went their way.”
With these verses the mainstream teaching has been that Jesus is telling
the people to make sure to pay your taxes, and also to make sure that God
gets what is his- the tenth of our income. This cannot be the case. As
already covered earlier, the law does not allow a tithe of money, gold or
copper- it has to be crops or livestock. When a minister uses these verses
to support his belief that Jesus is telling people to “tithe” off of their
paycheck, he is in effect telling his flock that Jesus sinned by encouraging
people to disobey God’s law,- and by consequence is no longer qualified to
be the unblemished lamb sacrificed in our stead. In addition, the full tithe
is not 10%, it is 30%. Finally, most Christians are not Jewish and are
therefore forbidden from giving a tithe under Old Testament regulations. If
Jesus had been telling the Jews to give a tithe of the Roman coin then he
sinned and we are no longer redeemed, a reiteration of how one small
error tears at the root of our very Salvation.
Jesus is actually teaching these leaders just the opposite of what today’s
church has taught these verses mean. Jesus says render to Caesar what is
Caesar’s- that means money and gold. The leaders of Jesus day had begun
to reject God’s law and had begun putting more value on actually receiving
cold, hard, cash, instead of the correct offerings. He is telling them to stop
collecting money, even though it is more convenient and useful, and return
to God’s ways.
Money is not God’s creation, it is man’s. Jesus tells us to give to God
what is rightly his (meaning everything he created, the tithes of crop and
livestock, etc) and leave the things the world values back to the world- its
gold and treasures. It only benefits us when things are put in this
perspective, but man somehow projects his own beliefs onto God -that
money is as important to him as it is to us. God says that his thoughts are
not our thoughts.
There is a legend that St. Dominic the preacher was being given a tour of
the treasures of the Vatican. The Pope proudly referred to Acts 3:6 and
said, “Peter can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” Dominic
turned, and looking straight at the Pope said, “No, and neither can he say,
‘Rise and walk .’”
Remove the money and insert in its place a heart fully submitted to Jesus
Christ and his power, and you will shut up the heavens, cast out demons,
and raise the dead. It may not be on television, but it will fill heaven
instead of stadiums.
Matt 23:16-23 (see also Luke 11)
“Woe to you blind guides, which say, “Whoever shall swear by the
temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple,
he is a bound to the oath! Fools and blind, which is greater, the gold, or the
temple that sanctifies the gold? And, “Whoever shall swear by the altar, it
is nothing; but whosoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is bound.”
Fools and blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the
gift? Whoever, therefore, swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all
things on it. Whoever swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that
dwells in it. And he that shall swear by heaven swears by the throne of God
and by him that sits upon it. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
You pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law: judgment, mercy, and faith. These you ought to have
done, and not left the others undone.”
These verses can be broken down into 2 separate issues (swearing by the
temple and tithing), but Jesus uses both of them to make the same point;
that because of the love of money and self-righteousness, the scribes and
Pharisees had their priorities wrong.
First is the issue of swearing by the temple, the altar, or the gift on the
altar. Jesus points out that in all of their minute legal interpretations of
Moses’ law, the religious leaders believed that an oath made with an
offering (or money) had more value and was more binding than an oath
made upon the temple or altar. Jesus takes it a step further saying that
there should be no distinctions in the efficacy of one’s oath. Whether
accompanied an offering or not, they are all oaths before the throne of
God himself, and the religious leaders ought to recognize that just because
a gift to them is included with an oath, it doesn’t mean the gift is of greater
worth to God. This is quite a contrast to the mainstream charismatic
teaching which often encourages worshippers to make offerings to make
their worship and oaths more efficacious to God.
The second matter which Jesus brings forth (tithing) addresses the same
core problem; that again, the Pharisees spent too much time on the trifling
matters of religion because their hearts were far from God and focused on
carnal things. In both of the issues Christ rebukes here, we see a parallel in
today’s church. Much time is spent on the importance of giving money and
bringing your tithes before God as a matter of obedience to him and a way
to be able to come before God and say, “OK God, I’ve done my part, now
do yours- bless me!” The teaching that says there is something we must do
in order to gain from God, for all practical purposes, negates the work of
Christ on the cross, and perpetuates the same error of the Pharisees which
is here rebuked.
