TITHING: The fleecing of the flock!
Unfortunately, many Christian leaders have appropriated the Old Testament principle of tithing to support their ministries. The reasons for this misappropriation of the flock's resources are obvious: 1) it provides them with a substantial and reliable source of income, and 2) by grounding it in Scripture, they can claim that it is a Divine requirement - not something which they have instituted in their own self-interest! In other words, church leaders can claim with a straight face that anyone who fails to tithe is actually robbing God and hurting themselves, not the folks who are actually collecting and spending the money! In this way, these ministers have quite cleverly imposed a self-policing mental straitjacket on their parishioners.
In the now-defunct Worldwide Church of God (and in many of its descendants), the tithing principle was probably exploited more effectively than in any of the other Christian groups which have employed it! In addition to demanding that their members give one-tenth of their gross income to the church, they also expected members to set aside a "second" tithe (to be used in attending their annual eight-day celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles referenced in the Torah), and a third ten percent every third year (ostensibly designated to help their poorer members). "How do you convince folks to devote such a large percentage of their incomes to the practice of their faith?" you may be wondering. They accomplished this in part by claiming that God would more than makeup for what they were sacrificing financially. In this regard, one of their favorite quotations was from the Old Testament book of Malachi: "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." (Malachi 3:10, KJV)
In exploring this topic, one of the very first things that we need to point out is that the designation of a "first, second, and third" tithe does NOT appear in the Judeo-Christian canon. That's right - modern religionists use those designations to describe what actually appears in the Torah. In other words, Scripture talks about A tithe that was to be used in a number of different ways by the Israelites. Why would religionists describe them thus? Do you think it's possible that it might have something to do with the fact that having ONE tithe employed in three different ways would naturally reduce the amount of money flowing into the coffers of the church?
Next, one of the most important things that these Christian groups often fail to mention is the context of the tithing mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Not only was tithing clearly identified with the tenets of the OLD Covenant as outlined in the Torah, but it is also very clear that the principle was intimately associated with the AGRICULTURAL economy of ancient Israel! In the book of Leviticus, we read: "And all the tithe of the land (Hebrew "eres" or earth), whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord." (27:30) In addition to crops, we read in the same book: "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." (27:32) In other words, the tithe was figured on crops and livestock - It was NOT figured on wages derived from labor! Notice too, that the context also takes for granted the farmer's ownership of the land, the planting of a crop, and the preexistence of a flock or herd! This is made even plainer by the insistence in the book of Deuteronomy that the Israelites tithe on their INCREASE (Hebrew "tebua" or product, yield, crops, gain, revenue) - what was produced THAT year! (See Deuteronomy 14:22, 23 and 28). In other words, ancient Israelites were NOT tithing on their gross income - they were tithing on their NET income from their crops and livestock!
It should also be noted that there is absolutely NO MENTION of using tithing as a means to support the New Testament Church in Scripture! Now, it is true that Jesus Christ pointed out the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees relative to their attitudes towards tithing (see Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42). Jesus underscored the fact that they had neglected the more important aspects of their faith by focusing too much attention on getting tithing right. Christ taught his followers to "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away." (Matthew 5:42) Indeed, throughout most of the New Testament, we find the principle expressed that Christians should be motivated to willingly give of themselves and their resources (see Mark 12:41-44, Luke 6:38, Acts 20:35, I Corinthians 16:1-2, II Corinthians 9:7, and Hebrews 13:16). In other words, there is NOTHING in the New Testament to suggest that Christians are under any obligation to tithe on their income and present it to the Church! Moreover, anyone who would suggest that this is a requirement for Christians is almost certainly motivated by self-interest! Christians are clearly obligated to be generous and to be looking to help those who are in need, but there clearly isn't any formula prescribed by Scripture for accomplishing that end!
by Miller Jones/Lonnie C Hendrix
21 comments:
The tithe was given to the Levites. The Levites were not given a portion of the promised land; they received no physical inheritance. Because the Levites had no land, the other tribes gave a tithe of their produce from their land, not money.
Of course the Levitical system and tithing have been done away, but if the ministry want to hearken to tithing, they should give up their property and live frugally receiving sustenance from tithes of plant and animal. But, that’s hilarious considering the manner in which the wcg and its splinters have lorded themselves over the members.
" In other words, the tithe was figured on crops and livestock - It was NOT figured on wages derived from labor! "
Ummm, the increase in crops and livestock were a result of God blessing your labor.
The value of agricultural goods could be transferred to money, such as when one went to the Feast. If the location was too far to carry produce/livestock, one converted their increase into money and took that.
