TITHING: New Testament Practice or Old Testament Bondage?
Scriptural giving or control and
greed within the churches?
Are you being led by God's Spirit, or legalistically
giving your 10%?
As the questions above need careful examination, we must first define what is meant by the word "tithing." Since tithing is mentioned in only one New Testament passage, we will first look at it's Old Testament meaning.
The Hebrew word
"tithe" taken from Malachi 3:8,10 is "maasrah"
(mah-as-rah): it means "one tenth." Quoting the NASB Version of these
verses:
Will a man
rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But
you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?, in tithes (LIT: the tithe) and
offerings..! 'Bring the whole tithe (LIT:
all the tithe) into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house,
and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for
you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing til it
overflows."
When the
text reads "whole tithe" the Hebrew word for "whole" is
"kowl" (kole); it means "whole, all or every. Kowl comes from a root word meaning, “to
complete,: hence, to make perfect."
The "whole tithe" could then refer to:
Malachi 3:10 is the most frequently used text by Christian churches and ministers to validate the practice of "tithes" and "offerings." In most churches there is a special time during the services when an announcement is made by the speaker, "Will the ushers please come forward and receive the offering." What is meant by this announcement is that the members of the congregation are to write out a check, or pay cash, equivalent to 10% of their gross income, plus an additional "free-will offering." Some churches allow their people to give the free-will offering to the ministry of their choice, but nearly all churches expect the tithe to be devoted to the local church.
While some churches use
Malachi 3:10 to justify the New Testament practice of tithing, others will
admit that tithing is clearly an Old Testament
ritual. Nevertheless, even such
churches will attempt to rationalize the practice of tithing by making
statements like, "Well if it was good enough for the Old Testament saints
to pay 10%, how much more should we, the New Testament church be willing to
give that same amount? After all, don't
we have more knowledge and revelation about Jesus Christ than the Old
Testament believers?" The
question poses an important response, but this response must be based upon the
Scriptures, not the opinions or traditions of man.
The first part of our study
must therefore examine the origin of the practice of the tithe, along with the
purpose for which it was instituted by God.
In Lev.27:30-33 the Hebrews were given a Law by God, through Moses, to
tithe "the seed of the land" (crops),"the fruit of the
tree," and "the herd, of ... flock." Livestock was tithed by having the owner count the animals as
they passed out to pasture, and every tenth one was given to God. In this manner there was no possibility of
selecting inferior animals for the tithing of the herds and flocks. If one preferred to tithe the tenth of his
grain and fruit in the form of monetary value he was free to do so. He was not allowed to redeem the tenth of
his flocks and herds in this way however.
(see Lev.27:31,33)
To whom were the tithes
paid? Numbers 18:21-29 (READ) states
that the tithe was to be given to the Levites.
The Levites, because of the nature of their status and functions in the
community, had no means of income, livelihood, or inheritance to ensure their
support; therefore, and in return "for their service which they perform,
the service of the tent of meeting", (Num.18:21,24), they were to receive
"all the tenth in Israel."
The Levites were not
allowed to keep the whole of the tenth that was given to them by the
people. They were instructed to offer
up a 'heave offering', which was taken out of the tenth, which represented a
tenth part of the tithe (Numbers 18:26).
This 'tithe of the tithe' was to be 'from all of the best of them' (vs.29),
and was to be given to the priests (vs.28).
In Nehemiah 10:39 we see an example of the sons of Israel bringing the
tithe, along with sons of Levi, to the priests.
There were two basic tithes
required of each Hebrew citizen. The
first one already mentioned was one-tenth of his fields, trees, trees, flocks,
and herds. The portion of this tithe
that was allowed to be redeemed in monetary value could be done so by adding
one-fifth to its estimated value. This
valuation was determined by the priest, and the value could fluctuate depending
on whether it was given before or after the Year of Jubilee. The values set were based on the shekel of
the sanctuary, which was 20 gerahs. The second tithe required of each
landholder was one-tenth of the nine parts of his produce remaining after the
first tithe, to be expended at the tabernacle or temple for use by the Levites,
his own family, etc., changing it to money, if on account of his remoteness he
chose to do so (Deu.12:11-19; 14:22-29; Ezekiel 8; Lev.27:25,30-33;
Num.18:21-32;12:5ff).
