What is a tithe, anyway?
(Going through some files looking for the title to one of our cars (oh, the joys of moving!), I came across this article I wrote back in 2004 while I was Council President of PEAK Community Church. Sometimes, we forget the biblical basis for tithing (that is, regularly giving to the church a percentage of income) and need reminding. My apologies for the extended length of this posting....)
A long time ago, in a land far away, a peculiar people returned to their wasted homeland – wasted from war and destruction, wasted from sin. This land we now call the Holy Land, was far from holy. It had been neglected by the Israelites and became a place where pagans lived in place of God’s holy people. Over the span of two centuries, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were conquered, scattered, and assimilated into other cultures until God held the land in a state of rest – awaiting the Jews’ return.
Once again, God showed His perfect love, grace, and mercy to those not deserving. Just as He shows His love to us now through His Son, so He showed His love to the returning Jews. They were but a remnant – a focused, passionate band of those willing to give up all they had known (for they had been away in exile for many years) so that they could return to the land given them by God.
Against great opposition, God enabled them under the direction of Zerubbabel, an earthly ancestor of the Messiah, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the altar and the temple of the LORD. Later, through the leadership of Nehemiah, a cup-bearer to the King of Persia, they were able to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem under even greater opposition than before. After the wall was rebuilt and the people were settled in the land, they returned to the temple to hear the reading of God’s Law – His Living Word. From the words they heard, the people were cut to the heart and mourned for their sins as well as the sins of their fathers and their fathers before them. In their repentance, they vowed to remain a holy people.
As a holy people, they also vowed that the best of what they produced would be given to God first. These are called firstfruits. As an agricultural society, their economy was based on what the people could grow or raise – crops or cattle. By giving to God the first and best of everything they had, they set Him above all else while recognizing, by giving to Him, that without the LORD nothing could be produced or gained. (John 15:5)
They showed by their actions that when they said, “the LORD is One” (Deut. 6:4) – they meant it.
In some ways, we are like that ragged remnant. Saved from sin, declaring that our lives will be lived and spent as a living sacrifice to the Almighty, we, too, are to give God our firstfruits. Not because we have to – but because we want to. Because He first loved us, we want to love Him and show Him our love with the very best of our time, our talent, and our treasure – which, in other words, is our income.
The word firstfruit is often connected with and used synonymously with the word tithe. A tithe, which means a tenth, may be modeled after the tenth that Jacob committed to God on oath (Gen. 28:22). Indeed, even earlier in history, the firstfruit was introduced by Abel as he pleased God with the fat of the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4).
So, you may be asking (or afraid to ask) “what are firstfruits today?”
I will share with you where God has led me. I believe we should give to God through His church starting at 10% of our gross income – before taxes or anything our employer may take before paying us. Then, by faith in God’s miraculous power, we can give even more to Him by supporting Missionaries, Godly charities and services, and the like. These are offerings over and above the tithe – as God’s Word separates the two (Malachi 3:8-12).
Many of you may be thinking, “how am I expected to do that?” It may seem incredibly difficult to lead a Godly life, let alone afford to live at all. True, life can be expensive – especially these days. And, for some of us, the more mouths to feed, the more onerous the job becomes.
Brothers and sisters, I have good news for all of us. We serve a God who understands what it means to live in hardship and knows exactly the challenge you face. And, like the Israelites so long ago, when we come to Him in faith, He provides exactly what we need, when we need it – no more, no less, not early, not late – just right, right on time. We know that we can do nothing without Him – even giving our tithes and offerings.
For those of you who have already embraced the awesomeness of tithing to God, this may be a good time to review why you’re tithing. This will help ensure that your tithe comes cheerfully out of the joy for what God has given you through His Son. For those who need a path to get to a full tithe – your pure firstfruits – here are some helpful steps.
1) Pray that God open your heart to the possibility and joy of a full, consistent, and regular tithe.
2) Read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and the story I describe in this posting – specifically Neh. 10:35-39. Seek to understand the hardships and opposition the returning Israelites faced yet still tithed.
3) Read the other referenced scriptures.
4) Pray that God reveal to you how you may be able to fully tithe your income to the LORD through His church, the body of Christ.
5) Repeat steps 1-4 until you have established the foundation of a regular tithe.
I praise God that we serve the One who through the blood of the eternal covenant, gave us His Son, Jesus, our great Eternal Shepherd. May God bless you as you pursue His good pleasure.
