Tithing - Is It Scriptural for New Covenant Believers? - part 2
The Law and all the commandments given by God to the Hebrew people were given with a conditional promise of great blessings from God, if the Laws were fully and completely abided by. The Laws covered every aspect for living, including tithing, care of the Levite priesthood and release from debt, not borrowing anything, including money, and so on. It spoke of the yearly issues, and three year and even seven year requirements, and caring for the poor.
After receiving the tithes from the Israelites, the priests in turn were required to also give ten percent of what was given to them.[*9] [Nu18:21-28] Every third year the tithe was to be reserved as a festival tithe and everything brought for the Levites was shared so strangers, orphans, widows and the poor could come and eat and be content [*10][De 14:27-29; 15:1-7; 26:12-15, etc] In fact, the one festival and related tithes was provided for the people to go and spend the tithe on purchasing anything they lusted after or desired, by commandment of God.[*11] [De 12:15, 20, 21; 14:26]
Malachi 3, which so many use to attempt to prove Christians are to tithe, is found to be misquoted by many. All of Israel was cursed, [*18] [3:9], and God rebuked the Levites [*19] [1:6, 10-13, 2:1,7,8] who, while mistreating God's people, were not putting the tithe that they were commanded to also give, into the storehouse of the Temple. Rather, they were keeping the tithe for themselves.
Nehemiah 10:38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. 39 For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.
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The erroneous idea that every Israelite gave ten per cent of his dollar income and therefore each Christian should do likewise, is based on faulty scholarship. Tithing was only turned into money if a person had to travel too far with their commodities, and there were in fact, several tithes. There was redemption money, to be paid at the fixed rate of five shekels a head, for the first-born of man or beast, and a levy for spoils of war.[*12] [Nu 18:14-19; Le 27:5; Nu 31:25-47] In Leviticus 27:30-33, it is noted a penalty existed if one did not wish to pay his tithe in agricultural produce, and decided to give money as a substitute. That person was penalized and had to add a fifth part of the estimated value to the amount he paid. Those that are claiming the "required 10% tithe" as from the Law, and therefore of their money, are in total disregard to this Law concerning the tithe. In fact if a person had less than ten cattle born to him in a given year, they were exempt from the tithe that year.[*13] [Le 27:32] God cared for the poor and all His people.