 If there was any intrinsic value solely in acts of obedience, we would be
made perfect by it. Hebrews 10 says, however, “For the law having a
shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can
never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect” and also, “For by one offering he has
perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
Jesus Christ was our tithe, he was our first-fruits, he was the fulfillment of
every offering, we have been perfected.
The message to today’s church from these verses is simple: Do not let
you obedience overshadow the weightier matters of Christ, and do not
esteem the gifts and treasures more than God’s throne. Worship him
alone.
Matt 26:7-13 (see also Mark 13:3-9, John 12:1-8)
“Now, when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, There
came a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and
poured it on his head as he sat. When his disciples saw, they had
indignation, saying, “To what purpose is this waste? This ointment might
have been sold for much, and given to the poor.” When Jesus understood
he said to them, “Why do you trouble this woman? She has wrought a
good work upon me. For you have the poor always with you; but me you
will not always have. In that she poured this ointment on my body, she did
for my burial. Truly I say to you, where ever this gospel shall be preached in
the whole world, also shall it be told what this woman has done, for a
memorial of her.”
This incident is another example of Jesus’ confronting those who
regarded money as more valuable than the weightier matters of worship.
The difference between this example and the last is that this time the
religious leaders are not the Pharisees trying to perpetuate their blind
religion (Judaism), but the very disciples who will be responsible for
carrying on God’s new work! Just as the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus when
he confronted their greed, so was the case here. Immediately after Jesus
spoke these words about the woman’s offering, Judas left the room and
conspired with the Pharisees, agreeing to hand Jesus over for 30 pieces of
silver. When any religion becomes institutionalized, money becomes the
guiding force behind spiritual discernment. His disciples had begun
valuing the institutions of Christ (feeding the poor, helping people) over
worshipping Christ himself.
Mark 12:38-44 ( see also Luke 21:1-4)
“And he said to them in his doctrine, “Beware of the scribes, which love to
go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief
seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts. They devour
widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive
greater damnation.” And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld
how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast
in much. There came a certain poor widow and she threw in two mites,
which make a farthing, and he called his disciples and said, “Verily I say to
you that this poor widow has cast more in than all they which have cast
into the treasury: For all of them gave out of their abundance; but she of
her lack cast in all that she had, all her living.
Out of all the wonderful verses on full surrender this one is, perhaps, the
most embellished and abused from the original meaning. Ridding ourselves
of preconceived notions let us read what is perhaps the most accurate and
well understood commentary on this widow by Alfred Edersheim:
“…Passing for the present from the cavils of the Sadducees and the
gainsaying of the Scribes, we come unexpectedly on one of those sweet
pictures - a historical miniature, as it is presented to us - which affords real
relief to the eye amidst the glare all around… we turn to the silent worship
of her who gave her all, and to the words with which Jesus owned it, all
unknown to her. It comes to us the more welcome, that it exhibits in deed
what Christ had said to those hypocrites who had discussed it, whether the
tribute given to Caesar was not robbing God of what was His. Truly here
was one, who, in the simplicity of her humble worship, gave to the Lord
what was His!
Weary with the contention, the Master had left those to whom He had
spoken in the Porches, and, while the crowd wrangled about His Words or
His Person, had ascended the flight of steps which led from ‘the Terrace’
into the Temple-building. From these … He could gain full view into ‘The
Court of the Women,’ into which they opened. On these steps, or within
the gate (for in no other place was it lawful), He sat Him down, watching
the multitude. The time of Sacrifice was past, and those who still lingered
had remained for private devotion, for private sacrifices, or to pay their
vows and offerings… provision was made for receiving religious and
charitable shaped boxes (Shopharoth); somewhere here also we must
locate two chambers: that of ‘the silent,’ for gifts to be distributed in secret
to the children of the pious poor, and that where votive vessels were
deposited. Perhaps there was here also a special chamber for
offerings. These ‘trumpets’ bore each inscriptions, marking the objects of
contribution - whether to make up for past neglect, to pay for certain
sacrifices, to provide incense, wood, or for other gifts.
