Scriptures: Ex. 23:19; Num. 15:20-21; Gen. 28:22; Lev. 27:30-32, 34; Malachi 3:6-11
Introduction:
This is part 2 of my series on “Godly Financial Management” and this morning I will focus on “Paying God” from an Old Testament viewpoint. Next week I will focus on this from a New Testament viewpoint.
There are many people who believe that they do not need to give their money to the Church because it is actually going into the pocket of the preacher. Others believe that they should handle all of their other financial responsibilities and then, if anything is left over, give to God out of what is left. Every one of you sitting here today or reading this message via email knows that we have a responsibility to give to the Church so I am not going to waste time trying to convince you to do that. However what I am going to do is try to ensure that Scripturally you have the documentation you need in order to make the best decision possible as it relates to how you choose to give to God from your abundance. As I’ve stated before, if we consider “paying God” as part of our annual budget then we will discipline ourselves to live off less. Let’s start with what God says about giving the first fruit.
I. The First Fruit
On Thursday evening during bible study we had the opportunity to play a short game of monopoly. As each team passed “Go” they were given the opportunity to tithe off of their earning. Each team, at every opportunity, decided as a team that they would pay their tithe each time they received a paycheck. One team even decided to give an offering over and above their tithes. This generosity could have been because it was a team effort and it was monopoly money. I truly believe that many Christians would choose to pay their tithes “if they believed that they could” but are in such dire financial straits that they cannot see themselves giving that kind of money to a Church. There are also many Christians who because of their spending habits cannot afford to pay their tithes – in their minds. I say this because many people who don’t tithe somehow find the money they need when they wish to do the things they like to do as in going out to dinner, movies or going on vacations. Then there are those who actually pay their tithes and stop. That is as much as they are willing to give even though they could give more. What I want us to understand is that paying God is important and the tithe is the starting point, not the end. Let me start with what God said in the Old Testament about giving of the first fruits. Let’s begin with Exodus 23:19.
"You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God……" (Exodus 23:19a) (NASB)
Here is what is recorded in Numbers 15:20-21.
"From the first of your dough you shall lift up a cake as an offering; as the offering of the threshing floor so you shall lift it up. From the first of your dough you shall give to the Lord an offering throughout your generations.” (Num. 15:20-21)
In the Old Testament, in acknowledgement of the fact that the land and all of its products were the gift of God to Israel, and in thankfulness for His bounty, all of the first fruits were offered to God. These were offered in their natural state (fruits, grapes, cereals) or after preparation (musk, oil, flour or dough). After they gave their first fruits, the Israelites were at liberty to use the rest. This was their practice and it was carried forth for many generations. After you give what is due to God you can do with the rest what you will, but here is the thing: I believe that after we give God His He shows us how to maximize what we have left. Whatever they received from their labor down to that of making dough, they gave an offering to God of the first fruit, not of what was left over. In other words they gave God His first and then they decided how to use the rest. This is the mindset that we should take – give God His first and live off the rest. In their practice of giving God their first fruits two things were addressed; acknowledgement and thanksgiving. The Israelites understood that everything they received, from their fruit to the dough from which they made their bread was from God. In their giving to God from their first fruits (fruit meaning anything they received) they were acknowledging that God was their source. Because they understood that God was their source, they did not mind giving back to Him of what He had provided for them; especially since He would continue to provide more.
The second thing that stands out in their practice of giving to God of their first fruits was their thankfulness. They were truly thankful for what they received, so much so that the first thing they did was give an offering to the one who made it possible for them to have what they have. Also, their thankfulness was very sincere. When the Israelites gave to God of their first fruits they were assured that the remaining fruit would be blessed and plentiful for what they needed. Although they could do with it what they pleased, they knew they were walking in God's blessings. Let’s move on to the tithes.
II. The Tithe
The word “tithe” literally means a “tenth part.” Many ancient cultures (including the Egyptians and Syrians) practiced tithing in some form. Israel was merely one among many ancient Near Eastern people who tithed their property, produce, or currency. Despite the parallel between the different cultures, none of the other tithing systems is as defined or as specific as Israel’s. The motive for Israel’s tithing (and subsequently ours) was love of other Israelites. Genesis 14:18-20 indicates that long before Israel became a nation, Abram and the high priest Melchizedek were well aware of the practice of tithing (Abram paid a tithe to Melchizedek). Jacob later made the following vow in Genesis 28:22: “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to you.” Notice he said he would give God a tenth of everything that God gave him? Jacob’s vow to tithe all of the increase that God would give him was predicated upon the supposition that God would care for him and prosper his way; the Lord would be Jacob’s God, and he would give a tenth to confirm that fact. The tithe went to support “God’s house.” Let’s examine Leviticus 27:30-34.
