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Many churches teach that tithing is mandatory and Christians must give ten per cent

of their gross income to the church. Some churches require tithing as a requirement
for membership and if you want to be part of the Body of Messiah, you have to
contribute your tithe. Others believe that are those who tithe, flourish and abound
both physically and spiritually, while those who hold on to their tithes and offerings
lose that same money (and much more besides) they would have tithed to
unexpected disasters, medical expenses, traffic tickets and in a hundred other ways.
There is a lot of confusion regarding giving since there is no clear teaching of the
“tithing” principle in the New Testament. People say that if you do not tithe, you are
robbing YHVH and will bring a curse upon yourself. Is the principle of tithing
Scriptural and is it done according to the guidelines found in Scripture, or is a mere
man made tradition to support the prosperity doctrine found in the modern church
today? Our purpose is to search the Scripture and find out what YHVH expect of us
in giving so that we give according to His guidelines and not add to His Word
breaking a more serious Commandment. [Deut 4:2]

Here is a list of Scriptures that directly deals with the tithing topic:
Genesis 14:17-20 Deuteronomy 14:22-29 Nehemiah 10:37-38; 12:44;
13:5, 12
Genesis 28:20-22 Deuteronomy 26:12-13 Malachi 3:7-10
Leviticus 27:30-34 1 Samuel 8:14-17 Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42
Numbers 18:19-28 Amos 4:2-6 Luke 18:9-14
Deuteronomy 12:1-19 2 Chronicles 29:35; 31:1-12 Hebrews 7:1-19

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The Hebrew and Greek words for “tithe” both simply mean “a tenth.” However,
beyond this simple definition, much difficulty exists in defining the contents of the
tithe. The Encyclopaedia Americana defines the general tithe as “the tenth part of
produce or other income, paid voluntarily or under the compulsion of law for the
benefit of religious institutions, the support of priests and pastors, and the relief of
those in need.”

Tithing is a doctrine and any doctrine needs to be formulated


from Scripture (TaNaK) as stated by Paul in 2 Tim 3:16.
“…
…”. Scripture in Paul’s day was defined as what we
know today as the TaNaK (Old Testament), the New
Testament was not compiled yet. So this shows us that the
doctrine of Tithing needs to be formulated by two or more
passages from the TaNaK. Two witnesses confirm truth as
taught by Y’shua in Matt 18:6. You cannot formulate a
doctrine form one vers in the NT and say it is the ultimate truth, no, you have to do it
according to the guidelines Paul and Y’shua gave us.

Christian Ministries and Churches, some unselfish and noble and others highly
questionable and equally suspect are usually financed by the "tithe." That is,
Christians are expected to "pay" or to "give" to their particular church denomination
or sect, a full 10% of their income to sustain the Ministry or Church.

The vast majority of Christian opinion considers that this "tithe", is worked out
according to a person' s gross income before tax, is extracted by the Government.
Some churches, however, are a little more relaxed in that they teach more fairly that
the "tithe" should be taken out of the pay-packet after tax, so that the tithe is worked
out according to the net income figure.

Organisations insist that the Biblical tithe is demanded by God and that not only that,
but over and above the tithe, regular freewill offerings and gifts funds must also be
forwarded to "God' s true church" on a weekly basis, and that without fail. "Will a man
ROB God?" they cry from the pulpit quoting the prophet Malachi.

But very few ever take the time to really study the Word of YHVH when it comes to
finding out what it is that YHVH requires of man today. Particularly is this the case
when it comes to YHVH' s true method of financing His Work. Very few seem to
realise that for many years mere hirelings within the Body of Messiah have been
"fleecing the flock" by demanding and accepting the tithe. Ironically, churches
(generally speaking) eagerly recognise the “Old Covenant law” regarding tithing but
also teach that the Law is abolished. And yet, still insist payment of the tithe
according to the Mosaic stipulations concerning its administration and funding.
Churches fear that if they were to teach against the payment of the tithe, those
churches would collapse financially. We will now look at the history of tithing and
what the Scripture stipulate regarding this principle of paying tithes.

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This passage is used to prove that Abraham paid a tithe even before the existence of
the Mosaic Law. Abraham gave Melchisedec a tenth of all the spoils of the battle he
won against his enemies. It is claimed that a tithing system predates the Mosaic
economy and that as Abraham paid a tithe of his income to the priest Melchizedek.
Abraham next honoured Melchizedek by giving him a tenth of all the spoils of war
that had been stolen from Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 21; Heb. 7:4). The king of
Sodom insisted that Abraham keep the rest of the spoils for himself and only return
the persons who had been taken from his area of rule (v. 21). Abraham told the king
of Sodom that he had promised YHVH, that he would not take any of the spoil (v. 22-
23). Abraham gave ten percent to Melchisedec and 90% to the pagan king of Sodom.
Is this a principle Christians should follow?

