₦airaland Forum

UgoFly:
TITHING AS REGARDS Malachi.3: 8-10

First to understand the Bible & to interpret & apply it for today's Christians we must know the DIFFERENCES Btw OLD & NEW TESTAMENT

We must know dat d Bible is divided into 3 dispensations The Patriarchal, The Mosiac & The Christian Dispensations. We must also know what's written for the Jews, Gentiles & the Church.

1. The Patriarchal age is the age of the fathers frm Abraham to Moses.
2. The Mosaic age is from Moses to Christ
3. The Christian age is from Christ's death on the cross to the His second coming

God dealt with the people in a very peculiar ways e.g. in the Patriarchal age there was no 10 commandments, in Mosaic age God gave them 10 Commandments & ceremonial laws to be obeyed. The Christian age brought in Grace & Truth
The law was our school master to bring us into CHRIST but now faith has come through Christ we are no longer under the school master. (Gal. 3:22-24). 

We're not justified by law (Gal.5:4). Christ is the end of the law. (Rom.10:1-4).
If we're to practice the Old Testament doctrine together with the New Testament there will be lots of confusion as we will be required according to Leviticus 20 to stone to death fornicators, adulterers, witches, wizards, stoning to death a rebellious son Deuteronomy (21:18-21), practice several burnt offerings & sin offerings of different kinds, stone to death those who work Saturday (Sabbath day). (Numbers 15:32-36). 

If a girl loses her virginity she must be stoned to death to death also (Deut 22:13-21)
Women during their monthly period will be forbidden to come to church & so many more old testament practices. But we know that Christ have nailed all these practices & laws to the cross ( Col. 2:14-16, Rom.10:4)

WHAT IS TITHE? Tithes is a practice of paying "one- tenth" of one's income or possession according to the Old Testament

ORIGIN OF TITHES. The first time the word tithe ever appeared in the Bible is in the Book of Genesis where Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek the priest of Salem. Note that Abraham paid tithes as a reciprocal gestures in appreciation/ response to Melchizedek giving food & wine to Abraham's servants on his way back from war. (Gen.14:8, 18-20). Abraham did not pay tithes to Melchizedek from his personal possessions but from spoils of war that he brought back when he went to rescue Lot his brother. (Gen. 14: 21-2 There was no law compelling Abraham to pay tithes to Melchizedek, he did it freely Abraham DID NOT PAY TITHES AS A CONTINUOUS MONTHLY OR YEARLY RITUAL, but it was a one-time event.

TITHES BECOMES LAW IN ISRAEL.
Tithes became a law in the land of Israel when the children of Israel got to the Promised Land of Cannan. God divided the land to eleven out of the twelve tribes of Israel. But to the tribe of of Levi God didn't give any portion of land, rather God gave them the tithes of which rightly belong to God, because of the services he gave them to perform in the Temple of Tabernacle (Lev. 27:30, Numb. 18:20-24) e.g the tribe of Judah where Christ came from are tithe payers, because they collected their own share of the land of Cannan & God Commanded them to pay to their brother Levi- Aaron & his descendants (Jos.15:1-5, Neh.13:12). 

WHOM DID GOD COMMAND TO PAY TITHES & TO WHOM?
God told all the Nations of Israel to pay Tithes from the land he gave Num. 18:20-21). (Mal. 1:1-2, 3:7-12). We must understand that the laws of the Old Covenant & the laws of TITHES in particular wasn't given to any other tribe in the world but to Israel as a Nation (Deut. 5:1-3)

The Israelites were Commanded to pay tithe to the tribe of Levi only No other tribe in the whole world including Jesus Christ & Judah his tribe has any scriptural right to collect tithes ( Heb. 7:5, 13), rather Judah the tribe Jesus came from were tithes payers & not tithes collectors (Neh. 13:12) 

FROM WHAT PROCEEDS DID GOD COMMANDS THAT TITHES BE PAID?.