Working for wages is basically the same thing. Instead of being paid in goods we receive our increase in money, which we then convert to the goods we need to live.
The whole "tithe in agricultural increase only" argument has been so thoroughly debunked through the years I'm surprised anyone still tries to use it.
Sorry, but it was NOT figured on money. Money has been around long before the tithing system of agriculture and livestock, but God NEVER told them to tithe on money, and never will. It's not even mentioned in the New Testament, not by Jesus nor His true "apostles". Jesus NEVER said, "These ought you to have done and not to leave the other(tithing) undone." That's a manipulation of the Greek scripture for men of every religious organization to take advantage of Jesus' followers even to this present day. God NEVER told fishermen, jewelers, pottery makers, carpenters, stone masons. etc, to tithe. That's just plain BUNK! Even the way these greedy manipulators "interpret" the book of Malachi is total deception and they all know it.
Anon554,
If you ignore the Bible then perhaps you can claim it has been debunked. Who has debunked it? The COGs who want tithes for themselves and start from the premise that the Sinai Law (which they do not actually keep) passes into the New Covenant?
The Levites did not get a portion of the LAND. Without Land you can't produce food. So, the Levites were given a tithe of the produce of the Land from the other tribes. This provided them produce about equal to that of the other tribes.
The OT Israelites were GIVEN the land directly from God. All he asked for in return was a 10% annual Royalty of its productivity. This is why Fish were not tithed upon in Israel. I would have no problem with a deal where I received a house and property , outright perpetual title and all, in exchange for 10% of its productivity.
5:54 Anon is wrong. "Value Added" services were NOT tithed upon, nor were wages.
Additionally, it was only the tenth new animal in the lineup that was tithed upon. Thus 19 new animals only were tithed ONE , which would equate to a 5.3% rate!
The tithe was given to the Levites because they received NO LAND inheritance. Who amongst us received a free inheritance from God ? None of us! It was about the land, not "air and water" as tithing promoters try to use as a justification.
There are many more tithing dilemma , but even if one does subscribe to the practice, there should be a full accountability, oversight by the givers with full input and vote, and none of this nonsense like Rolls Royces, Jets, Caviar , and lifestyles of the "rich and famous" that the WCG and others have employed.
COG ministers ARE NOT Levitical Priests. Only Levites are to receive the tithe. First Peter 2:9 says that we are a royal priesthood and Revelation 1:6 says that Christ has “made us kings and priests unto God.” So who are we to tithe to??.... ourselves???
I remember an incident that happened in our local church back in the late 70's. A member brought in some excess vegetables from her garden to divide among the brethren and the minister came in and put a stop to it until he had first pickings. His reasoning? He had no inheritance!!! as if we did!! That was the last time anyone brought anything to church to share!
Even as a child I never understood how 2nd tithe was considered a tithe to God. As I saved up my 2nd tithe for something I really wanted as a kid I never thought of that as being for somebody else. Id always blow it at the FOT on something badass and be like hell yeah. Its weird how its always included in what members had to "give". Like what average familys save up and budget for christmas is that a tithe too? Just really confusing its discussed that way
Anonymous Anonymous said...
" In other words, the tithe was figured on crops and livestock - It was NOT figured on wages derived from labor! "
Ummm, the increase in crops and livestock were a result of God blessing your labor.
MY COMMENT: No, it was because God gave them FREE land and free livestock. They didn't have to pay Him for them.
The value of agricultural goods could be transferred to money, such as when one went to the Feast. If the location was too far to carry produce/livestock, one converted their increase into money and took that.
MY COMMENT: Ummm, The agricultural goods and livestock were not "transferred. They were sold if the location to the feast was too far for them to travel with their goods and livestock. God was merciful. Not everyone was rich. They did the best that they could do under their particular circumstances and God was aware of that.
Working for wages is basically the same thing.
MY COMMENT: Ummm, no it isn't, otherwise God would have stipulated the case.
Instead of being paid in goods we receive our increase in money, which we then convert to the goods we need to live.
MY COMMENT: Money was NEVER defined by God as tithe. He NEVER required money tithe. That's something "ministers" made up to justify their theft of it.
The whole "tithe in agricultural increase only" argument has been so thoroughly debunked through the years I'm surprised anyone still tries to use it.
MY COMMENT: Why are you so "surprised"? It's Old Testament Scripture! Just because "New Testament Ministers" say that money is tithe and tithe is money?
Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 5:54:00 AM PDT
Anonymous Anonymous said...
" In other words, the tithe was figured on crops and livestock - It was NOT figured on wages derived from labor! "
Ummm, the increase in crops and livestock were a result of God blessing your labor.