What Abraham (the father of the faithful) said and did, and what some believers fail
to grasp, is that Abraham’s example actually warrant us to join in the world'
s warfare
and to tithe on whatever spoils of war we accumulate, and give the rest to the pagan
Government? Abraham’s tithe was clearly from the spoils of war, booty, which had
been taken from Sodom and Gomorrah. It was not from the (later) holy land of Israel,
nor was it the defined food and herds from that (later) holy Promised Land. The fact
that He gave 10% does not mean that this is the Tithe paid to the Priesthood.

Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek was an Arab War Custom and under Arab custom,
the spoil-tithe was TEN percent, 10%. However, under the Mosaic Law, the spoil-
tithe was only ONE percent (1%) to the Levites (Numbers 31:27,28) and only one
tenth of one percent (0.1%) to the Priest (Numbers 31:29,30).

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This verse is sometimes used to prove that we have to pay tithes but the real context
is to prove the similarities between Messiah and Melchisedec and that Y’shua is an
eternal Priest like Melchisedec. Melchizedek was never used to validate tithing in the
Mosaic Law in the Old Testament and cannot be used to validate tithing in the New
Testament after Calvary.

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We can see that Jacob made a conditional vow to YHVH to do


three specific things upon YHVH' s fulfilment of His promises. Firstly, for YHVH to
look after him and provide his every need and secondly, declaring the stone as
YHVH' s house. The third thing was to "give the tenth unto thee" of "all that thou shalt
give me." This clearly is in reference to the promise of the land being given to him
and his descendants (Israel). This vow came into fulfilment when Israel entered the
Promised Land and that is where they paid a tithe that Jacob promised.

Careful reading will show that nowhere in the Scripture did YHVH command Jacob to
give or to pay that tenth. Claims that there was a tithing law in force before Moses is
not accurate and is a statement without substance. This vow made by Jacob was
personal in nature and was prophetic in the sense of when his descendants will enter
the Promised Land. Some argue that Jacob uttered a carnal "trade-off" -- a "bargain"
or a "deal" with YHVH because of unbelief, if you wish, in order for YHVH to bless
him, but it was never commanded by YHVH. This might be true because Jacob
means “schemer”. Jacob did not take the promise of YHVH by faith, no, he repeated
what YHVH promised starting with the word “if” confirming that he did not trust what
YHVH said by thanking Him. This happened prior to YHVH changing his name or
character, (your name in Hebrew implies your character).

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The tithing system served a very useful purpose in the presence
of the Temple and the Priesthood. It served to support the tribe
of Levi who had not been allocated a share of the land divided
amongst the other tribes of Israel. Instead the Levites were to
receive as an inheritance the tithes of the 12 tribes in return for
assisting the priests in performing the work of the Tabernacle of
meeting.

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Note the Priesthood also had an inheritance; the tithes of the people. The tithing
system was implemented by YHVH to support the Levites in the work they would
do for Him in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. It was the Levite’s
responsibility to look after the people’s spiritual well being and it was the people’s
responsibility o look after the Levit’s physical well being.

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Did you realize that Israel did not pay tithes during the 40 years in the desert? The
tithe described in the Torah was integrally connected to the land of Canaan.
Therefore, there was no tithing during the 40 years in the wilderness. This is logical
because no tribe had an inheritance and the Levites were not given tithes before
there was an inheritance from which to tithe. According to Deuteronomy 12:1 the
statutes and judgments about giving, including tithing, did not begin until Israel was
actually in the land, and were to last as long as Israel stayed in the land.

When Leviticus 27:30 says “all of the tithe of the land is holy” it means the “THE
LAND OF CANAAN” after YHVH had sanctified it, not just any land! YHVH’s Word
does not say, or imply, all of the tithe “of the land of Australia, or the United States, or
“of the land of Great Britain,” etc. It is not a holy tithe merely because it comes from
“land of promise” per se; it is only a holy tithe if it comes from “the sanctified land of
Israel.”

