jeudi 29 janvier 2015

Is It True That Abraham Did Not Tithe On His Possession?

By Ines Flores


Israelites used to give up to twenty two percent of the proceeds to Levites. It is the Levites who took ten percent to the storehouse. This is a pointer that sacrifice has been confused with tithing. In fact, in the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples did not mention tithing.

The first sacrifice made in the bible is that of Cain and Abel who were following the example of their father. Other sacrifices are conducted by Isaac and Jacob, among other fathers of faith. Does there exist any prove to suggest that Abraham did not tithe? With this in mind, is it right to say that sacrifice has been confused with tithing?

Present day trend where Christians are required to offer seeds lacks basis in the scripture. If there was a basis for such an argument, it is expected that Job would have been asked to offer something for protection against afflictions. It is not until Abraham that a tenth of proceeds is mentioned in terms of tithing.

When he came from war, Abram gave part of his plunder to the high priest. The sacrifice included what Lot had as well as people around him. The trend was repeated when Abram rescued Lot from enemy kings. From the stories, the sacrifices were made from war plunder and not personal possession.

All the sacrifices made by Abram were voluntary. When asked to keep what he had captured in war, Genesis chapter twenty records that he declined. The reason given is that he did not want to be considered rich through war plundering. He allows the army to share what they had captured after giving a portion of it to the high priest.

Despite a lot of mentions about his wealth and prosperity, Abram did not engage in tithing on regular basis. This discredits the trend that is witnessed in churches today where tithing is a part of each prayer session. Tithing was used by societies as a lesson on honoring God. This is why it is voluntary. There is no mention of offering the best possession. That notion existed during sacrifices and not when tithing.

The lingering question is, should the New Testament have eliminated the element of tithing? Present day church insists that Christians must give up their best. What has never been clear is whether the preachers and ministers give the best of their possession. While they own the best cars, pieces of land and buildings, are they donated to the church?

Moses is considered to have introduced the ten percent rule. He wanted to provide Levites with something to eat when he said that the first proceed of every harvest must be offered to God. This rule did not spare the priests. That it does not apply to present day priesthood raises questions.

Malachi chapter three made it mandatory to tithe. Failure to obey this law meant that they would go for years without rain. It was therefore an appeasement. The New Testament, however, turns the tables and advocates for giving instead of tithing. In fact, the giving is supposed to come second after helping the poor according to Matthew 23.




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