As they passed to this or that treasury-box, it must have been a study of
deep interest, especially on that day, to watch the givers. Some might
come with appearance of self-righteousness, some even with ostentation,
some as cheerfully performing a happy duty. ‘Many that were rich cast in
much’ - yes, very much, for such was the tendency that (as already stated)
a law had to be enacted, forbidding the gift of the Temple of more than a
certain proportion of one’s possessions.
…And as Jesus so sat on these steps, looking out on the ever-shifting
panorama, His gaze was riveted by a solitary figure. The simple words of St.
Mark sketch a story of singular pathos. ‘It was one pauper widow.’ We can
see her coming alone, as if ashamed to mingle with the crowd of rich
givers; ashamed to have her offering seen; ashamed, perhaps, to bring it; a
‘widow,’ in the garb of a desolate mourner; her condition, appearance, and
bearing that of a ‘pauper.’ He observed her closely and read her truly. She
held in her hand only the smallest coins, ‘two Perutahs,’ and it should be
known that it was not lawful to contribute a less amount... But it was ‘all
her living, perhaps all that she had been able to save out of her scanty
housekeeping; more probably, all that she had to live upon for that day
and till she wrought for more. And of this she now made humble offering
unto God. He spake not to her words of encouragement, for she walked by
faith; He offered not promise of return, for her reward was in heaven. She
knew not that any had seen it - for the knowledge of eyes turned on her,
even His, would have flushed with shame the pure cheek of her love; and
any word, conscious notice, or promise would have married and turned
aside the rising incense of her sacrifice. Jewish tradition, though it ever had
painfully thrusts forward the reward, has some beautiful legends,
allegories, and sayings about the gifts of the poor... But to all time has it
remained in the Church, like the perfume of Mary’s alabaster that filled the
house, this deed of self-denying sacrifice. More, far more, than the great
gifts of their ‘superfluity,’ which the rich cast in, was, and is to all time, the
gift of absolute self-surrender and sacrifice, tremblingly offered by the
solitary mourner. And though He spake not to her, yet the sunshine of his
words must have fallen into the dark desolateness of her heart; and,
though perhaps she knew not why, it must have been a happy day, a day of
rich feast in the heart, that when she gave up ‘her whole living’ unto God.
And so, perhaps, is every sacrifice for God all the more blessed, when we
know not of its blessedness.
Would that to all time its lesson had been cherished, not theoretically,
but practically, by the Church! How much richer would have been her
‘treasury:’ twice blessed in gift and givers. But so is not legend written. If it
had been a story invented for a purpose or adorned with the tinsel of
embellishment, the Saviour and the widow would not have so parted - to
meet and to speak not on earth, but in heaven. She would have
worshipped, and He spoken or done some great thing. Their silence was a
tryst for heaven.”
Luke 12: 31-3
“But instead, seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added
to you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you
the kingdom. Sell what you have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags
which do not grow old; a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where
no thief approaches, nor moth corrupts. For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.”
After telling those around him to not lay up treasures for themselves, nor
seek what they shall eat or wear, Jesus begins these verses by contrasting
God’s kingdom with the world by saying, “But instead seek the kingdom of
God and all these things shall be added to you.” He says INSTEAD! He is not
saying that God shall not provide abundantly, he is saying not to seek after
those things, to give all for Christ’s kingdom. Spend all, sell all for the
kingdom of God he says, and you are sowing into a treasure in heaven. This
concept has been twisted, however, and much teaching of today will tell us
that if we want something here in this world we must sow something in
this world also, usually to the church.
If we sow for worldly provision, we must be aware that we forfeit our
heavenly treasures. We sow a “seed” to get something we need and wait
for years wondering why it doesn’t manifest. The answer is clear: we are
commanded in these verses to sow into the eternal, not the temporal. So
many today sow into the money pit of worldly blessing, and in the process
cancel any investment they have into their heavenly reward.
CHAPTER 7
HOW THEN SHALL WE GIVE?
At this point in reading, you will have one of many responses to what has
been understood.
The first type of response goes, “I knew that there was something wrong
with how I was taught to give a tithe. Now I know I’m under grace, I don’t
need to give the way I have been!”
