"What's 'Unscriptural' About Tithing?"

IVE an otherwise ordinary guy or gal, with vain pretensions of being a guide to the blind, a bible concordance and right away he or she might think they are some sort of research "Samson," able to exhort, teach and rebuke at the flip of a page.

    Yet another clever clown, whose own name is of such apparent importance (to himself, mainly) that he places it in the first position -- even before the title of his online article on the subject -- claims that he can "prove" tithing is strictly "old covenant," and even "unscriptural" under the "new covenant."

    This whole idea is predicated on the foundation of false notions based upon misinterpretations of mainly Paul's writings, as if only one "witness" -- and that as viewed strictly through the lens of Greek and English translation scriptures, and various mistaken pagan Christian translators, interpreters, priests, and so forth -- could overthrow the entirety of what was previously revealed.

    How reasonable is it, however, to believe that the selfsame Creator -- revealed in the so-called "Old Testament" scriptures as He who changes not (Malachi 3:6) -- is so fickle as to have changed His mind about something so intrinsic as tithing?

    In just about every way imaginable the so-called "law of Moses" has been overthrown in the hearts and imaginations of supposedly "faithful believers," some of whom have reveled in the real purpose for their alleged "conversion" as making them "free" to have unrestricted and unrestrained sex "...with any girl I want!" (or so one of those, caught up in this wicked Christian notion, once told me, but using much more vulgar language than is unsuitable for giving a completely verbatim quote here).

    The way some have misinterpreted and misused scripture to support their version of (so-called) "tithing" -- which bears little or no resemblance to what is actually commanded in scripture -- such "tithing" definitely is and has been illegal and abusive!

    But how can such wicked teachings, inappropriate actions, and inconsistent beliefs of confused Christians on the law of tithing in any way make the actual law and practice of scriptural tithing "illegal" or "abusive" in the least?

    Would a parent, seeing dirt on their infant child, assume the baby is somehow damaged or defective and should be discarded with the trash or garbage?   Or, having bathed the child who has made a day of creating mud pies, would the parents be tempted to throw out the bath water with their baby still in it?

    Yet that is exactly what many would have you do with the entirity of the so-called "law of Moses," including the pre-Mosaic practice of tithing!

    The "one sentence" by which the self-professed "New Testament Christian" answers those who accept and believe that tithing is a form of worship in which you should still participate is: "Since burnt offerings were a form of worshipping God [sic], and since we still worship God [sic], must we still offer burnt offerings to God? [sic]."

    His biased conclusion: "Ridiculous."

    While I agree with that, in reference to the word that he uses to refer to the Creator (see last issues article: "God" Is WRONG!), this type of straw-man "argument" does nothing whatever to prove his stance, or disprove tithing.   But it does reveal the ridiculous manner in which some choose to circle around the actual pure truth with their slings and arrows of outrageous false arguments and flawed "scriptural" reasoning.

    Since tithing is under attack, let's look more closely at the "slings and arrows" this particular tithing adversary uses, to learn just how "scriptural" they really are, despite boisterous claims to the contrary.

    One of the first things to note here is the choice of bible used by this particular would-be instructor in all things "scriptural."

    The Living Bible, according to its copyright page, is actually nothing more than "a compilation of the Scripture paraphrases previously published by Tyndale House Publishers...."

    And a paraphrase, according to my dictionary -- and doubtless yours also -- is nothing more than "a free rendering or rewording of a passage."   It is supposed to "express the meaning of (a passage) in other words," in theory.   But in practice, it often results in adding to and taking away from the original inspired meaning of scripture (cf. Revelation 22:18-19 for a serious warning against this practice).

    In the case at hand, here is how the Living Bible (and our would-be instructor) adds to the account of Abraham's tithing to the King (and Priest; Genesis 14:18) of Salem:

    "Then Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils" (Genesis 14:20), and: "Even Abraham...gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils he took from the kings he had been fighting" (Hebrews 7:4).

    First of all, in the Greek text (which is certainly not the original language of this New Testament text to the Aramaic-language Ibreyans [incorrectly: "Hebrews"] of the first century), the actual wording of this last scripture is: "even a tenth Abraham gave of the heap the patriarch."

    So the conclusion that Abraham gave only a tithe of the "spoils of war," as this false bible teacher implies, is obviously wrong.   The Ibreya text only says: "And he [Abraham] gave to him [Melchizedek] a tithe [tenth] of all."

    All of what, we must ask?

    The Genesis account explicitly tells us that Abraham refused to take or keep anything that belonged to the king of Sodom: "...I will not take from all that is yours, from a thread to a shoe-latchet, so that you may not say 'I have made Abram rich'..." (Genesis 14:22-23).

    So had Abraham paid any tithe on those spoils of war, or booty, belonging originally to the king of Sodom or his people for instance, this would hardly have been a true statement.

    No, Abraham tithed not on those spoils of war, but on everything that was his to tithe upon, the increase of his wealth or that which came to him justly and honestly and had been spared from confiscation through defeat at war!

