014 - Tithes

TITHE - THE FOUR PHASES

1^a Phase: Before the Eternal delivered the law to Moses.

WHAT IS TITHE?

 

The word tithe, in the original, means tenth. However, from the moment that the Eternal ordered through Moses that the Israelites bring the tenth food they gathered or the tenth animal (cattle) that passed under the shepherd's rod to the Levites, this precept was known as tithe.

For you to visualize this, see this verse:

 

·        “And he will tithe your seed and your vineyards, and will give them to his eunuchs and to his servants. And he will take your male slaves and your slave-girls, and the best of your young men, and your asses, and will use them for his own work.  He will tithe your flock, and you will be servants to him.”. (1Samuel 8.15-17 - LITV).

 

         As everyone knows, Israel rejected the direct reign of the Eternal, preferring to be ruled by a man (just as most Christians do: despise the Eternal (1 Samuel 8:7) to follow the pastor). Samuel, then, warned that the king would exploit them and, among other things, would take to himself the tenth part of which they possessed the best. It could not be tithe in the religious sense, since only one of the tribe of Levi could receive tithe.

HOW WAS THE TITHE BEFORE MOSES?

Let’us see the passages that mention the word tithe before the law:

 

1^a – Gen 14:17-20 -> “And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”

 

Abram was not required to give tithing to Melchizedek. Unfortunately, have versions that  makes no distinction. However, note how this verse is in the English translation:

 

·        “And blessed be the Most High *God, who has delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him the tenth of all. ” (Gen 14:20 - Darby).

 

So, Abram actually gave one tenth out of the best spoils. It would not make sense to say that Abram gave tithing (in the religious sense), for the law came only from Moses. There was no law that would force Abram to give 10% of everything to Melchizedek.

Moreover, Melchizedek was not of the tribe of Levi, even because Levi was not yet born. You will see that it was the Levites who, according to the law, had the obligation to collect the tithes of the people (Hebrews 7: 4-10).

Therefore, what Abram gave to Melchizedek was, in fact, a gift. It is quite true that this was 10% of everything he got in the battle. But he could offer as much as he wished, more or less, or even nothing. If he gave Melchizedek it was because he saw in him the person of Jesus Christ and was so glad to be used by the Eternal to prophesy the end of the carnal covenant that the Israelites would ask for more than four hundred and thirty years later.

This, not to mention the gratitude that at the age of 75, to be able to win four very powerful kings with only 318 men.

 

2^a – Gen 28:20-22 -> And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”

 

Here was translated of the right way. Jacob was not obliged to make a vow to the Eternal. His blessing was not conditional on this.

If he was willing to vote, it was because he did not know the Eternal well, having no confidence in His goodness and mercy. He felt alone and wanted, at all costs, to ensure that the Eternal would be with him and would not abandon him. Assuming there was nothing that could encourage the Lord to bless him, he then made a bargain (exchange, trade) with Him.

That is to say, Jacob's vow was not because of the fear he had of the Eternal, nor because of the disposition in his heart to please him, but because of his eagerness to meet his immediate needs. In other words, the tenth voted didn’t pass of selfish something.

As you can see, these two passages have something in common: tithing is given spontaneously, without a law forcing such behavior.

2^ª Phase: When the Eternal Delivers the Law to Moses.

HOW DID THE TITHE ARISE?

When the Eternal took Israel out of Egypt, His plan was to make them His Church:

 

·        “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19.6).

 

But, unfortunately, the people of Israel were not willing to compromise with the Eternal, and for this reason found their ordinances too heavy:

 

·        “For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (for they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:” (Hebrews 12.18-20).

 

By virtue of this, what happened?

 

·        “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (Exodus 20.18,19).

 

They were so frightened that they simply said:

 

·        “… Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.” (Deuteronomy 5.24-27).

 

In that the people of Israel rejected the Eternal's plan to make of them His Church (to be a priestly kingdom - compare with Revelation 1.6; 5.10), preferring to be led by a simple man who sought the Eternal for them, arose, then, the Jewish religious system with its tabernacle, rituals and laws.

It became necessary, then, to have people in charge of continually carrying out the sacred services. As all the tribe of Levi stood on the side of the Eternal when Israel apostatized, worshiping the golden calf, this tribe inherited this privilege:

 

·        “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.” (Exodus 32.26). 

 

As the task was very great, exclusive dedication was necessary. In the face of this, they could have no part, nor inheritance in Israel, for this would rob the time that they should devote to the Eternal.

 

·        “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him. ” (Deuteronomy 10.9).

 

But the Levites had to somehow get their living. Arise, then, the tithes. However, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THIS GET CLEAR:

THE TITHE WAS NOT GIVEN IN CASH, BUT IN FOOD

·        “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. He 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.” (Leviticus 27:30-33).

·        “Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: but thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.” (Deuteronomy 12.17-18).

 

Note that tithe was not 10% of the salary, as evangelical denominations preach, but 10% of agricultural products. That is to say, tithe was food. See this other passage:

 

·        “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And 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. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, and the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.” (Deuteronomy 14.22-27).

 

Notice that, even when the town where the farmer lived was far from Jerusalem, he was not allowed to give the money obtained by selling the tithes to the Levites. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he should exchange the money again for food and drink.

Even the act of exchanging money for what the soul of the individual desired served to teach everyone that in the presence of the Eternal the soul rejoices and fully satisfies itself.

One might ask: how, then, should be the tithe of one who did not work on the earth (for example the craftsmen)? Obviously, he did not have to give tithes. It was precisely here that Cain fell: he tried to give the Eternal something that He never asked for (see Leviticus 10:1-2).

We must not add or take anything from what the Eternal commands us (Deuteronomy 12.32), nor change one thing for another. To illustrate this, see what happened in the time of Amos:

 

·        Amos 4:4-5 (ASV) à “Come to Beth-el, and transgress; to Gilgal, and multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes every three days; and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving of that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill-offerings and publish them: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah.”.

