Lesson 26

 

Be ZEALOUS FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS - Part J

Righteousness in our Personal Life - 7
Honoring God with our Tithes & Offerings - I
 

                                                                                            

 


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KEY SCRIPTURES:

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."
                                                                                         (Malachi 3:8-10)

A. Righteousness in our personal life (Lesson 20)

B. Area of personal righteousness (Lesson 20)

1. Dying to self and following after Jesus (Lesson 20)

2. Loving God will all our being (Lesson 20 & 21)

3. Turning from all forms of idolatry and witchcraft (Lesson 22)

4. Setting aside one day in seven to worship God (Lesson 23)

5. Working six days a week (Lesson 24)

6. Honoring your father and mother (Lesson 25)

7. Honoring God with your tithes & offerings

Money is an item that touches many parts of our daily life.
Money is used for obtaining food, for building a house, for clothes, for education, for taxes, for doing business, for paying services rendered by others, etc.

Money represents part of our labor, time, education and prosperity.
Money represents the labor of our hands and minds.
It represents the time that we have spent in our labor.
It also represents part of God's blessings poured out upon His people.
It therefore represents a major part of our earthly possessions and wealth.

However, all Christians, including our money, belong to God
We have all been bought with a price y God (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Revelation 5:9).
Therefore, all that we are, and all that we have, including our money, belongs to God.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with your body.
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

And they sang a new song:
     "You (Jesus) are worthy to take the scroll
          and to open its seals,
     because You were slain,
          and with Your blood You purchased men for God
     from every tribe and language and people and nation."
(Revelation 5:9)

In fact, everything that we have has come to us from God's hand (1 Chronicles 29:19,12,14).
Even our riches has come to us from God's hand.
We are only managers of the wealth and riches that God has entrusted to us to use.
And we are to use our wealth and riches for His kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
This was the revelation given by God to David when David praised God for blessing the nation of Israel.

David praised God in the presence of the whole assembly, saying:
     "Wealth and honor come from You;
          You are the ruler over all things.
     In Your hands are strength and power
          to exalt and give strength to all.

"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?
Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand."
(1 Chronicles 29:10,12, 14)

In the area of our money, God wants us to honor Him by bringing to Him our tithes and offerings (Numbers 18:21,23-24; Malachi 3:8-10).
As we worship God with our tithes and offerings, we are telling God that

He is indeed worthy of all worship, including the worship with our wealth;

He is indeed the source of all our riches; all that we have has come from Him;

He is the Lord & Master of all our wealth, and all that we have belongs to Him;

We are trusting Him to continually provided for us financially in abundance in the days ahead.

"I the LORD do not change.
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings.
"You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me.
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."
(Malachi 3:6,8-10)

When we do not honor God with our tithes and offerings, we are robbing God.
Worse yet, when we withhold our tithes and offerings, we are no longer asking God to be the Lord over our finance and wealth.
In fact, we are telling God that we know how to handle our money ourselves, better than He does.
And when we do this, we come under a curse - a divine judgment of death and destruction, financially, physically and emotionally (Malachi 3:9).
Having rejected God, we ourselves have opened a door to the devil to kill, steal and destroy in our lives, bringing us into poverty and dire need (John 10:10).

(a) What is the tithe?

In the Macmillan Contemporary Dictionary, a tithe is defined as "one-tenth of a person's income from his land or labor, paid either in kind of money, especially for the support of the church and clergy."
In His word, God commands His people to bring their tithes and offerings to Him, as part of their worship (Leviticus 27:30,32; Deuteronomy 14:22).

A tithes of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
The entire tithe of the herd and flock - every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod - will be holy to the LORD.
(Leviticus 27:30,32)

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.
(Deuteronomy 14:22)

(b) To whom does the tithe belongs?

The tithe is holy to the LORD (Leviticus 27:30).
In other words, this money is to be set aside for God's use.
This money belongs to God.
One-tenth of all that we earn from our labor, whether in cash or in kind, belongs to God for His use.
If we keep the tithe back for ourselves, we are robbing God of what is due to Him.

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
The entire tithe of the herd and flock - every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod - will be holy to the LORD.
(Leviticus 27:30,32)

(c) What is the tithe to be used for?

In the Old Testament, God has commanded that the tithes that belong to Him be used for three purposes:

To support the Levites and their families.

To help the needy who need food, including the alien, fatherless and widows.

To be used for celebration in the house of the LORD.
(i) Support for the Levites and their families.

The Levities were Jews from the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
This tribe has been chosen by God to serve Him in looking after the Tabernacle of Moses, and later on, the Temple of Solomon.
God did not give any allotment or inheritance in the land of Cannan to this tribe.
Instead, God commanded that the tithes from the other tribes be given to the Levites to support them and their families (Number 18:21, 23-24; Deuteronomy 14:29).

The LORD said to Aaron: "I give to the Levites al the TITHES in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting (i.e. the Tabernacle of Moses). They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the TITHES that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD.
(Numbers 18:21, 23-24)

The tithes were to be regarded as wages for the Levitical families for the work they do in taking care of the Tabernacle of Moses (Numbers 18:25-31).
Tithes were the main source of income for the Levites and their families.
If tithes were withheld by God's people, the Levites and their families (wives and children) would suffer.
They would have to look for their own food and the duty of looking after the temple would be neglected.

The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithes I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of the tithes as the LORD's offering.
You must present as the LORD's portion the best and hliest part of everything given to you.'

"Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress.
You and your household may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your WAGES for your work.'"
(Numbers 18:25-26, 29-31) 

Likewise, in the New Testament Church, the tithes should be used to support those who preach the Gospel full-time (such church workers are equivalent to the Levites in the Old Testament).
The pastor and church leaders should ensure that the tithes in the church are channeled to fulfill God's intended purpose, so that those who preach the Gospel full-time are adequately provided for.

