RBs Keys to Successful Living

The first time tithe is mentioned in the Bible is Abraham's tithe of pagan spoils of war, and Abraham kept NOTHING for himself. This was NOT an act of worship. Biblical historians agree that it was custom in Abraham's day to give the king a tenth of the war spoils. Furthermore, Abraham made a vow that he would keep none of it. Genesis 14:8-24

The next mention of a tithe is Jacob's VOW to tithe. Jacob set the conditions, not God. Nowhere in The Word does it tell us that Jacob actually tithed. Genesis 28:10-22

Next is The Lord's Tithe. God gave His definition as a tenth of crops and animals which came from God's hand, not man's income. God NEVER commanded anyone to tithe on anything that man made or earned. Leviticus 27:30-33.

The ordinances (instructions, or laws) for The Lord's Tithe are in Numbers 18. God gave strict orders to take His tithe to the Levites. God NEVER changed that command. Anyone who takes God's tithe to anyone other than a Levites is being disobedient to God's Word.

There are others tithes in the Bible such as the Festival Tithe and the Tithe for the Poor. It is The Lord's Tithe that churches pattern their teaching after.

Church leaders ignore God's definition of His tithe, and ignore God's ordinances for His tithe. They change the words to fit their pocket book. This is nothing but manipulation of God's Word. They are false teachers.

The Bible CLEARLY SHOWS that the tithe ENDED at the cross in the Book of Hebrews. In the first nine verses of Hebrews 7 the words tenth or tithes appears SEVEN TIMES. The ONLY place in the Bible, after Calvary, that tithing appears is in Hebrews 7.

In Hebrews 7:5 we are told that Levi (the Levites) took the tithes under the law. In Hebrews 7:12 we are told that when the priesthood changes, the law will change. Hebrews 7:18 is telling us that Numbers 18 was disannulled. Numbers 18 established the Levitical priesthood, and part of that establishing included tithing. When the Levitical priesthood ended (at Calvary, or at least in the year 70AD when the temple was destroyed), all laws that established that priesthood were canceled. If Numbers 18 wasn't canceled, we would still be under the Levitical priesthood.

Those who argue they didn't have money or income then are really ignorant of what the scriptures say. They had money and wages, even in Genesis. The farmers had income from barter exchanges, and they had markets to buy and sell as proven in Deuteronomy 14:24-26.

Those who argue Malachi 3:8, robbing God, need to start with verse 7. God is talking about His ordinances in Numbers 18 which we learned were disannulled according to Hebrews 7:18. Also, if you start with Malachi 1, you will see that God is speaking to the priests, not the people. The priests robbed God of the tithe (Nehemiah 13) and the priests robbed God of the offerings (Malachi 1).

You can rationalize all you want, but God defined His tithe, and God gave His instructions. Those who give a tenth of their income to the church are giving to man, not giving to God, and are NOT paying the Biblical tithe. The Lord's tithe was PAID, not given. It wasn't a gift. This is verified in Matthew 23:23 and Hebrews 7.

Those who call giving a tenth of their income tithing are cheapening God's tithe and really insulting God.

We are blessed by giving, NOT tithing.

Thanks for the thoughtful comment Gary :) I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your viewpoint.

We share a different interpretation of the Bible. God is Source. Money - like everything in the universe - has its root in Source, or God. As I honor Source with money, I get receive more money. Works for me do I don't mess with it. Doesn't matter if it's 1/1000 of my income or 50%; God don't play the numbers game. We live in a universe of vibrations where your feelings are the great attracting or repelling force. The feelings which I generate when giving are what makes things happen.

I understand what you are saying, Ryan. But consider this:

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV) - But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

In Deut 8:18 God is telling me that He gave me THE ABILITY to work and earn a living. When I work, it is MY labor. God is not doing the work for me. Yes, I came from God. Everything originally came from God. But gave us abilities to do things on our own. Otherwise, we would merely be puppets with God pulling the strings.

So The Word does distinguish between what comes from God's labor (God's hand) and what comes from man's labor. At NO TIME did God ever command anyone to tithe on anything that came from man's labor. The tithe was ONLY commanded on items that came directly from God's hand - miracles of God.

IF God wanted man to tithe from wages or income, Numbers 18:27 would have no meaning - it would just be taking up space. This verse proves that income is NOT tithable.

I, too, experience that great feeling when I give. And I believe I am a very generous giver. But I strongly believe that calling a tenth of one's income The Lord's Tithe is an insult to God. It cheapens God's tithe.

We agree that we disagree on tithing :)

Thanks again for taking the time to comment Gary. I appreciate it!

In addition, what if I follow several "denominations" for spiritual guidance, that to which I was born into and that which I grew into. Thus, if I tithe whatever I have, can I split the tithe amongst them, considering that I would be tithing the same "spirituality" albeit on separate paths?

I would believe so. As I mentioned the feeling which accompanies the gift is what's most important. As for a certain % going to each denomination I don't feel that's too important.

If you want to read a great book on tithing try "The Millionaires of Genesis" by Catherine Ponder. She's a wealthy prosperity author who mixes the principles of the Bible with the idea of abundance. A fascinating read and inspiration for a # of my posts.

Thanks Ryan. I appreciate your quick reply.

