The first mention of an actual tenth/tithe was given by Abraham in Genesis 14:20. First, notice that Abraham did not give a tenth until after he was blessed by Melchizedek. In other words, Abraham's response to being blessed was to give a tenth of his spoils of war. Second, the tithe Abraham gave to Melchizedek was not even his to give, but spoils of war he stole from his enemies while retrieving his nephew Lot. Thirdly, the bible never mentions that Abraham ever tithed his own possessions or that he ever tithed again after this event.
At the time Abraham gave his tithe to Melchizedek, there was no Law to tithe or give any amount of money or possessions that was instituted by God. Abraham gave a tenth of the gifts that God had given him voluntarily, without any pressure or condemnation from his peers or family.
The same goes for Jacob in Genesis 28:22. Jacob made a vow to give God a tenth of all his property because of the blessing & promise that God had gave him in his dream. It was after Jacob was promised the blessing that Jacob responded to God with a vow of giving a tenth of what God had given him. Jacob also gave voluntarily a tenth to God without the Law of Moses to force him or pressure from family or friends.
Jacob set up a pillar on his land and made a vow to present before God, a tenth of everything God gave him. Jacob did not give the tenth to Melchizedek, a Levite Priest or to the Temple. He presented it before the Lord God and did with it, the will of God. Genesis 28:22 – “And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee (KJV).”
Abraham & Jacob were not under the Mosaic Law and as a just response; they voluntarily vowed and gave a tenth of what God had put into their hands and what God promised as a blessing. On the other hand, if they had been under the Law, everything would have belonged to God anyway and they would have been obligated to give a tithe to the Levite priests (Lev. 27:30).
“Tithing is a biblical law. But so is the rite of circumcision and so is the sacrificing of animals. Does this mean that Christians today should ritualistically circumcise their male children or sacrifice animals because these laws were once ordained in the Bible?”
In modern churches today, Christians are not under the Law of Moses but are under the grace & truth of Christ Jesus. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets and by dying for us on the cross, He showed us His great love for us. Therefore, as our response to the great blessings that God has bestowed upon us, by giving us His Son, Jesus the Christ, we should give a tithe/tenth of our blessings back to God.
Since Christians are not under the Law instituted by Moses, we can offer our tithe to God by the same ways Abraham & Jacob did. We can give a tenth of our spoils (gifts from God) to Jesus (the church) in response to His wonderful blessings upon us.
Some traditionalists claim that we should give 10% of our income to the church as our tithe. However, I believe that we should give everything that we have to Jesus Christ. Or, we can bring before God a tenth of everything God provides for us and vow to use them for His glory. I have heard of some people even giving their talents, skills & time of service as a tithe.
When God instituted the tithe under the Mosaic Law, the tithe was always food. The tithe was never money, gold or a person’s income. The only time the tithe became money was if the person lived too far away from the Temple to haul it. He would sell his grain or wine, then take the money to the place where the storehouse or Temple was & then buy food there to eat the tithe.
During the time the tithe was instituted by the Law of Moses, the tithe was always eaten! Whatever was leftover went into the Temple & could be used by the Levite Priests & their families (Lev 27:30-33; Num 18:21-24; Deut 12:6,7; 17-19; 14:22-29; 26:162-15).
The bible never mentions that Jesus ever tithed. The bible never mentions Jesus' disciples ever tithed. The one and only time Jesus even mentioned the tithe was when He was rebuking the Pharisees about how much attention they paid to tithing.
Matthew 23:23 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith (NKJV)."
You see? There are more important things than tithing.
1. Justice
2. Mercy
3. Faith
Do you have those attributes? Have you mastered them yet? If not, maybe you should work on those and take control over them before you start worrying about the tithe. However, tithe or tithe not as you wish. Give a tenth or a fifth, God will always remember His promises.
References:
http://www.truthortradition.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=883
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