THE TITHING CON GAME PART 4

THE HIDDEN TRUTHS ABOUT OLD TESTAMENT TITHING

Read also:
Part 1: Freedom from the Law
Part 2 :   Abraham's Voluntary Tithe
Part 3: Jacob’s Tithe



Wickedness at Work

Bringing in the tithes

Tithing is one of the most abused teaching in the organized church system today.  Few Christians realize that there are many different types of tithing in the old testament.  It is necessary to understand the nature of each example so that we know what we should do with the example.   We have spoken of Abraham's Tithe and Jacob's Tithe.  There are yet the King's Tithe ( see 1Sa 8:15  ) and the Levite's Tithe. We are focusing on this Levite's Tithe ( or Moses' Tithe or the Lord's Tithe ) today.

Just because there are examples of tithing in the old testament, it does not mean that we are obliged to follow all.

If we don’t understand, then we allow ourselves to be bullied, conscience-beaten and deceived into disobeying the true teachings.

Someone had told me my earlier explanations are too long-winded for a blog-page, so let me try to put this in a simpler format.  Even this simplified format will run into pages.

What Is The Issue With Paying Tithes?

1)      The biggest danger concerning the conventional tithing teaching or sermon is that it brings a person back again under the law of Moses.  And this puts the person who pays tithe in the wrong way to become obliged to follow all the laws of Moses.   See Galatians 5:3.  

2)      To be brought back under the law to be brought back under a curse. See Galatians 3:10.  

3)      Why allow yourself to be brought under a curse when Jesus has already redeemed you from the curse of the law? See Galatians 3:13.

4)      The end result of falling back under the law is this:

Gal 5:4  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Now, isn’t that scary?  Don’t assume my reading is correct.  You do what the bible teaches you in 1Th 5:21, and that is to “Prove all things”.  Be like the Bereans in Acts 17:10-11 who search the scriptures to see if what Paul teaches is correct.

What Are The Concealed Truths About Old Testament Tithes?

Study the contents below very carefully, and consider what I reveal to you with an open mind and open heart.  Go back into the bible and check the context of the verse to the whole paragraph, or whole chapter as is necessary.  If you don’t agree, then reject my interpretation. Better still, throw me a challenge.



 

