The main time God spoke to Moses was when he asked him to come and collect the laws, that was after God has spoken to the People about covenant. Moses went alone, spending a whopping 40 days, taking several more instructions.

When it came to giving to the work of God, the Lord did not make it any compulsory, neither did He insist on any percentage, hear the Lord Himself:

Ex 25:1-2 “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it WILLINGLY WITH HIS HEART you shall take My offering.”

The Lord said, offering, anything to be given to my work MUST be willingly, from the heart, as decided by the giver. Nowhere did He put a percentage tag on it. This is believed to be the minimum standard of God, accepting only freewill offering. Abraham gave it willingly, Jacob promised it willingly. Coincidentally, both freely gave 10 percent. Isaac, not recorded, may have promised 20 percent.

Now, the Israelites grew, expanded and occupied the Land, an Issue came up, for religious purposes, the Levites were separated and NOT GIVEN ANY PROPERTY, not given any land to even farm on, they should rather live in the temple without working.

So, naturally, a new law berthed, every other Israelites, apart from the levites, MUST give a compulsory percentage of his proceeds (not Money, in that time, money was existing) to the levites because they can’t Farm, they don’t have lands.

It was made compulsory because, the nature of man, some will say, why should I be feeding ‘lazy levites’, or ‘I will give them only 5 percent’ etc. God wanted to avoid that, so He made it compulsory and even attach curses to disobedient people who will want to dodge the contribution.

If it were a contribution to God’s work, Jehova Couldn’t have made it compulsory, far be it from God to so do, Threatening man to give Him is absurd. But it is needful to force man to give to fellow man because, like I said, man generally don’t like giving to fellow man, especially, to the one ‘not doing anything’.

Now, Jesus came, He put an end to the levitical order, so, the issue of levites came to an end. Therefore, naturally, the status quo return, as contained in Exo. 25, the people should only bring offering willingly. ‘freely have you received, freely you should give’

The issue of 10 percent came up because the issue of levites came up, the issue of 10 percent came to an end because the issue of levites ended in Christ Jesus. That is why, nowhere did Jesus, nor the Apostles insisted on collecting their 10 percent because, they are not levites, they are ministers in Christ order, not levitical order.

God loves a cheerful giver to His work, and to the society; one of the ways to have financial security is to be an addicted giver, over time, it will pay off. But such giving MUST be freewill, willingly.

Ex 35:22 “Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.”

If you give because you are tied down to any law of 10 percent, because you are afraid God will curse you, you will not be blessed. God only loves a cheerful giver; the one who decides to give according to his heart as guided by the Holy Spirit.

Let us therefore give to the work of the Lord, any percentage from your income, from 1 percent to 100 percent, the Lord who sees your heart, knows your circumstances, will accept and MAY bless you(He must not, but May, blessing is His prerogative). He doesn’t bless according to the amount or percentage, but according to the Heart of the giving.

Uzuegbu Ifeanyi