 

The tithing, which was to be collected in the city every three years, was being collected every three days. One might even think this was highly spiritual.

At first place, instead of practicing justice, they preferred to "compensate" their evils by offering sacrifices and tithes, since this was pleasant to them, something like a picnic.

Besides, it was a subtle way to get more out of tithing. As we well know, the tithe was to be eaten by the person and his family, along with the needy. When the tithing was annual, it was obvious that there was enough food left for the tribe of Levi.

However, when giving tithes every 3 days, what was left for the Levites was much less. Consider that every person with all his family and his servants would eat. In other words, in annual tithing the person with his family and servants only ate this once, while in the tithe given every 3 days, the person ate 120 times (considering the year of 360 days).

As you can see, even at the time when tithing was valid, it alone was of no value to the Eternal. Hence the importance of understanding the will of the Eternal (Ephesians 5:17).

We are allowed to give the Eternal only what is His:

 

·        “And Jesus said unto them, render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him.” (Mark 12.17)

 

What is Caesar's (money) is not to be given to the Eternal. And what belongs to the Eternal?

Certainly not luxurious temples. Look:

 

·        “And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying, go and tell my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? ” (2Samuel 7.1-7).

 

Note that the idea of ​​the temple never pleased the Eternal. What He always wanted was for them to fear Him and His Word and love their neighbor (Jeremiah 7.21-23).

 

·        “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isaiah 57.15).

·        “Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66.1,2)

 

As you can see, what belongs to the Eternal is the individuals He creates, in whom He desires to dwell (John 14:21,23).

The question arises: why could not the tithe be given in cash? To answer this, we need to know:

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TITHING?

1 – SUSTAINING THE LEVI TRIBE

The tithe was never to keep the temple. First of all, the tithe was to support the tribe of Levi.

 

·        “And unto the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the tent of meeting. And henceforth the children of Israel shall not come nigh the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave-offering unto Jehovah, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said unto them, among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.” (Numbers 18.21-24).

·        “And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, moreover thou shalt speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave-offering of it for Jehovah, a tithe of the tithe. And your heave-offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the grain of the threshing-floor, and as the fulness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer a heave-offering unto Jehovah of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and thereof ye shall give Jehovah's heave-offering to Aaron the priest. Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave-offering of Jehovah, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye heave the best thereof from it, then it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the winepress. And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best thereof: and ye shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that ye die not”. (Numbers 18:25-32).

 

Without this they would have to go back to work, as they did in the time of Nehemiah:

 

·        “Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, being allied unto Tobiah, had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meal-offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the heave-offerings for the priests.” (Neemiah 13:4-5 - ASV).

·        “And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place. Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.” (Neemiah 13.10-12 - ASV).

 

This gives you an idea of ​​one of the reasons why tithing was given in food: so that it would not happen that the Levite was induced to misuse the money, using it to seek comfort and self-satisfaction (for example, buying furniture, expensive utensils, alcohol, etc.).

Unfortunately, there is no one faithful enough to make good use of the money that comes to hand. See this example:

 

·        “And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of Jehovah,  let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found. But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.  Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.” (2Kings 12.4-7 – ASV).

 

Note that not even a good priest like Jehoiada managed to remain faithful before the money.

Moreover, if the purpose was to nourish the Levites, why complicate things? Why give the Levites the labor (and temptation) to go to the market to buy? For what a farmer to go to the market to exchange the plantation for money so that, then, this one will be exchanged for food again?

Someone might argue that the Levite could choose the food that best suits him. However, it is good to remember that the tithe was taken from every agricultural and livestock product. So, there was nothing different in the market. Moreover, it is good to remember that the Eternal gives each one what he needs (and not what each one desires).

Not to mention that as the Levites ate of what each Israelite produced, they could see and experience the wonders that the Eternal did among His people, as well as check their spiritual situation (since the more the people remained faithful to the Eternal, more abundant and better was the harvest.

It is not in vain that whenever the Eternal required anything from the people of Israel, He would not give them money to go and buy it, for example, in Egypt. Instead, He directly provided what was needed.

For example, when building the tabernacle, gold, silver, bronze, etc. came, for example, from the offer that the Egyptians gave when the people of Israel were leaving Egypt (Exodus 12.35,36).

There was no need to raffle, to make campaign or frighten the people by saying that the Eternal would send the devourer to destroy the finances of all who did not contribute. The people of Israel willingly offered this (Exodus 36:5-7).

2 – SO THAT THE ISRAELITES WERE BEAUTIFUL FOR THAT THE ETERNAL WAS MADE BY THEM AND THE THEME

·        “And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein, that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there. And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto Jehovah thy God, that I am come unto the land which Jehovah sware unto our fathers to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand and set it down before the altar of Jehovah thy God. And thou shalt answer and say before Jehovah thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage: and we cried unto Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; and Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders; and he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Jehovah, hast given me. And thou shalt set it down before Jehovah thy God, and worship before Jehovah thy God: and thou shalt rejoice in all the good which Jehovah thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thy house, thou, and the Levite, and the sojourner that is in the midst of thee.” (Deuteronomy 26.1-11 - ASV).

 

 

Notice how, in offering the firstfruits, the people of Israel should always keep in mind all that the Eternal had done for them, namely, that they were oppressed in Egypt for four hundred years (Genesis 15:13, Acts 7:6). The Eternal was blessing them in a repressed, shaken and overflowing way (Luke 6:38).

You may be wondering: but what does this have to do with tithing? Notice how, immediately following, tithing is spoken. In carrying the tenth part of the harvest, each should look upon this abundant supply (nine times this remained in their hands) in contrast to the bondage of old and be grateful to the Eternal for such a gift.

