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from the quoted article: compare the vicster's theology.. and recommendation to loy to "loosen up in that area.." to become a great *minister* or something..

Great topic. I debated about pasting this tidbit I wrote about the tithe, but decided to anyways cause I thought it might be helpful to those still in.. So bring out the pitchforks and ignore the long post and I will swear never to do it again! Malachi 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” Now, depending on how you were raised, or what group or denomination you are in, there are many different perspectives on this verse. But I think more important than what another man’s perspective of what God said, or even my own, I think it is most important to go back to the source. The one who gave this message to Malachi in the first place. Why was it given? Why would they or even possibly us be robbing God for not giving tithes and offerings? Why would God need our tithes? What was the purpose for Malachi saying this anyways? Some discount his words by saying they are in the Old Testament citing administrational differences and therefore do not apply. But then in the same breath some denounce the law, they raise up a similar one concerning giving. Among some of the things today in Christianity that no longer show God’s true heart, I believe the tithe is one of these practices and teachings that has become far removed from its purpose. Hopefully this info will start to unravel some of the “worldly” ideas that plague this once godly and loving act and answer some of the questions that people could have. As with anything that is truly godly, that is, anything that God has his hands in should always share and show forth His nature. What we do know is that He is a God of love, and a God of light. A God of care and perfection whose judgments are always righteous. And it would only make sense that His ways will show that. When our Lord Jesus summed up the law and the prophets into two commandments, he said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the other was to love you neighbor as yourself. So if there is anything we can know about the giving of the biblical tithe, it’s first that it was an act of love. Of course, before we look too deep into scripture, it’s first important to be reminded of what the actual word tithe means. Without that, we can get lost in the sea of religious connotations. Just as the words prayer, baptize, faith, God, and even salvation have become so religiously charged with certain theological mis-understandings, they tend to lose their true meaning in exchange for something very narrow and without much heart. As many already know, the word “tithe” just means “tenth”. So it would be just as correct to say ‘I gave the waitress a tithe of the bill’ as it is to say ‘I gave a tithe of my income to the church’. There is no “theological” control of how the word is used in the Bible, only in how it has progressed to its current day usage. And therefore it is important that when you see the word ‘tithe’ in the scriptures, you remind yourself that it only means ‘tenth’, because there are many ‘tenth’s’ mentioned in the Bible. As an example of this, you can look at Ezekiel 45:10ff where God explains their system used for measuring, just as a school teacher explained to you when you were young how to measure gallons and quarts and grams and liters. But in the Israelite’s day, it was an ephah and baths and homers…. Ezekiel 45:10 Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath. The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth(tithe) part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth(tithe) part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer. And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs: twenty shekels, five and twenty shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. The actual Hebrew word usually translated “tithe” is ‘ma-aser. The root of the word being ‘aser’ which means ‘ten’ or ‘tenth’. And you have the prefix ‘ma’ attached which acts as a preposition meaning ‘from’ or “out of”. Thus ‘ma-aser’ has the side meaning of the tenth part coming “out from” the whole portion. Rather than just the root word meaning ten. Since the word itself only means a tenth, and can be concerning anything, then it is important to know the truth behind what people talk about when they narrowly define the word in Christian circles. Most of the time when people mention the ‘tithe’ they are referring to the Old Testament(Covenant)’s law whereby the Israelites were to give a tenth to the Levites, and while some churches continue with abiding by “some” of those laws, others do away with the specific laws only to institute something else in its place and label it as “sowing” or “giving”. The problem with re-labeling the ‘tithe’ of the Israelite law to something else or even continuing with abiding under the law, is that some keep the same narrow understanding of the heart for which the original ‘tithe’ was given and implement their own man made purpose into it. And it is this heart and purpose that is so important to understand, since it is precisely this that God’s nature and purposes are shown to us! As mentioned before, anything of God, should show forth who He is. And the different tenths he had the Israelites give in the law show precisely God’s heart. And in a simple word, it shows God’s love. Just as the living word, Jesus Christ came to reveal who God was and make him known, so the words of God shared to the Israelites revealed who God was to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Remember again, the purpose of the scriptures is to reveal to us who God is, and His nature, that ultimately we might come to Him and have a living and real relationship with Him. Therefore, it is important that we get as clear and precise picture that we possibly can. The next thing we need to look at then are these laws given to the Israelites in the Old Covenant where they were suppose to give a tenth(tithe) for certain purposes. And one quickly notices when you do that, that there are more than one “tenth” the Israelites were suppose to give. In fact when all counted up there was a total of 33 1/3 that the Israelites ultimately were suppose to give. Of course one of those tenths wasn’t actually part of the Covenant law as much as it was a requirement that God warned them they would need to give if they did something. But now we’re jumping too far ahead. Let’s begin by looking at one of the tenths or tithes mentioned in the Law. Numbers 18:21-24 “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation… But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tenths(tithes) of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.” The first thing to notice is that this tenth goes to the Levites. It is for their use for the very reason that they have no inheritance. They were to own no land, no house, no property. And their work was solely doing God’s work in the tabernacle. So they had no crops or animals for food. However, they were provided a place to live by the Israelites, but they were not to own it. So they had a need, a need for food and clothing. And this tenth was a way God provided for their specific need. Not their greed. It is clear proof of God’s love for those who live for Him, and that he will take care of them. But lets look at another location where this same ‘tenth’ or tithe is talked about to learn even a bit more. Leviticus 27:30-33 “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. