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Did Abraham Tithe Prior to the Law?

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As we continue our ‘Tithing on Trial’ series, we will evaluate the most common tithing arguments used to defend its practice.

The argument here is that Abraham tithed prior to the law of Moses, therefore it should be continued since it was outside of the fulfilled law of the Old Testament. To me, the cross fulfilled laws beyond the Mosaic law, but I understand that some don’t see it that way.

The Mosaic Law

Abraham did tithe before the Mosaic law, but that shouldn’t satisfy any answers regarding tithing. Was the Mosaic law the only portion of Old Testament laws that were fulfilled by the cross; and does this mean that any laws inside or outside those bounds are subject to fulfillment in the New Testament? The Sunday Sabbath, clean animals, animal sacrifices, & circumcision were all practiced prior to the Mosaic law, and yet they are excluded from New Testament practices. When you look at these four laws, you realize tithing isn’t an exclusive pre-mosaic ordinance.

The problem with basing our current practices on any practice that was pre-mosaic is that you are defending a practice based on a marker that is proven to be insignificant for the NT Church. NT Scripture wasn’t compelled to mention that clean meats, animal sacrifices, & circumcision were not required just because the change in law had to be reiterated in the New Church Covenant. The cross nullified those laws because pre-mosaic practices had no consequence for the Church in the first place. God’s instructions were not this – “I want you to obey all the laws that came before Moses, with the exception of sacrifices, clean meats & circumcision”. There was no need to add amendments to the New Covenant.  Simply put – clean meats, sacrifices and circumcision are dead laws because of Calvary, not because the NT happened to clarify it for us after Calvary.

It was Adam Not Moses

Scripture focuses on when sin entered the world through one man and when the penalty of sin was paid for by another.  Christ didn’t die on the cross to save us from the Mosaic law; he died because of Adam’s flaw. The focus of Christ’s death was about the law of sin and death that was introduced by Adam not the law that was introduced by Moses. The Bible focuses so much on the Mosaic law because the Hebrew culture was so saturated with it in their every-day life. Because of this, we unintentionally forget that Christ wasn’t here to fulfill the Mosaic laws. If he only did that, it would be great news for the Jews but not for the gentiles since it wasn’t the Mosaic law that gentiles were slaves to.

Let’s Follow Abraham’s Example

Let’s say for a moment that we are to follow Abraham’s example prior to the Law of Moses. There are two big problems with this.

First, Abraham only gave from the spoils of war and not from his own wealth. Hebrews chapter 7 clarifies that Abraham Gave Melchizedek the spoils of war. There is no mention that he gave anything from his own wealth. Maybe he just tithed for the week so he was already paid up except for the spoils of war. I don’t know. You tell me.

Second, Israel was instructed to give 1/500th of the spoils of war (Numbers 31). If tithing is really a permanent ordinance then why was Israel instructed specifically by God to give less from their increase? If Abraham’s practice was not binding enough for God to ask Israel to do it, then why is it even considered binding for a New Testament Church, after Calvary, & led by the Holy Spirit?

A Look at Jacob’s Tithing vow

Abraham wasn’t the only occurrence of tithing prior to the Mosaic law, Jacob made a tithing vow to God as well. So, his example also shines some light on this topic also. We did an in-depth study on Jacob’s tithing vow here: Part 1 & Part 2. So I don’t want to go too deep into this. I just want to highlight a valid point that pertains to the current topic.

Jacob’s vow indicates that tithing was not required because he willingly offered it. You can’t offer God something that was already required in the first place and get away with pulling a fast-one. Abraham’s example doesn’t indicate whether tithing was required or not, but we can know for certain through Jacob’s example that it wasn’t. What do you use to determine biblical doctrine? Would it be the the facts found in Jacob’s example or would it be speculation through Abraham’s?

You Be The Judge

Now it’s time for the jury to weigh in:

Does Abraham's example before the Mosaic law mean we should tithe?

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God Never Changes. What About Tithing?

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As we continue our ‘Tithing on Trial’ series, we will evaluate the most common tithing arguments used to defend its practice. So let’s evaluate another argument used to promote tithing.

Argument:
Malachi 3:6 States That God Never Changes, so we must continue to obey tithing.

Malachi 3:6-8 “For I am the Lord, I do not change;  . . . Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.”

Anyone who says that tithing never changed because God never changes couldn’t explain these next NINETEEN ways that tithing had been changed. These 19 changes are not only examples of how things have changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, but many of these examples show how tithing was altered and even exempted at times within the Old Testament alone.

