Hey John:
 
I'm giving a sermon on tithing tonight and I though maybe you'd like to post it.  Here it is!
 
Yitz!
 

Tithing

 

 

What is the Tithe?

 

Deuteronomy 14: 22-23

22Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
 23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Leviticus 27:31-33 (King James Version)

31And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
 32And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
 33He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Deuteronomy 12

 1These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.
 2Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
 3And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
 4Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
 5But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
 6And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
 7And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
 8Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.
 9For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.
 10But when ye go over Jordan , and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
 11Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:
 12And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.
 13Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
 14But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

Who gets the Tithe?

 

Numbers 18:23-25 (King James Version)

23But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
 24But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
 Why Should I Tithe?

Deuteronomy 26:11-13 (King James Version)

11And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
 12When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
 13Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

 

 

What does tithing do?

 

2 Chronicles 31:4-18

 4Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD.
 5And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.
 6And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid them by heaps.
 7In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month.
 8And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel .
 9Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps.
 10And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.
 11Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them,
 12And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite was ruler, and Shimei his brother was the next.
 13And Jehiel, and Azaziah, and Nahath, and Asahel, and Jerimoth, and Jozabad, and Eliel, and Ismachiah, and Mahath, and Benaiah, were overseers under the hand of Cononiah and Shimei his brother, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king, and Azariah the ruler of the house of God.
 14And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the LORD, and the most holy things.
 15And next him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their set office, to give to their brethren by courses, as well to the great as to the small:
 16Beside their genealogy of males, from three years old and upward, even unto every one that entereth into the house of the LORD, his daily portion for their service in their charges according to their courses;
 17Both to the genealogy of the priests by the house of their fathers, and the Levites from twenty years old and upward, in their charges by their courses;
 18And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:

Nehemiah 10:32-39

32Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;
 33For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel (just communion), and for all the work of the house of our God. (Church Budget?)
 34And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law: (Cast lots for who got to do what…)
 35And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:
 36Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:
 37And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
 38And 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. (Priests cut is a tenth of the church’s take)
 39For 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.

What does the New Testament Say about Tithing?

 

Having stuff makes the world long for their stuff – not The Lord!:

 

Mark 10:22  (King James Version) 22And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

 

Matthew 19:22  (King James Version) 22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

 

What did the New Testament believers do:

 

Acts 2:44-46 (King James Version) 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

This coincides with OT :

 

2 Chronicles 31:10 - 10And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.

 

2 Chronicles 31:18And to the genealogy of all their little ones, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, through all the congregation: for in their set office they sanctified themselves in holiness:

 

 

Deuteronomy 26:13 

13Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.

 

What did James say was “Pure Religion?”

 

James 1:26-27 (King James Version)

26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
 27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.  Does a pat on the back help orphans or widows?  No, food, blankets, and money help. 

The Church Today has as many church members participating in worship as the leaders.  It’s no longer just a tribe of Levites running the church – but the church is it’s own priesthood – of the order of Melchizidek (Hebrews 5:10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec).  Jesus Christ is our Chief high Priest (Hebrews 3:1-6

 1Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
 2Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
 3For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
 4For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
 5And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
 6But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.). 
Therefore, we all share and we all give just like the believers did in Acts 2:44-46.  Our tithes are for The Lord first – not the church, the pastor or his kids, relatives, colleagues, or friends…but to merely BRING HONOR TO THE LORD!  1/10 of that goes to the administrator and the rest goes to the church body – whether for a building- a church vehicle, outreach ministries, investments for grand scale projects, like rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem ….however The Lord leads.  But unless we are tithing, we aren’t even doing what we ought as servants:
Luke 17:7-10 (King James Version)
7But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
 8And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
 9Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.
 10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY?  I’M BROKE!!!
Give what you can.  GIVE YOUR TIME!  Everybody has a skill, talent, calling and are capable of contributing something.
Just put a wholesale price value on what you could do to bless the Lord as a tithe of your time.  For example – how much would it cost to hire a:  maid, teacher, attorney, tutor, marketers, a tailor, a builder, or a caterer?  Budget 4-6 hours per week of your time to give to The Lord:
If you’ve only got two cents to your name, it will not escape The Lord Jesus Christ, our Groom, our Heavenly Spouse:
Mark 12:41 -45 (King James Version)41And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
 42And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
 43And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

Luke 21:1-4

 1And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
 2And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
 3And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
 4For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
 
I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU TO TITHE!!!!!  BELIEVE ON THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN PROMISE….
Malachi 3:9-11 (King James Version)
9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
 10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
How big are the windows of heaven?  Think in the scope of these terms:  FLOODS OF BLESSINGS!
Genesis 7:10-12 (King James Version) 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
 12And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.