The Bible verse or subject matter	The Truth that is hidden from you
Gen 14 : Abraham’s tithe	You were not told: 1.      Abraham did not pay a compulsory tithe like the tithe of Moses.  He gave a voluntary tithe.  It was not made out of normal income.  If you owe something, you have to pay.  If you don't owe, you don't pay, you give. 2.      Abraham's example should only be cited as an example for voluntary tithing.  No curses are attached for not doing it.
Gen 28:20 – 22 Jacob’s tithe	You were not told: 1.      As above, this was not a compulsory tithe or made under law like the tithe of Moses, but a tithing against a vow to God.  Payment was subject to God fulfilling the conditions that Jacob had set. 2.      Jacob's tithe should only be cited as example of voluntary tithing under oath.
Lev 27:30 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.”	You were not told: 1.      This is the 1st mention of Moses’ tithe, or the Lord’s tithe 2.      Your attention is always drawn to the words that the tithe is holy and belongs to the Lord.  But “the tithe of the land, whether of the seed or the fruit of the tree” part is always ignored. 3.      Only people who own land had to tithe from the produce of the land.  Hunters, fishermen, potters, soldiers, servants, teachers, children, housewives etc did not tithe!  Their income did not come from the cultivated land. 4.      Hidden from you is that the Moses’ tithe MUST be in the form of food or agricultural products, i.e. “of the land”.  Not in cash.
Lev 27:31 “And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.”	You were not told: 1.      Under the law, tithed products ( remember that "tithe" it means a 10th part ) can be redeemed with cash. But to do so, one must add another 20% extra. It is then no more a 10th, or tithe it has become a twelfth!.   It is a 10th + 20% = 1/12 or 12%.  A twelfth part is not a tenth, right? 2.      And so, you cannot tithe the tithe of Moses with cash! 3.      As for animals, it cannot be substituted.  If it is, the original animal, the substitute both cannot be redeemed.  See below.
Lev 27:32-33 “And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. Lev 27:33  He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed”	You were not told: 1.      Moses’ Tithe was always given out of the last tenth not the first tenth part. 2.      The poor did not have to tithe! ( If a poor man has only 9 sheep, 7 cows and no land to cultivate does he have the tenth animal to tithe?)  In fact the poor received some of the tithes. 3.      If it was the first animal to pass under the rod that had to be tithed, then the poor must also pay. But that wasn't the case.
Num 18:24  “But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.”	You were not told: 1.         God gave His tithe to the Levites.  Only Levites are entitled to receive the tithe because they have no inheritance ( not because Levites cannot do other work and earn a living ). 2.         The Levites did have land to cultivate when they are not serving in the temple. 3.         The tithe of Moses is to supplement food needs of the Levites, not for repair and maintenance and upkeep of the temple. 4.         Is the pastor both a Levite and serving at the temple?  Or is he a gentile serving at an church building?
Num 18:26-28  Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.	You were not told: 1.      The Levites in turn were to take a 10th of whatever tithes of Moses that they had received to give to the Priests ( the sons of Aaron ) who work full time in the temple. 2.      In case you do not know, the rest of the Levites do work in the temple on a rotation roster.  ( See explanation in Luke 1 about Zechariah, father of the yet to be born John the Baptist )
Deu 12:5 – 6  But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:	You were not told: 1.      Moses’ tithe was to be taken to the tabernacle or temple.  The temple does not exist any more today.  The bible says that your body is now the temple of God and God lives in you ( 1Co 3:16 - 19 ). 2.      The “church building” is not the temple of God.  The members are the church. Neither the building and the organization is the church.
Deu 12:11 - 12 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD	You were not told: 1.         Moses’ tithe was to be paid only after they cross over Jordan into the promised land, out of the produce of the land they receive. 2.         Israelites were not tithing to the tabernacle while in the wilderness.  They only sacrificed then. 3.         They brought tithes to the tabernacle at Shiloh, and later to the temple at Jerusalem.
Deu 12:12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.	You were not told: 1.         Moses’ Tithe was to be consumed by the payer and his household before the Lord, together with the Levites.
Deu 12:17 - 18 You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose-you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns-and you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to.	You were not told: 1.   Here it is reemphasized that Moses’ Tithe was to be eaten only.  And the eating must be done in the presence of the Lord to glorify Him.
Deu 14:22 - 23Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.	You were not told: 1.   Eating is emphasized for the 3rd time here.  Moses’ Tithe is for eating only.
Deu 14:24 – 27 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.	You were not told: 1.   Here is the biblical proof against paying tithe in money form. 2.   You cannot tithe the Tithe of Moses in cash.  Instead you are always told that in those days, people had to tithe animals and food because thee says that is a lie.  Silver and gold were in common use. 3.   In this commandment on tithing, God did not allow the silver to be given to the Levites.  God said the silver was to be turned back into foodstuffs.
Deu 14:28 -  29At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.	You were not told: 1.   Moses’ Tithe  was not always taken to the temple.  At times the tithe was to be put into  a storehouse within the payer’s own city gates.  This tithe was to be used for feeding the Levites, the poor and the travelers. 2.   Ask your pastor if he has ever given the tithes for the poor to eat, or to feed strangers.
Deu 26:12 - 13When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the LORD your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.	You were not told: 1.         The eating of tithes and using the tithe to feed the poor is so important that it is emphasized again and again in the bible. 2.         For the 4th time, it is commanded that Moses’ Tithe is for eating only.
Neh 10:37 – 38 "Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work. A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury.	You were not told: 1.         The temple was rebuilt in the time of Ezra after the period of 70 years exile.  During the 70 years of exile, the Jews weren’t paying tithes.  This was because they were not in the holy land any more, their income did not come out of the holy land to be considered for tithing, there was no temple since it was destroyed and no Levite was serving there. 2.         Nehemiah came after Ezra.  He re-instituted the tithes.  Here again we confirm that only the hands of a Levite can collect the tithes.  Nehemiah either reaffirmed or made a new commandment that a priest of Aaron must be present when the tithe was paid. 3.         A priest of Aaron was need to witness the collection of tithe?  How many times has an Aaron priest witnessed your tithe being handed over?

Here are some questions to ask those who collect tithes:

If any pastor applies Malachi curse against non-tithing, then he is surely applying the law of Moses and the tithe of Moses.  In which case the law of Moses must also apply to the Sabbath year's tithe.  No tithe is to be collected on the Sabbath year.  Why then does the church collect the Moses' Tithe year in year out without abatement and ignoring the Sabbath year? Very inconsistent, don't you think?


Were the mixed multitude ( i.e.non Jews ) who left Egypt with the Jews and followed them into the holy land given land?  If so by which tribe were they assigned land?  If they were not assigned land, did the people of the mixed multitude pay tithes?

So what about the Malachi curse?

The above table should be enough to prove to you that you should not have anything to do with the tithe of Moses in the first place.  So why are you so worried about the curse of Malachi?  If you want to tithe, then tithe voluntarily with love and with a cheerful heart.  Since it is voluntary, the curse of Malachi does not apply to you.  It only applies to people under the law.

At the foot of Sinai, the Israelites confirmed to Moses that they would do everything that the Lord commanded them through Moses.  Tithe was one of those commandments.  They promised to pay. So when they don’t, they were robbing God.  When did you make a promise to God to obey the law of Moses?  If you did, then of course you must keep that promise.  But did you?

The unpleasant truth is that most pastors never bothered to learn the truth of the tithing system.  They only want to know and use those parts which are effective enough to increase the flow of money, through stirring up greed in the heart of givers, or by fear and guilt.


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

                                                                                                        

Fleeting beauty of life, lovely today ......

.... an empty shell tomorrow? What is the purpose of life if not for God?