Thus Paul referred to the financial support system of the Levites in the Old Testament as the basis of the support for all those who preach the Gospel in the New Testament.
He quoted the Lord Jesus as declaring that those who preach the Gospel should receive their living from the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).

Don't you know that those who work in the temple (i.e. the Levities) get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?
In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the Gospel should receive their living from the Gospel.
(1 Corinthians 9:13-14)

These tithes should not be used for wrong purposes in the church
We should not use tithes for constructing church buildings or monuments, fixing of air-conditioning, laying of carpets, etc.
These tithes are set aside by God for the support of families, not things.
If we misuse the tithes for such purpose, then church workers will not be paid reasonable or realistic wages.
The families of these church workers may suffer unnecessarily and unjustly, and bitterness may result instead.

Funds for buildings and furniture and other material luxuries should be raised from the free-will offerings of the people.
This was the pattern in the Old Testament when the Tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon were built (Exodus 25:1-9; 35:1-9; 1 Chronicles 29:1-20).

If we were to use the tithes according to God's purposes, the ingathering of the harvest would be done more effectively.
This is because one church worker can on the average be supported by 11 other members who pay their tithes (just as the Levites were supported by the other 11 tribes in Israel).
In this way, each of the church workers will have a standard of living that is the average of about 11 working adults in the congregation, i.e. neither extremely luxurious nor extremely low.

In this way also, every church would be able to support a greater number of church workers (missionaries, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors, administrators, etc.), having on the average a church worker for every 11 working adults in a congregation.

In this way, we form a partnership with those who spend all their time in the preaching of the Gospel.
Thus Paul spoke to the church at Philippi as follows, concerning their financial support:

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now.
As you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the Gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent e aid again and again when I was in need.
(Philippians 1:4--5; 4:15-16)

We bring our tithes into the church where we worship in
In the Old Testament, God commanded His people to bring their tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be food in God's house (Malachi 3:10).

Bring all the tithes into the STOREHOUSE, that there may be food in my house, and try me in this," says the LORD of hosts.
(Malachi 3:10)

The storehouse is the place in the Temple where the tithe was collected and distributed to the Levitical families.
The storehouse cannot be spiritualized into a person who feeds you spiritual food.
The storehouse is the place for the storage of physical, material food - food for the Levites, food for their wives, food for their children, not spiritual food for the people.
God is concerned for the physical welfare of his workers and their families, even today.

Likewise, in the Church today, we are to bring our tithes into the local church.
The local church is our storehouse, out of which we can then distribute financial resources for the support of church workers and their families.

If tithes were not paid to the Temple storehouse, no food will be available to the Levites, who will then no longer be able to serve God full-time at the Temple.
This situation occurred during the time of Nehemiah, the governor of Judea, when he was on a long vacation (Nehemiah 13:6-7).
Nehemiah was furious when he discovered the neglect in the collection of tithes and he rebuked the officials in charge.

I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the House of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. All Judah brought the TITHES of grain, new wine and oil into the STOREROOMS.
(Nehemiah 13:10-12)

The tithes were administered by officials appointed by Nehemiah when he was the Governor of Judea (Nehemiah 13:10-12).
He rebuked the officials when they were negligent in their duties.
Likewise, in the Church today, the local church pastor should be the person who make the decisions concerning the disbursements of the funds from the tithes to the church- workers, according to their individual needs.
This is because the pastor is the shepherd over the congregation, and because he is the one who appoints other church workers, and leads in supporting other non-local church workers.

However, to safeguard a pastor from the temptation of keeping all the tithes for himself, and to safeguard him from false accusations of financial abuse, he should appoint leaders to help him administer the funds.
When a pastor controls the tithes without accountability to others, especially when the church grows big, he will be tempted to live luxuriously at the expense of other church workers.
This has happened in recent times, and brings shame to God's name.

Thus in the New Testament, Paul was very concerned that the collection and administration of church funds be put into the hands of a few leaders, and not one person only, so that no one will be accused of abusing the funds (1 Corinthians 9:13-14; 2 Corinthians 8:19-21).

Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I tell the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of the week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the MEN YOU APPROVE and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, THEY WILL ACCOMPANY ME.
(1 Corinthians 16:1-4)

What is more, he was chosen by the churches to ACCOMPANY US as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to AVOID ANY CRITICISM of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
(2 Corinthians 8:16-21)
(ii) To help the needy who need food, including the aliens, fatherless and widows

In the Old Testament, God also commanded that part of the tithes be used for feeding those in need (Deuteronomy 14:29).
Likewise, in the New Testament, it is the church's duty to use part of the tithes collected to feed those who are needy in the community.

At 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.
(Deuteronomy 14:28-29)

(iii) To be used for celebration in the house of the LORD

In His word, God has commanded that three times a year, the Jews are to come to Jerusalem to celebrate a festival to Him at the Temple there (Exodus 23:14).
For there occasions, God has also commanded that  part of the tithes be used for the celebrations in the presence of the Lord (Deuteronomy 14:22-28).
Such a practice should also be followed in the New Testament Church today.

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all your 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.
(Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

Your thought

  1. Is God interested in the financial status of His people? If your answer is yes, why do you say so?

  2. Is God glorified when children of God are living in poverty and defeat and failure?
    Is this God's will for them to live this way?

  3. Why should we honor God with our tithes and offerings ? (See Malachi 3:8-12).

  4. Has the Church as a whole (in general) been faithful in its tithes and offerings?
    What has been the consequence of our lack of obedience to God's word in this area?

  5. What type of spiritual breakthroughs do you think will happen if a church begins to do God's will concerning tithes and offerings?

 

                                                                                             



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