Question 1

Why did God require tithes from Israel in the Old Testament?

Accepted Answer

Leviticus 27:30“One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.”Numbers 18:20-24The Lord said to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel. “From now on, no Israelites except priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle. If they come too near, they will be judged guilty and will die. Only the Levites may serve at the Tabernacle, and they will be held responsible for any offenses against it. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. The Levites will receive no allotment of land among the Israelites, because I have given them the Israelites’ tithes, which have been presented as sacred offerings to the Lord. This will be the Levites’ share. That is why I said they would receive no allotment of land among the Israelites.”The tithes were necessary to support the priesthood—the ordained spiritual leaders who were responsible for Israel’s worship and spiritual life.Deuteronomy 14:22-23“You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.”Giving one-tenth of their income to God taught the Israelites to make him a priority, to acknowledge their dependence on him, to keep him a regular part of their lives, and to learn to sacrifice for the well-being of others.

Question 2

Am I required to tithe to God today?

Accepted Answer

Luke 6:38“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”2 Corinthians 9:7You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”Old Testament law made it clear that God wanted his people to tithe—to give him the first tenth of their income. When Jesus came, he made it clear that he loves a cheerful giver. This means that he loves a generous heart. Whatever the amount—whether more or less than a tenth—we should honor God with our wealth and bless others by giving generously from our income.1 Timothy 5:17-18Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”The need to support spiritual leaders financially has not changed from the Old to the New Testament.Philippians 4:18-19At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.While we may wonder what value the little we can offer God could have, remember that the purpose of tithing is to give us the privilege of participating in God’s work. Giving to God can help us learn, like Israel in the Old Testament, to give to meet the needs of others just as God gives to meet our needs. Through generosity we participate in God’s generosity to people in need.Proverbs 3:9Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.Giving the first and best of our income to God honors him by demonstrating that he has first priority in our lives.Matthew 5:42“Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”Romans 12:8If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.God calls us to give generously and share with others. Giving is so important that he has even given some believers the spiritual gift of giving!Proverbs 21:13Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.1 Corinthians 16:1-2Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.God wants us to plan ahead to give generously and joyfully in order to take care of those less fortunate.

Question 3

How does biblical giving affect my finances?

Accepted Answer

Luke 6:38“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”We cannot out-give God. While we do not give in order to get, God blesses us in response to our giving.Malachi 3:8, 10“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. . . . Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”God promises to meet our needs far and above our gifts to him. Our tithes or generous gifts become God’s means of supplying a variety of needs for his people. As we fulfill his command to meet others’ needs, he graciously meets ours.

Tithing