Change #1
From This:  Abraham tithed on all the spoils of war (Hebrews 7:4).
  → To This:  Later Israel could only tithe from their crops or animals (Leviticus 27).

Change #2
From This: Abraham tithed items made outside the land of Israel
  → To This: Israel could only tithe from items grown from within the land of Israel. (Deuteronomy 12:5)

Change #3
From This: Abraham gave 1/10 of the spoils of war.
  → To This: Israel was commanded to give 1/500 of their spoils of war. (Numbers 31:9, 27-29)

Change #4
From This:  FIRST, Abraham gave the tithe out of obligation (Genesis 14:20)
→  To This: AND then Jacob offers it voluntarily (Genesis 28:22)
→ →  Then To This: AND then the nation of Israel is required to give it out of obligation (Leviticus 27)
  → → → And Finally To This: Now, we are under grace so we are told that it’s now voluntarily obligated? Huh?! (Galatians 4)

Change #5
From This:  Israel’s tithe only went towards taking care of the poor, Levites, and national feasts (Nehemiah 10:38, Deuteronomy 14:22).
  → To This: Today, we’ve been told that the tithe can be used for anything including building funds.

Change #6
From This: Non-farmers and non-herdsmen (ie: Bankers, Lawyers, Doctors, and Carpenters) were not allowed to tithe their income. (Leviticus 27)
  → To This: Today, we’ve been told that every occupation is required to tithe their income.

Change #7
From This: It was directly commanded by God to not include the best nor the first in the tithe. (Leviticus 27:32)
→  To This: Today, we are told to include the best and first fruits of our tithe, disregarding not only the Old Testament command in Leviticus 27:32 but also the New Testament command in 2 Timothy 2:6.

Change #8
From This: The poor didn’t give tithes in the bible, they received them. (Nehemiah 10:38)
→  To This: Today, not only do the poor probably see very little of the tithe, if any, but they are told they are required to tithe.

Change #9
From This: Most of the tithe was stored in storehouses to be distributed and consumed mostly outside the temple. (Nehemiah 10:37-38)
  → To This: Today, there is no storage house for the tithe, and mostly consumed within the Church instead of distributed.

Change #10
From This: Only 1% was stored in the Temple Storehouse, the other 9% were stored in Levitical cities
  → To This: Today, we are told to bring the whole 10% to the Church building. (Deuteronomy 14:28)

Change #11
From This: Some of the agricultural tithes were only given 5.5 out of every 7 years – The 7th year was sabbatical, so there was no gleaning or planting. The first half of the next year was planting. (Leviticus 25)
  → To This: Today, we changed it to give tithe year after year without a single sabbatical or rest.

Change #12
From This: Abraham & Israel gave a tithe while under the Old Covenant
  → To This: We are told it is still required under a completely new covenant.

Change #13
From This: Many types of offerings in the Old Testament were also required
  → To This: We’ve been told these offerings are freewill now.

Change #14
From This: We are no longer under the curse (Galatians 3:13)
→  To This: But are reminded that we are still under the curse of the tithe (Malachi 3:9)

Change #15
From This: The tithe was given to the Levites because they couldn’t have an inheritance of land (Numbers 18:24)
  → To This: No one is stopping ministers from owning land today.

Change #16
From This: Jesus’ own ministry was supported without tithes and also sent the disciples out without tithes. (Luke 8:1-3, Matthew 10:8-10)
  → To This: Ministries today do not follow Jesus’ example.

Change #17
From This: The tabernacle was built and maintained through only freewill offerings (Exodus 35).
  → To This: Today, we support the church through tithing while other “outside” ministries receive freewill offerings.

Change #18
From This: From 1 A.D. through 566 A.D. the Church did not recognize tithing.
  → To This: In A.D. 567 The Church ordered the payment of tithes.

Change #19
From This: God did not accept money for tithing (Leviticus 27).
  → To This: The church accepts checks, cash, credit card, and even Bitcoin.

Now that the evidence has been given in this court of law, it is your turn to decide

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Has Tithing Changed?

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What Does the Bible Say About Giving Less than 10%?

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We are starting our series of posts called “Tithing on Trial” and begin with this argument defending tithing.

ARGUMENT #1
There is no place in the Bible where it says to give less than a tithe.

There are plenty of examples in scripture where the Israelites gave an offering or a sacrifice that was less than 10% of their increase. To say that there is no place in the bible where it says to give less than 10% is a closed-minded and ignorant statement.

