140 QUESTIONS TITHE-TEACHERS
SHOULD HONESTLY ANSWER

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Answers Provided 5-23-22011

1. According to Genesis 14:11-16 were the spoils of war Abram received holy tithes from God's holy land? Would they have been "holy" tithes in the Law?
Answer: Of course not. There was no holy land yet. They do not fit the description of “holy” tithes under the Law and could not have been used to support the Levites and priests as Levitical tithes.
2. According to Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7:4 does the Bible say that Abram freely gave tithes of spoils of war to the priest-king Melchizedek?
Answer: No. Genesis 14:21 suggests that he was obeying the Arab law of the land which required tithes from spoils of war be given to the local king-priests.
3. According to Numbers 31:21-30 what percentage did the statute of the Law for Israel later require as a tithe from spoils of war?

Answer: One tenth of one per cent (.1%) (One half of one five hundredth): this was only one tenth of what Abram paid to Melchizedek.

4. Why did Abraham tithe 10% of spoils when the Law later required far less? What controlled his actions?

Answer: The Bible does not say “why”. Recorded tradition found in archaeology suggests it was the required law of the land throughout his world.

5. From Genesis 14:20-21 could there be another law or Arab tradition involved? Yes, No, Perhaps. Do some deep research on this.
Answer: This is repetition of previous questions. Research many commentaries for a surprise answer.

6. Would Abraham's tithe have been accepted as a holy tithe to enter the Temple?
Answer: Only that which could be purified after passing through fire. And then it could only be used for temple maintenance. Compare First Samuel 30:20-35.
7. How often did Abraham tithe?
Answer: The Bible does not record any other instance. Therefore, we really do not know.

8. Is Abraham an example of tithing personal property and tithing regularly?
Answer: Not at all. If we followed his example, we would only tithes from spoils of war and only once.
9. Is Abraham's example of giving 90% to the king of Sodom an example for Christians to follow?
Answer: Not at all. Yet tithe-preaches do not discuss this.
10. From Genesis 20 and 21 is it possible that Abraham also paid tithes to the Philistine priest-king Abimelech whom he served?
Answer: It is possible if it was required by their law. He obeyed the law of the land.
11. Referring to Genesis 28:20-22 would Jacob's tithe from Haran have been accepted as a holy tithe to enter the Temple system?
Answer: It does not fit the description of a holy tithe to be used for normal sustenance of Levites and priests.
12. Referring to Genesis 28:20-22 should we follow Jacob's example and only tithe after God has met our conditions?
Answer: No. Yet this is not discussed by tithe-teachers.
13. According to Genesis 28:20 was Jacob's tithe a freewill "vow" or a commandment of God?
Answer: A freewill vow. And there is no record that he kept the vow.
14. Is Jacob an example of tithing for Christians to follow?
Answer: Not at all.
15. How common was money, gold, silver, precious stones and shekels in Genesis?
Answer: The word “money” occurs 32 times in Genesis. Check an exhaustive concordance.
16. According to Genesis 13:2 and 20:16 did Abraham have a lot of money?
Answer: Yes. It was already an important part of that economy.
17. Was money essential for routine worship in the sanctuary?
Answer: Very much. Do your own research on the words "money" and "shekel."
18. Is it honest to teach that tithes were only food because money was not common?
Answer: No. It is dishonest and comes with dishonest ulterior motives to change God’s Word.
19. According to Exodus 19:5-6 was tithing part of God's "original plan" before the incident of the golden calf?
Answer: No. Tithing is not mentioned in Exodus. While Aaron’s house was intended to be resident priests, every Hebrew from every tribe was to be his/her own priest before God. Levitical priests were not mentioned.
20. According to Leviticus 25:3-7 no food tithe could be taken every seventh year. Why is this ignored by churches today?
Answer: Churches would have no grounds for collecting tithes every seventh year.
21. According to Leviticus 25:12-13 no food tithe could be taken every fiftieth year. Why is this ignored by churches today?
Answer: If one followed all of the OT tithing law, tithes could not be requested every 7th and 50th years.
22. According to Leviticus 27:30, 32 (and 14 other texts), tithes were only food from the land of Israel and herds inside God's holy land of Israel which God had miraculously increased. Where in the Bible --over 1400 years from Leviticus to Luke -- are tithes defined as income or money?
Answer: Nowhere. God’s definition of a holy tithe never changed.
23. According to Leviticus 27:30, 32 the tithe was the tenth of the total crop and the tenth animal. Since the word "tithe" means "tenth" when did it change to become the "first" in the Bible?
Answer: Nowhere. This is man’s change of God’s Word.
24. According to Leviticus 27:34 the first tithe was not the "best." Where in the Bible does the first whole tithe become the "best"?
Answer: Nowhere. Tithe-teachers dishonestly change God’s Word and ask for the first tenth of one’s paycheck.
25. According to Leviticus 27:34 tithing was part of the Law given only to national Israel as a unique covenant. When were the Gentiles, (pagans) or Church commanded to tithe in the Bible?
Answer: Nowhere. None qualified as tithe-payers. They were not Hebrews and they did not grow food inside God’s holy land.
26. Since only farmers and herdsmen living inside Israel produced tithes, where is the principle that says everybody was required to begin their level of giving at 10%?
Answer: Nowhere. It is a tradition of man.
27. Where does the Bible say that non-food income was tithed and that carpenters (Jesus), fishermen (Peter), tentmakers (Paul) and tradesmen tithed?
Answer: Nowhere. It is a tradition of man.
28. Did God command the pagans to tithe?
Answer. Absolutely not.
29. Would Israel have accepted tithes from the pagans or pagan lands?
Answer: No. And that should also be true today since God never changed the definition of holy tithes.
30. Although Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" this was not given as a reason to collect tithes from pagans and from lands outside of Israel. Why is that true?
Answer: Holy tithes were limited to food from God’s holy land of Israel.