MY COMMENT: No, it was because God gave them FREE land and free livestock. They didn't have to pay Him for them.
The value of agricultural goods could be transferred to money, such as when one went to the Feast. If the location was too far to carry produce/livestock, one converted their increase into money and took that.
MY COMMENT: Ummm, The agricultural goods and livestock were not "transferred. They were sold if the location to the feast was too far for them to travel with their goods and livestock. God was merciful. Not everyone was rich. They did the best that they could do under their particular circumstances and God was aware of that.
Working for wages is basically the same thing.
MY COMMENT: Ummm, no it isn't, otherwise God would have stipulated the case.
Instead of being paid in goods we receive our increase in money, which we then convert to the goods we need to live.
MY COMMENT: Money was NEVER defined by God as tithe. He NEVER required money tithe. That's something "ministers" made up to justify their theft of it.
The whole "tithe in agricultural increase only" argument has been so thoroughly debunked through the years I'm surprised anyone still tries to use it.
MY COMMENT: Why are you so "surprised"? It's Old Testament Scripture! Just because "New Testament Ministers" say that money is tithe and tithe is money?
Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 5:54:00 AM PDT
"The whole "tithe in agricultural increase only" argument has been so thoroughly debunked through the years I'm surprised anyone still tries to use it."
The point is we are no longer living under the OLD covenant!
Levites were given land, 1000 cubits from the wall of their city, in part for grazing by the animals tithed to them - Num 35:3-4. But tithing is now no more. Tithing laws were based on the Levitical Priesthood (LP) - Heb 7:11 - which is now defunct. But, screams the minister, Abraham paid tithe of spoils to Melchizedek. So apparently did Jacob. Before Moses, before the LP. Yes. But was the tithing done by law? If so I want to read the law. But there isn't a law. Never read, never heard of, a law on tithing of spoils.
Most of the church leaders who insist on tithing, whether they be sabbath keeping Christians, or Sunday keeping Christians, profiteer from the tithes. I can't imagine God being pleased with that, at all! The shell game comes into play when these people state that their huge art collections, or gold tableware belong to God, even as they exert all of the control inherent in ownership themselves. "It belongs to God", at least to these people, is simply a method of rationalizing its acquisition.
Show me just one of these "leaders" who would allow members to do their due diligence, and to tithe to those who apply and utilize the tithes responsibly and ethically! As in, "Hey, Dave! You used our tithes buying someone's house because you didn't like their lawn! Know what, I believe I'm going to send my tithes to Dr. Charles Stanley this month!" Man, you would be so out of there, and with a speed that easily beat the speed of light down the ol' dragstrip!
Tithing is not a New Covenant command and there is no way I will subsidize a COG ministry. There are none out there that deserve to be funded by tithes or offerings.
The idea that the agricultural tithing system can simply be exchanged for or transferred to a monetary tithing system is flawed and doesn't take into consideration some of the details of the tithing system as outlined in the Old Testament. For instance, as others have pointed out, money was already in existence when the Levitical tithing system was instituted, and money was considered an "offering" in certain instances and used for the upkeep of the "Tent of Meeting" and later the temple, which became known as the temple tax. Exodus 30:11-16 specifies that all who were over the age of twenty were required to give the sum of a half-shekel, which would translate roughly to a monetary value of around five dollars, according to Chabad.org https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/673063/jewish/Whats-the-value-of-the-biblical-half-shekel.htm
The excuse that Israel was an "agricultural society" and thus agricultural goods were required within that system ignores the fact that the half-shekel was used within that system for other purposes and God could have set up a tithing system using money even then, had He wanted to do so. We see that the temple tax was still being collected when Jesus was on the earth, and His comments concerning that tax can be found in Matthew 17:24-27.
The argument that agricultural goods and animals could in all cases be exchanged for money on an equal basis as implied in Deuteronomy 14:23-26, which would be speaking of what some call the "second tithe" is also problematic, because this doesn't address exchange of goods that would be considered part of the "first tithe." According to multiple Jewish online sources there were two tithes, not just one, but never three. What the COGs call "third tithe" was actually the second "tenth" which was to be used in a different manner during the third and sixth years of Israel's agricultural cycle. See the explanation here, https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4266406/jewish/Maaser-Tithing-in-Torah-and-Jewish-Law.htm and https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/tithing/
Regarding the tithe that "belongs to the Lord" or from my understanding what some would call "first tithe" there were specific rules put in place if someone wanted to "redeem" or buy back any part of the tithe. Leviticus 27:30-33 explains that if someone wished to redeem their agricultural tithe, they were to add 1/5 of the value in order to be able to keep those goods. In other words, it wasn't just a one to one exchange. If your tithe for example on a hundred bushels of grain was ten bushels, and each bushel was worth six dollars, making the value of your tithe sixty dollars, you would need to add another fifth in monetary value to be able to keep your goods and give money instead. Some might call this a monetary penalty to those who wished to pay their tithes in money, rather than goods taken directly from the land. Also, as the above passage explains, while agricultural goods could be redeemed or bought back, tithes given of livestock or animals could not. See verses 32-33.
