Tithing in the Old Testament
“(22) You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. (23) You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. (24) If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the LORD your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the LORD your God blesses you, (25) then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. (26) You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. (27) Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you. (28) At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. (29) The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” (Deu 14:22-29)
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 tells us that every year (v. 22) the tithe was to be taken to the designated place of tithing, and it was to be eaten there by the one who brought it (v. 23). Why did the Israelites have to eat their tithe there? So that they could "learn to fear the LORD your God always." (v. 23). Did you see who this tithe was to be given to? Did they have to give it to the priest? The priest's assistant? The building fund? The televangelist? The temple? Or church? No they had to take the tithe and enjoy it themselves!The passage explains that if it is too far to take the tithe to the designated place of tithing, you should take your tithe, exchange it for money, and then take it to another place the Lord chooses. Now, see what we are to do with the money we got from our tithes!
"You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household." (v. 26).When last have you been taught that if your church was too far, you could take your tithe and spend it on anything you wanted to? Now how do we get the money to the "priest?" That is, if we were ever told to tithe money! I'm just contemporising it.