The person, bearing the weight of the tithe in his arms and seeing them on the hills being carried by the pack animals to Jerusalem, should think: "Wow! How good God is! Before, our ancestors were slaves in Egypt. Today we are free to taste the good and the best in abundance! God is truly faithful and fulfills all that He has promised. I do not want to leave this God anymore. On the contrary, I want Him to be more and more alive in my heart and in Israel. I cannot wait to arrive at Jerusalem with all this precious gift so that the worship will never cease to be ministered, so that the presence of God may be with us perpetually. "

This, not to mention the pleasure of experiencing the great taste of the best of your harvest, the taste of the freedom and prosperity of the Eternal God. Not even the rest of the family and slaves could be left out. Everybody had to see and taste of the grace of the Eternal in their lives (since, tomorrow, this could serve to save a prodigal son - Luke 15:17).

3 – PROMOTING THE FAMILY COMMUNION AND APPROACHING THE FAMILY OF THE NEEDS

·        “Then 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: and 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. ” (Deuteronomy 12.11,12)

·        “Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: but thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. ” (Deuteronomy 12.17-18).

·        “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And 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. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, and the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: and the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.  ” (Deuteronomy 14.22-29).

·        “When 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; then 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: I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” (Deuteronomy 26.12-15).

 

But as important as all this is the aspect of communion behind tithing.

Tithing was a time of intense communion between that who give the tithe and:

 

o   The Eternal One;

o   his family;

o   his servants;

o   The Levites, since these went with them on this occasion;

o   The needy that dwelled in his city;

o   The foreigners who lived in his city.

 

Initially, the tithing should unite the members of the family to each other (as well as to those who worked for them). But above all, tithing should put them in touch with the true needy:

 

·   Orphan ® for not having father;

·   Widow ® for having no husband;

·   Foreigner ® for not having the true God. The foreigners also served for them to remember the captivity of Egypt;

·   Levite ® for having to dedicate himself exclusively to the one true Father, Husband and God.

PURPOSE OF THE TITHE

At the time of Egyptian captivity, many became angry and outraged when they saw old men, orphans and widows being exploited. Now they had a chance to use mercy on the poor, widows, and orphans among them. Imagine if each one, knowing of the difficult situation of his neighbor, was willing to "adopt" him, that is to say, to take notice of the real situation of the nation (and particularly of those who lived in his neighborhood) to seek in the Eternal what was necessary so that there would be no poor among them (as was the case with the Church in Acts 4:34).

It is well to remember that this land was known as the land flowing with milk and honey by the promise that the Lord would give him a full harvest (see Deuteronomy 15.4). The land would produce enough for each to feed his family, servants, and even needy orphans and widows among them.

In fact, prosperity was for this (Deut. 28:47):

 

·        “Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.” (Deuteronomy 15.10).

 

If every person, in giving tithing, had contact with his orphans and widows and took an interest in their cause, there would have been no need in the midst of them. Unfortunately, they forgot about it fast.

The foreigners served to they remind themselves of what it means to be in a strange land and the importance of treating with mercy all those who traveled among them (Exodus 22:21).

As for the Levites, the tithe served, on the one hand, so that the people of Israel could remember that their abundant harvest came from the worship of the Lord by the Levites; on the other hand, it was necessary for the Levites to remember that their provision came from the prosperity of the people of Israel (given by the God they were worshiping).

This should encourage the people to give the necessary provisions for the Levites to remain in consecration, as well as to encourage the Levites to seek the people of Israel to be free from sin, so that nothing would hinder the Eternal from operating among them.

What a cruel and agonizing regime: the Levites depended on the faithfulness of the people of Israel to avoid starving, and the people of Israel depended on the faithfulness of carnal men (Levites) to be blessed by the Eternal.

Tithing was a carnal method of keeping the priest on the line, since his ministerial neglect would result in his hunger. Scarcity, in other words, was a sign that they were not pleasing the Eternal.

It is perceived that tithing was a sign, not spiritual, but physical (whose consequences are visible in the flesh).

More than this: tithing, as well as other offerings, should serve so that the people of Israel would never think of seeking the Eternal separately and separated from the daily things.

As you can see, tithing was much more than simply giving a tenth of agricultural and livestock productivity. First of all, tithing should remind them of the greatness of the goodness and mercy of the Eternal that, despite Israel's rebellion in the wilderness during their 40-year pilgrimage, yet He was faithful to keep the promise of giving them a land that flowed milk and honey.

In other words, the desire to want to keep the tribe of Levi should be for the immense pleasure of wanting all light and scent being exhaled 24 hours a day from the tabernacle, foreshadowing the readiness and continual expectation for all that the Eternal wants to operate.

The important thing was not simply the material side of tithing. Selling the harvest and trusting the Levites would thus be an empty and meaningless religion.

Although in financial terms it was the same thing, the visual and gustatory effect of tithing and eating made a very special impact: it approach the servants and needy of the farmers, raising even more interest in communion with the Most High, to the point of they can say:

 

·         “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. ” (Psalms 42:1).

 

Now you can understand why in Malachi the Eternal says that tithe served to keep His house?

To get an idea of ​​the importance of this, note the following excerpt:

 

·        “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9).

·        “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6).

HOW, WHEN AND WHERE WAS THE TITHE GIVEN?

·        “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And 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. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: and the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.” (Deuteronomy 14.22,23,28,29).

·        “When 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;” (Deuteronomy 26.12)

 

Realize the tithe was given annually (and not monthly, as it is said in the religious institutions). In the first and second years, the tithe should be eaten by the person who was giving it in the place chosen by the Eternal to make His name dwell there.

In the third year, the tithe was to be eaten within the city of the farmer.

In both cases, the farmer should eat together with his family, servants, as well as the Levite, the orphan, the widow and the foreigner who were in his city. Note that the giving of tithes was a time of joy, rejoicing, and fellowship in the presence of the Eternal, not something given for constraint (for fear of the terrible devourer, as preached there).

See these excerpts from Nehemiah:

 

·        “And 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: also 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: and 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. 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. 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.” (Neemiah 10:35-39).

