What God's word says about the Law of the Tithe:

A Rejoinder to Uncle Charles' "Must Christians Tithe"

Brother Charles, greetings in the name of our Lord Yeshua. God bless you and may His holy face shine upon you.

The Reason I am Writing

I have read your words with interest. I am responding out of duty to those in the body of Christ who will read your piece. Otherwise, I would not even consider writing. Why have I stated this intent for writing? It is because if a man will remain ignorant, any spiritual man knows that it is wisest to let him be ignorant. However, keep it in mind that when you write to members of the body of Christ in the name of 'MY OPINION' (Uncle Charles: Paragraph 17), you are thereby manifesting the truthful expression of Yeshua himself when he said, ?€?A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh' (Luke 6:45). Now, please note that if '[YOUR] OPINION]' does not line up with God's opinion on the matter at hand, then believers in Yeshua who read your piece will have to make a decision about who you are on the basis of what you have brought out of your heart. Secondly, since it is written, "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity? - (Revelation 13:10), you must consider that if your 'OPINION' leads anyone into a captive state of existence, then the law of justice says that you shall go that way as well. I will now proceed to deal with the law of the tithe and its foundations. Brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God be reminded of Apostle James?€? exhortation:

My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation" (James 3:1). If you proclaim to teach the word of God, then your condemnation will be greater when you stumble.

The 'Law' of the Tithe and the 'Law' of Sowing and Reaping

Unknown to some believers is the fact that the establishment of the law of the tithe as well as the practice of giving offerings to God is part of God?€?s wisdom in His design of the earth. This is why wisdom tells us, "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine" (Proverbs 3:9). Often, believers in Yeshua discuss tithing in relation to the Levitic priesthood and therefore dismiss it as relevant to New Testament church teaching. To show the folly in such reasoning, please, first consider that the terms 'Old Testament' and 'New Testament' are human constructs for separating two dispensations of teaching that originate with the God of the Hebrews. In reality though, the word of God is a continuum of the mind of God since the beginning of creation. The word of God tells of God's moral laws, His ideals for civil governance and the histories of His relating to various nations during the course of history. Yeshua (also known as Jesus the "Christ" or anointed one in Greek) is the bodily manifestation of the living God. He is "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). His law on tithing has therefore not changed. In relation to Israel, the spiritual law of tithing actually precedes the formal institution of the services of the Levitic priesthood. Scripture gives several pre-Levitic priesthood accounts of both offering and tithes being given to God. It is written, "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord" (Genesis 4:3).

It is also written, "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram] gave him tithes of all" (Genesis 14:20). These two accounts prove that the mind of God had both the concept of offering and tithes in mind long before the birth of Abram's great-grandson Levi. Please note that the birth of Levi was three generations away from Abram?€?s he was later called Abraham" time on earth.

Having established the previous pre-Levitic truth about offerings and tithes, under grace (the regulating power of the Holy Spirit), I will now proceed to provide some basic definitions. The first: what is a tithe? The word tithe is from the Hebrew/Aramaic ?€?ma`aser?€?. The term means a tenth part. The Hebrew for ten is ?€?asera?€? (there are various transliterations). The English word ?€?tithe?€? is a rendering of the Hebrew idea but actually comes from the old English word teogotha. Since the translation of the word of God is for the purpose of the gospel being preached and taught in all nations, there is a relevant term for ?€?tithe?€? in various cultures. Among the Evhe we say, ?€?nu ewolia?€? (tenth thing) or ?€?akpa ewolia?€? (tenth part). For the record, as is established in scripture, all tithes belong to God. It is written, ?€?And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And 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?€? (Leviticus 27:30-32). Interestingly, some believers in Yeshua have tried to present the argument that tithes are only to be paid on agricultural produce or livestock because of the previous scriptures. The flaw in such thinking is that even the living God knows that money is just a store of value and a medium of exchange. After all, the gold, silver and other precious metals which were used as money during ancient times, and even now, were made by Him with foresight regarding human uses. It should also be known that both ancient Hebrews and Greeks (two nations with spiritually opposed worldviews) had their own monetary systems and associated currencies. If you do not believe me, feel free to find out the difference between a ?€?shekel?€? and a ?€?denarius?€?. Your discovery should testify to the truth I have written about.

The living God is wise. He is wise enough to foresee the tendency of man to fall under inspirations or influences that cause him to do things that are opposite His will (meaning His choices). In that God foresaw these human tendencies; God built the law of tithing and the law of sowing and reaping into the foundational productive systems of the earth. God did this so that if anyone would be willing to obey Him, such a person would experience the blessings that come with obedience. He also did this so that anyone who disobeys would reap their reward for disobedience. This is why the law of the tithe is said to be connected to the law of sowing and reaping. The law of sowing and reaping teaches the following truths:

1. You reap what you sow or according to how you sowed. 2. If you did not sow and you reaped, then it means you stole. 3. If you sowed and did not reap, then it means that either you did not really sow, or that you sowed bad seed, or into bad soil.

Cursed with a Curse for Robbing God?

The prophet Malachi testified against ancient Israel during a period when the nation was rebellious against two spiritual laws that were the bases of both its political and economic system: the law of the tithe and the law of sowing and reaping. It is written, ?€?Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring 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?€? (Malachi 3:8-10).

