Comments on: What Does the Old Testament Teach About Tithing?

By: Carol@inthetrenches

Carol@inthetrenches — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:57:07 +0000

Chris, interesting comments. Jesus did not blast the religious leaders for tithing, he said they were right in doing so. He blasted them for omitting the other weightier matters of the law such as love, mercy, and good judgement. The amazing thing about the Word of God is that we do not have to follow it. It is all free will. Those who do not want to give the tithe are not compelled. Those who do reap the blessings He promised to those who do. Most of those who continue or begin to tithe acknowledge that it is God who gives the 100% by giving our health, skills and talents. So if He wants us to give back 10% to support the spread of the gospel and support the poor it is a small thing to ask especially in light that there are many who have committed their entire lives and livelihoods.

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 03:17:36 +0000

Could you let me know why, if the Levites were factually only 2.2% (refer Number 2:32 and 3:39) of Israels population, should they get 10% plus share of the food grown every year?

The assumption of a ‘second tithe’…or festival tithe …or even the ‘poor tithe (which Det 14 says is given to the Levites) ..are terms which are NEVER mentioned in the Bible as being an additional tithe…..nor are these decriptions EVER used of a tithe. Tithes were only 10%….of the FOOD produce… (never of income or money)…which was given to the Levites every third year…or eaten by the giver for the first two years …over a cycle.

Why would the Levites who forfeited 2.2% of the land …then get 10% plus of the food? This would be 4-5 times the food others got. This would be have been grossly inequitable and clearly not what God intended. This IS the outcome for all multiple tithe positions…..no wonder the religious leaders and rabbis taught it in Jesus day (Mat 23:4)…and why He blasted them!

This is dealt with in detail by Graeme Carle in ‘Eating sacred coaws…a closer look at tithing’

regards in Christ
Chris

By: Carol@inthetrenches

Carol@inthetrenches — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:18:09 +0000

Taxation was a separate issue. The Jews paid taxes in Rome while continuing to pay the tithe and even David and Solomon would levy mandates that would be considered taxedsto fund national projects.

It is wonderful to discuss the scriptures! Thank you for being willing to open the topics.

By: Carol@inthetrenches

Carol@inthetrenches — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:12:44 +0000

I found your article very interesting. The one item that I have understood differently is that the 3rd year tithe that was designated for the widows and orphans was not a separate tithe but an instruction of how to use the 10% that was already received. Those funds would be set aside for that purpose. These would be the funds that would be used to fulfill the New Testement dictate to provide for the widows who do not have familiy to provide for them and the orphans. This would establish the church as the provider of these services as a testimony of the love that Christians have for those who cannot fend for themselves. This is a practice that has been neglected over the years as the “should we tithe?” debate continues. In my own life I have felt that the Lord has led me to give for two years to the church to provide for thier ministries and the third year directly to those that would fall into the widow/orphan catagory. I wish I could say that this has always been a consistent practice but it is something I still work to acheive excellence at. Thank you for your Biblical study of this topic, I know that it quickly causes much debate. The motives of the debate we’ll have to leave to the Lord.

By: Should Christians be Required to Pay Taxes to an Ungodly Government? | knsfinancial.com

Sat, 15 May 2010 15:29:21 +0000

[...] is a continuation of our series on giving. At first we asked the question: “What Does the Old Testament Teach About Tithing?” What we found is that the various tithes required of the Israelites served as taxes to fund [...]

By: Khaleef Crumbley

Khaleef Crumbley — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:55:46 +0000

@Kevin@OutOfYourRut Thanks for the comment! I believe that the only way to reconcile the two is to understand that the tithe served as the taxation system for the nation of Israel. The Israelites gave voluntarily in the OT while still paying tithes (taxes) to their government. The confusion usually comes because the same group (Levites) served as the governmental and spiritual leaders because Israel was a Theocracy. Therefore, the Levites collected the taxes as well as the voluntary offerings to God. Today, we are able to pay our taxes directly to the government, and our offerings to God through our local church. I just finished an article looking at the NT and tithing - and will post another about the NT and taxes in about 10 minutes. What are your thoughts? .-= Khaleef Crumbley´s last blog ..What Does the New Testament Teach About Tithing? =-.

By: What Does the New Testament Teach About Tithing? | knsfinancial.com

What Does the New Testament Teach About Tithing? | knsfinancial.com — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:46:41 +0000

[...] we looked at the question, “What does the Old Testament teach about tithing?”. What we learned is that the various tithes that were commanded in the Old Testament (OT), [...]

By: Kevin@OutOfYourRut

Kevin@OutOfYourRut — Sat, 15 May 2010 02:45:40 +0000

Most discussions of tithing center on the OT. How do you reconcile OT with 2 Corinthians 9:7 "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." ? .-= Kevin@OutOfYourRut´s last blog ..Why Leasing a Car is a Bad Deal =-.