“I’M CUTTING BACK MY TITHE”
DEUTERONOMY 12:1-14
I would like to spend this week and next week looking at the issue of money. All of us deal with money as an aspect of our lives. The Bible has much to say about money and how we should treat it. The Bible has much to say about the mistreatment of money and what affects that mistreatment has on our lives. Our attitudes about money affect how we spend it and how we value it. You might be a spender or perhaps you are a saver. You may waffle between the two and penny pinch for a while to afford a big purchase. The point is, we all deal with money and we all have an attitude about money.
Money brought into the church and placed in the offering plate has several names. Offering. Tithes. Alms. Gifts. Sacrifices. God speaks about tithing in His word. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” Further verses in Leviticus 27 record that a tithe is a tenth given to the Lord. It is that tithe and our attitudes about tithing that I wish to talk about today. Given that I have only two weeks in which to talk about this subject… I wish to cut to the chase. Let’s be real and let’s be honest and let’s let God speak to our hearts.
READ DEUTERONOMY 12:1-14
This passage is an odd choice I think, to speak about tithes and offerings. I would like to share what I see in this passage as it relates to tithes and offerings.
The very first thing that this passage discusses is honoring God. Verse 1 speaks of a God who has given laws and commands to be followed and also a God who has given land to these people. The odd thing about this land is that it is already occupied. Other people occupied the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The people of Israel were coming out of slavery in Egypt and were going to take back the land promised to them.
This required them to honor God. How? Verse 1 tells us that they were to follow the laws and commands of God. Verse 2 tells us that when they conquered a particular place, they were to destroy the ‘high places’ and the places where the other people worshipped their false gods. God wanted all traces of this idolatry wiped away. Numbers 33:55 reminds us why God is telling them such things, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.” After the death of Joshua, an angel of the Lord came to Israel and spoke and says the same things in Judges 2:3, “Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.” Verse 4 of Deuteronomy 12 tells us that our God wants to be worshipped in a certain manner and they were to follow that way.
God is speaking to the people and sees that they need an anchor to hold their faith to Him. He does not want them drifting away in the tides of life. He does not want the people around Israel to entice them to do evil and to disobey Him. He wants them to be faithful. Do you want to be faithful to God? Is that a word that you want to describe your life? I hope it is. Abraham is called faithful (Nehemiah 9:8). Moses is called faithful (Numbers 12:7). Samuel is called faithful (1 Samuel 2:35). King Hezekiah was called faithful (2 Chronicles 31:20). I would hope that someday God might use that word to describe me… faithful. I hope I am. I hope I follow him with an earnest heart and a faithful attitude. Do you want to be faithful to God?
God tells the Israelites how to be faithful to Him in this passage. In verse 5, they are told to seek out the place where God would put His name and where His dwelling would be built. Would there be a place where a ‘dwelling for God’ would be built? Would there be a capital city? We know of course that Jerusalem becomes the center of all this and King Solomon in fact builds the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 5-8). God wants a central place where they will worship. Part of that worship is explained in verses 6 and 7 of Deuteronomy 12. What is to be part of their worship?
* Giving of offerings
* Eating and fellowship
* Rejoicing in the Lord
God is very specific. In fact, verse 8 and verse 13 contain a warning that they were not to just do as they please with their worship and offerings and fellowship. God tells them that this will all take place when they have taken possession of what was promised. 12:10 promises that the people of Israel would cross the Jordan River and would take possession of the land promised to Abraham. We know this happened. You can read about it in the Book of Joshua. We know that the people struggled to oust those in the land. You can read about this in the Book of Judges. We know that Jerusalem became part of Israel (Judges 1) and that David ruled Judah and Israel from this city (2 Samuel 5:5).
Isn’t it wonderful that we serve a God who has kept all of His promises? Joshua 21:45 (and 23:14) says, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Psalm 119:140 says, “Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.” Jesus is the greatest fulfillment of any promise that God made. The Apostle Paul saw that and said, “I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs” (Romans 15:8). We serve a God who makes promises and keeps promises.
So what have we seen in this passage?
Verse 1: There are laws and commands given by God that are to be obeyed.
Verses 2-3: Destroy idols.
Verse 4: Worship God in the manner in which He commands.
Verses 5-6: God will make a specific place to worship and give your offerings to God in this place.
Verse 7: Eat and rejoice because God has blessed you.
Verse 8: Do as God wants and not as you want.
Verses 9-13: God’s promises will in fact come true.
Verse 13-14: Do as God wants and not as you want and honor God with your worship.
Does that summarize the passage well for you? I hope so because I want to talk about an attitude that I have heard in the church about tithes and I want to relate it to this passage. It seems to surface every time there is a change. I heard it when we tried the TV commercials in the Evangelism Ministry. I heard it when the church has made some purchases that were odd or purchases that were not widely popular. I heard it most recently concerning the arrival of the daycare in the church.
The attitude is: ‘I’m cutting back my tithe.’
The reason for this attitude is obvious I think. Perhaps something is going on in the church that is troubling or is embarking on unknown terrain. Perhaps the minister or other leader in the church has done something or said something to offend you. Perhaps you feel like by withholding your tithes that eventually certain people will get the idea that you are displeased… sort of a covert strike.
The attitude is: ‘I’m cutting back my tithe.’
The passage that we talked about today speaks of honoring God. Is that attitude honoring to God?
This passage that we have looked at today speaks of faithfulness. Is that attitude one of a faithful person?
The passage that we have studied today speaks of rejoicing because of what God has done in our lives. How will rejoicing be accomplished with this attitude?
Deuteronomy 12 is quite clear in that it understands tithes and offerings as part of worshipping God. When Moses led the people in the desert for 40 years, do you think they withheld their tithes? If the manna tasted a little off certain days, do you think they withheld their tithes? When Moses picked Joshua to succeed him and not someone else, do you think they withheld their tithes? No, because their tithes had absolutely nothing to do with any of that. Tithing has everything to do with God and nothing to do with anything else. I hope and pray that this makes sense to you. This ‘I’m cutting back my tithe’ attitude is not faithful. This attitude is self-centered and it means you are directing your money to people and a man-made institution and not to God. Our tithes and offerings have absolutely nothing to do with this church or the carpet color or a daycare or an air conditioner or anything else. It has to do with God! It has to do with who HE is! It has to do with what Jesus has done in your life!
CONCLUSION
* This sermon may have nothing to do with you. If that be the case, pray that your attitudes about giving and tithes honor God.
* This sermon may have hit you between the eyes. If that be the case, repent and sin no more.
