After reading this report you will understand the following:
א. The law of Tithes is very specific in its commandment. From its origin it was set-up by the most High to show him honor and to support the priesthood. It also provided for those who were keeping the laws, statutes, and judgments such as the poor widows, and fatherless.
ב. Tithes or ten percent [10%], of all crops, animals, wine, and/or oil was commanded by the Heavenly Father to be given.
ג. Accepting ten percent, or Tithes on money is not found in the scriptures. The tithing of money is adding to the word of the Lord.
In the book of St. John 5:39, Christ said “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are deeply committed to teaching and more importantly, living the Gospel. Therefore, we constantly search the scriptures to prepare ourselves as well as our people for the second coming of Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
The Spirit has roused the hearts of the brothers to inquire about Tithes. The question was posed as to whether the tithing of money is scriptural or a tradition of men? The answer to this question can be found in the following scriptures.
Leviticus 27:30 “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. Verse 31, And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. Verse 32, and concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod ["passeth under the rod" referring to the shepherds "rod."], the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. Verse 33, 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. Verse 34, These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.” These and other scriptures are being used to justify the taking of a “tenth” [ten %] of monetary income for Tithes. According to the above scriptures, tithes consisted of seed, fruit, herds and crops, etc., nowhere is financial income mentioned.
Deuteronomy 14:22 “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.” Verse 23, “And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there [the "there" was Jerusalem. This was told to Moses when the children of Israel were in the wilderness], 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.”
In regards to money the Heavenly Father instructed us what must be done in order to keep the laws of tithes. Leaving nothing for the imagination of man but giving us specific commandment in his law. Deuteronomy 14:24 “And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place [Jerusalem] 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:” Verse 25, “Then shalt thou turn it into money [the sale of the tithes of corn, wine, oil, flocks, etc.. was "turned into money"], and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place [Jerusalem] which the Lord thy God shall choose:” Verse 26, “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,” To “bestow that money” means to use money in spending it to purchase according to your desire [lust]. Once you are in Jerusalem you could purchase “oxen, or for sheep, or for wine” or any other thing that your “soul desireth” with the money. There you will eat with your household, with the Levite and those that are poor.
Deuteronomy 14:27 “And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.” Verse 28, “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:” In other words, the Israelites were only allowed to hold their tithes for “three years.” The Heavenly Father is instructing Israel to not forget their ministers and priest but to remember to provide for the work of the priesthood. Verse 29, “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 18:1 “The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance ["no part or inheritance" of the land] with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire ["made by fire" meaning sacrificial "offerings"], and his inheritance [The "inheritance" was Tithes and offering]. Verse 2, Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren ["no inheritance" meaning land with the other tribes, because the Levites were scattered throughout the lands of all the twelve tribes in order to keep the Lords’ charge/work of being priests]: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them. Verse 3, And this shall be the priest’s due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. Verse 4, The firstfruit also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. Verse 5, For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever. Verse 6, And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose; Verse 7, Then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the Lord. Verse 8, They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.”
Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” The Lord is saying this because our Nation refused to keep his commandment concerning the paying of Tithes [ten percent, of our crops, animals, wine, etc.] and offerings [sacrifices], which belonged to him. As stated and proved above, Tithes were for the Levites and widows, etc., Offerings which were made by fire were also a part of the Levites inheritance.
Malachi 3:9 “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation”. The Israelites “robbed” the Most High by refusing to keep the Law concerning the giving of offerings, sacrifices and Tithes, 10% of their crops, wines, corns, etc.
Malachi 3:10 “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse ["the storehouse" was where Tithes were stored], that there may be meat in mine house ["mine house" meaning the Temple / Tabernacle], 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.” What is meant is that the most High will give them rain that will bless their crops. See, Deuteronomy 11:14[א]
Malachi 3:11 “And I will rebuke the devourer [the "devourer" was pestilence, famine, dearth etc.] 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.” Verse 11, is explaining verses 8-10. Tithes are 10% of the increase of the field and the flocks which is in accordance with Leviticus 27, Deuteronomy 14, and not financial income.