In addition to the two
basic tithes, every third year a special provision was made for the poor,
either out of the second tithe, or in addition to it. This third year tithe provided for widows, orphans and aliens;
those who were unable to provide for themselves. (READ Deu.14:28-29; 26:10-13)
The Levites also partook of this tithe.
Where were the Hebrews to
offer their tithes? They were to bring
them to, "...the place which the LORD your God shall choose from all your
tribes." (Deu.12:5-7,11,12,17-21).
An offering of the tithes was to take the form of a ritual meal, in
which the Levite was to share. If
Jerusalem was a long way off from a man's village and the transporting of the
tithes of his crops might create a problem, he could always take his tithe of
the crop (as mentioned previously) in the form of money (Deu.12:22-27). The third year tithe was to be offered in
each man's locality (Deu.14:28ff), although on these occasions he was still
obligated to go up to Jerusalem to worship after the offering of his tithes,
for this is where the house of God was. (Deu.26:12ff)
In Nehemiah 10:37-39 the tithe brought to the Levites is at the "temple" (vs.1),and the "house of our God" (vs.34-39). Apparently, within the walls of the temple was a special storehouse where the Levites are said to bring the "tenth of the tithes (vs.38). The priests were appointed over this storehouse, and the tithes in the storehouse were for the temple workers. After the captivity Tobiah's priestly households neglected this storehouse and used the storehouse for their own personal household goods, and were consequently expelled from temple service for neglecting the sons of Levi (Nehemiah 13:4-14). Also compare with this Nehemiah 12:44-47.
The Law given to Moses was
to govern the people. It contained
various ordinances which were to be strictly adhered to. Each law served a
particular purpose. The law of the
tithe was a provision to feed and care for the Levites, who were without any
land inheritance. It was a tax of sorts
on the produce of the land, herds & flocks of Hebrews with
possessions. The Levites in turn were
expected to tithe of their tenth to the priests. The priests, a sect of Levites were to oversee the storehouse in
the house of God, and to make sure that temple workers, as well as widows,
orphans and aliens were fed from the whole tithe brought in by the people.
Next we will examine the
context of Malachi 3:10 to determine if New Testament churches have a
Scriptural right to apply this verse to the modern day practice of
"tithes" and "offerings."
Once this examination has been completed, we will venture into an
in-depth study in the New Testament giving to see what Jesus requires of His
church.
The context of Malachi chapter three shows that the sons of Levi are going to be purified because their Old Testament offerings were not presented in righteousness. Malachi 3:1 is prophetic of Jesus Christ being the "Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight”. God would introduce the children of Israel to a new covenant thru the blood of His only begotten Son, the only man who kept the Law of the LORD in every point. Consider the following verses in context:
Malachi
3:1 ...and He will
purify the sons of Levi ... so that they may present to the LORD offerings in
righteousness.
Malachi 3:4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD, as in the days of old and as in former years.
Here in
the text the LORD rebukes the sons of Levi for all the years of neglect to the
law of tithes and offerings. God says
He will send a Messenger of a covenant who will make the offering of JUDAH
pleasing. There was no priestly lineage
from the tribe of Judah in the Old Testament who could present offerings to the
LORD which were pleasing. And once this messenger of the covenant comes, how
would the sons of Levi present offerings to the LORD in righteousness since
they don't have a righteousness derived from obedience to the Law? Hadn't the Levites already failed to do what
God had commanded them thru the Law of Moses?
Consider the LORD'S rebuke to the Levites in Malachi 3:5 "Then I will draw near to you for
judgment... against those who oppress... the widow and the orphan, and those
who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD.'
THIS CONTEXT IS A REBUKE TO THE OLD TESTAMENT LEVITES NOT TO NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS!!!
After their captivity into Babylon, and in anticipation of the day when God would send the Messiah to deliver His people and purify the sons of Levi, the LORD points out the exact nature of the Levite's sin:
Malachi 3:7-11... you have turned aside from My statutes, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of hosts." But you say, 'How shall we return?' (*NOTE - The “we” spoken of here in the context is referring to the sons of Levi)
Malachi
3:8 "Will a MAN
rob (LIT-defraud) God? Yet YOU are robbing Me!
But YOU say, ‘How have WE robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings
(LIT-heave offerings).”
Malachi
3:9 (Rotherham's Emphasized
Bible) <With a curse> have YE
been cursing, and yet <me> have YE been defrauding, the whole nation.