How right you are, but notice- now that you realize you are loosed from
the legal obligation to give 10% of your income, your carnal nature takes
over and you see this release from God’s law as a reason to do less instead
of more, revealing the true state of your heart; you are using his grace as a
means to justify your sin instead of as the means of doing more for him.
The true disciple of Christ, once freed from the bondage of law, learns that
they are a slave to righteousness, that they can do all things through
Christ. Instead of giving less than 10%, the Holy Spirit echoes the words,
“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” The freed saint realizes that God
does not want 10%, but everything; Protection over your remaining 90%
that the tithe once offered is gone. As you are made more of a slave to
righteousness, not by the law but by the Spirit, your burden is truly greater
in the realm of what the Spirit teaches; it places more severe requirements
of your life; you may wish to go back to the minimal requirements of
Moses (30%-50%), or even the church (10%)
Another type of person, after reading thus far will think, “I can’t let go of
giving a tithe, I am convinced that I will only be blessed by tithing;
obedience is required, after all. Jesus said he did not come to abolish the
law.” Well, first of all, rest assured that there is nothing wrong with giving a
tithe of your money to church; it is a principle birthed out of a generous
heart. Many have given much more, on the basis that there is a simple
moral issue that even heathens have adhered to for thousands of years:
Bless your religious leaders! This has nothing to do with the Law of Moses;
it is a law written on the heart, an issue of personal (not corporate)
obedience towards God, a requirement placed on one’s self to simply pay
for services rendered by a pastor. How dare we, however, add a falsehood
of man to this by bringing God 10% of our income and then tell him that he
owes us because we are obeying his rules. We are in fact breaking them by
only bringing 10%, and bringing on the curses which are in the same verses
as the blessings we so ignorantly tell God he must give us. “Christ is
become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law;
you are fallen from grace. We through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith.” (Gal 5:14-16)
Still, another person (including myself), after reading this book says, “The
institution of the church and today’s ministry requires fixed amounts of
money to cover expenses; we cannot budget off of people’s giving out of
their hearts. If the church is to remain strong, we must have money.” To
this I heartily agree, but with a hint of sarcasm. Yes, the way it has been
institutionalized, the church does require money; unfortunately most of
that money often goes towards infrastructure not Christ’s ministry.
In this chapter let me first spend some time on how we are to give and
show how, if we give the way Christ and his apostles taught, the church will
thrive as never before with Christians gladly giving more than everything
towards his work. Much of how the early church gave has been covered,
but there are many ways that we are commanded to give that require the
common Christian to give more and supply their ministers beyond what
Moses’ law ever required. One of the benefits of the tithe is that it still
allowed personal ownership of all else. The spiritual laws of Christ,
however, require all, leaving nothing as your own!
“And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done
by the apostles. All that believed were together and had all things
common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all as
every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the
temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with
gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all
the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be
saved.”
Giving to the Ministers
Moses’ law clearly and specifically outlined exactly who was to give, and
how they were to give it. In the end all who received can be broken down
into 4 types
1) Those without means to support themselves in the Nation of Israel; the
widow, the orphan, and the stranger.
2) Those dedicated to serving God- the Levites and priesthood of Aaron
3) The giver and his own family were supported.
4) Offerings were made to God, and him alone.
The bible, and Christian writers of the first 4 centuries after Christ’s
resurrection, gave very concise, clear instruction on how giving was to
occur. It is amazing how the tithe is absent from all early Christian sources,
but how we try to still keep it in effect.
First, lets look at how Paul describes teachers are to be paid in Galatians
6:6 (KJV)
“Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in
all good things.”
This is a very poor translation of the word “communicate.” A word study
will reveal that the word really means, “Be a partaker with, share, become
a partner in.” Paul uses the word in Romans, Phillipians, and Galatians, in
regards to monetary giving. The word is also used in the bible in partaking
of someone’s sin with them, and having fellowship in suffering. To say that
this word only means “to share jointly” doesn’t even scratch the surface;
other versions have translated it better:
CEV- “Share every good thing you have with anyone who teaches you what
God said.”
NIV- “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good
things with his instructor.”