The question that naturally proceeds from this passage should be: ?€?why does God consider not giving tithes and offerings as having ?€?robbed?€? Him??€? The answer is provided by the psalmist David: ?€?The earth is the Lord?€?s, and the fulness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein?€? (Psalm 24:1). God has a right to glory (meaning a place of esteem) because the physical earth is His by right of His having created it. Secondly, its ?€?fulness?€? or everything that the earth is filled with is also His because divine inspiration is the source of all human creativity whether this is directly or indirectly. Also, the emphasis is that the world (the social system and its elements) and everyone?€?both righteous and wicked classes?€?in the world are His by virtue of His having created them. So then, the living God is unimpressed when so many drink His water, breathe His air, slaughter and eat His animals, use His precious metals and wood?€?and after all of this, they have the nerve to deny Him credit for His benevolence with a simple ?€?thank you?€?. Some even have the nerve to say that He does not exist!

God deserves His glory; His honour or proper place as the originator of all things should be acknowledged properly. After all, even petty man writes a scientific paper and calls it academic fraud when someone uses his ?€?supposed?€? idea without acknowledgement. Petty man records a song and fusses with lawsuits to get even with those who deny him or her credit. In the same way, refusal to tithe robs God of His true place in humanity. It causes some to arrogantly perceive themselves as self-sufficient and without the need to acknowledge God for provision. It permits the wicked to flourish (without acknowledgement of God) and to subdue and have dominion over the earth under the wrong spiritual influence (evil). Just think that North America is ruled by a debt-inflicting mortgage system that encourages many to pay for lands and houses over the course of thirty to forty years of their lives. You think God approves? You really think that He wants parents slaving to the extent of neglecting their children just so that some bank or development corporation can perpetuate its existence? Well that is part of the curse of the social system because most rob God. Ancient Israel?€?s example of land management?€?it was given by the living God?€?was meant to be taught to other nations and is seen from the following verses: ?€?The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine, for ye are strangers and sojourners with me?€? (Leviticus 25:23). To ensure against abuse of one another in land exchanges God also admonished the Hebrew people saying: ?€?And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another?€? (Leviticus 25:14).

God allows the curse of body, soul and spirit to manifest in the lives of those who withhold the tenth from Him. This curse in turn affects man?€?s interaction with His immediate environment. In the case of Adam, his disobedience to God made it so that the land would no longer yield to him the way it usually would if he had not been cursed. In the case of Cain, his choice to offer what was not acceptable to God lead to his cursed state with jealousy and murder following from this. Have you ever considered what was wrong with Cain?€?s offering? I can tell you that it definitely was not a matter of his offering agricultural produce. Agricultural produce can be offered to God. But when you do not offer what God asked for, there are consequences. Hint: the tithe.

Let me provide this detailed account of how the curse of Malachi 3:9 affects body, soul and spirit (the three parts of man). In the body, the curse manifests in various forms such as sickness, disease and bodily weakness. In the soul this manifests as lack of perception or feeling through the five gates: eye gate, ear gate, nose gate, mouth gate and feel gate. The mind (a region of the soul) therefore perceives things in a flawed way and not according to truth. This is what it means to see through ?€?tinted?€? lenses (or be ?€?spiritually blind?€?). Many who twist scripture because of the curse fall into this category. Though they see, they cannot perceive. And though they hear, they cannot understand; this is just as it was in the case of the Pharisees and scribes of Yeshua?€?s day. This is the result of sin but does not have to be just the sin of withholding God?€?s tenth. Uncle Charles, your description of the law of the tithe as it applies to the New Testament dispensation clearly says that you are carnal (as opposed to spiritual). The last manifestation of the curse is that the human spirit (part of man that knows) will be unable to know or accept truth. It will therefore accept man?€?s theories, opinions and ideologies (they are really doctrines of demons) that are contrary to God?€?s truth as truth. It will even use these false ideas to govern self and other members of humanity. Take heed to yourself.

One reason for Christian Division

So you do not believe that a member of the body of Christ can be walking around in a cursed state? Is there such a thing as a carnal-minded Christian? It is written, ?€?For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be?€? (Romans 8:6-7). So are there many who have accepted the gospel of Yeshua but remain in a lifeless and absence-of-peace kind of state? Are there believers in Yeshua who manifest strong dislike against other believers who walk in obedience to God? Are there believers in Yeshua who refuse to be subject to God?€?s word? Well, these are all manifestations of carnality or a hostile mind towards the living God and His truth.

The fact that one has repented of sin, believed in Yeshua unto salvation and received the Holy Spirit does not preclude such a person from behaving like a carnal-minded person who does not know God. You still don?€?t believe me? Then take it from the account of the Apostle Paul, ?€?And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?€? (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). And if after all this you do not believe me, that a Christian?€?someone who has repented of sin, believed unto salvation and received the indwelling of the Spirit of God?€?can be carnal-minded then you may choose to remain ignorant.

The Priestly or Apostolic order of giving

For the record my brethren, in the early church, the priestly order of giving was preserved. Therefore it is written, ?€?Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need' (Acts 4: 34-35). In the second part of my rejoinder, I will proceed to talk about what constitutes the ?€?storehouse?€? in the New Testament church. God bless you.