The Tithe is Holy to the Lord
The tithe undoubtedly is ordained
by the Lord and it is holy to Him, for it is stated in no uncertain terms that;
“All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of
the tree is the Lord's. It is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus
27:30).
But who receives the tithe, and
what is the rationale for tithing? The tithe as it is clearly stated in scriptures
is for the individual to come before the Lord and rejoice before Him with his
household on the Lord’s appointed festivals, to worship the Lord in the beauty
of holiness. For thus it is written; “You shall truly tithe all the increase of
your grain that the field produces year by year, and you shall eat before the
Lord you God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe
of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the first-lings of your herds
and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord you God always.’
“And if the journey is too long
for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, when the Lord your God
blesses you, because the place is too far for you, which the Lord your God
chooses, to set His name there, then you shall turn it into money and bind up
the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses,
and spend that money for whatever you desire, for oxen, or sheep, for wine or
strong drink, whatever your appetite craves; and you shall eat there before the
Lord your God, and rejoice, you and your household. And you shall not forsake
the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with
you” (Deuteronomy
14: 22-27).
Clearly there is no ambiguity or
misunderstandings concerning who the tithe is for, and how it is to be spent.
Even on the third year which is designated as the year of tithing, the
rationale and objective of the tithe is basically the same. It is for; “The
Levites, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner,
the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat
and be filled; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your
hands that you do” (Deuteronomy 14: 28-29).
Therefore, tithing, which is ten
percent of an individual's income or provisions are for the individual/s to
present themselves and their household before the Lord on His appointed
festivals to worship and rejoice before Him. Therefore, worship service in the
true sense of the word, is a holy assembly ordained by God, specifically for
His holy people, to be observed on His appointed holy days, to offer to Him His
food for His holy offerings, and to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness
free from defilement, and to stand in awe of Him and take delight in Him and
rejoice, by the proper use of His holy things which are His tithes and
offerings, on His holy days in order to honor and glorify Him.
The use of the tithe is for the
individual to honor and give glory to the Lord by coming before Him and rejoice
with his household, the Levites, the fatherless, and the widows at the Lord's
appointed feasts. We rob God not by failing to give the tithe to the church,
but by failing to save the tithe in order to appear before the Lord, on His appointed
feasts to rejoice before Him, and honor Him with the proper use of the tithe,
and those attending these festivals, are required to present a freewill
offering as an expression of gratitude for the blessings which they have
received from the Lord.
For it is written; “Three times a
year all males shall appear before the Lord your God in the place which He
chooses, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost),
and at the Feast of Tabernacles, and they shall not appear before the Lord
empty handed. Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of
the Lord your God which He has given you” (Deuteronomy 16:16-17).
The tithe except for the third
year, which is the year of tithing should not be claimed by any church or
organization, what should be given to the church according to the law of
tithing is a heave offering, which is ten percent of the tithe, and the first
fruit of one’s increase for we are to honor the Lord with our possessions, and
with the first-fruits of all our increase.
Not giving the tithe which is
holy to the Lord to a church or organization is not the way one robs God: for
thus says the Lord; “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will
testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not reprove you for your
sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not
take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds, for every beast of
the forest is Mine, and a cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of
the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.’
“If I were hungry, I would not
tell you; for the world is mine, and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of
bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanks-giving, and pay your
vows to the Most High, call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you,
and you shall glorify Me.” The same principle applies to money for thus says
the Lord of hosts; “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine” (Psalms
50:7-15; Haggai 2:8).
Yes! God is robbed of His honor
and glory, when we fail to come to rejoice before Him, and by not making the
proper use of the tithe which He has ordained for our rejoicing, for thus says
the Lord; “… You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your
daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite, the sojourner, the
fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall
keep the feast to the Lord your God at the place which the Lord will choose;
because the Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the
work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice” (Deuteronomy
16:15) .
The sad thing is that the
majority of those clamoring for the Lord's tithe are not even observing and
honoring the Lord's annual festivals, their main objective is to satisfy their
own personal and self- aggrandizement, what a shame.
To be continued, stay tuned
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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