It's my pleasure Ronald. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

I really like what you wrote as it is most benign amongst what I've read. Yours I presume is the only one that does not threaten fire and brimstone if not given to a church, but says to give it to anyone person or entity who has helped me spiritually. Thus, my question is does it really have to be spiritual? Can't I tithe to an organization that teaches an advocacy I believe in like one that seeks to educate people about personal financial planning and security, the pitfalls of living on credit, etc. Would that be a valid tithe?

Hi Roland,

Thanks for commenting :) As for the source giving cash to another organization probably wouldn't be considered a tithe, but it doesn't matter. WhenEVER you give someone a gift of cash with the proper intent you can't help but to be prospered. God is in everything, everyone, and is everywhere at all times.

It is quite difficult to follow what you are saying. How can tithe be at least 10%? That ain't scriptural. If you are trying to talk about giving then that is a different thing altogether and it appears that is what you are trying to say.

Let us start with what scripture tells us the tithe is. The tithe was a command from God to the children of Israel to give A TENTH of all livestock and crops grown within the land of Israel. Money was never a titheable item. The tithe was not 10% but A TENTH and the difference between the two is this; if for instance a man had nine sheep, he could not tithe because there was no tenth and the tenth was holy. If he had ten sheep, the tenth was the tithe and the same would apply if he had 11 up to 19. If had 20 then the first tenth and second tenth were the tithe.

The guys you are citing as "tithers" did not become rich by "tithing" but by investing in sound business ideas. Also, there is no scripture that tells us "Tithing is an excellent way to get out of dire financial straits." That is simply a man made idea.

Tithing no longer applies to today's church, instead we are instructed to give what we can afford be it 1%, 5%, 10% or a 100% and no percentage is put forth as an absolute minimum. Please see 2 Cor 8 : 11 & 12 - Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.

God bless.

I appreciate your take on tithing. We are dealing with the universe, and as we give, whether it's money, service, or any valuable commodity, so shall we receive. Thanks for stopping by!

Was this about the universe or about God? Tithing is about God's commandment, and the reward for tithing is what He promised all who obey this commandment (Malachi 3). Now, if you have faith in God's promise concerning tithing, and you obey His commandment on tithing, you will reap the benefits of tithing, one of which is that He, God, would rebuke the devourer for your sake. No matter how sound the business idea, it cannot stand the attack of the devourer without God's protection.

Bottomline, I believe in tithing. I trust God concerning His promise for tithers, and I have testimonies of the good things that have happened in my life since I started tithing.
Tithing helps you realize God is the source (every good & perfect gift comes from the father), and therefore enables you to cast all your cares on Him. I don't worry about the challenges of my business but rather look expectantly unto God for direction & solutions, which He drops in my spirit. And that is the key to my success.

Tony, try tithing for a month and I assure you there will be a very good testimony to tell. This is one of the few topics in the entire Bible where God himself dares us to test Him (Mal 3: 10 - 11).
Having said these, there are ways to tithe properly. Decide on & prepare your tithe at home. Pray over it prefarably with your family before taking it to your place of worship or the place where you get your spiritual nourishment. Ensure a tenth of your increase/income is set aside before you start your personal disbursement for bill payments, etc. Basically, treat your tithe with great reverence because it is something you're presenting to God. Remember, He sees our hearts & rewards according to our real motives and faith - not our actions per se.

Thanks for stopping by :)

The universe is God. Or Life. Or the Invisible Force which none of us can even begin to explain, or label, or describe in human terms. We just try to do so.

Give to the Source, receive from the Source.

God is Spirit, Ryan. The universe is God's Creation. We don't give back to the universe, we give to God. We give to God when we give to those who nourish us with the true oracles of God.

Hi Karl,

My take is that the universe is God, spirit, or whatever you call the invisible force which makes things visible.

Enjoy the weekend!

Ryan

Uuummmmm… this is definitely another Gospel and another Jesus.

Broda Tee, there is simply no scripture that supports this statement “Tithing helps you realize God is the source (every good & perfect gift comes from the father), and therefore enables you to cast all your cares on Him.” That is a man-made idea devised to give this tithe doctrine some scriptural credibility.

Your Malachi reference is not a command to today’s church to tithe; if you read it in proper context you’ll see that. Have you ever read it from Chapter 1? If you do, you’ll see that that entire book was written to the Priests living in the time of Malachi and not to today’s church!

According to scripture, the only way to tithe properly is to bring a TENTH of food produce and livestock from WITHIN the land of Israel and take them to the place God had instructed, to be collected by the priests ALONE. There is no scripture that tells us to tithe money! Because there is no physical temple and not Priests (descendants of Levy and not Clergymen) it is impossible to tithe today.

Your idea of tithing properly sounds like some kind of new age religion and not Christianity because we cannot find that in the bible. Besides, if you ask me, the way the tithe is preached kinda suggests that those who promote it actually do it because of personal gain and not because they love God. The promise of extra wealth makes the doctrine so alluring.

In today’s church we are encouraged to share what we have with the brethren as well as give what we can afford. Your take on the tithe is most certainly unscriptural.

Scripture can be interpreted 10,000 different ways. And it has been.

I view the concept of tithing somewhat differently than you do. But I appreciate your take. The way I look at it, honor Source. God likes prayers but he takes checks too ;)

Ryan, there is ONLY ONE interpretation of the True Word of God. But there are many APPLICATIONS.