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There are three different tithes specified in Scripture and these tithes made up the
seven-year cycle of tithing where the seventh year was a Sabbatical year in where
there was no tithing. Within the seven-year cycle, there was a first year tithe, a
second year tithe and a third year tithe. Each of these tithes had a different purpose
within the seven-year cycle. After the third year tithe, (after year three), the three year
tithe cycle repeat again making the first year tithe on the fourth year and the second
year tithe on the fifth year and the third year tithe on the sixth year again. On the
seventh year there were no tithes received because it was a Sabbatical year where
YHVH commanded the people to let the Land rest.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia says, “There is thus an obvious


apparent discrepancy between the legislation in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. It is
harmonized in Jewish tradition, not only theoretically but in practice, by considering
the tithes as three different tithes, which are named the First Tithe, the Second Tithe,
and the Poor Tithe, which is also called the Third Tithe; compare Tob. 1:7-8; Ant, IV,
iv, 3; viii, 8; viii, 22).

1. The First Tithe – The Tithe for the Priesthood (Levites):

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And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance,
at the commandment of YHVH, these cities and their suburbs. The tithe was given to
the Levites, and the tenth of the tithe to the priests, as their inheritance in place of
land inheritance because they served YHVH! YHVH’s plan was that they would own
no land, because He would be their inheritance and He will look after them through
the possession of the tithe. In exchange for his service to YHVH, the Levite and
priest were denied land inheritance in Israel. This truth was repeated six times in
seven verses in Numbers 18:20-26!

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The “no inheritance” rule for those who received tithes is also repeated in
Deuteronomy 12:12; 14:27, 29; 18:1-2; Joshua 13:14, 33; 14:3; 18:7; and Ezekiel
44:28. YHVH’s plan was that they would own no land, but this has certainly changed
in our modern society where gospel workers usually own and inherit property, often
have great wealth gained from the churches they serve, and still demand the whole
tithe for themselves, is this Scriptural?

2. The Second Tithe - The Tithe for the Festivals.

The Second Tithe Could Only Be Eaten in Jerusalem but with


an exception.

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Originally, the second yearly tithe must be brought only to the city of Jerusalem for all
to consume. The Second Tithe could be exchanged for money and then be used to
buy what they need for the feast and celebrate a feast unto YHVH of the Feast days.
The churches who do not celebrate the Festivals, are they allowed to gather the
second year tithe that is meant for the people?

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Deuteronomy 14, verses 22-26, is one of the strangest passages in the Scripture.
Since carrying the food tithe was a physical burden when one lived too far from
Jerusalem, this also proves that tithes were not money, which would not create a
burden! YHVH actually commanded the purchase of wine or fermented drink for
festival celebration. The importance of these texts is in rejoicing and giving YHVH
praise for his blessings.

3. The Third Tithe – The Tithe for the Poor

Every third year they brought their tithes to share it with the poor,
the fatherless and the widows and the Levites.

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A surprising biblical fact is that the poor did not pay tithes, but, instead, received from
people paying tithes. The third tithe reveals that the Levite was expected to be
among the poor. Israel’s treatment of strangers, the fatherless, and the widows was
extremely important because there was no social system that looked after the needy
people like we have in certain modern countries today. How many churches today
demand a tithe from the poor but it is actually them that much receive the tithe.

The third year tithe remained in the towns instead of going to the temple storehouse
in Jerusalem. In addition to the Levite, it included all others who had no inheritance.
YHVH made it the responsibility of the religious leaders to take care of the needy.
Once again, one requirement for receiving from the tithe was lack of land inheritance
in Israel. In giving a portion of the tithe to the poor and needy, the Israelite was
demonstrating his commitment to keep ALL of the law.

Today, there is no valid Scriptural principle, which allows the church to teach only
one of the three types of tithes to support its ministers and then ignore the national
festival tithes and the third year tithe for the poor and the needy. Is this Scriptural?

The fact that the poor did not tithe is made especially clear in the gleaning laws and
in the purpose of the tithe. Y’shua did not tithe, nor did he sin by failing to tithe
because He was poor and did not own land or herd animals for His sustenance. The
poor were only expected to give free-will offerings to the best of their ability.

4. The Fourth Tithe (Like the First Tithe again)

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During the approximately 300 year-period of the book of Judges, tithing is not
mentioned in Scripture. Each man did that which was right in his own eyes (Judg.
17:6; 21:25). There was no central government, no organized worship, and most of
the Levites (who owned no land) became drifters and beggars among the various
tribes of Israel.

