uhm if you are going to take the tithe as it was. well you are telling me to farm then? because in context that it was and it included also the firstborn son of the family being given to the lord during the jubilee if I recall. so you are saying I should go out work my tail off to give to the church and make seeds . no, no, NO. give because I see a need. the torah is all about YOU having the land and also blessing the poor. who from sin of others didn't have things or themselves. ie the widows, the orphans. tithing in that context didn't even tell you to give the levites. meat in context there was for the priests.
malachi 3. I read nothing that quote verse about the HOUSE of GOD aka the temple being built doing alms. that isn't in the torah. the priests were to be supported on the fat of the land as the people gave so that they could focus on ONE thing. the priests. paul took some of that and used it for the offerings and living off the gospel. I have NO problem with that. but the torah commanded YOU the HEBREW do alms. its even here
im big into politics. I know a lot of so called Christian wealthy. I have been burned by a few of those. I have seen that snare. NO thanks. not that Im not able to say I don't have any tinge of materialism. but rather that I will endeavor to be what god says putting him first. giving doesn't guarantee any blessing of material . it may , however, entail a blessing of spritural nature. I will argue that. I have tithed while working for low wages and been blessed and I have tithed while in a trial. It don't recall any blessings of new cars and so forth from that. I did get a job back when I gave . im for giving. but to argue the doctrine of tithing is a bit much its poor exegesis. I understand the modern church does things and that's find. support it but I can argue that I can directly support the poor myself if I have it. I know men who have wealth and do just that outside the church. they take in the poor and feed them. acutally I will see one of those tomorrow and ask if he still does that.
I was describing the 4 different types of giving in the Bible, not lumping them all into tithing.
The tithe is the 1st 10% of your income. Alms are what Jesus said you give to the poor, and they are the only one you don't talk about until after they are no longer in crisis so that their dignity is protected. The 1st Fruits offering is what I already said, and offerings are also called seed, and work according to Mark 4, Luke 8, Matthew 13, Gal 6:6-7, 9, etc.
I have operated in these things and I have seen God do exactly what He promised and am continuing to see Him perform His Word. And I always will.
I have news for you though, the tithe was in the Garden of Eden, or else how did Abel and Cain know how to do it? Notice that at the end of days (Hebrew vernacular for at the end of the harvest), they brought their tithes and offerings and the BLESSING was poured out on Abel, but not Cain, because he brought God the leftover junk, the 3rd pickings that were relegated to animal feed. So Cain was jealous he didn't have the Blessing poured out. Cain would have brought from his orchard, yet the word apples is not in anything to Israel, so we cannot tithe apples therefore?
Abraham also tithed, again, not by Law and well before the Law, giving 10% to God's High Priest by revelation. He also gave from oil, so since God does not mention oil specifically in the tithe, can we not tithe on oil? He also did not use the term gold or silver, yet Abraham tithed on the gold and silver recovered, can we not tithe on gold and silver ($) therefore?
If God came today and gave us the Law and instructed us on tithing it would mention dollars, because that's what's we use, but then if someone later no longer used dollars, would then they be disqualified from tithing because they don't use dollars anymore? Of course not.
The tithe releases the blessing to those who follow God. Notice also the blessing of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it (Prov 10:22), sorrow is Hebrew for toil, meaning you don't have to generate it, God's blessing will. The world can get rich, but it costs them, and they have to toil at it, sacrificing their families, working 900 hours a day 500 days a year, stressing the whole time...
When the widow came and gave an offering of 2 mites, practically worthless in the natural, why didn't Jesus say, "Hold up, Lady, get those 2 mites back, let's get some of these evil rich people over here to pay your way..."? It was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to set the record straight if that's how God is. No, rather, He understood the power of money offerings and knew she would be reaping $ on her $ seed.
If you don't think that God guarantees material blessing then you must not be reading the Holy Bible.
What does Deut 8:18 mean when God says HE gives YOU the power to get wealth, and He says this that you remember that it was HIM Who caused ALL your gold and silver to multiply (money), ALL your cattle, ALL you have to multiply? That's pretty clear that it's material blessing, for the word blessing means "empowered to prosper". 1 Timothy 6:17 says GOD gives us ALL THINGS RICHLY TO ENJOY. How many things? ALL of them, and how? Just a little? Stingily? No, RICHLY, and why? TO ENJOY. What cup is overflowing that David is talking about with Jesus as his Good Shepherd? A spiritual cup? That feast is on the Earth, because your enemies will not follow you to Heaven, you won't have any enemies in Heaven. That's a real cup, and represents all things in his life. What kind of pasture is he being led through? A spiritual one? No, it's on the Earth. Etc, etc.
That's okay if you don't want to believe the Word or walk in it, but you're missing out brother.
