TITHES RESTORED FOR PERSONAL AND CHURCH GIVING.

‘Then Melchizedek, King of Salem brought out bread and wine.’ A celebration! He was the priest of the most High; and blessing followed, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ And then the remarkable case in point or offering wherein: ‘he gave him a tithe of all.’ Melchizedek was a form of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom Abram, the father of the faithful, bowed and offered a tenth of the spoils of war. Please observe that the Lord is the rightful owner of heaven and earth. This is foundational for all personal or church giving. Our own is on trust. (Genesis 14:20).

God met Jacob and revolutionised his life completely. No wonder, for he was told, ’In your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ (Genesis 28:14) then the amazing promise, “I am with you and I will keep you.’ I will bring you back to this land,’ for I will not leave you till I have done what I have spoken to you.’’ Phew!

When Jacob awakened from his sleep, He said, ’Surely the Lord is in this place.’

’How awesome is this place. This is no other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. He called the name of that place Bethel.’ ’Then the Lord shall be my God.’’ ’And this shall be God’s house, and all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to You. Jacob’s dramatic personal change, the awesome presence of the Lord; the return to the land after being scattered, Jacob sensed the real living God. He resourced his faith enterprise, and surrendered all, giving his Lord one tenth.

Our gracious God provided for His servants the Levites through the tithes of the children of Israel. His word in Numbers 18:21-24 states., ’Behold I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform , the work of the tabernacle of meeting. It shall be a statute for ever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have their inheritance.’ So the Lord provided adequately for His own both in the Old Testament and New where the Lord provides for His pastors, teachers, evangelists.

As an example for the children of Israel, the Levites were to receive the gifts, which they must tithe themselves. This is a good principle for the servants of the Lord and an example which touches the hearts of the flock of God. ’You shall offer that to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel. (vv26.28)

Amidst all this teaching on the tithing, is the graphic picture of the red heifer, a delightful pattern of our Lord Jesus and His sacrifice for us. (Numbers 19:2.)

The culmination of the book of Leviticus relates to tithes. ‘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 to the Lord.’ (27:30.32) Man has no entitlement to the tithe- it is the Lord’s. Whether the miraculous, regenerating potential of seed; or the product in its fruit, it is HIS. Christians do not understand and so reject this principle. They fear to relinquish control of resources as if they were their own. Let’s cherish these principles.

In addition, the recipient is specially the One true God, who is holy.

In practice, every tenth of the herd or flock is the Lord’s. ‘Whatever passes under the rod (to be sealed) shall be holy to the Lord.’ While this has an agricultural setting this affects our personal standing. ‘Scripture says, ‘We are not our own, we are bought with a price.’ Nor are our possessions.

God reminded the people ‘they were a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:23). God states the principle,’ you shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.’ Dining is a holy act before the Lord, ‘You shall eat before the Lord your God in the place where he chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain, and your new (therefore non-alcoholic) wine and your oil; of the firstlings of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.’

This dinner celebrated God’s faithfulness, and the perfect tithing provision. Did they sing Moses great song of deliverance? (Exodus 15).

Long before Martin Luther nailed his theses to the cathedral door, Hezekiah reformed Israel, especially the divisions of the priests and Levites. ‘As soon as the reform commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of grain and wine, oil and honey and of all the produce of the field and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel. and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah brought the tithe of oxen and sheep, also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God, they laid in heaps.‘ (2 Chronicles 31:5 -6) Valuable Commandments enforce the will of the Lord: for example, King Ahasuerus in Queen Esther’s crisis; and now in Hezekiah’s command; also in Daniel’s proclamation, which extended world-wide.

All-sufficiency followed- not restrictedness. ‘Since the people began to bring the offerings to the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty left, for the Lord has blessed His people, and what is left is this great abundance.’ We should launch into such a programme foreseeing that the Lord would large-heartedly bless his children: in family or church. Where is the modern Hezekiah?

May elders endorse their courageous pastor and preach this widely-overlooked truth and practice. The outcome will surely be widespread, releasing unlimited resources for the proclamation of the precious gospel of our Lord Jesus.