Many Pastors who are tithes collectors says tithes must be paid from salaries & business profits but the Bible clearly states where tithes proceeds are to be paid.
Tithes were commanded to be paid from FARM PRODUCE of the Israelites be it ANIMALS or CROPS ( Deut. 14:22 Lev. 27:30-31). In which case God has already provided them farm lands (Jos.15:1-3). So there's no excuse for any
Israelite saying "I can't pay Tithes" or "I don't hv a land to farm".
WAS TITHE TO BE PAID WITH MONEY OR FARM PRODUCE ONLY?. God Commanded that money shouldn't be used for tithes payment but FARM PRODUCE ONLY. This is stated clearly & expressly. (Deut. 14:22-26). 

God knows that money was a good medium of exchange but commanded that if all you have to
to bring your tithes(FARM PRODUCE) from a far distance to where God has put his name then you Have to sell the farm product for money but when you get to d place you have to turn the money into farm produce again & eat before the Lord (Deut.14:22-26)
HOW MANY TYPES OF TITHES ARE THERE?
God actually gave commandments to Israel to pay specific tithe for specific purposes

1. Annual or yearly tithe to be given to take care of the Levites- Aaron & other priests officiating in the Tabernacle (Num. 18:20-24)
2. Tithes every 3 years to be given for the general populace of Levites, widows, orphans, strangers & the poor (Deut. 14:22-29).
3. The priests were also commanded by God to pay tithe of tithes to God, that is the priests are to pay tithes to God from the tithes the Israelites have paid to them. (Num. 18:26-29). Note the tithes which the priests will give to God must be offered as "HEAVE OFFERING" not money offering.

DOES THE BIBLE COMMANDS TODAY'S CHRISTIANS TO PAY TITHES?.

We can clearly see from the Bible that Judaism is different from Christianity. The New Covenant is superior & better than the Old Covenant with DOES THE BIBLE COMMANDS TODAY'S CHRISTIANS TO PAY TITHES?.

We can clearly see from the Bible that Judaism is different from Christianity. The New Covenant is superior & better than the Old Covenant with better promises. Heb. 8: 6-7, 2 Cor. 3:6-16). 

Bible says if the Old Covenant was perfect enough there wouldn't have been need for the New Covenant.(Heb. 8: 7-13). The Old Testament & all it stands for were mere SHADOW of things to come but the New Testament is the real image. Heb.(10:1). 

Tithes & all Old Testament Practices & Doctrines have been abolished (Heb. 8:13)
(Heb.10:9) (2 Cor. 3:6-16) (Col. 2 : 14-17).

(Heb. 8: 7-13). The Old Testament & all it stands for were mere SHADOW of things to come but the New Testament is the real image. Heb.(10:1). 
Tithes & all Old Testament Practices & Doctrines have been abolished (Heb. 8:13)
(Heb.10:9) (2 Cor. 3:6-16) (Col. 2 : 14-17).
Christians are not commanded to pay tithes today but to give a free will offerings as they are blessed. No levying of any kind. Give what you have.

BUT JESUS SAID HE DID NOT COME TO DESTROY THE LAW & THE PROPHETS.

This statement must be well understood not taken in isolation & out of context. Luke clarifies this issue better. (Lk.24: 45-49). In effect Jesus was not saying that he came to destroy nor re-establish the law but to "FULFILL" all that were written about him in the law of Moses, in the Prophets & in the Psalm. And Jesus Indeed has fulfilled all the prophecies concerning him, including his birth, death, burial, resurrection & ascension as prophesied. 

Again in Matt. 23:23 Jesus rebuked the Scribes & Pharisees & he said woe unto them & called them hypocrites for over-emphasizing the payment of tithes at the expense of the weighter matters of the law: mercy, judgement & righteousness. 

Jesus was NOT in this instance recommending tithe payment for his disciples & the New Testament Christians He was rightly addressing the Jews who were given the law he wouldn't have said woe & called his disciples hypocrites. At that time Christ will or Testament wasn't yet in full force. Christ will & Testament became fully in force & enforceable after his death on the cross because there can be no testament except the testator dies. Wills can only be enforceable after he who wrote the wills dies. (Heb. 9:15-23). 

So at Christ's death on the cross the law of tithe & other Old Testament practices ceased to be effective. In effect CHRIST became the only standard of faith for Christians today & no longer the Old Testament. (2 Cor. 3:6-14).