31. Why don't Christians observe all of the other things called "holy" and "most holy" in Leviticus?
Answer: they say that these do not apply to the Church today because they were fulfilled or ended at Calvary.
32. Where in the Bible is the exact wording of the ordinance or statute of tithing?
Answer: Numbers 18.
33. What is the difference between tithes and first-fruits? Compare Lev 27:30-35; Num 18:13-18, 20-24; Deut 26:1-4; Neh 10:35-37; Prov 3:9.
Answer: Tithes were tenth-fruits from God’s holy land which were brought to the Levitical cities where they were needed for food per Neh 10:37b. Firstfruits were very small token offerings which were brought to the Temple and eaten by the priests on duty. See Deu 26:1-4 and Neh 10:35-37a.
34. Where are tithes equated with first-fruits in the Bible?
Answer: Nowhere. This is a tradition of man designed to scare believers into giving their first to God whether or not they had met their family essentials per First Timothy 5:8.
35. Weren't first-fruits very small token offerings from the first of the harvest?
Answer: Yes, as previously discussed.
36. OT Levites who received the first whole tithe were merely servants to the priests and later political workers. How is this principle applied in churches today?
answer: It is totally ignored.
37. OT Levites gave the best tenth of their tithe to the priests --only one per cent of the total. How is this principle observed today? See Num 18:25-28.
Answer: It is totally ignored.
38. OT priests and Levites who received the tithes were not allowed to own or inherit property. Why isn't this principle observed today (Num 18:20, 23)?
Answer: Modern tithe-teachers ignore every single OT principle concerned with tithing. They only apply their own re-definition.
39. The OT tithe was never used for mission work to evangelize the pagans. What biblical principle authorizes it for missions today?
Answer: None. This is a tradition of man.
40. According to Deuteronomy 12 and 14:23-26 a festival tithe was to be eaten in the streets. Why is this tithe principle ignored by churches today?
Answer: Their idea of tithing is not biblical.
41. According to Deuteronomy 14:26 some festival tithes could be turned into alcoholic strong drinks. Why is this principle ignored by churches today?
Answer: It does not fit into their change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.

