Tithing and Sacrificial Giving One of the positive things about being a teaching layman, is that I do not make any money doing it. It is very liberating. It also means that what I teach about money and giving is motivated strictly by my desire to educate people on the Bible. I will tell you frankly that the Bible says a lot to me about money, tithing and sacrificial giving. One of the frequent questions I get from people relates to whether or not we must tithe. It is not my job to tell people what to do with their money (I will leave the tough jobs to Pastor Steve J), but here is what drives my giving behaviors based on my biblical study and my relationship with my friend, God. Biblically speaking, we tithe and give sacrificially (alms) for these reasons (as I will develop in the text below): Tithing is how we acknowledge God’s ownership and our stewardship of God’s resources, and how we acknowledge God’s place and provision in our lives. Sacrificial giving (above the tithe) is God’s mechanism to provide for the chronic poor, the orphan, the widow and those who are in short term need. Tithing is how God designed it so that the church and the ministry are funded. Sacrificial giving is and has always been a mechanism for redemption for God’s people – redemption of others and themselves from captivity. (More to follow.) The first reason we should give sacrificially (beginning with the tithe) is related to the principle of stewardship versus ownership. Tithing means giving ten percent off the top of our gross resources back to God before we address any other need. The Bible teaches that all things on earth belong to God and that mankind is merely the steward of those things. That being true, I do not actually own anything – including my life itself. I am merely the steward of my life, my income, my house, my car, etc. A steward is someone who manages that which belongs to another. Since everything that I have and everything that I earn belongs to God, I need to ask Him how He wants me to manage it. According to the Bible, the first fruits, and particularly the tithe (ten percent), are to be given straight back to God, if only to acknowledge His ownership and our stewardship. According to what I see in the Bible, tithing is the minimal level of acknowledgement of God in our life. I concluded long ago that if I did not tithe, I would be saying that God is not first in my heart. Something else is. Secondly, the tithe is not merely symbolic. It has a purpose. God has a real need of it from us, and sometimes He needs much more than the tithe. God is committed to provide for the poor, the orphan and the widow. All the cash that God has on earth already resides in our bank accounts, and He intends to provide for the needy from that money. He calls on us to write the checks as He directs us. He does not drop money out of the sky or create it out of nothing. God has already deposited plenty of money around the world to accomplish His purposes. We just need to realize that some of the money He planned to use to care for the poor is deposited in our bank accounts. When someone prays to God for help with their desperate financial problems, God begins to look in our direction to see who is going to respond on His behalf. We will all give an account for our stewardship before God – in this life and in the next. (Remember sowing and reaping?) Isaiah told the people of his day that God was angry at them because they failed to observe this principal. I was personally convicted when I read where God said that the “plunder of the poor was in my house” and that I was “crushing people and grinding the faces of the poor” by withholding the money that God had set aside for them in my accounts. It is specifically addressed to the leaders (elders) and wealthy (princes) of Israel, but it applies in some measure to all of us. Isa 3:13-15 The LORD arises to contend, and stands to judge the people. 14 The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard. The plunder of the poor is in your houses. 15 “What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord GOD of hosts. NASB One of the great hidden sins of our day here in America (and especially in Alpharetta, Georgia) is consumerism – the buying of things we want but do not need while others around us are in real need. Again Isaiah had some convicting things for me to hear. Although this following scripture is directed specifically at the women of Israel, I think it applies to men, women and children here in our town and in our day. It certainly spoke to me personally. I call it the Dillard’s chapter (or the Imelda Marcos chapter). Isa 3:16- Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud, and walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, and go along with mincing steps, and tinkle the bangles on their feet, 17 Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare.” 18 In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, 19 dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, 20 headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, 21 finger rings, nose rings, 22 festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, 23 hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans, and veils. 24 Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; instead of a belt, a rope; instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; and branding instead of beauty. 25 Your men will fall by the sword, and your mighty ones in battle. 26 And her gates will lament and mourn; and deserted she will sit on the ground. NASB I do not ever want God to tell me that a child I was supposed to feed died because I wanted a bigger house than I needed. Jesus said that we will always have poor people. We will never run out of them. I am not responsible for all of the poor, just the ones assigned to me by God. Third, in Israel, the tithe was set aside to provide for the Levites and the maintenance of the Tabernacle/Temple. Originally God called for the first born sons of every tribe to be dedicated to the ministry, but as a practical matter He substituted the entire tribe of Levi in the place of those firstborn sons. Num 3:44-46 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. NASB When the Promised Land was divided up between the tribes, the Levites received no land. Instead they were spread out all over Israel to live among the other tribes and function as the priests/ministers of God for the other tribes. They received their compensation for the ministry from the tithes. While many of them had jobs and usually functioned as community butchers, many others of them were fulltime in ministry and received all of their compensation from the tithes. Additionally, the tithes were used to maintain the Tabernacle or the Temple (and later the synagogue). Our local church is the lineal successor to the Tabernacle, Temple and