Tithe, Are We Still Required To Follow It?

Biblical Tithing

Today I am going to talk about a subject that every christian has questioned at one point or another in their born again life weather they are new and just learning or a veteran seeking the truth.

In today's main stream christian culture pastors all across America and the world preach on the tithe. What I was taught and I am sure you were taught are the same thing. We pay tithe to the church every paycheck the amount is 10% of your paycheck. So every two weeks faithfully for years I did this. They always talked about Malachi here it is below.

(HCSB)

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! ”

You ask: “How do we rob You? ”

“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. 9 You are suffering under a curse, yet you — the whole nation — are still robbing Me. 10 Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. 11 I will rebuke the devourer1 for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts. 12 “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of Hosts.

So if we do not give GOD 10% of our paychecks every two weeks we are robbing GOD. This is what I was taught and even heard it preached in multiple churches. I even walked up to a pastor and asked them "I have payed tithe before in the past faithfully however I can not afford to now if I do i can not pay my rent and the rest of my bills and I will go homeless and jobless and be in big trouble! Am I cursed?" The pastor replies "Yes I do believe you are." At that time I was living in a hotel room and a local ministry was bringing food just about on a daily basis and boy did i ever need food! I do not know about you all but trying to make and keep fresh food in a hotel room was crazy difficult not impossible however far from easy. When they knocked on my door every time was a prayer answered! My girlfriend at the time even witnessed it a few time we were hanging out before we go out and they knocked on the door and bam free food! Anyways the point here was if I was cursed then why was a ministry called Jesus was homeless bringing me food? Makes total since that someone cursed by GOD was being fed in Jesus's name. Growing up I have had a hard time surviving paying bills just so I can have the bare necessities always living with someone else and faithfully paying my tithe and always in debt to someone else and under someone else's roof. No matter where I turned everyone eated money. People say I will help you come live with me then they talk money. I had to pay rent, car insurance, cell phone, doc bills, taxes, and even the church tithe. I was never getting ahead it felt like I was running on a tread mill doing a lot of work but getting no where.

I was fed up with all this and I went to seek the truth. Everyone I talked to about title referred me to the same scripture references. The big one Malachi and then I eventually found out about Abraham paying tithe what he gave was 10% from the spoils of war. I could not find anywhere where it talked about money and tithe. I found a little section in the New Testament about Yeshua and Caesars coin and Yeshua said "Give unto Caesar's what is Caesar's and give to GOD what is GOD's. Below is the scripture reference.

(HCSB)

21 They questioned Him, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You don’t show partiality,10 but teach truthfully the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not? ”

23 But detecting their craftiness, He said to them,11 24 “Show Me a * denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have? ”

“Caesar’s,” they said.

25 “Well then,” He told them, “give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

My thought was as an already born again believer in Yeshua, didn't GOD make all the gold, silver, and copper and yet GOD is telling us to give what GOD already owns to Caesar cause his name and picture is on it why is this? We are GOD"s also so what is the church telling me cause this sure is not adding up to me at all. So we pay taxes to Caesar cause the law states so this makes since even though GOD made all the money and the holy scripture states for us to obey the laws of the land fair enough I can logic that out. However the later part render unto GOD what is GOD's. Now this really intrigued me! What is GOD's? If money is GOD's then why did Yeshua say give it to Caesar? I was pondering on this for a long long....long time.What I reasoned out is the following. I asked what is GOD's? Yeshua said for us to give unto GOD what is HIS. So I then asked myself what is HIS? He made everything Weather I own it or not it all belongs to GOD what can I give him its already HIS. It then dawned on me. What did GOD do? Let me ask you this the word says there is no greater love than your give your life for someone it also says to love your neighbor as yourself. I say GOD one upped that first part. How many of you would give up your only child for someone else? This is exactly what GOD did! He gave up his only begotten SON! Wow it hit me like a ton of bricks traveling at light speed straight in to my brain! The answer is me! The only thing GOD ever paid for that already is HIS is US! This is what Yeshua is saying here GOD paid for HIS creation he already owns with is only SON cause GOD wants us to love HIM out of our own free will! Render unto GOD what is GOD's that is you and me my friend give HIM you! He wants your heart.

