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"Let the Lord be magnified,
Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."
Psalm 35:27
Print This Bible Study
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What Does "Tithe" Mean?
The Hebrew word for "tithe" means "tenth" so "tithing" means giving 10% of something.
Abram Before The Law
In order to be in a position where God can fully bless you, you’ll have to learn about the principals
of tithing. Read Genesis 14:17-20. Here Abram (who later God changed his name to Abraham), was returning
from a battle with all the spoils after rescuing his nephew Lot and his family who had been taken prisoner.
Two Kings came out to meet him. One was the King of Sodom the other was the King of Salem Melchizedek
the priest of God. Melchizedek came out with gifts of bread and wine for Abraham and his army as simply
a gift to Abraham. In verse 20 it tells us that Abram gave 1/10th or a tithe of "all" the spoils he won
in the battle to Melchizedek. Now this took place 700 years "before" God gave the law to Moses. There was
no law in place saying he had to do so. He "wanted" to tithe to God.
But who is Melchizedek that Abram wanted to tithe to him? Hebrews 7:3 says he is without father and mother,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life. There is no recorded history of the beginning or end of
his life. A description of Melchizedek is found in Hebrews 7:1-4. In Genesis 14:17-20 he is described as
the Priest of God Most High and also King of Salem. This was years before the Levitical priesthood was
established. In Psalm 110:4 it has the future king Jesus referred to as a "priest forever according to
the order of Melchizedek". In Genesis Melchizedek met with Abram and blessed him so consider how great
this man was that even Abram gave him tithes. Read Genesis 14:21-24. Here the King of Sodom wanted to
make a deal with Abram. He wanted all the people Abram have captured for slaves and let Abram keep all
the spoils he won in battle but Abram refused. He said he made an oath to God that he would take nothing
because he didn’t want the king to be able to say that he made Abram rich. Abram wanted people to know
that God made him rich.
Where Abram gave 1/10th of the spoils to Melchizedek, is the first example in the Bible where a person
chose to give 1/10th or to tithe to God because he knew that what he had all came from God. As a result
of this, God changed Abrams name to Abraham and he became the father of many nations. God entered into
a covenant with him of which we call the "Old Covenant". Abraham then became extremely blessed materially
and spiritually and through his lineage Jesus would be born.
But where did Abraham get the idea to tithe hundreds of years before God instructed it in the Old
Testament laws? No one really knows but one explanation could be that Abraham gave this first tithe out
of his heart because of thankfulness and trust in God his provider.
Let's read what great thing God promised Abraham after he paid tithes to Melchizedek in Genesis 15:1.
Here God promises to be Abraham’s shield meaning to protect him and promises that his reward shall be
great. So we can see that from this example, that if we too are faithful and tithe, God will abundantly
bless us and also protect us from harm.
Jacob And Tithing
Read Genesis 28:18-22. Like Abraham, his grandson Jacob also vowed to give 1/10th of all he had to God.
This took place 500 years before God gave the law to Moses. Like Abraham, Jacob too was extremely blessed
by God. He had watched his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham apply tithing and how they recognized
God as their source and Jacob too learned to do this. In verse 20-21 where Jacob is saying "If God will
do these things...", it’s not like a challenge but more of an affirmation that he’s seen God do these things
for his father and grandfather already.
Tithing And The Law Of Moses In The Old Testament
When God gave the Law to Moses 500 years later, it included the principle of tithing Leviticus 27:30, Deuteronomy 14:22, 26:2 and Nehemiah 10:37.
There were actually 3 different tithes in the Old Testament amounting to around 19-23% of their income.
- An annual tithe of 10% to support the Levites for the tabernacle ministry. They had no means of income and received this tithe in return for their service. Numbers 18:20-24.
- An annual tithe consisting of 1/10th of the produce that was left after the first tithe. It was to support the Levites, the house of God and it’s services Deuteronomy 12:17-19.
- A tithe received every third year for the welfare of the Levites, strangers, orphans and widows or those unable to support themselves Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and 26:12-13.
In the Old Covenant, God instructed His people to give at least 10% plus other offerings on different
occasions. The following are just a few more Old Testament verses speaking of the 10% tithe.
Numbers 18:26, 1 Samuel 8:15 and Nehemiah 10:38. There’s much more to tithing in the Old
Testament.
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