·        “Also that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy: the wives also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. And both the singers and the porters kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son. For in the days of David and Asaph of old there were chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God. And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, every day his portion: and they sanctified holy things unto the Levites; and the Levites sanctified them unto the children of Aaron.” (Neemiah 12:43-47).

 

Notice how, from the moment Israel read the law of the Eternal (Nehemiah 8:3-5), repented and purified of all their sins (Nehemiah 9:1-3) and was willing to renew the covenant with the Lord, joy in the the heart of every Israelite returned (they forced themselves to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. There was no need to press them to do this).

They gave tithes because they were glad to see priests and Levites ministering in the temple (Nehemiah 12:44). After all, they were all happy for all that the Lord had done for them (Nehemiah 12:43), so that it was the desire of all the people of Israel that the Lord should never forsake them.

The same was true in the time of Hezekiah:

 

·        “Moreover 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. And 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. And 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. In the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. And when Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD, and his people Israel. Then Hezekiah questioned with the priests and the Levites concerning the heaps. And 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. Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them, and 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.” (2Crônicas 31:4-12).

 

As you can see, the key to revival is repentance and conversion. Even because no act of worship or praise has meaning for the Lord when the people are in sin.

Look:

 

·        “Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.” (Isaiah 1.10-17).

UNDERSTANDING MALACHI 3.8-12

Due to the content of the book, it is likely that Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah (compare Malachi 2:8 with Nehemiah 13:29 and Malachi 2:10-16 with Nehemiah 13:23) and Ezra (compare Malachi 2:11 with Ezra 9:1,2).

Religious institutions use this to terrorize the brethren and psychologically coerce them to faithfully and abundantly contribute (for, supposedly, to withhold tithing is to steal the Eternal).

The question comes: is there any basis?

First we need to see who the Lord is addressing.

 

·        “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD. But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.” (Malachi 1.6-14).

 

Who offers oblations and sacrifices, who lights the altar fire and opens and closes the doors of the temple? Is it not the priests? Notice how Malachi intercedes for the people (of whom he is also part) by saying, "And he will have mercy on us.". That is to say, the whole of Chapter 1 is a rebuke to the cynical questioning of priests.

They were so apostatized from the faith that they were no longer keeping the altar fire burning, as the law ordered (Leviticus 6:12-13).

 

·        “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.” (Malachi 2.1-9).

 

Who was turning aside from the way, offering unclean food on the altar, and causing many to stumble in the law? Who was being made unworthy in the sight of all the people, because they had respect of persons (Deuteronomy 17:9; 19:17)? Anyway, who was corrupting Levi's covenant?

Therefore, this passage also refers to priests.

 

·        “Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. The LORD will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the LORD of hosts. And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.” (Malachi 2.10-16).

 

It is true that all Judah is said to be separating from their wives to marry pagan women (perhaps because they are younger and seductive - Nehemiah 13:23). However, notice how the emphasis falls on the priests who by virtue of this were corrupting the covenant of Levi:

 

·         “Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, the people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.” (Ezra 9.1,2).

·        “Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood, and the covenant of the priesthood, and of the Levites.”  (Neemiah 13.29).

 

So much so that, spiritually, the altar was covered with the tears, crying and groans of betrayed wives. Not to mention that many priests were weeping at the altar because their ministry colleagues were adulterating with their wives.

 

·        “Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? (Malachi 2.17).

 

At this time the betrayed priest wanted to see the justice of the Eternal against him who had committed adultery with his wife. He had the audacity to accuse the Eternal of being unjust to see everything and do nothing.

But they themselves had given the occasion! See the Eternal's answer:

 

·        “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.” (Malachi 3.1-4).

 

Note the association of the word "temple" with "sons of Levi". Therefore, although all the Levites were to be purified by the Eternal, yet again the emphasis fell upon the priests.

The priests, who were wanting to see the justice of the Eternal, could not see that they themselves needed the most purification. The Eternal shows, then, that if He had not yet performed His righteousness, it would be difficult to find one able to bear the day of His coming.

The question arises: what were the priests doing so serious that the Eternal said this?

 

·        “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 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. And 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. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3.5-12).

 

First: witchcraft. They were invoking the Eternal to persuade Him to manipulate people and circumstances in order to have their desires fulfilled.

Second: adultery (as shown above)

Third: to swear falsely in order to twist justice (see Hebrews 6:16).

Fourth: defraud the hired man. Note in Malachi 1.13 that the farmers were offering what was stolen. If it were one farmer stealing from the other, it would not make so much difference, since in the end the amount given in tithes would be the same.

On the other hand, if the farmer was able to withhold part of the food that should be given to the servants, as well as to the foreigner, orphan and widow (Deuteronomy 24: 19-21), the tithe value would increase. Hence the priests are conniving with this conduct.

Fifth: they do not fear the Eternal. It’s enough to think of the priests' cynical and aggressive questions as well as their disregard for the sacrifices offered in the temple.

Sixth: they pervert the right of the widow, and of the fatherless, and of the stranger.

 

How did they do this last item? In addition to the aforementioned mode, the priests gave cause to the farmers. But above all, the three were defrauded in tithes.

How did the priests do this? As mentioned earlier, tithes should be given to the Levites and should initially be shared with widows, orphans and strangers.

However, the priests wanted to keep all tithes instead of just one-tenth of them. And as if this was not enough, they also wanted to get the best of the offerings.

To achieve this goal, they were doing two things:

 

1.   They were entering into collusion with the farmers. In exchange for the favors shown above, the farmers gave the tithes directly to the priests. This is how the priests were stealing in tithes;

2.   They were exchanging the defective animals that there was in the tithes for the perfect animals that were offered by the people of Israel.

 

Understand: the tithe of the animals was obtained in the following way: it made all the animals pass under the shepherd's rod (Leviticus 27:32). Every tenth that passed belonged to the Eternal. Soon, there were defective animals in the tithe.

To increase profits, what did the priests do? At the time of offering something on the altar, instead of offering the animal without blemish, he offered this faulty tithe and kept good for them.

That's how the priests were robbing the offerings.