synagogue. That is why we today give our tithe to the local church (the storehouse in Mal 3:10) to fund the ministry and to care for the church property. Mal 3:10-11 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. NASB Some level of the poor were cared for locally by Temple/synagogue distribution mechanisms through alms donated to the Temple/synagogues (above and beyond the tithe), but Jews were expected to address additional situations personally as they encountered them. (Remember the Good Samaritan?) The tithe was to be given to the local church and sacrificial giving of the “Good Samaritan” type was to be done beyond the tithe. Fourth, money in the Bible is often used as a mechanism for redemption. In the biblical world, everything was redeemed at a price, including penalties under the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” rules. This takes a little historical explaining. Prior to the time of Moses, the world operated on the principle of “Lex Taliones” – the law of retaliation. If someone accidently killed your ox, you might retaliate by slaughtering him, his wife, his children his animals and then you burned his house down. Retaliation was swift, brutal and all-encompassing. Then their people would mount a campaign against your people in retaliation for your vengeance. Eventually tribal war would ensue until it exhausted itself. Today, much of the Middle East and Africa still operates this way relying on a pre-biblical, pre-Christian culture of justice and deadly persuasion. “Lex Taliones” was the order of the day in the ancient world. Then Moses came down from Sinai with different instructions from God – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This represented a significant liberalization of the culture and established the principle of a measured and appropriate response in justice. Most people are aware (and critical) of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” justice from the Old Testament. What most people do not realize is that almost always, the penalty was actually paid in money or its substitute, not in eyes and teeth. It was adjudicated that Avram owed Jakob an eye, or a tooth, or a leg, etc., but then they would determine how many goats or sheep to substitute for an eye, a tooth or a leg. Nowhere in the Bible is there a story of anyone actually gouging out an eye or anything like it in order to mete out justice. The process of substituting a monetary-based item for human life was called redemption. They were redeeming (or ransoming) the eye, tooth or leg using money. That is the basis of today’s tort system of justice. If I back into your car or run over your dog, or God forbid, your child, the matter as adjudicated in civil court is settled financially. Instead of tying my child down and letting you run over him, we come to some monetary amount that will redeem my child. It is not perfect, but it is civilized and it is biblical. Money is used as a substitute for human well-being. When you give money to redeem human life or human well-being, you are acting in accordance with this principle. Or, in other words, what is more important, your money or someone’s life? Some people say that tithing is Old Testament law and has been done away with. What confuses people about the Old Testament sacrifice of lambs as it relates to the principle of redemption is that they know that Jesus came as a permanent sacrifice for sin negating the need for ongoing sacrifices for sin. God taught mankind to substitute the death of a lamb for the penalty due to his sins. Jesus’ death on the cross paid that debt once and for all for believers. We no longer need that kind of sacrifice or offering. That is very true. But the Old Testament sacrifice of lambs was done for many reasons. While the sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins is accomplished once and for all in Jesus, the sacrificial giving of the tithe to acknowledge God’s ownership of our lives was never done away with. If we belong to God, we acknowledge it by sacrificial giving. Not all biblical sacrifices were “punitive” or designed just to make appeasement for sin. The Bible says that Jesus also came to set the captives free. The Bible teaches that humans are and have always been, captured by Satan. In effect, he kidnaps us through trickery and deceit. Jesus came to ransom us from Satan’s control, as well as to make atonement to God for our sins. God’s insistence on a lamb for the sacrifice was designed to prepare us to understand the death of Jesus as the ultimate ransom for our lives, not just atonement for our sins. The ransom that Jesus paid was not just symbolic and legal. It had practical application in our lives and it often involved God using people to help us in practical ways. We have been delivered from addiction, mental depravity, poverty and other evils through the ransom of Jesus’ offering on the cross and usually with the assistance of His human hands – pastors, friends, family members and good Samaritans. God uses people to help redeem people. Matt 20:28 “…28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. ” NASB Now we who were set free get to participate in the practical ransom (redemption) of others. Every time Jesus releases one of us, He should gain an assistant – US! But does He? Not if we sit on our hands and help no one else. Think: Pay it Forward! When God shows me an orphan child living in an African nightmare or a family long out of work and living in a park in Alpharetta, Georgia, He is giving me a chance to help ransom them practically from that which Satan has used to capture them. God’s offer of His Son was not just to save us from Hell after death but also to save us from Satan’s cruel captivity in this life. We can offer the poor words of comfort which are nice or we can offer what God has required through sacrificial giving. That’s why, I believe, God rejected Cain’s offering, which in all likelihood consisted of some very nice fruits and vegetables (think – inexpensive religious behaviors). He was not mad at Cain. He just wanted Cain to offer the correct sacrifice. The Bible does not say that Cain or Abel offered their sacrifices for their sin. Their offerings were just as likely acknowledging God’s place in their lives – to honor God as first. Gen 4:4-7And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. 