Churches today that equate requiring ten percent of someone's monetary income with the OT tithing laws, ignore many of the details inherent within those laws. While you might be able to suggest that the principle of tithing is Biblical and choosing to donate ten percent of your income to a religious organization might be a way to honor that principle, you can't tell someone they are breaking the "law" if they choose not to do this, because the "law" as it was written and applied in the Old Testament isn't being followed, but rather substituted with different rules and regulations according to the interpretation of church leaders, who as someone else pointed out, do not equate to the Levitical priesthood of the Old Testament.
Concerned Sister
Hi Sundown,
Always appreciate your contributions/perspective. I get your primary point. Yet, I can't help commenting that the 2nd tithe was tough on a lot of families, much more than Christmas and much more than a kid who saves some money to spend on himself (no offense). Most families don't go on an 8-9 night "vacation". That's a long time. Most were not in the ministry, and back in the day, taking inflexible time off for 9-10 days could cause real issues. The ministry will never get that.
A family making (in today's dollars) 40-50k would have a hard time making up for the 4-5k vacation, let alone those making less. Though the remembrances can be fun, there were many that remember the difficulties. For them, maybe 2nd tithe could be considered a sacrifice to God. Again, the ministry will never get that.
Reading this thread sure validates John 6:44!
Anonymous said "Reading this thread sure validates John 6:44!" In other words, if you don't support the ACOG take on tithing, you must not have been called - you aren't really a Christian. These folks value Herbie's interpretations of Scripture above all else - if you can't see it the way he saw it, then you obviously don't have God's Holy Spirit! I call B.S.
If tithing was the basis for Paul's ministry, then why do we read this in his first epistle to the saints at Thessalonica? "Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you." (2:9, NLT) Later, in his second epistle to them, he urged them to follow his example (working to support himself - see II Thessalonians 3:6-10)). Likewise, Paul wrote that he had done the same thing among the Corinthians - though he certainly would have been within his rights to have accepted sustenance from them because of the work that he had been performing among them (I Corinthians 9:6-18). And, just to head the Armstrongites off at the pass, this is NOT the equivalent of giving out free literature (that literature was paid for by the tithes and offerings of church members).
From my perspective, most of the commentary in this thread has been "spot on" Concerned Sister, as usual, provided an excellent contribution to the thread. Her summary of the Jewish perspective on tithing was also comprehensive and reflective of the sources cited. However, I would caution that this interpretation of the Torah's instructions on tithing is NOT universal among Jews (I was introduced to my current understanding by a Rabbi).
As for "second" and "third" tithe, it was always amazing to me how much of those "additional" tithes ended up in church coffers! I have often wondered too how many "heads of households" curtailed spending on their families to ensure a large "excess" second tithe offering at the end of the Feast! Likewise, it rarely seemed to dawn on the ministry or church members that the "second" tithe was associated with all THREE pilgrimage festivals in the Torah - NOT just the Feast of Tabernacles!
What tithing did or would the Church in the wilderness partake in? You know, the church that kept having to migrate due to the persecutions of the Roman Catholic Church during the dark ages. Their money went to themselves to sustain their lives.
Also when you read the 1st NT Pentecost (Holy Day), the main thing the people were to do is repent and believe in the gospel. When reading Acts 2 & 3 I can't find offerings being given in the way it's set up today in the COGs.
Most of the time, when they were given in the NT it was to serve the members. Also these COGs use the tithe money to get on television networks which is outdated. All they have to do is set up the broadcast online, get off the television contracts and use that money to help serve the people especially during economic hardship times.
Sundown Kid,
I was thinking of the ministry generally when I said, "the ministry will never get that." Not directing that to your post.
Yes, Miller, and even when Paul claims he would be justified to receive payment for his work, he cites Isaiah about "not muzzling the ox" that is working for you. This is based on being just, not on following a law. If tithing was still in force, he would have simply gone to the scriptures that instruct tithing. But, he didn't because he knew that tithing no longer applied. This is obvious and it is hard for me to believe that some of the more thoughtful COG ministers don't really know this.
Earl,
I suspect you're right about some of the ministry being fully aware of these things! Thanks for commenting.
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