by Gary L. Evans
How to Tithe According to The Law
Lev 27:30 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.
The word “tithe” is from “mah-as-ayr'” which means “a tenth.”
A tenth of all of our increase belongs to The Lord and is holy. Anything that is holy must never be used for any purpose other than for The Lord’s purpose.
Lev 27:32 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.
The phrase “passeth under the rod” means what is counted one by one, such as cattle.
Every tenth animal of a herd or flock belongs to The Lord, regardless of its condition whether perfect or imperfect.
Deu 12:17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:
We are not permitted to eat the tithes within our homes or local communities, but must go to the place which The Lord has chosen to place His Name there (if there is such a place), and there we must present our tithes and eat them with joy.
Deu 12:18 But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
Note that we are to eat our tithes, and we are to share them with others. We are to share our tithes with the Levitical Priests that administer the Temple services, then with everyone else assembled with us in this celebration.
The Lord chose The Temple in Jerusalem that King Solomon built as the place where His Name would be. So for a long time, that was the place all Israel brought their tithes each year after harvest.
Tithing must be a time of rejoicing before The Lord. It must not be considered a routine activity but considered special, such that our gratitude for The Lord is the center of our thoughts. It is a time of THANKSGIVING for all that The Lord has given to us.
Deu 12:20 When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
As our wealth increases according to our Lord’s promise, then we may enjoy whatever we desire to eat, any clean animal whenever we desire steak or pot roast or chicken or lamb. Whatever we desire in our minds in a lawful way, we may enjoy.
Note that the Levitical Priesthood has been superseded by Christ Jesus and all of His disciples, that is to say, all true Christians in this world who are priests in their own right.
Deu 12:21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
Note that we no longer have a Temple in Jerusalem, because everyone who enters The New Covenant IS THE LORD’S TEMPLE today.
And if there is no place nearby which the Lord has chosen to put His Name there, then we should have a festival, even a party or celebration, in our own homes, right there in our own community. And we should invite everybody we know (naturally according to the number of mouths to feed). This celebration today in America is called, THANKSGIVING.
Deu 12:22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
So those who are ceremonially clean and those who are unclean, which may be extended to imply believers and unbelievers alike, shall enjoy eating of our tithes together with us. And we should rejoice in The Lord and SHOW HOW THANKFUL WE ARE for all of the good things our Lord has given to us.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.