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What Does God's Word Say About The Tithe?
By Pastor Eddie Cude
What is the tithe? It is the "gateway for the believer
into the covenant of blessings." In the Hebrew "maaser" or
"maasrah," is translated tenth, or tenth part, and in Greek
"apodekatoo" and in both, it means a payment or giving or receiving of the
tenth.
The tithe is that tenth of our income that we give to God, which enables Him to move on
our behalf in the area of blessings. The Bible records numerous accounts of man tithing to
God. God is the creator of everything that exists. He owns everything and we are simply
stewards of what we have been entrusted with. The tithe principle is this; "He gives
unto us, we give back to Him one-tenth of all that He has blessed us with."
Abraham tithed unto Melchizedek, Isaac tithed, His son Jacob and many others also even
before the law was given. Many Christians do not tithe because they have been taught that
they are not under the law, but under grace. While this is a true statement, God did not
institute the tithe to bring us under the law, but to get blessings to His children.
Abraham tithed before the law, and God blessed him supernaturally. We're under grace that
we might establish the law; not turn from it. Jesus said that He didn't come to do
away with the law, but to fulfill it. Because He fulfilled it, we are to establish
it. His Words are forever settled in heaven, therefore we establish His Words
upon the earth.
Matthew 5:17-19: "Think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from
the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven."
Tithing According to the Law as Given by Moses
Leviticus 27:30 "And all the tithe of the
land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is
holy unto the LORD."
This scripture states that all the tithe, whether it be
seed of the land, fruit of the tree, or one tenth of all that you earn, is holy unto the
Lord. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 states that one-tenth of all that comes into
your possession, belongs to God. This was God's plan to instruct His people as to the way
of blessings that He had for them. God is a multiplier by nature, and He could not
multiply that which was not entrusted to Him. When the children of Israel were obedient to
give back to God that which was His, increase was guaranteed. Scripture states, It's
better to be obedient than to sacrifice. When the children of Israel were obedient,
blessings came; when they were disobedient, they had to sacrifice. Many Christians today
are wanting God to honor the covenant that He has with His children, but disobedient
children cannot receive the same reward as the obedient.
1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, Hath the
LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the
LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."
The strongest chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When we fail to tithe, we
become that weak link. Statistics show that approximately 20% of Christians tithe. That
means, 80% of Christendom is not in covenant with their God, but are like beggars and
thieves looking for handouts and what they can steal from Him.
I have said many times, it would be better to rob the First National Bank than to rob the
bank of Heaven. I'm sure most Christians don't see it this way, because most Christians
steal from God. Malachi 3:8 asks the question "Will a man
rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole
nation."
The Old Testament records two other tithes; one tithe was called the "festival
tithe," when they came to Jerusalem once every three years for fellowship. The expense
for the festival, (travel, food, etc.) was taken from this tithe. The third tithe was
given in the third year and was a tithe holy unto the Lord. It was a tithe of almsgiving
for the poor and needy. All of these tithes were brought to the storehouse, and the priest
oversaw the distribution of same. The first tithe was for the upkeep of the priests, since
they had no inheritance. All of their income and portion was to be given to them by God's
people. This tithe in and of itself, is not considered an offering. It is the minimum
requirement for all of God's people.
The reason God instituted the second and the third tithe
through Moses, was that His children needed to give above and beyond this tithe. It is
these tithes that God is referring to in Malachi 3:8 where His people
have robbed Him in tithes and offerings. In verse 10 of Malachi 3, you
will notice that it states "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not
be room enough to receive it."
I am convinced that when people see the tithe as an
instrument of blessing they will not be looking for a way to give less, but a way to give
more. God will help them so that they can be generous on every occasion.
Tithing Establishes the Law
Tithing after the law does not do away with the law, but establishes
it. Are you honestly blessed to where you can give generously on every occasion? Or
are you like so many that can't give the way they would like to be able to? I've come to
the knowledge that most Christians are looking for the truth, so they can be set free.
Just because you're a child of God, does not mean you are a "mature" son of God.
A mature son or daughter of God will not be found robbing "daddy" God.
Revelation 3:18 gives us good counsel on how to re-establish right covenant with
the Lord. Jesus' advice to those of us who have become lukewarm is to buy from Him
gold that's been refined in the fire. He tells us to do this so that the shame of our
nakedness will not be revealed.
Revelation 3:18: "I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
How do we buy gold from the Lord? Hebrews 1:7 states that His ministers
are as "flames of fire." In Matthew 25:9, Jesus makes a
statement concerning the five foolish virgins to go and buy from those who sell. What they
needed to buy was oil. Oil symbolizes the Spirit. Those who are in the five-fold ministry
(apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers) have a command from the Lord to
receive tithes (Hebrews 7). These tithes are not given,
but paid, because the tithe belongs to the Lord and according to Malachi
3:10 we are to bring those tithes to the storehouse and the storehouse is
where we are being fed spiritually, so we are to give where we are being fed. Malachi 3:3 states that the Lord
will sit as a refiner, purifying the sons of Levi (those in the ministry) purging them as
gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. I repeat,
Jesus did not come to do away with law, but to fulfill it. Our job is to establish it.
There are those who say that the tithe is not covered in the New Testament, but in Hebrews
5, 6 and 7, one of the main subjects spoken of is the tithe--who
receives it and how to become mature through paying it. In Hebrews 5:11-14
it states "...that you've become dull of hearing and that you should be
teaching the first principles, but instead you have need of milk, and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word of righteousness, for
he is a baby." This is preceded by the statement that Christ himself
has become High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. In Chapter 6, it
goes on to state that once you have been enlightened and tasted the heavenly gift--once
you have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God--if you
still fall away it is impossible to be renewed again to repentance, seeing that you
crucify again for yourselves the Son of God and put Him to an open shame.