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” Now, God is a little more specific here on what “tenth” is holy and to be given. First we see that the tenth of the seed of the land and the fruit of the trees are the Lord’s and are holy. But yet the Israelites are allowed to redeem these. Meaning they can buy them back with money. But if they are going to redeem these, then they must pay a fifth more for it. Meaning they were to give 20% more than what the “tithe” was worth. But the Israelite is also to give a tenth of their flock, only this part of the tithe is not redeemable. They cannot buy it back. But notice how important these things are to God. These are holy to God and to be given, and if they wanted to instead keep the food portion and buy it with money, they had to give more than what it’s worth! That should show us how much importance God had on it being something able to be used and meet the specific need for food. And the herd and flock was even more important since they were not only a source of food, but also a source of clothing from their skins. So God’s love and care can easily be seen in that he made a way for the Levites to be taken care of. But as was mentioned before, there was more to be given than just this one tenth or tithe from the land. This first one was for the Levites to take care of their specific need, but now lets look at another tenth to be given. Deuteronomy 14:22-27 “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household. And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.” As is plain to see, this is a completely different tithe or tenth than the previous holy tithe that is to be given to the Levites. There is no ability for redeeming a portion of it, and in fact, for some, they were to turn it into money, and then buy whatever they want to eat and drink, and then enjoy it with the rest of Israel at the place where God chose to place his name which was in Jerusalem. This is usually called the Festival tithe, as it was a yearly occasion to bring the tithes of the land to this place and enjoy it with everyone that was there. Twice God says they are to eat it there before the Lord. So it was once again to be something consumable. Something that could be eaten there and enjoyed, and the purpose given is “thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always”. In other words, it was to be a reminder to them each year of God’s providence that they may fear and respect God, knowing it was Him who provides. And all the work that the Israelites put in each year was to be enjoyed. Again, showing God’s love and care to have them take the time to go to this holy place and relax and enjoy God’s prosperity given to them. But at the end, God says not to forget the Levite that has no inheritance, and to take care of his need also at this time. But now let’s continue in this section of scripture and we’ll see another tenth or tithe. Deuteronomy 14:28 – 29 “At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tenth(tithe) of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.” Very similar to the previous tithe or tenth, only this time, this tenth is only once every three years. And instead of it being taken to the place where God places his name, instead it is to eaten there in their gates, or in their city. This is called the local festival tithe. Since again it is once every three years and the tenth was to be eaten there in the city. Only this time, it is for the whole city mainly to take care of the needs of the local Levites, the fatherless and widows and strangers. All those who have a need, it is to take care of them that they may also rejoice and enjoy God’s providence. The purpose given that the Lord may bless the Israelites in all their work. So we see God’s heart is to take care of all those with needs, and as a reminder as well, of God’s love and care for all His children. So far we have looked at the tenth to take care of the Levites need for food and clothing, the tenth to be taken and enjoyed at the place where God places his name and be reminded who it is who provides, and lastly, every third year a tenth to be brought before the city for all to enjoy and to take care of those who have need within the city. That comes to 20 1/3 of everything written in the law and each has its specific purpose of taking care of a specific need. But now there was one more tenth I think we should look at the Israelites eventually were going to give. 1 Samuel 8:4ff “Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.” As the nation of Israel grew, and Samuel the prophet was getting old, the nation of Israel decided they wanted a king like the other nations. Rather than having God to judge and direct the nation of which his judgments and direction came from the prophet, they wanted a man to rule over them. 1 Samuel 8:7 “And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” Only God knew what would happen when a man is placed to rule over his people, rather than himself. And he warned them ahead of time what would take place. 1 Samuel 8:9ff “Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them… he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.” This is the government tithe or tenth. Today it is in the form of a tax. But it was because the Israelites rejected God and chose to put a man in his place. Therefore a tenth or tithe of their possessions, God warned, were going to become the kings. Until this time, the tenths the Israelites gave were to meet the specific needs within the congregation. And that was how God had desired and designed the nation of Israel to function. But as history points out, men usually gravitate to putting men in charge, rather than allowing God to lead. The result is instead of us taking care of one another, learning to live and love one another, and us trusting in God to feed and lead and direct us, we instead give man that honor and power and position. And ultimately that means the Israelites and even us are asked to give a tenth (or tithe) to the king, the government, or even a ministry, or organization where men reign and rule over where the money goes. That was not God’s heart since it was originally to show one another that God provides for us and we are to take care of those around us, rather than giving to a group that does it for you. Rather than God working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13), we force God to work in someone else when it’s the entire nation that was suppose to help and share in the hands on giving! So now let’s go back to the account in Malachi, and the verse mentioned at the beginning and see what God was saying. Malachi 3:8ff “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings... 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.” God is very clear that the Israelites were to bring the tithes and offerings, and he is also very clear for what purpose. “That there may be meat in mine house!”. The Israelites had stopped meeting the needs of the Levites, who had nothing! The tithe was for their food and clothing., they needed the meat in God’s house to feed those working in God’s house! In other words, people who had a need were being ignored. The same thing God knew would happen when they went with having men rule. Since he would require a tenth of everything and decide and rule how things go, people stopped learning to take care of one another and left that up to the one in charge. They stopped looking out for those around them and expected the king to do it. And people got missed. God’s people! God’s people that had needs. And that is robbing God. Everything is already God’s. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. So it is not that God needs your tithe. But He causes us to prosper that we might take care of not only our own family but those around us. But if we take and horde it for ourselves only, or expect those in charge to do it for us, we are taking it from God’s purpose to meet someone else’s purpose.