Swindon Elim

What is tithing?

Both Wikipedia - the on-line encyclopaedia - and the Oxford English Dictionary give similar definitions: A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a voluntary contribution usually to support a religious organization. In the Middle Ages, most people worked on the land. A farmer would give a tenth of his crops or a tenth of his increase in livestock to the church. Some villages have tithe barns where the tithe of the agricultural economy would be stored. In today's economy, we would usually give 10% of our income to the church.

Is the giving of a tithe an Old Testament concept?

Absolutely. Tithing is firmly grounded in the Old Testament! But we are now under Grace and not under the Law. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Yes, we are under the Grace of God and no longer under the Law of Moses. Of that there is no doubt.

The problem with John 1:17 is that it has nothing whatsoever to do with tithing. Why not? The bible and other ancient non-Biblical texts speak of tithing long before Moses was even a twinkle in his great, great, great grandfather's eye!

Tell me more!! Abram (later honoured by God with a change of name to Abraham) lived about 400 years before Moses. He (Abram) gave a tithe to Melchizedek. Who? Melchizedek is a bit of an enigmatic figure - there is little written about him, but what there is can be mind-blowing! He and Abram had a brief meeting. Genesis 14:18-20 gives an account of their meeting: Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Who was Melchizedek? First, his name means King of righteousness (Hebrews 7:2) Second, we read that he was King of Salem - King of Peace (also Hebrews 7:2) Third, He was priest of God Most High Fourth, he blessed Abram in the Name of God Most High.

So what's mind-blowing about it? The answer is in Psalm 110, one of the many Psalms of David. The Psalm is generally regarded as Messianic. In the Psalm, King David writes under the anointing of the Holy Spirit of the coming of the Messiah or Christ. This perception of the Psalm as being Messianic is confirmed by the apostle Peter in Acts 2:29-36. In his speech to the gathered crowds on the day of Pentecost, Peter was firmly of the mind that Jesus and Melchizedek were, if not one and the same, at least similar in character and ministry. Speaking of Jesus, Peter quoted Psalm 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Why should I believe that Melchizedek and the Lord Jesus Christ are probably one and the same? The answer lies in Hebrews 7:3 - Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like [or in the same way as Jesus is] the Son of God he [Melchizedek] remains a priest forever.

In effect Peter is saying that Melchizedek was, at the time of Abram, God's representative on earth in the same way as the Lord Jesus Christ is now God's representative on earth. As the tithe Abram gave to Melchizedek was prior to the Law of Moses, it trans-cends or surpasses the Law, and is therefore a principle that exists for all time, even more so seeing that we are now under Grace. Hebrews 4:14 says There-fore, since we have a Great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God..... If it was right for Abram to give tithes to Melchizedek (being priest of God Most High), it is also right to give tithes to Jesus, He being our Great High Priest.

What do the Gospels say about tithing?

Not a great deal. But that does not imply that tithing is no longer relevant. By and large tithing was no longer practiced in Jesus' day. The attitude of the Pharisees had probably put off many of the ordinary people from tithing. However, there is evidence that tithing was considered important amongst the Jewish leaders. For example Jesus spoke sharply to the leaders: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth [a tithe] of your spices - mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (Matthew 23:23). Here, Jesus was chastising the Pharisees for their attention to the detail of the law concerning tithing, yet forgetting about the more important aspects of life: justice and the love of God.

Notice His final comment: practice justice but don't forget to tithe.

Compare that with the admiration he gave to those who gave freely, especially a widow: As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on". (Luke 21:1-4)

Jesus didn't praise her for the amount she gave. His praise was reserved for her sense of loyalty to God and the love for Him that motivated her to give generously from her very limited resources. She gave 10 times a tithe - all she had to live on. Giving is important

That reminds me of an event in the life of Elijah. 1 Kings 17 tells of a widow in the town of Zarephath. Much of the region was experiencing a major drought, and all the widow had left was a small amount of oil and flour. She was ready to bake her last loaf and with no more food she and her son were ready to meet their Maker. Enter Elijah. Recognising he was a man sent from God, the widow gave him the small amount of food she was preparing. This is remarkable. She was a woman outside the covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Yet she knew the greatness of Elijah's God. When she gave, God returned the gift. Her jar of oil and the sack of flour never ran out until the drought and famine was over.

Read the story closely and you will see that she gave not to receive back, but she gave because of the promise to her that she and her son would always have bread. She believed Elijah's promise. What promise can we receive as a result of our giving? That God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). The Christians at Philippi had given generously to support the Apostle Paul. He promised them that owing to their generosity, God would be generous towards them for their needs (not their wants).

I'm still not sure tithing is right. I need more convincing.

I expect everyone reading this will believe that the Bible is true. The Apostle Paul certainly believed so. He wrote this to Timothy: All Scripture is inspired by God. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right (2 Timothy 3:16 New Living Translation). When Moses wrote down the early history of the world as recorded in Genesis, the Spirit of God moved him to include the account of Abram giving a tithe to Melchizedek (as described on page 1). If tithing had no relevance, the Spirit of God would not have moved Moses to tell of Abram and Melchizedek. As God is unchanging, the conclusion to be drawn from this event in Abram's life is that tithing today is part of God's plan to ensure the church - both locally and internationally - has the financial means to fulfil its mission. It is equally important today as it was in Abram's day.

If it was right for Abram to give tithes to Melchizedek, how much more right is it for us to give tithes to the Lord Jesus Christ who is greater than Melchizedek.

To read more on the practical aspects of tithing, please click here.