The Lord proves further that Tithes is of crops according to Leviticus 27, in the so called New Testament.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin [HERBS, this scripture proves that even the Pharisees and scribes paid tithes of their seed that the field brought forth, and not money], 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.”
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.”
The Apostle Paul spoke regarding the receiving of Tithes which began with Melchisedec, King of Salem. Hebrews 7:4 “Now consider how great this man [the "man" was Melchisedec] was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. ["the tenth of the spoils" of war, read Genesis 14:18-20]” Verse 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 [the Levites took a tenth of all the increase of the field and herd], that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:” Many have abused the law in adding to the commandment of taking tithes. Most preachers of modern Christianity do not even consider themselves to be Israelites how then can they accept tithes if they are not Levites.
Hebrews 7:6 “But he [Melchisedec] whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.” Verse 7, “And without all contradiction the less [Abraham] is blessed of the better [Melchisedec]“. Verse 8, “And here men that die receive tithes [the "men that die" were the Levites]; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth [Melchisedec, King of Salem]” Verse 9,” And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.” The law of tithes was before Levi, since the days of Abraham. Yet the tenth/tithe the apostle Paul explains that Abraham gave was “according to the law” meaning the same tithes that Levi would have received. Paul tells us that even the tribe of Levi paid tithes when Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchisedec. In the law itself we learn that the Levites gave a tenth of the tithes of what was brought to them. In other words a tithe of tithes.
Numbers 18:24 “But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.” Verse 25: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Verse 26: “Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.” Verse 27: “And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fullness of the winepress.” Verse 28: “Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD’s heave offering to Aaron the priest.” Verse 29: “Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.” This shows us that the tithe was not only to support the priesthood but show honor unto the Heavenly Father. This is why the most High gave us the example in Abraham who honored him by giving of the substance that he gained from war. See, Proverbs 3:9-10[ב] .
Hebrews 7:9” And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.” Verse 10, “For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.” Verse 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?” Verse 12,”For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law ["of the law" regarding tithes and offerings of sacrifices].” Verse 13, “For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. ["no man" gave Christ Tithes and /or sacrificial offerings “at the altar”]” Verse 14, “For it is evident that our Lord [Jesus Christ] sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.”
The change in the laws of tithes is the change in priesthood. When the heave offering was given to YHWH (LORD) the one to accept it was Aaron the high priest in the behalf of the most High. But another high priest was to arise after the order of Melchisedec. That high priest that no one paid attention to at the altar is Christ that came from the tribe of Judah. Hebrews 4:14 “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” This is why Paul said the priesthood being changed. The most High did not remove the Levites from being priest instead he fulfilled his word in making the whole nation a kingdom of priest. Exodus 19:6 “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.”
With this we could understand that no gentile preacher could accept tithes for he is not a priest of the most High. The Apostle Paul made sure that poor Israelites that followed Christ were taken care of, even as the other Apostles charged him in Galatians 2:9 “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen [these "heathen" were Israelites following Greek customs, who were called: Hellenists], and they unto the circumcision ["the circumcision" were those Israelites who were raised in the Law].” Verse 10, “Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.”
When giving to the poor we must always keep in mind that the poor [fatherless, widow, and etc..] that ate of the tithes believed in the most High and kept his commandments. Therefore we should help those that are poor which are mindful of the Lord. In the Apocrypha Ecclesiasticus 12:4 “Give to the godly man, and help not a sinner.” Verse 5, ” Do well unto him that is lowly, but give not to the ungodly: hold back thy bread, and give it not unto him, lest he overmaster thee thereby: for [else] thou shalt receive twice as much evil for all the good thou shalt have done unto him.”