6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? NASB Cain’s mistake was probably innocent in the beginning. He did not get the memo about God’s required offering. Or maybe he did not think God was serious about that lamb’s blood thing. It was just religious talk. Not something we really HAD to do, right? Or perhaps Cain knew but did not want to have to buy a lamb from Abel for some reason. Maybe he thought God was being too rigid, even dictatorial, always harping on the blood of the lamb in church every Sunday. Either way, God required that Cain obey His instructions concerning sacrificial giving. Nothing has changed. God still requires that we obey His instructions about sacrificial giving. God told Israel at Sinai that the firstborn of every family and of every beast belonged to Him because He delivered them from the death angel at the first Passover. The dedication of the firstborn was Israel’s way of acknowledging that God owned everything including their lives. Ex 13:1, 11-16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to Me every first-born, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.” …11 “Now it shall come about when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 that you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD. 13 But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every first-born of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15′And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and the first-born of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every first-born of my sons I redeem.’ 16 “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand, and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.” NASB Unlike the gods of the Canaanites, Yahweh did not require or desire human sacrifice. So He gave Israel the process of substitutionary sacrifice to redeem the first born – a tithe of your money as a substitution for the tithe of your firstborn child. Rich people gave a lamb as a redemption price. Poor people gave two turtle doves or pigeons. Mary and Joseph went to the Temple to redeem Jesus in this manner when they ran into Simeon and Anna. Luke 2:22-24 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every first-born male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”, 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Israel thought of themselves as belonging to God and in need of acknowledging it through this sacrifice of the tithe. We would do well to think this way also. Abraham encountered God in the form of Melchizedek as he was returning from a miraculous victory in battle over four mountain kings and their armies. He and his 318 men had gone to rescue his nephew Lot’s family against a much superior force of trained warriors and God had given him victory. When Melchizedek met him on the way back, Abraham realized Melchizedek was God “incognito,”, so he acknowledged God by giving Melchizedek a tenth of everything he had. He was not repenting from sin. He was acknowledging God by tithing. When we give sacrificially, we acknowledge God’s rights to us and all that we have. We acknowledge that our very life and breath is a gift of God and that we depend on Him for all that we have. Failure to tithe is a denial of God’s place and provision in our life. Jesus has redeemed us from sin, but we are bought with a price and need to acknowledge God’s ownership. The way God instructs us to do this is the same way He instructed Cain and Abel – by sacrificial giving. Then we must decide to be like Cain or to be like Abel. So why don’t people tithe and give sacrificially? There are several reasons, I believe. 1. I do not think they really understand why they should give. Their teaching was insufficient or their listening was not good. They tuned out the sermon as soon as their brain heard the words “tithing” or “giving.” They do not realize how important it is to God and how God designed it as a central part of our Christian walk – a part as important as faithfulness to our wives, for instance. They do not realize that is a blessing to give and that it delivers us from selfishness. They do not realize how essential it is to our happiness and holiness 2. I think many people believe that all they have belongs to themselves. They earned it. They worked hard, studied hard in school and applied themselves in order to prosper. They never consider that they have what they have because God gave them the power to make wealth, the brains to learn, the training and motivation to work hard and the “good luck” along the way. Deut 8:17-18 …you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. NASB 3. Many people think they cannot afford to tithe. Actually, we cannot afford to NOT tithe. Ten per cent is to be given to God’s right off the top and is never mine to begin with. I need to learn to live on the remainder. Tithing is supernaturally powerful. Here is a little Kingdom of God math. The 90% that God is blessing will go farther than the 100% that He is not blessing. This is called the transcendent economy of God. Faithful tithers will tell you that although it seemed difficult or impossible up front, God has always worked it out. 4. For many people it is a lack of faith. They just do not believe God will provide even though He has asked us to test Him in this promise. Malachi called it “robbing God.” Mal 3:8-11 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it may not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. NASB Oddly enough we believe that God will raise us from the dead when we die but might not provide for us if we tithe. Go figure. Death comes later. Tithing comes now. It is the tithing now that provides the obedience-based confidence that allows us to be unafraid to die. Because I developed the faith to tithe, I found the faith to face larger challenges. The God who empowers me to live on 90% or less, empowers me to be unafraid in the bigger tougher issues of life – issues such as the devourer. Malachi reminds us that our enemy seeks to devour us – to consume us in debt, misery and ruin. God promises us in verse 11 above that if we bring our tithes to the storehouse (local church), God will rebuke the devourer. You can tell how much someone is loved by how much someone else is willing to spend on them. Think about it. If your neighbor loses his job, you offer him some advice and a casserole. If your son loses his job, you put up your retirement fund. If your co-worker develops kidney failure, you send a card and maybe a check. If your son develops kidney failure, you prepare to give him a kidney – no question. Done deal! So what will you do for God? Is He in the casserole or the kidney category? It is a question I had to come to grips with. God has already shown me that He would give me more than a kidney. My giving habits expose my relationship with God. Then my improving relationship with God exposes and alters my giving habits. No one has asked me to teach on this. I have been praying about it for awhile and I felt like God said, “Let ‘er rip!” I will tell you that these principles have for many years been at the heart of our walk with the Lord. Nancy and I were the beneficiaries of a lot of great Bible teaching when we got saved and it has blessed our lives in so many ways. I hope this helps somebody.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 01:49:42 +0000