There are two seas in Israel. One is the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) and the other is the Dead Sea (Yam HaMelach). The Galilee has fresh water flowing into it from snowmelt on Mount Hermon and it also has a river, the Jordan, flowing out of it. The Jordan River waters the fertile Jordan valley. All along its length on both sides are farms, which produce many crops.
The Jordan eventually empties into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea has no outlet. The fresh water that flows into it becomes salty & unfit to drink or to use for crops. Today, the water from the Jordan is being diverted into irrigation ditches and reservoirs so that it does not reach the Dead Sea. There is a spiritual lesson here. As long as the water is kept flowing, it can be useful, but as soon as you put it into a stagnant receptacle, it is useless. The same is true with the economy & money & goods in a society.
In the Law of Moses, 10% of all the produce from your fields, plus, every 10th animal is to be given to the priests each year. Every third year, another 10% is to be given to take care of the poor, the widow, the fatherless & stranger, & to provide festival food for the priests & everyone. The priests, in turn, must give 10% of what they receive to maintain the High Priest's family & office. Money was distributed from the Temple to those in need.
Tithe =10th. In Hebrew & Greek the words mean the same ---a tenth or 10%. Before the Law was given, Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. Gen. 14:20 Jacob devoted a tenth of all his property to G-d. Genesis 28:22 It was an acknowledgement that the L-rd owned everything and that we are just using His Property. This concept was repeated in the Law of Moses. Deuteronomy
The L-rd says, "The world is Mine and all its fullness." Psalm 50:12b He does not need our gifts, but we need to learn to give for our own good and proper growth. It helps us to cultivate the gift of thankfulness and to learn to appreciate what we have and WHO provides it.
According to the Law of Moses in Deuteronomy, the tithe became an instruction for life. We need to learn to acknowledge the Giver of all things, by giving a portion back to Him, so that in turn, he may bless us. You cannot outgive G-d! It is a requirement for holy living to learn to give.
In addition to the tithes, there was also the opportunity to give free-will offerings to the poor and to the L-rd's work. This was money & gifts, above and beyond what the L-rd required. This was so important that the L-rd challenged us - "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And try me now in this," says the L-rd of Hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven & pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it." Mal. 3:10 He continues on in that passage that he will rebuke the devourer & that our crops shall not fail. Tithing is so important! The L-rd wants to bless us!
The status of the Temple priests was an indication of the spiritual relationship between the people and the L-rd. The priests were not allowed to own land; they had to depend upon the people giving their tithes to support them. In turn they served the people by teaching them of G-d's Word, through instruction, through praise, worship & song. When the Temple was in disrepair and the priests had to find odd jobs and hire themselves out, because they were not being supported, that was an indication of sin among the people. Failure to give is an indication that G-d no longer has a place in our heart. Other cares & concerns have taken His rightful place and our lives get out of balance.
Several kings in the Tenach (Old Covenant) reinstated the tithes at various times in history. In other words, the tithing system of the Old Covenant was a system, which could be reinforced as a tax upon the people.
However, this is not what the L-rd wanted. He did not want people to give because they had to, but rather because they loved Him and wanted to follow Him (please Him). In the New Covenant, Paul says, "The L-rd loves a cheerful giver." II Cor. 9:7 Our attitude needs to be correct. The Philippian Congregation was extremely poor, and Paul commended them for their generosity. While thanking them for sending aid to him, he says, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account." Phil.4:16-19 He calls their gift "a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to G-d." Then he follows with a wonderful promise, "And my G-d shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Messiah Y'shua (Christ Jesus)."
The L-rd always deals with our attitudes and motives in our heart! It is the same with giving. If you give out of obedience - that's good. The L-rd honors obedience. However, if you give because you LOVE HIM, you will love to give! You will become a life-giving refreshing stream of water to thirsty souls and the L-rd's Holy Spirit will be working through you to meet the needs of others. You will find that you have more & more to give because you cannot outgive the L-rd!
Giving tithes & offerings is not just money; it is also time & effort & possessions. Nothing you do FOR the L-rd counts unless you first give yourself TO the L-rd. He is not responsible for taking care of people who do not choose to be part of his family.
Y'shua gave a parable about talents (money). He gave 5 talents to one man, and to the 2nd man he gave 2 talents. To the 3rd, he gave 1 talent. The 1st man traded and made another 5 talents. The 2nd did likewise and gained 2 more talents. The 3rd buried his talent in the ground and did nothing with it. The first two servants were commended, but the 3rd servant was cast into outer darkness & lost all he had. Matt. 25:14-30 Trying to keep what you have is like the Dead Sea storing up fresh water. It becomes unfit to drink & good for no one, including you. It is up to you. Are you like the fresh water Sea of Galilee constantly being replenished with the snow melt from Mt. Hermon flowing into it and flowing out with the Jordan River to the valley below and providing fresh water and food for all? Or are you like the Dead Sea: A collector of stagnant salty water with no outlet, looking great on the outside, but nothing to give?
Is tithing (ten-percent) for today? Yes, and free-will offerings and more! Y'shua said, "If someone compels you to go one mile, go with him two." (Roman Law permitted the Roman soldiers to compel citizens to carry their packs for one mile) He was talking about attitude - the Romans were enemies of the Jews. Go the extra mile for your enemies! If your heart is right with the L-rd, you won't ask if you should give, but rather how much? Let's allow G-d to bless us today! Let's bless someone today by meeting his need! Let's do it as unto the L-rd! If you feed someone who is hungry, or give water to someone who is thirsty or clothe someone who is naked, etc. you are doing it to the L-rd Himself. Matt. 25:31-44
"He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for G-d loves a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:6-7
Lura Maiman, Congregation Yeruel, Israel