(LIT-the nation, the whole of it). Malachi 3:10 - Bring the whole (LIT-the
complete) tithe INTO THE STOREHOUSE so that THERE MAY BE FOOD in My house...
"
Before
continuing, READ Malachi 2:1-9. This
helps establish that the rebuke given to the Levites is consistent throughout
the entire context. With that in mind
consider the following points:
FINAL THOUGHTS ON MALACHI
CHAPTER THREE BY COMPARISON WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT:
1. It is clear from Malachi 3:1 that when the
Messenger of the covenant comes, He will purify the sons of Levi (vs.3) so that
they might present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. The question we must ask is this: “HOW can
the sons of Levi (or anyone for that matter) present any offering to the LORD
in righteousness without the shed blood of Jesus Christ?”
Acts 17:31 because He has fixed a day in which He will
judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished
proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
(NAS)
This verse states that Jesus was sent by God to judge the world in righteousness. Compare Malachi 3:5.
Rom 3:9-10 What
then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that
both Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, "There is none
righteous, not even one; (NAS)
These verses state that of both Jews and Greeks that "there is NONE righteous, NOT EVEN ONE."
Rom 4:1-9 What then shall we say that Abraham, our
forefather according to the flesh, has found?
For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about;
but not before God. For what does the Scripture say?
"And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness." Now to the one who
works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but
believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as
righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom
God reckons righteousness apart from works:
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and
whose sins have been covered.
"Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into
account." Is this blessing then
upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say, "Faith
was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness." (NAS)
These verses speak of a righteousness experienced by Abraham apart from the works of the Law (e.g.-tithes & offerings). This is a direct tie to the prophecy of the Messiah in Malachi 3, because Mal.3:4 says that after Jesus comes the offerings will be pleasing to the LORD, as in the days of old & as in former years; that is, years former to the Levitical priesthood.
Rom 4:13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.
(NAS)
This verse says that righteousness was not through the Law, but on the basis of faith. (See verses 22-25)
Rom
5:17-21 For if by the
transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who
receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in
life through the One, Jesus Christ. So
then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even
so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all
men. For as through the one man's
disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the
One the many will be made righteous.
And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin
increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so
grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord. (NAS)
These
verses show that thru one act of righteousness by Jesus Christ, the many will
be made righteous. These verses also
show that the Law and its requirements only serve to increase our transgression
by making us more aware of our unrighteousness.
Rom 8:10 And if Christ is in you, though the body is
dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. (NAS)
If Christ is in you, your spirit is alive because of His righteousness.
Rom 9:30-33 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed." (NAS)
These verses show that righteousness did not come to Israel on the basis of obedience to the Law, but it came to the Gentiles on the basis of faith in Christ, the only One who fulfilled the Law. This again proves that the sons of Levi presenting offerings in righteousness are not on the basis of there paying the tithe, but on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ.
Rom
10:4-11 For Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes that the man who practices
the righteousness which is based on law shall live by that righteousness. But the righteousness based on faith speaks
thus, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' (that is,
to bring Christ down), or 'Who will descend into the abyss?' (that is, to bring
Christ up from the dead)." But what does it say? "The word is near
you, in your mouth and in your heart"-- that is, the word of faith which
we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus {as} Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes,
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation. For the Scripture says,
"Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." (NAS)
Christ is THE END OF THE LAW FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS! Our offerings in righteousness are not based on the Mosaic Law of tithing, but on Christ. (see 1 Cor. 1:30; Philippians 3:9)
2 Cor 3:9-11 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory on account of the glory that surpasses {it.} For if that which fades away {was} with glory, much more that which remains {is} in glory. (NAS)
These verses compare the glory of the Law with Christ's glory; the Law is called the ministry of condemnation, Christ's the ministry of righteousness.
Gal
2:21 "I do not nullify the
grace of God; for if righteousness {comes} through the Law, then Christ died
needlessly." (NAS)
This verse slams our point home; the Levites, representative of Israel, could only make offerings in righteousness on the basis of Christ. (READ Galatians 3:1-12,21-26)
This verse says the "fruit of righteousness" comes through Jesus Christ; this "fruit" in the New Testament is the counterpart to the heave offering given by the Levites to God.