If we want to get technical about giving, we should remind ourselves that there is no place in the bible where it encourages us to offer less than 100%. If you want to dissect this even further, God doesn’t require us to give back 100%, he requires us to give back 100% plus interest. We can see this concept in the parable of the bags of Gold in Matthew 25:14-30.  “…Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest…”

In this parable a master leaves three servants entrusted with his riches while he’s away on a journey. When he comes back, the master finds that two of the servants give back even more than what was given to them, but finds the third servant returning only 100% what he was given. Although this parable is ultimately about lost souls, we can reflect on the implications this has on stewardship in general. This parable shines new light into my heart and brings conviction about how i should truly view stewardship and giving.

9 Occurrences Where Giving Was Less than 10% in the Old Testament

  1.  Abraham – Gave from the spoils of war and not a tenth from his own wealth. (Hebrews 7:4)
  2. Israel – They were only required to offer 1/500 of the spoils of war. (Numbers 31:9, 27-29)
  3. The poor – They received but never gave from their gifts. (Nehemiah 10:38)
  4. Occupational income (Not including farming and herding) – Doctors, Lawyers, Carpenters, etc didn’t tithe from their increase. (Leviticus 27)
  5. First fruit offerings – This included a small portion of first of the crop. This was the first offering of the crops as well as the best and was less than a tithe. (Exodus 23:16)
  6. High Priests – The Levites tithed to the house of Aaron, but what did the house of Aaron give from the tithe they received? As far as I know, it wasn’t a tithe. (Numbers 18:8-20)
  7. Temple Tax – Only a half Shekel was used for the maintenance of the Temple. The Bible states, “The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less” (Exodus 30:13-16)
  8. Herdsmen – Every tenth animal was given as a tithe, this means if a farmer had 9 cows, he was commanded to give 0%. If he had 19 cows, he gave 5.3% etc. (Leviticus 27:30-33)
  9. Promised Land – The Israelites gave no tithes from animals or agriculture they raised outside the promised land of Israel (Deuteronomy 12:5)

A misconception about tithing is the belief that everyone was required to give tithes off everything. The Bible repeatedly clarifies that the tithe was only given from the crops or animals, which means that tithes were not given off of wages earned from other occupational incomes. Bankers, lawyers, doctors, blacksmiths and carpenters did not give a single cent from their occupational income. On the other hand if they garnished an increase from their herds or from their personal crops, they were to give the tenth one to God. One can only conclude that some carpenters may not have tithed at all if they never had crops or animals.

If you read every single bible verse about tithing from the time it was commanded to the end of scripture, you will see that neither money nor other goods were involved in tithing. Even when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the New Testament about tithing (Matthew 23), he confirmed that herbs and spices from the garden were to be tithed upon.

Many people also forget that the poor received the tithe; they didn’t give it (Deuteronomy 14:28,29). There is no scripture stating that the poor must give back 10% of what was donated to themselves. As you can see, this is another group of people that not only gave less than 10% of their increase but in reality were benefactors without even being a contributor.

I’m sure there are some of you who think I am looking at tithing legalistically, and I’m focusing on the legalities of the Mosaic law instead of tithing under grace. There is a pre-mosaic example of Abraham’s tithe which didn’t include animals or crops that we can look at. But let’s compare scripture with scripture and really understand whether or not Abraham’s example prior to the law sets the tone for tithing throughout scripture. Let’s read Numbers 31:25-30, “Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Count up the plunder that was taken–of man and beast–you and Eleazar the priest and the chief fathers of the congregation; and divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation. And levy a tribute for the LORD on the men of war who went out to battle: one of every five hundred of the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep; take [it] from their half, and give [it] to Eleazar the priest as a heave offering to the LORD. And from the children of Israel’s half you shall take one of every fifty, drawn from the persons, the cattle, the donkeys, and the sheep, from all the livestock, and give them to the Levites who keep charge of the tabernacle of the LORD.'”

I know it is kind of a lengthy passage, but in summary, God just told Israel to divide the spoils of war in half, take 1/500 of the first half and give it to the family of the high priest, and then take 1/50 of the second-half and give it to the Levites. For those of us who are bad at math, I had a genius figure this out for me, and it seems the Israelites gave 2.005% of the spoils of war to God. So, in other words, this is a clear example where Israel was commanded to give less than 10% of their increase.