42. According to Deuteronomy 26:12-13 every third year a tithe was kept in the homes for the poor. Why is this principle ignored by churches today?
Answer: Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.
43. According to Deuteronomy 26:12-13 the Levites were included among the poor, strangers, fatherless and widows. Does this mean that the Levites and priests were to be counted among the poor?
Answer: Yes. It is highly likely that God expected the Levites to give away much of what they received to the poor at all times.
44. Where does the Bible say that the poor were required to tithe?
Answer: Nowhere, unless they were landowners or herdsmen living inside Israel.
45. Many OT Levites who received the first whole tithe were political servants of the king (1 Chronicles 23 to 26). Why is that principle ignored today?
Answer: Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.
46. In the OT the first and best tithe went to the king. Why is that principle ignored today (1 Sam 8:14-17)?
Answer: We are not under a theocracy. Under Roman rule the first tithe went to Rome and often even the second tithe of fruits.
47. Where did the Levites and priests live most of the time? See Joshua 20-21, Numbers 35 and First Chronicles 6.
Answer: Far away from Jerusalem in their Levitical cities. At first there were 48. Judah had 13 originally but may have expanded them later.
48. How often did the Levites and priests serve in the Temple? See 1 Chron 28:13, 21; 2 Chron 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19 35: 4, 5, 10; Neh 11:30: 12:24; Luke 1:5-9.
Answer: At a minimum of once every 24 weeks in a rotation (cycle). They spent the other 23 week either raising tithed animals or learning trades necessary for temple maintenance.
49. ***Since 98% of the Levites and priests were not working in the temple most of the time, why would God tell the people in Malachi 3:10 to bring all of the tithe to the Temple when 98% of it was needed for food elsewhere?
Answer: He did not. The “you” of Malachi 3:10 only makes sense if it only refers to the priests. The typical interpretation of Malachi 3:10 contrasts with Nehemiah 10:37b and common sense.
50. What covenant was the curse of tithing part of? See Neh 10:29; Deu 28:12, 21-22; Gal 3:10-13.
Answer: Only the Old Covenant. God is today dealing with His Church in terms of the New Covenant (Heb 8:8-13).
51. According to Nehemiah 13:5-10 who was guilty of stealing the Levites' portion of the tithe?
Answer: The priests.
52. ***According to Nehemiah 10:37b where were the people commanded to take the tithes? Why? Why is this text ignored today?
Answer: (1) To the Levitical cities. (2) That is where 98% of those who needed it for food lived most of the time. (3) Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.
53. According to Nehemiah 10:38 where were the priests located when they received the tithes? Why is this text ignored today?
Answer: In the Levitical cities. Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.
54. According to Malachi 1:6-14 who was guilty of stealing vows of tithes?
Answer: The priests from 1:6.
55. Who was cursed in Malachi 1:14?
Answer: The priests. They were not commanded to tithe, but they were expected to give generous vow offerings from the tenth of the tithe which they received from the Levites. Num 18:21-28.
56. Who was cursed 3 times in Malachi 2:2?
Answer: The priests.
57. Who is questioning God in Malachi 2:17?
Answer: The priests from 2:13-17.
58. To whom is God replying in Malachi 3:1-5?
Answer: The priests from 2:1-10, 13-17.
59. Are the priests also "sons of Jacob" in Malachi 3:6-7?
Answer: Of course. They text does not have to refer to all sons of Jacob.
60. Cannot Malachi 3:8 be referring to the priests stealing a third time?
Answer: It makes sense that God has not changed from cursing the priests.
61. "Curse" refers to the priests four times in 1:14 and 2:2. Is it possible that God is still cursing the priests in 3:9 instead of suddenly having pity on them?
Answer: Common sense says yes. God has not suddenly changed to feeling sorrow for priests. The “you” of 1:6 and 2:1 has never changed away from the priests.