2. Now that we know that the “offerings in righteousness”
come by faith in Jesus Christ, and not on the basis of obedience to the
ordinances of the Law, a brief look at some of
the Scriptures dealing with
"the covenant" prophesied of in Malachi chapter three will be helpful
in finishing our study on Old Testament tithes and offerings. What kind of covenant will the LORD'S
Messenger bring? Will it be the same as
the old covenant under the Law of Moses?
Will the covenant fulfill God's promise to Israel?
Rom 9:4-8 Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the
adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and
the {temple} service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is
the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. But {it is} not as though the word of God
has failed. For they are not all Israel who are {descended} from Israel;
neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but:
"through Isaac your descendants will be named." That is, it is not the children of the flesh
who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as
descendants. (NAS)
These verses state that although Israel was given the Old Testament covenants, this did not make them heirs to the promises of God given to Abraham. It was not the children if the flesh who were the true Israel of God, but the children of the promise, which came by faith. (See Galatians 3:15-26)
Eph
2:11-16 Therefore remember,
that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
"Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," {which
is} performed in the flesh by human hands - {remember} that you were at that
time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. But now in Christ Jesus you who
formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both
{groups into} one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity,
{which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, that in Himself
He might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace, and might
reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to
death the enmity. (NAS)
These verses show that though the Gentiles were alienated from God under the covenants of the Law, yet thru the blood of Christ they have been made a part of the new covenant and made one with the commonwealth of spiritual Israel.
Luke 22:20 And in the same way {He took} the cup after
they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new
covenant in My blood. (NAS)
Jesus said His blood was that of the "new covenant." This blood was for the forgiveness of sins. (Matt.26:28; 1 Cor.11:25)
Rom 11:27 "And this is My covenant with them,
when I take away their sins."
(NAS)
Romans 11
deals with Israel as a nation being broken off from the covenant and promise of
God because of their rejection of His Son Jesus. However, God says this hardening of Israel's heart toward the
gospel is only temporary, and when the Deliverer (Christ) comes from Zion
(Christ's return to save Israel at the Second Coming), His covenant to them
will be fulfilled.
2 Cor 3:6 Who also made us adequate {as} servants of a
new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but
the Spirit gives life. (NAS)
Heb
7:22 so much the more also Jesus
has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
(NAS)
Heb 8:7-9 For if that first {covenant} had been
faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says,
"Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will effect a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; Not like the covenant
which I made with their fathers On the day when I took them by the hand to lead
them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in My covenant, and I
did not care for them, says the Lord.
(NAS)
This verse is especially important in the fulfillment of Malachi 3:4, which is prophetic of Jesus Christ, the Messenger of the covenant. When Jesus comes, "then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD."
As pointed out earlier, the lineage of Judah was not part of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. However in the New Testament,Judah is representative of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant because Jesus is called, "the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). Jesus' offering of Himself as a sacrifice for mankind was pleasing to Yahweh, and so we, the church and the "new Jerusalem" when we offer up ourselves as "living sacrifices" are pleasing to Yahweh as well. (See Rev. 21:2,10; 3:12; Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 4:26 and Romans 12:1.)
READ:
Hebrews 9:15-28; 10:15-22,28-29;12:22-24;13:20; Rev.11:19
CONCLUSIONS:
1. Malachi
3:10 is speaking to the Old Testament sons of Levi, the priests, who acted
wickedly by withholding their "tithe of the tithe" given to them. God
equates this with fraud against Him and against His people Israel, because it
deprives the needy of food & care.
2. The
context of Malachi chapter three is dealing with a prophecy regarding the
coming of the "Messenger of the covenant." Other New Testament texts
prove beyond any doubt that this messenger is Jesus Christ who effects a new
covenant, and replaces the old covenant under the Law of Moses.
3. The Law of
the "tithe" in its various forms is part of the Law of Moses and is
no longer applicable to the New Testament church. The sons of Levi cannot make "offerings in
righteousness" on the basis of obedience to the Law of the tithe, but only
on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ, the Lion from the Tribe of Judah.
4. The
purpose of the "tithe" was to care for the needs of the Levites
because they had no land inheritance. The Levitical priesthood has been done
away with in Christ. The tithe was also
to care for widows, orphans, and aliens; but New Testament giving covers these
important needs, which will be examined later.