The prophet Tobit is a great example to us how tithes were given to the priest and poor when we were in the land. Tobit 1:6 “But I alone went often to Jerusalem at the feasts, as it was ordained unto all the people of Israel by an everlasting decree, having the firstfruits and tenths of increase [tithes], with that which was first shorn; and them gave I at the altar to the priests the children of Aaron.” Verse 7: “The first tenth part of all increase I gave to the sons of Aaron, who ministered at Jerusalem: another tenth part I sold away, and went, and spent it every year at Jerusalem:” Verse 8: “And the third I gave unto them to whom it was meet [poor individuals that were righteous], as Debora my father’s mother had commanded me, because I was left an orphan by my father.”
When the harshness of the captivity came upon him and his household he didn’t forget to apply this law in a strange land. Tobit 2:1 “Now when I was come home again [in Assyrian, see Tobit 1:22], and my wife Anna was restored unto me, with my son Tobias, in the feast of Pentecost [firstfruits], which is the holy feast of the seven weeks, there was a good dinner prepared me, in the which I sat down to eat.” Verse 2: “And when I saw abundance of meat, I said to my son, Go and bring what poor man soever thou shalt find out of our brethren, who is mindful of the Lord; and, lo, I tarry for thee.” In our present captivity we should live after the examples of our forefathers and feed the poor of our people that are mindful of the most High.
One lesson we should learn from Tobit and Abraham is the willing spirit they had to honor the most High. Our spirits also must be willing to give of our gains to help the poor and the ministry of the most High. Romans 15:25 “But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.” Verse 26, “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.”
2nd Corinthians 9:5 “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty [abundant supply], whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.” Paul collected a “bounty” of financial contributions to take care of poor Israelite brothers and sisters. This “bounty” was not based on covetousness/greed, because wherever Paul traveled, he worked with his hands to support himself.
2nd Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Verse 7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Paul did not demand them to give a tenth of their money but to give willingly as Abraham did with the tithes to Melchisedec. Money that was contributed out of a willing heart was for the poor Israelite believers and the upkeep of the church. Paul compares this contribution as of the tithes that if it was given with a willing heart the Lord would then bless the giver. 2nd Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:“ Meaning the heavenly Father always provides to those that have him in mind with sufficient blessings that they could continue to have every good work. Unlike the ministers of today that through their covetousness they extort the people the apostle Paul provided an example in that he worked.
Acts 18:3 “And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought ["wrought" meaning WORKED]: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.”
2nd Thessalonians 3:8 “Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:” Verse 9, “Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.” Paul and the other disciples supported themselves, working with their own hands, being an example, so no one could accuse them of living off the congregation.
2nd Corinthians 4:1 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;” Verse 2, “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” At this point, our readers should understand that many are using the Law on tithes unlawfully. They say you must pay tithes on your income or money, however, they do not teach the Laws found in the Bible. They have added to the word of the Most High and shall be found liars; therefore they must repent from their false teachings. If anyone claims that the Lord commands you to pay tithes of your income or money, they are breaking the 3rd commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy GOD in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.“ Yet we must understand that financial support is needed for this truth which must be done with a willing mind. This is what the most High commanded. See, 2nd Chronicles 24:5-6 and Exodus 25:1-2.
Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” Verse 6, “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” Without adding to the word of the most High we teach all believers to support the truth of the Heavenly Father financially as our forefathers that were under the priesthood of Christ (Melchisedec). Remember that we cannot add or take away from the laws of tithes. There is no law that Christ came to destroy or do away with. See, Matthews 5:17 [ג] .
Revelation 22:18 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” Verse 19, “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
We give all praises to the Most High and Christ who reveals the Holy Word unto us. The brothers of the 12 tribes of Israel have always worked on jobs to help support this Gospel, by being examples to this nation. Finally, a “tenth” [10%] of all monies is not commanded by the Lord of Heaven and Earth, but instead any contribution given out of a pure and willing heart. Peace unto you!
א. Deuteronomy 11:14 “That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.”
Back to top
ב. Proverbs 3:9 “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:” Verse 10: “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
Back to top
ג. Matthews 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
Back to top