NLT- “Those who are taught the word of God should help their teachers by
paying them.”
NCV- “Anyone who is learning the teaching of God should share all the
good things he has with his teacher.”
WEY- “But let those who receive instruction in Christian truth share with
their instructors all temporal blessings.”
YLT- “And let him who is instructed in the word share with him who is
instructing—in all good things."
So those being taught are to share ALL things with the instructors- much
more than just a chosen few giving a tithe of their land or livestock, and
even more than a Christian’s giving 10% of their money. This New
Testament verse instructs all to share their food, money, and provision to
those who teach us. It is the fulfillment of the law originating from a right
heart towards God. It is the difference between the person who loves
speeding but obeys the speed limit out of fear of getting caught, and the
person who follows the speed limit out of love for those around him; same
end result (obedience) with two different motives (fear versus love)
Another example of a minister’s receiving a wage from the church can be
found in Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians in chapter 6: “Have I
committed an offence in abasing myself so that you might be exalted,
because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other
churches, taking wages to do you service. And when I was present with
you, and lacked, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking,
the brothers which came from Macedonia supplied”
While some use this verse to prove ministers should not be paid by the
church (as Watchman Nee also says) the fact remains that while Paul was
working as a tentmaker and evangelist, other Christians were supporting
him and paying him. Further on in Corinthians, Paul quotes Christ and says
that it is Jesus’ own ordinance that ministers be provided for by their
congregations.
The Principles Behind the Rules
God’s original intention for instituting the three tithes was for the
continual maintenance of people, not his religion. Other offerings were
required that would maintain the temple and sacrifice to God himself, but
the tithes specifically went to feeding all of his people, with the Levites and
priests sustenance being primary.
Knowing all men’s hearts, God instituted rules that prevented the priest’s
and people’s tithes being used as an opportunity to profit. Historically, and
in principle, there can be no morally correct argument made that man
does not have the right, to receive payment for services rendered, even in
spiritual matters. In addition, the church of Christ exists for the purpose of
worshipping him, and ministering to his saints. If men of God keep Jesus
and the act of ministering at the forefront of their financial decisions
instead of the institution’s growth, all will be spiritually well.
Giving to God
The best example of how to give can be taken right from God. While the
laws of Moses were a shadow of things to come, Christ was their
fulfillment; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son,
that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
God gave his best, and did it without condition. We should follow suit,
remembering that while we may benefit from God’s giving his best, he has
no need of ours.
Our best sacrifices to God are like the messy, incoherent attempts at
finger painting our children proudly bring home. While laughable and
messy, they are given as a token of love, and should we ask for another it
will be given. Children do not bring their art before us, boasting of the
parents need to give them back 100 fold because they have been faithful in
making a mess. But Oh, the poor parents! The child’s heart is right, and
because of that mess, now dripping down the refrigerator, the father
gladly gives all the praise and blessing back. It is not an earned
reciprocation; it is all love, both ways. That is the principle behind the tithe,
not a child fearing punishment and cursing should his painting be found
only partially acceptable! Just like the joyous worshippers of Hezekiah’s
day experienced, offerings can be done the wrong way according to the
rules, yet still be right with God.
EPILOGUE
It has been shown that the true disciple of Jesus Christ is called to
sacrifice and give everything he has for the work of The Kingdom; anything
less is unacceptable.
The church must get away from the false teaching that in order to be
protected from the curses of the law, we must partially obey the law.
Countless millions of Christians are inadvertently placing themselves under
the law and cursing themselves because ministers teach portions of the
scripture they understand, while having to ignore other parts of the bible
to prolong the life of this wrong teaching.
Knowing and dwelling with Christ results in perfect obedience to him and
his principles; a disciple operates in a realm better than the law, and
therefore is not held to it.
A Christian has been given access to all heavenly treasures, God asks for
all in return. Our best offerings are but rags compared to his, yet upon
releasing all of our rags we are clothed in new garments. The hypocrisy
being televised over the airwaves today is greed disguised as Christ.
We must release all, that’s the deal.
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and offering for sin you do not want, neither have
pleasure in; which are offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I
come to do your will, O God. He takes away the first that he
may establish the second. By which we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