You may ask: But the Holy Scripture says that it was the whole nation that was stealing.

Behold what is happening:

 

·        First, because the priest being the leader of Israel, all Israel was soon seen in the eyes of all as a thief. Look at Achan's case: he alone committed the crime, but all Israel was blamed (Joshua 7:1). Likewise, when the wrath of the Eternal was kindled against Israel, the Eternal permitted David to fall into sin (2 Samuel 24:1). After all, when one member suffers, the whole body suffers together (1 Corinthians 12.26).

·        Second, because the priests induced the whole people to stumble in the law (Malachi 2: 8).

 

In the end, this perverted behavior eventually contaminated the whole nation. But the culprit was mainly the priests who had already corrupted the covenant of Levi and, first of all, distorted all purpose behind the tithes and offerings. They no longer made sense in that generation.

Remember that the purpose of tithing is "that there may be food in the house of the Lord." However, what the priests did was to turn Israel (the house of the Eternal) into a true hiding place for thieves and robbers (just as it was in the time of Jeremiah and Jesus):

 

·        “Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 7.8-11)

·        “And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.” (John 2.14-16).

·        “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21.12,13).

 

After all, how can we keep the house of the Eternal (the people who believe in Him)?

As already seen, by encouraging gratitude to the Eternal, the fellowship of the family: with one another, with those who served them and with those in need who were close to them, including the Levites.

Let it be clear: tithing was not only to physically support the tribe of Levi, so that they could assist the priests (Numbers 4:15,19,20). What use did it have to keep a cult like what was happening in Malachi's day?

What was the point of keeping the fire of the Eternal burning in the golden candlestick, the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt offering, since the fire was no longer the fire that the Eternal made to come down from heaven (Leviticus 9.24)? What use was there to keep a tabernacle or to be ready to carry it at any moment, if deep down they were worshiping Moloch (see Amos 5.26, Acts 7.43)? What use was there in having priests to judge when they were corrupting the law and secretly accept persons?

Although none of the children of Israel could worship the Eternal directly (Num. 18:22), what was the point of taking tithes to the treasury (a place dedicated to the storage of tithes and offerings - Nehemiah 10.38) to sustain something that no pleasure was given to the Eternal (Malachi 1:10)?

Indeed, it is precisely because the Eternal was not taking pleasure in their worship that He does not bother to give them the resources necessary for the earth to produce the food necessary for the maintenance of worship, namely:

 

·        opening the windows of the heavens, that is, pouring rain (Genesis 7.11,12; 8.2);

·        to pour out upon them such a blessing, that the greatest fruitfulness may come to them, that is, so that there was no sterile plant;

·        rebuke the devourer (the plagues in the plantation, or the invasion of people or armies) not to consume the fruit of the earth.

 

To see the blessing promised here, read the text below:

 

·        “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.” (Joel 1.4-7)

·        “Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth. The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the LORD; the priests, the LORD's ministers, mourn..” (Joel 1.8,9).

·        “The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.” (Joel 1.10-12).

·        “Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God. Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?’ (Joel 1.13-16).

·        “The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate. O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” (Joel 1.17-20).

 

Finally, translating Malachi 3:10-12 reads: "Bring back to the place where the tithes are stored and offer all that the children of Israel took when, harvesting or counting the cattle, they separated each time the counts reached ten. Bring back (especially you, priests) so that the people of Israel will continue to be kept in my presence and thus not be exterminated from the earth.

After you do this, if I do not send rain on you, do not make your harvest fruitful abundantly, and do not rebuke anyone who thinks of unduly feeding on what you have cultivated, come and taste what I have given especially for you to have communion with your family, as well as with those whom I have placed to serve you and to serve through you.

When you realize that more important than mere obedience to fleshly commandments is the delight of fellowship that can be proven when you allow me to love your neighbor through you, surely all nations will call you blessed; For ye shall be a delightful land, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 3.12).

3^a Phase: WHILE JESUS ​​WAS ALIVE IN MEAT AND BLOOD

While Jesus was alive in flesh and blood, there are three references to tithe:

 

1^a – Matthew 23:23 -> “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

 

2^a – Luke 11:42 -> “But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

 

One can justify oneself by saying that Jesus commanded the Pharisees to tithe:

If this is a justification for tithing, then the sacrifice of animals must also be done, since Jesus commanded this to the leper who had been healed (Matthew 8:1-4):

 

·        “And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them”. (Luke 5.14).

 

I ask you: you should, then, submit to leader of your religious institution an offer for your purification? Course not. Jesus has paid the price of your sins (Isaiah 53:4).

We cannot claim the validity of the law of tithing just because Jesus mentioned something in this respect. Worth remembering that Jesus was born under the law, being forced to fulfill it (as is written in Galatians 4:4-5):

 

·        “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”.

 

While Jesus was alive, the Levitical priesthood was still in force. Only after His death did the law be revoked (Ephesians 2:14-16; Colossians 2:13-14).

Hence the reason Jesus said in [Matthew 5: 17,18]:

 

·        “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

 

         One may still insist, "if so, then all the laws of the Old Testament are valid."

It is good to clarify that only the precepts (i.e., the law in the literal sense) have been revoked. The purpose existing in each of the laws still remains valid and must be fulfilled by each one of us, as already shown.

 

3^a – Luke 18:11-14 -> “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18.9-14).

 

         In this passage, Jesus was not ordering the tithe at any time. On the contrary, it was showing that even when the Old Testament laws were worth it, it was no good paying tithes or fasting if there was no humility, love, and mercy in the heart.

Even following the law faithfully, the religious leader was not justified. And no less, since no one can be saved by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 3:8-9).

4^a Phase: AFTER THE DEATH OF JESUS

HEBREWS 7

In addition to the three verses cited above, there is only one other place in the New Testament that speaks of tithes: Hebrews 7.

 

“For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” (Hebrews 7).