Now that the evidence has been given in this court of law, it is your turn to decide; Does the Bible allow less than 10% of your increase- Guilty or not guilty?

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Does the Bible allow less than 10%?

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Tithing on Trial Series

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I’m going to start writing a series of posts to address common arguments and questions used to promote tithing. These arguments have been listed on the 60+ tithing arguments debunked page, but it is not in a format where I can really go into detail. This series of posts are going to be called the “Tithing on Trial” series. As I hear arguments used to promote tithing in the Church, I will address them in this series. On the side menu, you can see a link under the categories for ‘Questions About Tithing’. If you click it in the future, you will see a comprehensive list of posts that address each and every argument to promote tithing.

Here are a few of the pro-tithing questions that are used to argue for the practice of tithing:

The Tithe Test

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As a side note, I just want to say that i do not particularly agree with all of the answers to this test, but you should Take the Tithe Test anyways.

The Tithe Test – What Do You Really Know?
by Robin Calamaio
11/25/2007 / Finances

Is 10% of your gross income to be given to the local church for the rest of your life? What do you actually know about the Biblical teaching on the tithe? Well, here is your chance to find out! Below are twenty questions worth five points each. Normally, 60% would be a passing grade. But in this case, I want you to study this subject until you score 100% ! Why do I want this? Well, if your income averages $50K a year, after fifty years, you will have given a quarter of a million dollars to the local church. It does seem sensible to ask some questions about this – and know some answers. Actually, it is wrong for you to give 10% of your gross income to anybody without knowing for sure it is God’s will …100% sure. That’s why I want you to work on this until you are an A+ student!

So, … get your pen and paper and take this 3-minute test right now. Don’t cheat by looking at the answers. Go!

  1. How many Bible authors wrote commands about the tithe – its purpose, amount and procedures?
  2. Who are they?
  3. What was done with the third and sixth-year tithe? Who had access to it?
  4. Can you explain the “tithe cycle” of the Israelites?
  5. What was done with the tithe every seventh year?
  6. Explain Abram’s tithe. What did Abram give Melchizedek?
  7. Did any of the Levites tithe? If so, to whom and how much?
  8. How much money did the tithers give to the Levitical Priests?
  9. In the “to the Levites” tithing years, did all the tithe go to the Levites?
  10. What group did Jacob give his tenth to?
  11. What were the conditions God must meet before Jacob would give that tenth?
  12. When was the tithe “rediscovered?”
  13. Who is credited with that “rediscovery?”
  14. What was the catalyst for that “rediscovery?”
  15. Is tithing the number one responsibility for the Christian and his/her money?
  16. What kind of curse should the Christian expect for failing to tithe (Malachi 3:17-23)?
  17. Where did Jesus tell Christians to bring their tithe?
  18. Where did Paul, or the other New Testament writers, tell Christians to bring the tithe?
  19. When the Corinthians, and others, were making their collection for the saints, what was done with that collection before Paul and company took it to Judea?
  20. Can the tithe be given to parachurch ministries?

Now, before rushing down to grade yourself, let’s address one other little item. It seems reasonable to me that anyone who tells you God requires you to tithe – should be willing to answer a few questions (like … maybe twenty?). And if that person fails to score 60%, well, … where I grew up, that was an “F.” Should you be expected to yield to such “expertise?” But, even if expected … should you?

ANSWERS

To calculate the score, count the number of correct answers and multiply by 5.

1. One.

2. Moses. In Malachi, God was speaking and simply reiterated the commands in the Law.

3. It was kept in the local town. It was for the local Levite, alien, orphan, and widow.

4. Year one, two, four and five were taken to the designated place (eventually Jerusalem). Year three and six – see question 3 answer. Year seven – see below.

5. There wasn’t one. There was not one on year fifty (Year of Jubilee) either.

6. He gave him 10% of the choicest spoils of a bunch of stuff he had no intention of keeping anyway. He gave nothing of his own possessions.

7. Yes. Those Levites not of Aaron’s family gave a tithe of the tithe they received. They gave it to the priests of Aaron’s family.

8. None. The tithe was never money.

9. The tithe of year one, two, four and five were shared by the tither with the Levite in a celebratory meal when the tithe was given. What was left over stayed with the Levite. In year three and six, it appears the tither deposited the whole amount in the local town without partaking of any of it.

10. There was no “group” to give it to of which we know. If your testee responds with, “God,” count that as a correct answer. The testee is still going to flunk.