Leviticus 27:30-32, 34 says “Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. For every tenth part of heard or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord…..These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai.” These verses give the theological basis for bringing the Lord’s tithe: it belongs to the Lord and is holy to Him. Implied is the fact that it is the Lord who produces, owns, and distributes the wealth of the land. Numbers 18:21-32 identifies the Levites as those who were to receive the tithe in return for their service in the tent meeting. The Levites in turn were to tithe the best of their tithe to the house of the Lord, specifically to the priest as represented by Aaron. The Levites were then free to eat the nine-tenths remaining wherever they wished. These tithes were not to be treated lightly, for Israel was to be a holy people, exclusively following their God’s instruction.
Deuteronomy chapter fourteen records the following: “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year…..If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.” (Deut. 14:22, 24-25) What this addresses is the fact that if the person could not bring their tithes to the place God chooses because the distance was too great (the food would spoil on the journey, etc) then the person was to sell it and then bring the money. What is most interesting is that the giving of the tithe to the Lord was a time of celebration, not a time for mourning what you could not buy because you were giving your money to the Church. In the third year the tithe was to be laid up in the towns of Israel (v. 28) and was to be eaten by the Levite, sojourner, widow, and orphan (v. 29). The giving of the tithe afforded the Israelites the opportunity to remember God’s blessings, as He had remembered them, and to imitate their God’s care for the slaves, the poor, orphans, and widows. The tithe demanded that the Israelites serve their God at a significant cost to themselves. In this amazing system of tithing, Israel’s economic became a channel for expressing love to God and love to neighbors.
Let me address something here about taking money made from illegal activity. God did not want people to tithe off money that was made while doing evil. Deuteronomy 23:18 gives one example. It reads: “You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wage of a dog into the house of the Lord your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.” The term “dog” is a Hebrew epithet for a male prostitute. In this verse the direction was given that you could not bring money from these (or similar) activities to God to pay your vow. Several years ago there was a pharmacist here in the metro area who made a lot of money diluting medication for treating cancer. Several patients died as a result of his actions. He had given a lot of money to his Church based on the profits that he’d made. When his actions became public, the Church did the right thing and gave the money back. There are many Churches benefitting from the illegal activities of their members, but this is not God’s will. Let’s go to Nehemiah 10:38.
Nehemiah 10:38 says “The priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.” Remember, the Levites were the priest tribe of the Israelites so they did not receive an inheritance when they got to the Promised Land. Therefore, they lived off the tithes of the people. But the Levites also had to pay a tithe off of what they received. So whenever they received their tithes, they in turn would bring a tithe to the house of God. Let’s go to the most famous Scripture pertaining to tithing that is read most often in Churches, Malachi 3:6-11.
Malachi 3:6-11 says “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” I began reading in verse six because I wanted us to remember that God does not change. When Malachi addresses this issue, the priests were not doing what they were supposed to be doing and the people were following in their footstep. Because God does not change and was faithful to the covenant He had made with Jacob He did not destroy them. God says that they were robbing Him by not bringing their tithes. When you read down to verse eleven, He said that He would rebuke the devourer. How does this play out in our lives? When we were playing monopoly the other night, I had rigged the board with different “life experiences” as the teams went around the board. Some of these experiences included paying $600 for new tires if you landed on certain properties. When God rebukes the devourer on our behalf, we are able to maintain and keep more of what we have because we are faithful to Him. Our cars can be on its last leg and God will maintain it. We might need new tires and God will send someone to help us in our time of need. He helps us to maximize what funds we have left after we give Him what is His. I am not telling you what I have heard, I am telling you what I have witnessed, even in my own life.
But before I close this message this morning I want to share this personal testimonial with you about tithing. I have shared this before, but some of you may not have heard it. At one point while we were younger my father worked 4 different jobs in order to provide for us. He was a blue-collar laborer. He had a wife and five kids depending on him. During this time he worked at our hospital as an orderly; served in the National Guard; and cleaned two different buildings. Money was always tight in our family and there were many days when we did not have enough. At some point my mother had a conversation with my father about tithing. He told me that she told him that this was something that they needed to do. My mother grew up in a minister’s home so she was very familiar with this principle, especially what was recorded in Malachi the third chapter verses ten and eleven. My father gave in and began to tithes. We had less to live on, but he decided that is my mother believed this strongly, he would walk in her faith in this. God proved to my father to be true to his word. His jobs did not change immediately, but he always had enough to take care of us. God helped him maximize what he had left after he paid his tithes! He eventually went to work for General Electric and that job provided enough for us where he did not have to keep the other jobs (although he stayed in the guard because he enjoyed it.) My father told me that after he began to tithe it seems like things began to work out and change for him. When my father became ill and could no longer attend Church he made sure that his tithes made it there. My parents were my living example of what it means to place my faith in God’s ability to provide for me and my family. I was a living witness to what God did when my father started paying his tithes and placing his faith in God to provide for us.
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,’ says the Lord of Hosts.”
Next week I will continue this message as we will focus on “Paying God” from a New Testament perspective. Have a blessed week this week.