 

Notice how the purpose of this chapter is precisely to show the extreme superiority of the priesthood of Jesus. So much so that while in the Levitical priesthood the people of Israel gave tithes to the tribe of Levi, in the priesthood of Jesus, who was far greater than Levi (it was by the faith of Abraham that Levi and his offspring came forth, as well as all Israel) gave tithes to Jesus manifested in the person of Melchizedek.

Abraham gave tithing to a non-Jew, as though acknowledging that the true covenant of the Eternal consists in bringing Abraham and all Israel into the body of Christ with the Gentiles who recognize Him (see Malachi 1:11,14).

In other words, tithing was something exclusive to the Jews who lived in the Testament of the Law, until they accepted to receive the covenant which they rejected there in [Exodus 20:18-20; Deuteronomy 5.23-27]. That is to say, in what Abraham gave the tithe to Jesus (Melchizedek), he was already putting in the background the Levitical alliance that was to be established tens of years later.

Also, remember that Abram was not required to give tithing. He did it of his own free will.

You may be wondering: but if there was no order in this regard, why did Melchizedek accept Abram's offer? Why was it wrong to despise the offering of that whose heart was moved by the Eternal (Exodus 25:2; 35:5,26,29; 36:2), no matter what is their value, as is shown in [1 Samuel 2:29]:

 

·         “Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”.

 

In addition, Jesus (Melchizedek) accepted the offer to confirm beforehand the fragility and imperfection of the Old Covenant (Ezekiel 20:25). In fact, you can believe: this is why the Spirit of the Eternal touched the heart of Abram to give the offering of exactly 10%.

To complement, see that Jesus is a priest according to the ORDER of Melchizedek. I ask you, what was the command that Melchizedek gave to Abram? None, right?

Based on all this, we can conclude the following:

 

1^st - we must offer to the Eternal, not by expecting to receive something from Him in exchange, but out of gratitude and love;

2^nd - no one has the right to force anyone to offer;

3^rd - the amount to be offered does not matter. What matters is what the Eternal wants to offer through us in order to manifest something of Himself to all who wish to see.

THE PRECEPT OF THE TITHE WAS ABOLISHED!!!

The proof that no one should give tithing today is that at no time in the New Testament (i.e., after the death of Christ) is there a commandment expressed in this sense.

Furthermore, Hebrews 7 is quite clear: all the laws of the Old Testament were abolished by Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 7:11,12,18,19), which is confirmed by Paul:

 

·        “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:” (Ephesians 2.13-16).

·        “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;.” (Colossians 2.13,14).

·        “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3.22-25).

·        “But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.” (2Corinthians 3.14).

·        “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10.4)

 

And it could not be different:

 

•         In the Testament of the Law there was a physical temple; Today we are the temple of the living God;

•         In the Testament of the Law there were Levites and priests to minister to the Eternal; Today we are all priests (Rev. 1.6; 5.10).

 

So that there is no doubt: the tithing precept of giving 10% of the produce of land or cattle was revoked:

 

·        “But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:18).

 

No one needs to give tithing to any pastor or religious institution.

Maybe you ask: what if I want to tithe?

IS THERE ANY EVIL IN GIVING THE TITHE?

Taking advantage of the fact that most evangelicals are not like the believers in Berea (Acts 17:10-11), the vast majority of evangelical religious institutions misrepresent the Holy Scripture by defending tithing under the pretext that it is necessary for:

 

•         Maintain the temple (e.g., rent, water, electricity, etc.);

•         Paying pastors and workers for the services rendered.

 

According to them, it is necessary to:

 

•         a specific place only to worship the Eternal;

•         people who are full-time on behalf of the sheep. After all, if a brother needs help, who would he go to if he did not have a pastor available to advise them? What would it be of the brethren if the shepherd did not have to cover them, protect them from Ha-Satan by his prayers?"

 

Here are two very serious errors!!!

First, according to the Holy Scripture, what is the "house of the Eternal"?

 

·        “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.” (Isaiah 57.15).

·        “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” (Isaiah 66.1,2).

·        “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (1Cor 3:16);

·        “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1Cor 6:19);

·        “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2Cor 6:16).

·        “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;” (Acts 17.23-25).

 

Whereas the Eternal does not dwell in temples nor is it served by human beings, so there is no need to build or maintain temples, let alone create religious institutions. What needs to be maintained are the members of the body (living organism, not a dead organization) of Christ.

Second, the encourage individuals to not concern about to love the neighbor, but leave this task for the religious leaders.

Third, that of literally idolizing the pastor (bishop, reverend, etc.) as a demigod.

Considering that we are all priests of the Most High (with greater privilege than the high priest of the Testament of the Law, since the veil has been torn and there is no more cloud of incense to tarnish our vision - Leviticus 16.12,13), raised by Him so taht we reign through love over the whole earth (Romans 5:17; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:6; 5:10), so we no longer have to resort to someone to seek the favor of the Lord.

 

·        “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” (1João 2.27).

 

Jesus was clear: the servant is not greater than his master (John 13:13-17). If Jesus humbled Himself to the point of making Himself the simplest of slaves and even commanded us to do the same, who can have the right to command others (see Matthew 20: 25-28)?

In Revelation it’s clear: only Jesus is worthy of every kind of power (Revelation 4:11; 5.9,12; 7.10,12; 19.1). Who wants to be the greatest in the Kingdom of the Eternal, dispose themselves as example for the flock (1 Peter 5:1-3).

There is no need for anyone at the disposal of the faithful for anything! If anyone needs a word of consolation, exhortation, instruction, etc., seek it from the Eternal! Failing to seek Him to go after a shepherd is an OFFENSE to Him. Literally you, as the bride of Christ, are exchanging your Bridegroom for the Bridegroom's friend? This is spiritual adultery! Is the company of these friends of the Bridegroom better and more pleasing than His?