NEXT
SECTION: Hebrews 7:1-28 and 8:1-13
(with comments added for clarification )
Now that the Law of the tithe has been refuted as a New Testament practice, let us examine, the one and only text in the New Testament where a "tenth" is mentioned. The reference is in Hebrews chapter 7, which is a recounting of the first occasion recorded in Scripture of a "tenth" part being offered to God. Genesis 14:20 tells us about this first account, long before the Law of Moses was instituted:
Gen
14:18-20 And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most
High. And he blessed him and said,
"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 he gave him a tenth of all. (NAS)
· Heb 7:1-2 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils was first of all, by the translation of his name king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. (NAS)
COMMENTS:
Note that in the Genesis
account Melchizedek called him "Abram,” but in the New Testament account
he is called "Abraham." Abram
in Hebrew means "exalted father" or "the father is
exalted." Abram's name was later
changed to Abraham meaning, "father of multitudes." (See Genesis
17:5)
There is a spiritual truth
seen here because the faith of Abraham, whose coming was long before the Law of
Moses (which included the Law of the tithe), is used in many New Testament
examples as being part of the New Covenant and superior to the Law of Moses.
Gal 3:29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise. (NAS)
Since God's promise to make Abraham a father of many nations came before the Law of Moses, anyone who is of the faith seed of Abraham, believing in Christ's righteousness becomes a son of God by faith. (See: Gal. 3:26; Romans 9:6-8; James 2:21; Romans 4:9-16; Gal. 3:6-18)
The promise given to
Abraham by the Spirit came 400 years before the Law was given to Moses,
therefore the Law cannot invalidate a previous promise. Jesus said in John 8:56, "Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad." Abraham looked for the One who would redeem
his people from the curse of sin, long before the Law was given as a
schoolmaster, and he believed God for the promised seed, Isaac, to carry on
the Messianic lineage. Abraham
therefore becomes the "father of a multitude" of believers in both
the old and new covenants who demonstrate the same faith in God.
The reason this is important in our study of tithing is because ABRAHAM GAVE A TENTH PART of spoils without having to receive a command of the Law to do so. In other words, he gave to Melchizedek out of the gratitude in his heart to God, not out of compulsion to obey a written commandment in stone. In this, Abraham becomes our New Testament example for motivation.
Because Melchizedek's name
means "king of righteousness" and "king of peace," he is an
obvious type of Jesus Christ, as the context will bear out. So, it is as though Abraham is sharing (in
type) with Christ the spoils, or booty, of that which was given to him by God,
and He is doing so voluntarily. The
Greek word for "apportioned" in Heb 7:2 is “merizo” and it means,
"to part bestow or share."
Interestingly enough, this same Greek word is used in the context of
Luke 12:13 where someone told Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide
(merizo) the family inheritance with me." Jesus responded by saying,
"...be on your guard against every form of greed..." (see Luke 12:15-21,31-34)
·
Heb 7:3
Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a
priest perpetually. (NAS)
Melchizedek was a priest to
God even before the Aaronic priesthood was established, and unlike the priests
in Aaron's line (i.e.-the Levites) his lineage is not mentioned in
either the Old Testament or
the New Testament text. The Holy Spirit
inspired both the writer of Genesis and Hebrews to omit his lineage so that he
could be representative of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Christ's priesthood was to be perpetual and
nontransferable; in other words, “He is the Great High Priest of God in the New
Covenant forever.”
·
Heb 7:4-10
Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave
a tenth of the choicest spoils. And
those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have
commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their
brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a
tenth from Abraham, and blessed the one who had the promises. But without any dispute the lesser is
blessed by the greater. And in this
case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one {receives them} of whom it
is witnessed that he lives on. And, so
to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he
was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. (NAS)
COMMENTS:
1. Abraham,
the patriarch of the Levites, considered Melchizedek such a great man in the
sight of God that he was prompted out of faith and thanksgiving to give this
king/priest a tenth of the choicest spoils from the battles he had won against
the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. The
Scripture doesn't say why Abraham did this, however Abraham's faith in God's
promises and his friendship with God prompted obedience from his heart to do
the LORD'S will. Unlike the Law of
Moses which commanded a tenth of a man's crops and herds and flocks, that which
Abraham gave voluntarily was booty from the warfare he had won. Perhaps in this we can see a type of
spiritual warfare and the choicest prizes going to Melchizedek as a type of
Christ who inherits the kingdom.
