We are kicking off a new series on Generation Christ.Net entitled the “Taboo Series.” This series will touch on multiple doctrines and practices of the people are false and controversial. This article will examine a practice widespread in churches (especially insitutional ) called “tithing.”

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
(Colossians 2:8 – ESV)

A tithe is the same thing as a “tenth” (10%). It did have a special significance among the Israelites of the Old Testament. But is it still in effect in the same way today? Many of you may believe it is but further study of what the Bible says will prove otherwise and  ultimately show that the Old Testament tithing system was wiped out in favor of a better covenant in Jesus Christ.

Before we continue, if you do tithe and are personally convicted about it, then indeed it is your right as a Christian to do so. And this ministry will support that. But the line is drawn when you seek to put others in bondage for not following an old covenant ordinance that is not a requirement for us today.

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
(Genesis 14:17-20 - ESV)

This passage of scripture represents the first time a tithe or tenth is mentioned in the Bible. Many pastors and preachers will automatically jump the gun to tell us that since Abraham tithed, then we need to do it too. Some will even say that since Abraham tithed before the Mosaic Law was given to Moses, God has always required 10% from you. But let’s examine the context.

One of the things we should notice quickly is that Abraham gave the tenth out of his own heart. God never commanded Abraham to pay a tithe to Melchizedek. Look at context in Genesis 14. Abraham was returning from a successful war campaign in which he rescued his nephew Lot. This is important to know because Abraham did not give Melchizedek a tenth from his own possessions but from the spoils of war. This is confirmed by the verses 21-24 when Abraham dialogued with the king of Sodom.

So to draw the conclusion from Abraham’s account that we must tithe is unfounded when reading the account in its proper context.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
(Genesis 28:20-22 – ESV)

Jacob’s account is not as widely used by pastors who advocate tithing but it merits examination. Once again, God gave no command to Jacob regarding a tithe. Instead, Jacob out of his on heart vowed that if God would give him success then he would give a full tithe.  It would be the equivalent of waiting for God to first bless you with what you desire and then in return, give Him a tithe. When is the last time you’ve heard of this spoken of in your church?

We read nothing more of Jacob and tithing together after these scriptures, leading many interpreters to believe his vow was actually fulfilled generations later during Moses’ time. Here’s a question to think about. If the tithe has always been something God required and desired, why do we only read of it twice in Genesis and why do we not read of other notable believers in Genesis giving tithes?

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord's contribution to Aaron the priest.
(Numbers 18:25-28 – ESV)

Now we begin to get into the role the tithes played in the Mosaic Law and under the old covenant. One of the ways the tithe was used was in order to support the Levites, who helped the priests conduct their tasks by the tent of meeting, tabernacle and later on, the temple. Then, the Levites were to take the tithe and give a tithe of a tithe to the priests (who also were Levites aka the sons of Aaron). Why was this necessary? Because the Levites and the priests did not live a regular Israelite life as farmers but were doing the ministry of the priesthood. As a result, they could not support themselves, had no inheritance like the other tribes had and needed the contributions from the other tribes of Israel in order to be able to eat.

You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, but you shall eat them before the Lord your God in the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns.
(Deuteronomy 12:17-18 – ESV)

This brings us to our next point. The tithe didn’t lead to the wallets of the Levites and priests getting bigger, it simply provided food for the 2 groups as they operated in their ministries. The tithe was something to be eaten and came from the land. The Israelites were farmers and so what they gave as a tithe was from their harvest and livestock. Now there are other tithes given in the Old Testament and they all have to do with food. In Deuteronomy 26, we see in verse 12 that a tithe was also used to feed the poor, not give them money. This was how the tithing system worked in the Bible.

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