THE TITHING CON GAME - PART 2

ABRAHAM'S TITHE WAS A VOLUNTARY AND AN EXTRA-ORDINARY TITHE

Read also:

Part I : Freedom From The Law
Part 3: Jacob’s Tithe
Part 4:The Hidden Truths about Old Testament Tithing
Wickedness at Work

Some preachers know very well that they cannot justify paying of tithes by New Testament Christians by the way of the law of Moses.  So they use the example of Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek to do so.  The logic is that since Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek before the coming of Moses and his law, no one should argue against tithing being still valid in new testament times.

Let us first look the New King James passage of this episode:

Abram and Melchizedek

Gen 14:18  Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.  Gen 14:19  And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth;Gen 14:20  And blessed be God Most High,  Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.  And he gave him a tithe of all* { See below Heb 7.4 }.  Gen 14:21  Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself. Gen 14:22  But Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, Gen 14:23  that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ˜I have made Abram rich"-- Gen 14:24  except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion

( * Heb 7:4 clearly explains that the 1/10 was out of all the spoils of war "Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. " )

Making My Stand Clear

Now before we analyse the application of this passage to tithing, again let me make this clear.

I am not against the use of Abraham’s example of tithing.  I am not against tithing.  I am against the misuse and dishonest use of scriptures to induce and strong-arm believers into tithing under fear and guilt. 

The Nature of Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek

1)  Notice that Melchizedek came out to bless Abraham first. And then Abraham received the blessing.

2)  Observe that Abraham gave the tithe after receiving the blessings.

3)  There is no mention of Melchizedek asking for the tithe, or the practice being a custom of the day.

4)  Observe also that Abraham did not keep any part of the remaining 90%.

5)  Observe that Abraham had not tithed out of his regular source of income or personal wealth.  There is no indication anywhere that Abraham ever paid any other tithe.

What can we conclude?  Can you agree to these?

1)  Abraham did not tithe for future blessings. He tithed in return for blessings first received .  Therefore when citing Abraham’s tithe as an example one cannot threaten the listener to the extent that if he does not tithe he will not be blessed.  Remember this is not an example of tithing for future blessings.  It is an example of tithing for blessings already received.  As a matter of fact, our God is a God who always blesses first.  Even with the later tithe under Moses, God only asked for tithes out of the blessings already received by the Israelites.  This is the consistency of God.

2)  Abraham was not under compulsion to give.  He gave voluntarily.  He may have even given under a custom of the day that we do not know of. 

If Abraham’s example is to be used, it should only be used to encourage tithing of free-will, or voluntary nature. 

3)  Abraham’s tithe was not a tithe against his regular income.  It was given out of something that Abraham never intended to keep, although he obvious had a right to keep it for himself.

Would God have closed Abraham’s window of blessings if Abraham had not given the tithes to Melchizedek?  I would say not.  Remember that you are heirs of Abraham’s blessings by faith.  In the same way as Abraham is blessed, you through faith are blessed.

If you want to tithe the way Abraham did voluntarily by faith with a grateful heart, go ahead.  Just don’t let dishonest preaching get to you to cause you to give with guilt and fear.  Give tithe willingly, not pay tithe.  You pay for what you owe.  You give where you don’t owe.

Finally, it is a faulty logic to say that since Abraham paid a tithe before the law, therefore this act must be carried on by new testament Christians. If this is so, why don’t new testament Christians also be required to circumcise?  Abraham circumcised before the law, right?  And if this kind of logic is to be applied consistently, a Christian man must now marry the wife of his brother who dies without leaving any seed, too.  So why is this not preached in a similar way as tithes?

The unpleasant truth is that you have been listening to half the story.  They have been hiding the other half from you.

Joh 8:32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.