2. One whose
genealogy is not traced collects a voluntary tithe from Abraham. Melchizedek,
the king/priest then blesses Abraham, the one to whom God had made the
promises. Even though Melchizedek is
called a "mortal" man (one who would eventually die) who received
tithes, he is termed as the "greater" who blesses the
"lesser" (Abraham). His
mortality is mentioned so that we won't think of him as anything superhuman or
God-like because of his genealogy being omitted. Nevertheless, Melchizedek is called the "greater"
because he received the tithe of the "choicest" spoils, which
corresponds to the "tithe of the tithe" that the sons of Levi were to
give to the priests. As you may recall,
the Levites were commanded in the Law to give the choicest tenth when they
tithed. This means that even though God
had not yet given the Law of the tithe, with it's stipulation that the sons of
Levi tithe of the tenth that they received, yet Abraham's faith and obedience
from the heart caused him to fulfill the Levitical obligation. He didn't need a Law written in stone to
command him to do it, because Abraham had it in his heart to do so.
3. Melchizedek,
a man whose genealogy is not traced from the Levites received the tithe from
Abraham. The Levites were commanded to
collect the tithe from fellow Hebrews, but Melchizedek not only collected the
tithe from Abraham, but like the Son of God, he was not from the priestly line
of Aaron. God is trying to show us here that something greater than the
Levitical priesthood with its compulsory commands to collect tithing is in
view. Like verse 3 says, the priesthood
of the Son of God will never end; it is perpetual, unlike the line of Aaron.
COMMENTS:
1. The point in
mentioning the priesthood of Melchizedek is to draw a parallel between the
similarities of Christ's priesthood. A
new and better priesthood had to be introduced because perfection was not
attainable thru the Levitical priesthood (7:11).
2. When the
Levitical priesthood is changed of necessity a change of Law must take place as
well. The change of Law, including the
Law of the compulsory tithe, was necessary because this Law was given thru the
Levitical priesthood (7:12).
3. The new
priesthood, that which replaces the Levites (descendents of Aaron), is not
based on a Law of physical requirements (7:16), but "..according to the
power of an indestructible life."(7:16) Like the prophecy mentioned
previously in Malachi 3:4 which says, "..the offering of Judah ... will be
pleasing to Yahweh", our Lord's offering of Himself to purchase for God
men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation with His own blood
pleased God so much, that He raised Jesus from the dead to live an
indestructible life as our Great High Priest and Mediator of the New Covenant.
(see Rev.5:9-10,15) Our Lord descended
from the tribe of Judah, not Levi, proving that His priesthood was not based on
physical requirements of the Levitical Law.
4. Because
Jesus' priesthood has brought about a change of the Law also, the physical
requirement of the tithe, clearly mentioned in the context, has been set aside
because of it's weakness and uselessness (7:18). This weakness can be clearly seen in the fact that not even the
priests themselves were able to keep the Law of the tithe. The Law made nothing perfect, it only
ministered condemnation. But Jesus is
the guarantee of a better covenant that allows us to draw near to God through
Him.
5. Jesus is
the only One who is able to save those who draw near to God thru Him. Unlike the weak men who were appointed as
priests under the Law, Jesus did not have to offer up sacrifice for Himself
first, then for the people. Jesus offered
Himself up once for all, the sinless Lamb of God. Therefore God also highly
exalted Him and made Him a priest forever. (7:21-27)
6. Because the
first covenant had faults, God instituted a
second, and a better covenant.
The new covenant was similar to the promise of Abraham, who gave his
tithe of the choicest spoils, not because he was commanded to by Law, but
because it was in his heart to do so.
When Christ became our High Priest, God
began to write His laws in our minds and hearts. The tablets of stone under Moses )with its physical requirements to tithe by
command) have become obsolete and have disappeared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our study will now progress to the function of the church and it's
giving under the new covenant, a giving motivated by God's Spirit in response
to His love, and obedience to His will.
(See “Giving God’s Way”)
SELAH…Pause and reflect
Links to the Entire
"Tithing” Series:
Tithing Series Part 1: New
Testament Practice of Old Testament Bondage?
Tithing Series Part 2: Giving
God’s Way
Tithing Series Part 3:
Supplemental Scriptures on New Testament Giving
Tithing Series Part 4: Abraham’s
Tithe Prefigures Giving from the Heart
Tithing Series Part 5: Q &
A Series – Does Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek justify church tithing?
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