Sequels are almost never as good, but the twisting of these verses really chaps my hide. The so-called "commandment" which tells us to tithe 10% before taxes to the local church.
Without further ado Deuteronomy 14:22-27
22"You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. 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. 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, 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. 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. Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.
So there is the tithe -- those who produce a harvest in the fields were commanded to bring a tenth before the Lord and eat a huge feast. This didn't even apply to everyone, not merchants, not fishermen, just those who depended on the Lord to bless the increase of their labors in the fields! Nothing about giving a tenth to the temple -- I mean, they were supposed to make sure the Levites (because they were not allowed to as much as own a plot of land or do any business other than being a Levite and did not have retirement accounts and 401Ks) were taken care of, but that was not part of the yearly tithe.
I don't know about the rest of you, but this tithe sounds fabulous to me!
As far as first fruits goes, it is a very simple tithe meant only to feed the Levites (who otherwise had no support), the poor and the aliens:
Deuteronomy 26
2that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the LORD your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish His name.
and
12"When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.
You will notice that they were to give SOME OF the first, not a tenth, never even hinted at. And in verse 12 it clearly states that the tithe was ONLY OF THE INCREASE, not the entire crop. And only the third year was a year of tithing.... hmmm....
We have been fed a bill of goods by those who know they are not raising up believers to maturity, to become joyful and generous givers and have instead passed on the lies that they were taught. It is easier to manipulate than to raise up mature disciples who will give to chose in need, in order to pad church coffers and pay salaries. Much easier than truly trusting God to provide for needs.
Bretheren, we have all of us been deceived. The tithe was only for farmers in the first place, to make sure the sustenance needs of the poor were taken care of. The fact that this is the rank and file teaching of the church is shameful. No wonder the Laodiciean church could boast that they were wealthy and didn't need anything!
Monday, July 13, 2009
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9 comments:
Wow, dude. When you put it like that ... :D
I love how it says here to do these things so that "you may learn to fear the LORD your God always."
So the fear - I suppose I would translate that more as "awe". And yet it is a fear for a people overwhelmed by this entirely Other being, this great and generous and terrifying God. But terrifying in his love far more than anything else. It's the love that freaks us out.
This is awesome. Thanks for posting :)
Thanks hon -- I look at it this way, it takes a whole heckuva lot more trust to consume the tithe of your work than to store it away. It's like saying, "Wow, you gave me all of this and I honor you by feasting!"
It really changes the vantage point of how God views the gifts He has given us. He desires that we enjoy and celebrate His gifts, and yes he desires that we not forget the poor, but those two things are not mutually exclusive.
Did you notice that you were allowed to buy alcohol (strong drink even) with the money??
Me, I would be spending it down at the bakery....
Yes. Give it away, give it away, give it away now :) Awesome.
I didn't notice you were allowed to buy alcohol. Interesting :0) I might come to the bakery with you ... or the bookshop :)
[off topic] i just need to say that the Rahab's Escort Service thing is hilarious!
Thanks Cheryl lol,
When I moved to the southwest, I started seeing these "escort service" trucks and it would just always send me into a fit of giggles. They are those trucks that go before and behind the trucks that carry really wide loads.
Awesome Tyler! I love it when you do homework for us. Keep tipping those cows.
You know what I hate? I hate that tithing thing that causes people to go into debt to pay tithe. Like, I get the live within your means idea, but I also know some people for whom that is impossible...the means just aren't big enough. And yet they are shamed into putting things on credit cards so they can afford to tithe.
(I don't know anyone who this is true of right now, but when I was in the church I knew many people like that.)
Oh Erin, I know that happens! I used to tithe and then some, even once I was out of the church, and God couldn't shake me from it until one day He really started showing me the true heart of those organisations I was giving to. I was a big 700 Club donor, and I reached a giving level where they were sending gifts and I felt nauseated when I would get them -- made me feel like a whore. But the day they sent me an invite to an exclusive party in my area, that did it for me. I withdrew my support. AS IF my money was better than a widow's penny! I was giving out of excess, I wanted to throw up.
Now I give, I don't do math, but it is to organisations like Smile Train (they provide cleft palate surgeries) and to people who provide care for abused children. At least when they invite me to parties I don't take offense because they are not claiming to be Christian.
I love this. I hate the tithe. One of our problems with attending a church building gathering. People like to make it so obvious...the whole passing the plate thing is disgusting. We do not tithe. Never have. If God puts something on our hearts, we listen and obey, and that is that. But, yeah, sometimes it does feel like a status symbol - if you "give" to the church regularly. Yuck!
yeah, I had this driven home yesterday again. I turned on Christian radio (which I rarely do)and was listening to a sermon about how the Isrealites were supposed to give the land a rest every 7 years but didn't, he said that "everyone was supposed to take every seventh year off."
Huh? That is part of our problem, we have made every part of the law be for everyone. That rest was only for the land, not for the people. What, were animals not to be fed or tended to? Was pottery not made, were baskets not woven? Was there to be no buying and selling? Were the farmers not taking the opportunity to improve their buildings during the year the land rested? I mean, it is insane!
We take every verse meant only for farmers, or for this or that group, and apply it to everyone. It really ticks me off.
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