bmks270 said:
So years ago I heard a sermon once that flipped
giving tithes on its head. The sermon argued that the church's push for tithes was theft from the church, theft from God as the people make up the church. It cited Malachi and the verses about "robbing God." But the preacher said that an institution may rob the church by demanding tithes (through guilt, prosperity gospel, etc.).
I thought it was a very profound teaching, that God's people may be robbed by corrupt church leaders.
It's only profound, because that's what scripture says in totality. The only way a church can make God's tithe payable to themselves is to pick a few verses out of the context in which they are given and twist them to apply to their pockets. What is most "strange" about this is that it actually seem strange and profound to hear the truth of God's word. Below is a biblical defense of the tithe starting from the clearest verse on what to tithe and not tithe in Leviticus 27:
Leviticus 27:30-32 list all the things we should tithe.
"Thus all the tithe of the land of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the
tree, is (YHWH) the LORD'S; it is holy to (YHWH) the LORD. If,
therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it onefifth
of it. For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under
the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to (YHWH) the LORD."
From this list you see it's only the produce from the land and the herds and flocks
from the land required for tithing. You will notice there is no requirement to tithe
fish. The tithe is one of many offerings listed in Deuteronomy 12:6-7.
"There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes,
the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings,
and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There also you and
your households shall eat before (YHWH) the LORD your God, and
rejoice in all your undertakings in which (YHWH) the LORD your God
has blessed you."
You will notice the tithe is only part of the offerings to be made, which includes
others such as freewill offerings, but also offerings from the works of your hands.
That is, works of your hands are offerings separate from the tithe. And indeed we
saw in the Leviticus passage above that works of your hands are not listed in the
items to be tithed. We are also told to eat the tithe before (YHWH) the LORD,
which was done during the pilgrimage feasts described in scripture.
But you didn't eat all your tithe yourself. A third of it was given to the Levites as
indicated in Deuteronomy 26:12.
"When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third
year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the
stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your
towns and be satisfied."
This says "in the third year", but it was understood this was to be a 1/3rd portion
every year given to the Levites. Similarly a 1/3rd portion was given to the poor.
That left the remaining 1/3rd for you to eat yourself. You will notice none of the
tithe was called to be given to a synagogue or a rabbi. (or a church or a pasture)
These actually didn't even exist at the time the Torah was written, but developed later.
A further explanation is given as to why the Levites were given their portion of the tithe in Numbers
18:24.
"For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to
(YHWH) the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance;
therefore I have said concerning them, 'They shall have no inheritance
among the sons of Israel.'"
The Levites were given a few cities and surrounding land within the other tribes,
but when you look at maps of where the 12 tribes settled, you never see a portion
assigned to Levi. That is because it was done just as YHWH directed, and they
were not given an inheritance in the land of Israel. That is why YHWH gave them
a portion of the tithe. Many preachers today expect to receive a portion of the
tithe, but they are not prohibited from owning land, and many of them own the
land their house sits on, so the tithe doesn't really apply to them today. Plus,
preachers in churches today fill a similar role as rabbis in the synagogues, but we
see none of the tithe went to either the synagogue or the rabbi. The synagogue
and rabbi may have been supported with money, but that money was separate
from the tithe.
The common teaching on tithe exposes the hypocrisy of many religious leaders:
out of one side of their mouths they say "We do not have to keep the law, because
Messiah fulfilled all of the law"; while at the same time, out of the other side of
their mouths, many of them say "You rob God in your tithes and offerings" from
Malachi 3:8. Isn't this a Torah requirement; a requirement of the law? Either the
Torah has gone away, or it has not. (YHWH) the LORD says right there in
Malachi 3:6 "For, I, (YHWH) the LORD, do not change...", but many say
(YHWH) the LORD has changed His Torah Laws. Except they try to put the
Torah Law of tithing back on the people, and not only that, they pervert God's
Laws making works of their hands a tithe, and making that false tithe deliverable
to themselves instead of (YHWH) the LORD, and the poor as the Torah
instructs. They also choose not to read the rest of Malachi (4:4): "REMEMBER
the Law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded
him" What hypocrisy!
But shouldn't the clergy be paid for their work? They have gone the way of Balaam
[2 Peter 2:15], who sold services of YHWH for profit, desiring wealth and
station. This was an issue long present in Israel, and YHWH hates it; read Ezekiel
chapter 34:1-31. This is lengthy, so I'll condense some key parts here:
"prophesy against the shepherds [the Hebrew word for "pastor"] of Israel
'Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not
the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with
the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock but with
force and with severity you have dominated them.' Therefore, you shepherds,
hear the word of (YHWH) the LORD. 'Behold, I am against the
shepherds.' Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David,
and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd.
'As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am
your God,' declares (YHWH) the LORD God."
This did not go away in the Apostolic Scriptures either, but there were very
quickly men in the congregations who "preached the good news for monetary
gain";
2 Corinthians 2:17 "For we are not like many, peddling the word of
God"
Jude 1:11 "Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for
pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam."
Philippians 1:17 "the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition
rather than from pure motives"
In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, Paul argues for support to those proclaiming the
gospel, but this was for missionaries called away from their regular place of work.
He says in verse in 5 that they should be allowed to "take along" their wives. Take
them where? That is, take them along on their missionary journey. Those people
deserve to be supported financially, because they are taken away from their normal
place of making a living. Six days ye shall work. By the sweat of their brow
they shall earn their living.
So, it is fitting to support missionaries and the congregation of God monetarily;
but it is not fitting for there to be compulsion, nor the misuse and twisting of
scripture regarding the tithe in order for someone to live off the service of the
gospel, especially while members of the congregation are in need.