tithes

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On Mon, 21 Sep 1998 17:42:36 -0400 "Hanson, Bruce"
<bruce.hanson@lmco.com> writes:

>Didn't you know that the "tithe" claimed to preexist the law in 
>Genesis
>14:20 (a single gift on the spoils of war, not income) and Genesis 
>28:22
>(a bargain or covenant for Gods protection) does not follow any of the
>rules of the Law for tithes, besides it was Free will? 

This is before the specific legislation for tithes was set up.  In
Gen.14:20 it is not "tithes" in quotations as is written above, but
tithes. In Gen.28:22 it specifically mentions giving the tenth.  We all
know that the tenth is the tithe. The fact tithes were before the Law
cannot be belittled.

>Didn't you know that tithing was only on animals and plants not 
>monetary
>income (Leviticus 27:31-32)?

This is a false statement using one verse only as it's basis. The very
scripture quoted above,( Gen. 14:20) which specifically mentions tithes,
was from the spoils of war. Also, back then, animals and plants WAS the
basic income for many of the people (besides spoils of war).

>Didn't you know that you had to attain a level of wealth to tithe
>animals - It was the tenth animal, if you had nine there was no tithe
>(Leviticus 27:32)?

If someone owned 10 animals in a lifetime they would need to give the
tenth unto the Lord, would they not?  This is not wealth.

>Didn't you know that the tither could, in fact was instructed to, take
>part of his tithe and consume it himself (Deuteronomy 12:17-19)?

In The Lord's Portion, Bro. Moss explained it this way.

There were three types of tithes:

1. The Levitical Tithe
2. The Feast Tithe
3. The Poor Tithe.

The Levitical tithe is the most well known.  It was the tenth and went
solely to the Levites.  The feast tithe ( the one mentioned in the
scripture above) was to be eaten as a feast and shared with the Levites. 
The poor tithe was to be given every third year and was for the poor AND
the Levites.

In the Pictorial Bible Dictionary, page 857-" Was there only one tithe
each year or was the third year tithe an extra one?  Confusion exists
about this, even among Hebrew scholars themselves.As the needs for funds
increased with the expansion of the temple service, a third year tithe
all for the use of the Levites, made in necessary to impose extra tithes.
According to Josephus, even a third tithe was collected."

My own opinion on this is that many come to the church for financial
help.  Should this fall solely on the pocketbook of the minister as very
often does?

Those who refused to pay tithes on time were penalized 20% BTW.
(Leviticus 27:30-31)

>Didn't you know that the tithe was also to be used for the widow,
>orphan, fatherless and stranger (Deuteronomy 14:28,29)?

See above.

>Didn't you know that the tither, at his option, if it was too far to 
>get
>to the temple could use his tithe for whatever his soul "lusted" after
>(Deuteronomy 14:24-26)?

This is talking about the feast tithe and not the Levitical or poor
tithe. He was still required to go to the temple for the feast but needed
to turn his tithe into money.  When he got there he was to buy whatsoever
his soul lusted after for the feast.  He was also admonished not to
forget the Levite.

>Didn't you know that the Levite was not exempt from the tithe law
>(Numbers 18:26)? (Why do the preachers tithe 5% to the district and 
>use
>5% as they see fit, or tithe into their own church?)

The Levite payed his tithes to the priests.  The preachers tithe a
percentage of money to the district.  The rest is NOT for as the preacher
sees fit.  And may I ask you when you pay your tithes to the church is it
the same as you getting to keep it?  We pay our tithes to the church to
help pay the bills and thank God for it or we would have to close the
doors. Maybe we should pay all of it into the district and then they
could write us a check to keep the doors open.

>Didn't you know you rob God by not using the tithe and offering as he
>had instructed (Malachi 3:8 and Matthew 25:40)?
 
Of course.

>	A church organization that allows itself the security to think
>it's ministers can use Malachi 3:10 to coerce a tithe out of a
>congregation, and yet believe they are immune from the law of it's 
>use,
>are guilty of the robbery they accuse their congregations of, for they
>have robbed the fatherless, strangers, and widows in their gates.

This statement is erroneous.  First, the Lord himself commanded the
tithe.  The tithe is the Lord's.  God will take care of his ministry
whether the people refuse to follow God's command or not.  God pays us
and we have to trust God all the time because there are people who refuse
to pay their portion.  It is not coercion, it is a command.

>Didn't you know the law was ended by Christ, including tithing (Romans
>10:4)?

Nope. Another false statement. The law was ended, tithing was not.

>Didn't you know that the post law New Testament Church didn't use
>tithing as a way of financing (2 Corinthians 9:7)?

Nope. Wrong again.

>		"Paul's instruction on the Jerusalem collection urges
>voluntary giving (1 Corinthians 16:1-4;  2 Corinthians 8-9), which
>became the practice of Christians until religious and civil 
>authorities
>(sixth and eighth centuries) initiated legislation mandating tithing."
>(The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism, General Editor 
>Richard
>P. McBrien, Harper Collins Publishing, Inc.  1995, New York, NY, Page
>1257)

There were freewill offerings in the OT also.  That does not do away with
tithing.

>Didn't we really know all of these thing, or are we willingly ignorant
>of what the Word of God says so we can use it to fill our own pockets
>with gold?

Who? Those who refuse to pay tithes? 

James 5:4  "  Behold the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your
fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them
which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth."

Lynne Yohnk
BTW, Bro. Welch, if The Lord's Portion is online I am not aware of it.

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