    Were it otherwise, the king of Sodom would have had a claim, not only over Abraham's blessings (which he had before going to war, remember), but also over the King of Peace (Salem) Himself, who received tithes from Abraham's blessings!   Abraham was a far more intelligent man that that, and apparently more so than many would-be expounders of scripture today are.

    Next, our wannabe exhorter claims that Abraham's grandson Ya'acob withheld tithes, for the purpose of first extorting a blessing from our Creator, citing Genesis 28:20-22 as his "proof" text.

    But is that what this scripture really tells you?

    Nothing of the kind.   It is, however, the sort of misinterpretation you may expect from a closed mind, whose opinion is already set in hardened concrete, who refuses to actually read all that is written for your instruction in righteousness.

    What this scripture tells us about Ya'acob's vow (not "proposition," or extortion attempt to receive a blessing) is that he would pay a tithe of all that our Creator would give him, if he gave Ya'acob safe passage, and if "I return in peace to the house of my father" (verse 21).

    Just as in war-torn regions of the world today (including the very territory through which Ya'acob traveled anciently), traveling was a risky proposition at best, and Ya'acob rightly feared for his safety and survival amidst the violent, strife-torn nations or states through which he would be traveling.

    So Ya'acob promised (vowed) that, should our Creator protect and bless him in his endeavor to find a suitable wife and then return safely home again after many years, he would pay a tithe of everything he received as part of this blessing of protection and provision for all his needs, and more.

    One thing this scripture also teaches us is that Abraham obviously taught his children to pay a tenth of all their blessings of increase, on everything.   And this, in turn, proves that Abraham also tithed on his blessings of increase on everything as well, for otherwise Abraham would have been a hypocrite to teach his offspring to do what he personally himself did not do.

    Our would-be (but now thoroughly discredited) bible instructor asks how Ya'acob paid the tithe, and to whom did he pay it, since this was long before the existence of the physical Temple, the Aaronic priesthood and Levites, to whom the children of Yasrael were later commanded, by Creator Yahveh through Moses, to pay their tithes and offerings?

    Although scripture is silent on this specific point, you can draw a conclusion from what it does reveal concerning Melchizedek, whom -- we are told -- "was King of Salem and Priest of the Almighty One."   Melchizedek, this same scripture reveals, was "without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of the Almighty One he remains a Priest forever" (Hebrews 7:1, 3).

    Obviously, then, this Melchizedek -- or the "King of righteousness" Himself (verse 2) -- who was also the "King of Peace" (Salem, verse 2), was still alive and around to receive Ya'acob's tithes also.

    This same "Prince of Peace" came as the Son of Man, the Messiah, or "the second Adam" to once and for all time qualify to sit upon the throne of David and as the last High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek, which He had established as our Creator, before coming to die as a man, for the forgiveness of your and my sins (Hebrews 7:11-28).

    Malachi wrote prophetically to people in this age -- all those who think they don't need to tithe, or who make a carnal attempt to do so by paying money to some flawed religion or corrupt Christian ministry -- through which the Creator inquires of you: "Will a man rob the Almighty One?   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" (Malachi 3:8-9).

    While tithes were once paid to the Levites, or priests, at the temple in ancient Yasrael (and will be once again, when the Temple of Yahveh is rebuilt by the Savior and its services restored), before it existed Abraham paid tithes to the King of Peace, Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20; Hebrews 7:1-4).

    In like manner, Yahveh's servants, the Apostles, Prophets and Teachers of the law who labor in His field toward the harvest of the righteous out of this wicked age, are worthy of double "honor," or an income to provide for their daily needs (I Timothy 5:17-18).

    Since the tithe belongs to Creator Yahveh you cannot do with it as you please, but you must instead honor Him with it by providing for the needs of His servants, whose labor is in the scriptures and teaching true righteousness.

    The first tenth, after necessary expenses, of your increase belongs to your Creator, not to you, for without Him you wouldn't even have a life to enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

    And since you owe Him your very life, you likewise cannot receive the blessings He promises those who serve Him, unless you provide for the needs of His "storehouse" of wisdom and pure truth first, with your tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:10-12).

    To expect a servant of Yahveh to labor without wages is a cruel mockery of justice which condemns them to a life of poverty not of their own choosing.   A calling to the true ministry is not a matter of choice, and those honored to receive such a commission should also be honored by their fellow-servants here on earth with subsistence and provision of their daily needs, particularly when they also must pay for the needs of their ministry and its educational efforts.

    Creator Yahveh blesses those who bless His servants with freedom from worry over what they have to eat or drink (Matthew 10:9-10; Luke 10:7).

    Indeed, "Don't you know that those who work in the Temple 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, Yahveh has commanded that those who preach the glad tidings should receive their living from the glad tidings" (I Corinthians 9:13-14).

    That was Paul's teaching on the subject, and this is what Yahveh still expects from His children and servants today.