What is this good Word of God? This Word is
"rhema" which means, the spoken or revealed Word of God. His Word has been
revealed to you concerning Jesus as High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, meaning
that Jesus has become High Priest over the tithe, (and your life) forever (vs. 20).
Chapter 6 further states (vs. 9-19), that God blessed Abraham by
saying "With blessings, I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply
you." He also promised immutability (unchangeableness) of His counsel
and confirmed it by swearing an oath that by these unchangeable things, we might have
strong consolation and lay hold of the hope set before us. Verse 19
states that this hope we have is an anchor for our soul (mind), both sure and
steadfast. I am convinced these two unchangeable things are both God's promise to bless us
and our promise to tithe back to Him. Chapter 7 states in verse 8,
"Here mortal men receive tithes, but there He receives them of whom it is witnessed,
that He lives."
Chapters 5-7 deals with the ministry of Melchizedek and that Jesus is the
priest forever according to Melchizedek. We know Abraham gave tithes of all that he
possessed. We know in the Law of Moses, tithes were commanded. After the Law, Hebrews
states that Jesus is the Lord, not just of the past, not just of the present, but forever.
Hallelujah! He is the Lord of the tithe, forever.
Seeing that Jesus is the Lord of the tithe, is He our lord? If He is, there should be no
question that we tithe unto Him. I can just hear someone saying, " If Jesus was my
Pastor, I would tithe," but Hebrews 7:8 states "that
men (subject to death) receive tithes on this side; but on the other side, Jesus Himself
receives them." Why should we look for ways to excuse us from what we
know we should be doing? Let's be about establishing and not doing away with His Words.
The tithe was, and is and shall ever be holy unto the Lord.
_______________________________________________________________________
Addendum
I am writing an
addendum on the article of the tithe above. I have received hundreds,
yes, even thousands of e-mails concerning this subject. The majority of
these e-mails have been positive and rewarding to read; however, some of
the responses have not been so, therefore I am responding to some of the
most misunderstood questions concerning the tithe. --Pastor Eddie Cude--
Questions and/or
Statements:
Number 1: "The tithe was instituted under the
law and we are no longer under the law."
My Answer: The tithe came before the law
was given as Abraham tithed unto Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20.
It was required during the law (Malachi 3:10). It was also after
the law (Hebrews 5:6-7). Jesus is the Lord of the tithe forever after
the order of Melchizedek. In Matthew 23:23 in the New Testament, Jesus
plainly states that you should tithe and not leave the other (good
works) undone.
- The tithe has worked before the law, it has
worked during the law and it is working after the law.
- My question: "If the tithe worked during the
law; what will it do – under grace?
Number 2: "Since tithing is under the law and we are not
under the law anymore, we should not have to tithe."
My Answer: Under the law, we are told, "Thou shall not kill."
Would you kill someone because you are not under the law anymore? … Of
course not.
- Don’t check your brains at the door. If the
tithe belongs to God then “The tithe is holy unto the Lord and all the
tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of
the tress, it is the Lord's, it is holy unto the Lord" (Leviticus
27:30).
Number 3: "To avoid paying tithes prevents
us from receiving a blessing. The tithe was given to us so that the
blessing of God could enter this earth."
My Answer: Who does not want the blessings
of God?
- My question: Why are so many people trying to
keep the blessing of God out of this earth?
- The people that tithe don’t get angry with those
that don’t tithe, but many that don’t tithe attack those that do.
- Also, the person that is not saved (born again),
will many times get put out with the one that is. One that has not
been baptized into the Spirit of God gets upset with those that have
been, and say that it is not of God. So it is with people who do not
tithe, they state that it is not of God because they do not tithe.
It is the same way with deliverance and divine healing, those that
have not received, many times persecute those that have. (Galatians
4:28-29)
Number 4: "Jesus gave us an eleventh
commandment that, We should love the Lord with all our heart, mind,
strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. He never said
anything about accusing them, in fact Revelation 12:11 states that Satan
is the accuser of the brother."
My Answer: I have never heard of any
"born again" man or woman get upset because the preacher ministers on
being "born again." I have never heard a thither get upset
because the preacher ministers on the tithe; it is always those that do
not tithe that get upset.
- I am told that 20% of Christians tithe
regularly, if that is true 80% of Christian feel uncomfortable with
the subject.
- I am so very thankful for the founders of
this web site who have a backbone to stand for what is right and not
just go along with the majority.
- Jesus was not always popular with those in His
day and He said that you should tithe, why can't we just take Him at
His Word?
The scripture states, “The letter kills, but the
Spirit gives Life." Some people get very legalistic about the tithe on
both sides of the issue. One, by preaching that you should tithe or you
will be under the curse, while others say we do not have to tithe, as we
are under grace.
The real truth is that when applied with the right
Spirit (motive) the tithe works every time and will produce blessings in
your life.
1. Right motive
2. Right information
3. Right methods
These three things will guarantee that the promises
of God in His Word will be yours because of your obedience to give and
tithe.
Serving Him by Serving them,
Pastor Eddie Cude
_________________
Eddie Cude and his wife, Bobbie, pastor a
church in El Campo, Texas called El Campo Faith Christian Center. He is an
anointed servant of God in the five-fold ministry who is blessed with the gifts
of the Holy Spirit operating in his ministry. Pastor Cude is an outstanding
teacher of the Word. El Campo Faith Christian Center is strong in
evangelism and they labor as a "Sister Church" with us in the Internet Ministry
of prayer and counseling. Pastor Cude can be reached via e-mail at:
efc2@sbcglobal.net
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