Your brother and servant of Christ Jesus, our Messiah,
greg
A long time ago, in a land far away, a peculiar people returned to their wasted homeland – wasted from war and destruction, wasted from sin. This land we now call the Holy Land, was far from holy. It had been neglected by the Israelites and became a place where pagans lived in place of God’s holy people. Over the span of two centuries, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were conquered, scattered, and assimilated into other cultures until God held the land in a state of rest – awaiting the Jews’ return.
Once again, God showed His perfect love, grace, and mercy to those not deserving. Just as He shows His love to us now through His Son, so He showed His love to the returning Jews. They were but a remnant – a focused, passionate band of those willing to give up all they had known (for they had been away in exile for many years) so that they could return to the land given them by God.
Against great opposition, God enabled them under the direction of Zerubbabel, an earthly ancestor of the Messiah, to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the altar and the temple of the LORD. Later, through the leadership of Nehemiah, a cup-bearer to the King of Persia, they were able to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem under even greater opposition than before. After the wall was rebuilt and the people were settled in the land, they returned to the temple to hear the reading of God’s Law – His Living Word. From the words they heard, the people were cut to the heart and mourned for their sins as well as the sins of their fathers and their fathers before them. In their repentance, they vowed to remain a holy people.
As a holy people, they also vowed that the best of what they produced would be given to God first. These are called firstfruits. As an agricultural society, their economy was based on what the people could grow or raise – crops or cattle. By giving to God the first and best of everything they had, they set Him above all else while recognizing, by giving to Him, that without the LORD nothing could be produced or gained. (John 15:5)
They showed by their actions that when they said, “the LORD is One” (Deut. 6:4) – they meant it.
In some ways, we are like that ragged remnant. Saved from sin, declaring that our lives will be lived and spent as a living sacrifice to the Almighty, we, too, are to give God our firstfruits. Not because we have to – but because we want to. Because He first loved us, we want to love Him and show Him our love with the very best of our time, our talent, and our treasure – which, in other words, is our income.
The word firstfruit is often connected with and used synonymously with the word tithe. A tithe, which means a tenth, may be modeled after the tenth that Jacob committed to God on oath (Gen. 28:22). Indeed, even earlier in history, the firstfruit was introduced by Abel as he pleased God with the fat of the firstborn of his flock (Gen. 4:4).
So, you may be asking (or afraid to ask) “what are firstfruits today?”
I will share with you where God has led me. I believe we should give to God through His church starting at 10% of our gross income – before taxes or anything our employer may take before paying us. Then, by faith in God’s miraculous power, we can give even more to Him by supporting Missionaries, Godly charities and services, and the like. These are offerings over and above the tithe – as God’s Word separates the two (Malachi 3:8-12).
Many of you may be thinking, “how am I expected to do that?” It may seem incredibly difficult to lead a Godly life, let alone afford to live at all. True, life can be expensive – especially these days. And, for some of us, the more mouths to feed, the more onerous the job becomes.
Brothers and sisters, I have good news for all of us. We serve a God who understands what it means to live in hardship and knows exactly the challenge you face. And, like the Israelites so long ago, when we come to Him in faith, He provides exactly what we need, when we need it – no more, no less, not early, not late – just right, right on time. We know that we can do nothing without Him – even giving our tithes and offerings.
For those of you who have already embraced the awesomeness of tithing to God, this may be a good time to review why you’re tithing. This will help ensure that your tithe comes cheerfully out of the joy for what God has given you through His Son. For those who need a path to get to a full tithe – your pure firstfruits – here are some helpful steps.
1) Pray that God open your heart to the possibility and joy of a full, consistent, and regular tithe.
2) Read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah and the story I describe in this posting – specifically Neh. 10:35-39. Seek to understand the hardships and opposition the returning Israelites faced yet still tithed.
3) Read the other referenced scriptures.
4) Pray that God reveal to you how you may be able to fully tithe your income to the LORD through His church, the body of Christ.
5) Repeat steps 1-4 until you have established the foundation of a regular tithe.
I praise God that we serve the One who through the blood of the eternal covenant, gave us His Son, Jesus, our great Eternal Shepherd. May God bless you as you pursue His good pleasure.
Your brother and servant of Christ Jesus, our Messiah,
greg
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