Moreover, in that the religious institution is led to idolize the pastor:

 

•         On the one hand, the pastor becomes lazy and has no desire to work. He wants to live at the expense of members by snooping, interfering, and even controlling one's life (2 Thessalonians 3:7-12). They consider themselves masters of the sheep (the flock is no longer of the Eternal, but of them);

•         On the other hand, members feel that they can live a relaxed life, since there is a pastor to intercede and pray for them, teach them, and advise them.

 

And the worst: they think they're saved. They think that, because there is a pastor "interceding" for them, they are exempt from meditating on the Holy Scripture (see Psalms 1.1,2), to live a holy, godly and just life, and to be able to live a life full of desires and worldly passions, guided by bad and petty feelings.

It was never the Eternal's plan for the Church to come together for one to teach and for others to learn. The term translated by Church implies an assembly for deliberation of an important subject.

When the brothers met in apostolic times, some blessed others:

 

·        “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” (1Corinthians 14.26).

 

Sure:

 

·        No one is good, holy, and perfect enough who does not need to receive something from the Eternal, coming even from the most humble and ignorant of the brethren;

·        No one is so without knowledge, anointing, gifts and talents that cannot be used by the Eternal! On the contrary (see 1Corinthians 1:26-29).

HOW IS THE PURPOSE OF TITHE TODAY FULFILLED?

Nevertheless, although the precepts of the Testament of the Law have been revoked, the purposes remain valid.

In this case, let us think: considering that each member of the Church of Jesus Christ is the house of the Eternal (1Corinthians 3.16; 6.19; 2Corinthians 6:16), what keeps His house today? Our life. Hence Paul says:

 

·        “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12.1).

 

We must then surrender all that we have and are (not only 10%) so that all the sacred services that the Eternal wants to accomplish in the heart of each one is fulfilled (see 1 Peter 2.5-8) within us (2Corinthians 3.1-3).

How is this achieved?

Following the same principle used by the Eternal. Was not tithing a time for the people of Israel to see and taste all that the Eternal did for them, as well as a good opportunity for Israel to know better themselves (through fellowship with one another)? After all, coming into contact with the orphans and widows, as well as learning about the needy among them, it was possible to evaluate the apostasy of Israel: if they were well nourished and supported, it is a sign that the people were fearing the Eternal; otherwise, His commandments were being neglected (see Ezekiel 16:49; 22:7; Amos 6:6; Micah 6: 7,8).

Moreover, it was also good to know the strangers among them.

Before this, I ask you, how is it that the commandment of the tithe is fulfilled these days? Living verses such as:

 

·        “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34,35).

·        “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalms 1:1,2).

·        “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41);

·        “Rejoice evermore” (1Thessalonians 5:16);

·        “Pray without ceasing.” (1Thessalonians 5:17);

·        “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thessalonians 5:18);

·        “Quench not the Spirit” (1Thessalonians 5:19);

·        “Despise not prophesyings” (1Thessalonians 5:20);

·        “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1Thessalonians 5:21);

·        “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1Thessalonians 5:22).

·        “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another..” (Galatians 5.13).

·        “Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4.27).

 

In other words, if you want there to be food in the house of the Eternal, be prepared to seek Him with your whole being within the heart of your neighbor and let them come to know the Eternal within you (see 2 Corinthians 3:1-3). Break up from time to time with the world, do not dwell with any work of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). Always seek to know the Eternal, to be intimate with Him and to be filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer and meditating on His Word.

Rejoice always (Philippians 4.4), remembering all that the Lord has done for you. Look around you, visualize and enjoy every blessing that the Eternal has given you: your family, health, goods, nature as a whole, employment, etc. (Psalms. 33:5; 40:5; 103:1,2).

Along with this, seek from the Eternal every love and compassion He has to give to every one of the people He has placed in your life, so that the love of Christ can flow from you naturally.

See what Jesus said about serving Him:

 

·        “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matthew 25.40-46).

 

Realize that Jesus did not say to build temples, but to serve others by preaching the gospel to every creature:

 

·        “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28.18-20).

·        “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16.15).

 

Always remember that the Church is maintained by communion with one another in the Holy Spirit. After all, it is the body of Christ. And as we well know:

 

•         The body without the Holy Spirit is dead;

•         The body where the limbs are missing is deficient;

•         The body where there is worm (things of the world) or microbe (Satan and his demons) is a sick body;

•         The body where the limbs are separated, is not body, but a heap of limbs without life in itself.

 

We should not be still until we see all richly supplied by the grace of the Eternal (Isaiah 62.6.7). Jesus' model prayer points to this by using the pronoun "we": "… Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…". (Matthew 6.9-13).

It is to strengthen, edify, comfort, help, love, and exercise God's forgiveness and mercy toward one another that God has put us together.

It was never plan of the Eternal that there should be the separation that was created by the religious system:

 

•         Bishops (presbyters, pastors, reverend, etc.) see themselves as producers of some event;

•         The ministers of praise find that their only function is to sing, having no reason to stay until the end of the meeting or to strive to learn the Holy Scripture.

•         Members find that simply going and hearing all the songs and the pastor's word (as mere spectators) have already fulfilled their obligations to the Eternal.

 

One of the biggest mistakes made by the system is that some of them throw their loads on top of the others. On the one hand, the people throw in the backs of religious leaders the good works that they should do; On the other hand, the authorities demand from the people that they fulfill their wishes.

It is already proven that this does not work:

 

·        “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” (Atos 2.44,45).

·        “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, snd laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.” (Acts 4.34,35).

·        “And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6.1-4).

 

Notice how, while each one was exercising love for their neighbor (Acts 2.44,45), there was no need among the brothers. After this task was passed on to the apostles (Acts 4.32), the widows of the Greeks became forgotten (Acts 6.1-4).

The truth is that loving others is a task that, besides being extremely blessed (Acts 20:35), should be exercised by each one directly. When we outsource love to others, we are passing on to others the greatest of beatitudes and the worst, giving place to:

 

•         the overloading of services and responsibilities on the backs of leaders;

•         corruption of leaders;

•         overloading of members due to excessive collection of resources;

•         the multiplication of individuals in need.

