Is Tithing for Today?

Chapter 18 of Numbers is an interesting commentary on what God expects of His people, and why.

After the divine validation of Aaron as the High Priest in chapter 17, God chose to give a job description for him and his family, which had to do with all the ministry in relation to the Tent of Testimony. They were to perform all the tasks that had to do with the Tent. There was a clear demarcation of duties, for it was not permitted for just anyone to deal with the sanctuary or the altar. Stepping outside of their area of responsibility not only jeopardized them, but their next higher in the chain of command, Aaron himself. The promised result was not pleasant. It was death for both the transgressors and their immediate superior. This not only reinforced the sanctity of the ministry and its different aspects, but it also made each leader accountable for those who were to report to him.
This was not just a job (though it did involve work). It was, above all, a gift which God gave to the priests. This was a full time ministry, and precluded the possibility of dedication to a full time "career" outside of that ministry. Anyone who was not from the priesthood could not come near the sanctuary, under penalty of death.
So, how was the priest and his family to be provided with food, clothing, and shelter? Here is where the tithe comes into the picture.
There were twelve tribes. All the tribes had a 'province' assigned to them except Levi. This 'province' or portion of land was divided into family sections. Each family worked its own section and was responsible for its portion of the land, and farming, raising livestock and administering of this land. The land was not personal property. It was a parcel apportioned by God to each family for adminstration purposes. For this reason, a parcel of land apportioned to a family which had economic problems due to crop failure, pestilence, death in the family, etc. was to be redeemed for the head of family by the goel or 'kinsman redeemer' so that the family portion, and thus its livelihood might be preserved.
This was God's way of providing for his people, and teaching them that everything belongs to Him and is only on loan to mankind. (The native-american idea of open ranges may actually be more biblical, after all; that thought needs more exploration for there are many facets to it and sinful human nature must also be taken into consideration).
Every tribe was to give a tithe. Later on, when Israel got a king, the tithe was not ten percent, but rather ended up being 23 1/3 percent of gross income, which was to be used to support the government. Every tribe was to bring its tithe to the Levites, whose job was to administer it. This meant that there were eleven tribes (including the two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) bringing their tithes to one tribe (Levi). The tribe of Levi was to present the best ten percent of all of the tithes that were brought in to Aaron as an offering to the Lord. This was to be the wages for Aaron's work as High Priest.
We see here a pattern. Eleven tribes gave their tithes to one tribe. This was their wage for the purpose of dedication to the ministry. They, on their part were responsible to give the best tenth percent for an offering to the Lord, which went to support the ministry of the Tabernacle.

Now for the question at hand. Is the tithe to be extended into the Church? In order to answer this we must ask ourselves two questions: What was the purpose of the tithe? and is the Church a continuation of Israel?

Once the tithes were finally established, they were applied to three things: 10% to the support of the Levites, 10% to the support of government, and 3 1/3% to beneficence.

It is clear that the tithe, therefore is not being applied to everything today. Why not? There are at least three reasons: 1) The government is now a totally separate entity from the religious aspect of life. 2) The government has absorbed much of the task of beneficence (welfare) and thus distorted it from its original purpose and 3) Because the Church is not the same as Israel, the requirement for giving a tithe is no longer in existence.

On the other hand, though, I believe that it is time for the church to take its place in society as the agent of beneficence, for that would make the welfare program much more correct and efficient than it is as administered by government bureaucracy.

Though we are no longer bound by the law, it is important for us to consider the proportion of Old Testament tithing in our church decisions and in our personal commitment to giving.

If we were to take this into consideration, we would end up having a good distribution of the monies available. In order to support a pastor on the same level as the median income, it would take eleven families besides the pastor. Thus, he would be able to give ten percent (a 'tithe') of what the eleven families would give toward the support of the pastor) and live off the rest at the same level as the median income of the church. Though this is not law, it is common sense, and should be taken into consideration when deciding at what level to support a pastor, and when a church is in condition to support a pastor. As for government expenses, we all know that we can transfer some of our giving from the government to our church. This is one advantage we have in our country which many do not have. And as for welfare, it is scriptural to watch out for the needs of our family and our extended family, which I believe is to include the church.

Taking all of this into consideration, it becomes obvious that the tithe is a good starting point, rather than an end in itself. I would therefore not refer to the giving in our church as "tithes and offerings", but rather "financial worship". Let us strive to worship Him, not just in words, but in our deed$.

Following The Chain of Command

There are many aspects of life that have been hard for me to assimilate. One of these is the place of, and the importance of f0llowing the chain of command. As I have thought and prayed about it, it has become evident to me that I have not been very successful at following, nor have I been obedient in the area of taking my place in the chain of command.
In our society this is an endemic problem. Children are taught to question every decision made by those whom God put in the chain, wives are taught to be "their own person", and men are portrayed as useless accessories in the chain, or at best the necessary evil for the purpose of producing more children who will then be taught to "do their own thing". In the process each one ends up stepping out from under the umbrella of protection that God has placed for him/her, and the result is anarchy. In the words of the book of Judges "everyone did as he saw fit".
Thankfully, there is still a remnant of those who are willing to follow God's Chain of Command. It is not easy, and I, for one, have stumbled over it all too often, but it does bring God's blessing.
In reading a chapter a day, Mary and I have just read Numbers 14, and I was struck with the fact that when Moses interceded for those who had stepped out of the chain and rebelled against Moses, God said "I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless as surely as I live, and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times--not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it." (Num. 14:20-24) We read later in the chapter that when Moses announced to the people what God's verdict was, they did two things: They mourned bitterly as if to say, together with the whole world system, "don't we have a First Ammendment?" Where is our "Freedom of Speech?". Their next act? Direct disobedience. They decided to strike out on their own, ignoring not only the Main Leader as designated by God, but the very one who had given him his orders for them, God Himself.
God's response was quick and to the point. He made them withstand the consequences of their mutiny against God, and His appointed leader, and that very day, having gone up in their presumption, thus stepping out from under God's umbrella of protection, they were severely beaten by the Canaanites and Amalekites. This had two results: God's Name was besmirched, and many individuals died.
I've often wondered, (because I know more about my heart than you do) whether I would even have survived childhood if God had dealt with me in this manner.
Two facts stand out to my attention: 1) I am no better than the Israelites who chose to disobey God's chain of command. 2) But PRAISE GOD He has covered me with Christ's righteousness, and I am protected by Him.
We, as followers of Christ, and in an attitude of thankfulness, need to make it a discipline to remain under the umbrella of protection that only God's Grace can provide. To do otherwise may not bring about punishment, but it certainly will bring about a loss of God's blessing and protection, all because of our willfulness and self sufficiency.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, a new year has begun. We got to bed last night at about 7:30 PM, and I was asleep by 8:15 PM, shortly after the Final Jeopardy Question. As often happens, the question was one that brought up at least three different possible answers, only one of which is correct. That is, of course, the actual meaning of 'trivia'--a place at which there are three possible roads one could take, but only one leads to the right destination.
A new year--many possible decisions--all of which may be good, but which to take is another question. I might choose the good way, which will bring blessing to me and my family, or I may choose a better way, which will lead to being a blessing not only to me and mine, but to others around me also. Or I can choose the BEST way, which will have an effect on me and mine and those around me and will be of lasting blessing.
I have no New Years resolutions--those are soon broken. I have only a New Year's prayer "Teach (me) to number (my) days aright that (I) may gain a heart of wisdom"(Psalm 90:12)

May each of you be blessed richly in his/her walk with the Lord this year. This is my prayer for all of you and for myself for this year 2009.