62. Does the pronoun "you" refer to the priests from Malachi 1:6 to 3:5?
Answer: If it has not clearly changed, then it must.
63. Is there concrete evidence that God has changed his address from the priests to the people in Malachi 3:6-7?
Answer: Not in the context.
64. Has God changed from cursing the priests to having pity on them in Malachi 3:8-10?
Answer: This would be illogical.
65. Since "you" has thus far referred to the priests and since Nehemiah 10:37 proves that the people brought their tithes to the Levitical cities, then is it reasonable to conclude that "you" in Malachi 3:10 also refers to the priests of Nehemiah 10:38?
Answer: Yes.
66. Again according to Nehemiah 10:37 where was most of the tithe needed and stored?
Answer: In the Levitical cities.
67. According to Nehemiah 13:5-10 how large was the storeroom in the Temple?
Answer: If it was made from combining two rooms, the largest would be about 10 ft by 20 ft. Compare 1 Kings 6:6 for room size.
68. Could the Temple have physically held all of the tithe of the nation in Solomon's time or Nehemiah's time?
Answer: Absolutely not.
69. Is it possible that the Temple "storehouse" idea has been misunderstood?
Answer: Yes. Levites and priests living far away from the Temple would have to travel long distances for food. And the early church had no legal buildings for almost 300 years after Calvary.
70. In Second Chronicles 31:15-19, why did King Hezekiah choose to relocate the tithes from rotting heaps in the streets of Jerusalem to the Levitical cities?
Answer: After consulting with Levites and priests, they realized that it was the logical thing to do. The temple storerooms only supplied food for the Levites and priests who ministered in the temple on weekly rotations.
71. The "outlaw" early church met in secret in catacombs and graveyards for over 200 years after Calvary. They had no building to call "storehouses." Why does the modern church use the term "storehouse tithing"?
Answer: It is dishonest and wants ignorant believers to think that they must bring the first ten per cent of their paycheck to the church.
72. The OT Temple has been replaced, not by a building (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19), but the body of individual believers. Why does the modern church ignore this and teach that tithes should be brought to the church building as a replacement of the Temple?
Answer: Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs.
73. Matthew 5:19-48 refers to all 600+ commandments of the Law. Why is 5:17-18 used only to argue that tithing is still valid? The text is self-destructive for that argument.
Answer: Again, it does not fit into their own change of God’s Word to suit their own needs. The text must be interpreted to teach that we are either under all of the law or none of it.
74. Did Jesus (a carpenter), Peter (a fisherman) and Paul (a tentmaker) qualify as tithe-payers under the Law?
Answer: No. They were neither landowners nor herdsmen inside Israel. That which the produced was from their own increase and not from God’s miracle.
75. How do you explain Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."?
Answer: It means that you cannot keep tithing while discarding most of the law. A consistent principle of interpretation is needed.
76. Does not Matthew 5:19 obligate one to keep all 600+ commandments of the Law?
Answer: In its context, yes
77. According to Matthew 12:1-2 Jesus and his disciples gleaned food on the Sabbath Day. Were they accused of not tithing? Why?
Answer: No. Because by allowing them to glean, the law recognized them as poor. It also proves that the poor were not expected to tithe from gleanings.
78. According to Mark 12:42-44 a widow gave at the Temple. Was she tithing or giving a freewill offering?
Answer: She was giving a freewill offering of money. Money was never a tithed item.
79. Since Paul's tents came from pagan lands, did his income from selling tents qualify as tithe-able income under the Law?
Answer: Absolutely not.
80. According to Matthew 23:2 who were the recognized interpreters of the Law?
Answer: The scribes and Pharisees.