 

We must not run away, nor throw responsibility on others' backs. Remember what Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, that I will give you rest"?

Jesus promised to remove from us all burdens derived from the responsibilities that the religious leaders laid on the Israelites. The crowd was weary of the heavy burdens that the Pharisees and doctors of the law lavished upon them (Matthew 23:2-4).

Today the history repeats.

Instead of accepting that religious institutions entangle us with activities and more activities (using this as an excuse to suck our time and possessions), let us simply take what leads the brother to stumble in the faith, preventing him from being used by Christ (Galatians 6:1,2).

Today Jesus (our intercessor) is our own food (the Living Bread that came down from heaven – John 6.51). The tabernacle, with all its rituals, rules, etc., was only a shadow (Hebrews 8:1-5).

CONTRADICTIONS IN WHICH THOSE WHO INSISTS TO COLLECT TITHES FALL

Leaders today use Paul as an example, but they do not follow what he taught:

 

·        “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not your's but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” (2Corinthians 12:14).

·        “Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.” (1Thessalonians 2.6-9).

 

The values ​​are inverted: until the death of Jesus, the "rich" (agriculturalists) supported the "poor" (orphans, widows, foreigners and Levites). Today, those who call themselves pastors, bishops, reverend, etc. are enriched by virtue of being supported by the congregations, formed, for the most part, of the poor.

The apostle Paul Himself, after years of ministry, at a time when the power of the Holy Spirit worked abundantly and the grace existing in the Church was extremely visible (Acts 11:22-23, 2Corinthians 8:1-5), said:

 

·        “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.” (1Corinthians 9:11-12).

 

Paul was able to give up even his rights if this would serve to eliminate any stumbling block to the propagation of the gospel or to the growth of faith in the brethren (1 Corinthians 8:13; 10.33).

Think about it: if a man like Paul, filled with fear, knowledge, gifts, power, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit feared that by living of the gospel, he might cause embarrassment, even to shame  the name of Jesus, gives breach to the Ha-Satan destruct the work of the Eternal, what makes a religious leader think that with him it will be different?

And not only it! The love that existed in the members of the Church was such that they sold everything they had to supply the needy:

 

·        “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” (Acts 2:44,45)

·        “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.” (Acts 4:32)

 

There would have been in the religious leaders of today the same sentiment that existed in the apostles.

The truth, however, is that the religious system, in which one individual intercedes for others, never worked. From the earliest times we see corruption in the priestly system:

 

·        “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” (I Samuel 2:12-17).

 

Over time, the priests got to the point of encouraging the people to sin:

 

·        “They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity.” (Hosea 4:8).

 

After all, this came from their abundance. And that's not all! See how society has arrived:

 

·        “The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.” (Micah 3.11).

·        “Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up. The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity. Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom. For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.” (Micah 7.1-6).

·        “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” (Isaiah 30.9-11)

·        “Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek: and a man and his father will go in unto the same maid, to profane my holy name: and they lay themselves down upon clothes laid to pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god. Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks; yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD. But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink; and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not.” (Amos 2.6-12).

·        “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jeremiah 5.30,31).

 

And do not think that it stopped there!

 

·        “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 22:26-31).

 

And even after Jerusalem had been destroyed and the people gone into captivity, corruption continued to progress, to the point where the office of the high priest became political, and he was appointed by the government.

Not to mention that the profits of the great sacred feasts were shared with the superior officers. The plan of the Eternal was so corrupted that Jesus said:

 

·        “And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13).

 

Christ's opponents have always been the priests, the scribes and the Pharisees (the religious leaders). It was they who persecuted, accused, and condemned Jesus (Mark 15:3).

And I ask you: Has anything changed back and forth in the religious system? On the contrary: today religious leaders have the petulance of distorting the Holy Scripture only to terrorize the members and try to suck them to the maximum, being that the Holy Scripture is clear:

 

·        “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2Cor 9:7).

 

The truth is as Paul said:

 

·        “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” (1Timothy 6.9-11).

 

We must never forget that the Eternal is honored with the purity of the heart with which we love, with the treasure we use to enrich the needy and with the splendor of our fear and dedication.

 

·        “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;” (I Peter 2:9).

 

In short, you can believe what the author of Hebrews says:

 

·        “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” (Hebrews 13:9,10).

·        “Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” (1Corinthians 10:18).

 

Notice that the separation between the Old and New Covenants is clear. There is no way to participate in both. So much so that the heart is to be strengthened with grace, and not with food, which have brought no benefit to those who care about them.

And this is very visible in religious institutions today. They worry more about having a good collection (no matter if to obtain them it is necessary to distort, to disguise the Sacred Scripture) to do great works, without any concern in preparing the hearts of the people in order to be able to be used by Jesus.

THE CURSE WHO PASSES ABOUT WHO INSISTS TO GIVE OR RECEIVE TITHES

When the people of Israel no longer wanted the Eternal to be their king (1 Samuel 8:7), the Eternal allowed them to have a human king. And see what the king's procedure would be:

 

·       “And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.” (1Samuel 8.11-17). 

 

         And when the king exploited them, see what would happen:

 

·        “And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” (1Samuel 8.18).

 

And the reason for this is simple:

 

·        “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1.25)

·        “Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?” (Matthew 15.1-3).

 

Since it is impossible to serve two masters, one who serves the religious leader has no way of serving the Creator (Matthew 6.24; Isaiah 29:13; Mark 7.7). Hence Paul says:

 

·        “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.” (1Corinthians 7.23).

 

         And if you still think that there is no harm in putting yourself under the yoke of a religious leader and supporting it with tithing, see:

 

·        “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”. (Galatians 5.4).

 

Whoever tries to justify himself in the law (in this case, in Old Testament law, since the New Testament was still being written) is outside of Christ and His grace. If the person is out of grace, then she is in the "dis-grace", disconnected from Christ and therefore, at the mercy of Ha-Satan, sin and the world.