So after reasoning this out and still hearing how people are cursed because of not paying tithe and countless debate after debate I kept on pondering and wondering and thinking and yearning GOD there's got to be more! Sure enough I found it! I just stumbled across it one day browsing around on social networks. So I dived in studied and learned of scripture reference I never heard in church before or virtually anywhere else I have been to countless website after website reading the same old things with different twists to them different though process over and over again. So I dug in and started asking more questions and it all started to fall into place. Lets start with a few questions.

What is tithe?

Where did tithe come from?

What is the first tithe?

Is tithe monetary?

What are the requirements of the tithe?

What is Tithe

Lets start with the top question there what is tithe? To find this out I asked myself

What does the word tithe mean?

What are the root's for the word tithe

What does tithe mean in Hebrew and Greek?

There are four kinds of tithe.

Levitical

Festival

Poor

Priest's

Levitical Tithe

(HCSB)

21 “Look, I have given the Levites every tenth in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the work of the tent of meeting. 22 The Israelites must never again come near the tent of meeting, or they will incur guilt and die. 23 The Levites will do the work of the tent of meeting, and they will bear the consequences of their sin. The Levites will not receive an inheritance among the Israelites; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. 24 For I have given them the tenth that the Israelites present to the Lord as a contribution for their inheritance. That is why I told them that they would not receive an inheritance among the Israelites.”

Festival Tithe

(HCSB)

22 “Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. 23You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. 24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, 25 then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. 26 You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. 27 Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Festival Tithe

(HCSB)

16“ All your males are to appear three times a year before the Lord your God in the place He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths. No one is to appear before the Lord empty-handed. 17Everyone must appear with a gift suited to his means, according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you.

Festival Tithe

(HCSB)

10 You are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the Lord your God has blessed you.

Poor Tithe

28 “At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your gates. 29 Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow within your gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

Priest's Tithe

2 you must take some of the first of all the land’s produce that you harvest from the land Yahweh your God is giving you and put it in a container. Then go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to have His name dwell.

Priest's Tithe

Exodus 24:44

These are the garments that they must make: a breastpiece, an * ephod, a robe, a specially woven tunic,2 a turban, and a sash. They are to make holy garments for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests. 5 They should use3 gold; blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; and fine linen.

43 These must be worn by Aaron and his sons whenever they enter the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary area, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is to be a permanent statute for Aaron and for his future descendants.

Tie the sashes on Aaron and his sons and fasten headbands on them. The priesthood is to be theirs by a permanent statute. This is the way you will ordain Aaron and1 his sons.

7 The total number of cities you give the Levites will be 48, along with their pasturelands.

25 The LORD instructed Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them: When you receive from the Israelites the tenth that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the LORD — a tenth of the tenth. 27 Your offering will be credited to you as if it were your grain from the threshing floor or the full harvest from the winepress. 28 You are to present an offering to the LORD from every tenth you receive from the Israelites. Give some of it to Aaron the priest as an offering to the LORD. 29 You must present the entire offering due the LORD from all your gifts. The best part of the tenth is to be consecrated.

30 “Tell them further: Once you have presented the best part of the tenth, and it is credited to you Levites as the produce of the threshing floor or the winepress, 31 then you and your household may eat it anywhere. It is your wage in return for your work at the tent of meeting. 32 You will not incur guilt because of it once you have presented the best part of it, but you must not defile the Israelites’ holy offerings, so that you will not die.”

(HCSB)

1 “The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the LORD’s fire offerings; that is their1 2 inheritance. 2 Although Levi has no inheritance among his brothers, the LORD is his inheritance, as He promised him.

(This is the charge for tithe) (HCSB)

30 “Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man decides to redeem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its value. 32 Every tenth animal from the herd or flock, which passes under the shepherd’s rod, will be holy to the LORD. 33 He is not to inspect whether it is good or bad, and he is not to make a substitution for it. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute will be holy; they cannot be redeemed.”

34 These are the commands the LORD gave Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

(HCSB)

9 “Command Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the burnt offering; the burnt offering itself must remain on the altar’s hearth all night until morning, while the fire of the altar is kept burning on it.

Since there are no priest's, levies or temple in existence today Biblically speaking you cannot tithe.