11. God had to be with him, keep him on his journey, give him food to eat, give him garments to wear, and return him safely to his father’s house. At that point, God would be his God. The tenth came (we assume) twenty years later. It was a vow fulfillment.

12. After the Bill of Rights was adopted in the United States.

13. American Theologians in the Higher Criticism of Systematic Theology.

14. The loss of the church’s ability to tax citizens (The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights) caused a financial crisis in the church. That led to this “rediscovery.”

15. No. Family obligations are number one. There is no tithe for Christians anyway.

16. There aren’t any. Christians are not Jews under Law.

17. He didn’t, because there isn’t one.

18. They didn’t, because there isn’t one.

19. It was saved … most likely at home by each contributor.

20. There is no such thing as a parachurch ministry, and there is no tithe for the Christian either. All the assumptions in this question are nonsense.

These answers are correct.

The teaching that is going around today is not the Tithe of the Bible. In fact, this “new teaching” is totally foreign to the Bible. A legitimate Biblical word and teaching (tithe) has been hijacked – and applied it to this new concoction.

God does give clear directives for the use of your money. But that design is not found in this “new teaching.” This “tithe” teaching is actually extortion in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, it is not just the extortioner who will be held to account. The duped one is accountable too. It is ultimately our responsibility to learn God’s will for us – especially when it is written in black and white. And in this matter, “I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land” (Isa 45:19). God’s material on the tithe, and His priorities for our money, are clearly stated in the Bible – there for the reading.

So, how did you do? Are you comfortable with your current knowledge level on this matter?

Free, unique ebooks at http://www.freelygive-n.com/Free_Christian_Ebook_Home.html . Robin has a Master of Divinity – Emmanuel School of Religion, 1992.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Bible Verses About Tithes

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Below is a list of all 36 bible verses about tithes from both the Old and New Testament scriptures. There are many bible verses that refer to other forms of giving such as offerings, Spirit-led giving, or firstfruits; but I have only chosen bible verses that explicitly fit the definition of the tithe. I have combined the bible verses into 17 passages where it makes sense as a whole and included a general paraphrase to offer a quick synopsis of the verse(s).

You can view the Greek and Hebrew words that we to translate the word “tithe” on biblestudytools.com. The Hebrew word in the Bible most commonly used is Ma`aser. The Bible also uses `asar and `asiyriy when looking through a concordance. All these Hebrew words mean the same – to take a tenth. The Greek word used in the bible is Apodekatoo.

What are the Old Testament Bible verses about tithes?

  1. Genesis 14:20 – Melchizedek comes out to meet Abraham, as Abraham gives him a tithe of the spoils of his victory.
  2. Genesis 28:20-22 – After the vision of God’s renewed covenant, Jacob initiates a vow with God by offering a tithe of what he receives from the promised land.
  3. Leviticus 27:30-32 – The specifications of tithing are introduced into the law of Moses.
  4. Numbers 18:20-32 – The tithe is dedicated to the Levites for the work in the tabernacle.
  5. Deuteronomy 12:5-11 – God gives instructions for what to do with the tithe once Israel crosses the Jordan.
  6. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 – God gives instructions on how to disperse and exchange the tithe.
  7. Deuteronomy 26:12-15 – God gives instructions on how Israel should sanctify the tithe before they can ask for a blessing.
  8. 2 Chronicles 31:5-12 – The children of Israel do what’s right under the reign of Hezekiah, and bring the tithes to the designated places.
  9. Nehemiah 10:37-38 – Israel obeys God and brings the tithes to the storehouse.
  10. Nehemiah 12:44 – Officers were appointed to watch over the tithes in the storehouse.
  11. Nehemiah 13:5-12 – Nehemiah cleanses the storehouse and kicks Tobiah out of the room that was designated to store the tithe. He then restores order.
  12. Amos 4:4 – God commands Israel to bring back the tithe and reiterates the curse that is upon them if they don’t.
  13. Malachi 3:8-10 – God reprimands Israel for not delivering the tithe, and reiterates the blessings and curses that would be in result of whatever decision they chose.

What are the New Testament Bible verses about tithes?

  1. Matthew 23:23 – Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for not obeying the weightier matters of the law along with tithing.
  2. Luke 11:42 – A parallel bible verse of Matthew 23:23 as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for not obeying the weightier matters of the law along with tithing.
  3. Luke 18:12 – A Pharisee brags about his obedience to the law and tithing.
  4. Hebrews 7:5-9 – Abraham’s tithe is used to illustrate a change concerning the priesthood.