When Israel asked for a king to rule over them like their neighbors, YHVH declared
that they had rejected His reign and had replaced Him with an anointed king. YHVH’s
government was made up of His Priesthood and the Levites and the people rejected
that system and wanted a king like the pagan nations. From ancient antiquity to the
Roman Empire, the political ruler collected the tax-tithe of food, animals, and even
subjected people in order to finance his government, pay government expenses,
build government buildings and provide a national army.

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As soon as Israel became a nation ruled by a king, the FIRST TITHE became part of
national taxation, which was collected and redistributed by the king according to his
needs. First Samuel 8:10-18 says that the king, whom YHVH would “anoint” as his
representative, would take the “best” and the “tenth” which formerly belonged to
YHVH. The “tenth’ was regarded as “the king’s share.”

In King David’s reign, the Priests and Levites fulfilled a special purpose in governing
the land and in special labour for building the Temple and in worship.

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The tithe collected by the king was distributed among the Levites and Priests to be
their inheritance and portion for serving YHVH and doing His work for the benefit of
the people.

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YHVH required no tithe from the farmland every seventh year and every
Fiftieth Jubilee year to allow the Holy Land to rest. Certainly, according to the Sinai
Covenant law every seventh year was a sabbatical and no tithing was permissible
therein (The Jewish Encyclopaedia, "Tithe," Vol. XII, 151). Numbers 18.20,21,24-28
No other Israelite tribe apart from the Levites could accept Israelite tithes. This was a
stipulation that was very plain indeed. Does this fit into the tithing doctrine found in
the Church today and do they refuse monetary tithes every seventh year as stated in
the Torah regarding tithing?

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Here we have the commandment on exactly how and on what the


Israelites were to pay tithe. Moses has recorded YHVH'
s instructions in a precise
manner. These laws cannot be confused. They are straightforward and simple. Two
things stand out in these commandments:

(1) YHVH commanded Israel to tithe on agricultural or farming produce and (2) every
tenth animal of their flocks and herds.

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Scripture advises the tithe was composed of; grain, wine, oil and honey plus all other
produce of the land plus other items from the land.

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Other items brought as tithes from the land included, milk, honey and fruit.

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YHVH never commanded them to tithe on fish they caught. He never commanded
them to tithe on all the copper they mined. Nor were they required to tithe on the sale
of wool, or the money they made in their professions of selling pottery, designing and
making furniture or clothing, creating carvings, writing literature, or on construction
work. Even Y’shua as a carpenter in his father' s business was not required to tithe on
the profits he made or accumulated.
According to this section of YHVH' s law, if a shepherd had 18 sheep in his flock only
the tenth animal would be considered holy to YHVH. The tithe in this case would be
1/18th or 5.6%, not 10% and depended on the size of your flock. The Scripture is
clear and can be confirmed in the Jewish Encyclopaedia and the Encyclopaedia of
the Jewish Religion to see that the Israelites only had to pay a tithe on agricultural
products and livestock.

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The New Catholic Encyclopaedia confess that tithing was first forced
on Christians by the Council of Macon' s decision in 585 C.E. That's
almost a full total if 600 years after the death and ascension of our
Master and Saviour Y’shua the Messiah. The Council of Macon in 585
ordered payment of tithes and threatened excommunication to those
who refused to comply" (NCE., Vol.XIV, 174, 175). A millennium later,
the Council of Trent sharpened this law' s teeth: it provided for
excommunication if any Catholic declined to contribute his tithe. Post-
Reformation Europe, however, didn' t do much better: in the centuries
after Luther, secular governments often acted on behalf of the
churches by collecting mandatory tithes. Tithing was not taught in the Christian
Church before the 1790’s and is a modern day doctrine that supports the popular
Prosperity teachings spreading through churches today.

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This passage identifies the changes YHVH made regarding His Priesthood; Y’shua
being our High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. What does the ORDER of
Melchisedec mean? Melchisedec was an eternal priest without a heritage line like we
see for example in the line of Aaron the Levitical High Priest. The Levitical High
Priests were not eternal but vanished away because they were only human.
Melchisedec was seen as a Priest with an “endless life” or “eternal life” that could not
pass away and Y’shua is of the same kind or order.

We have seen that the function of the Priesthood is dependant on the existence of
the Tabernacle or the Temple and without that, there is no need for the Priesthood.
The Temple represented the Presence of YHVH and the Priesthood existed to let the
people draw near to YHVH without loosing their lives; you could die if you go into the
presence of YHVH with your sinful fleshly un-atoned body [Num 18:22]. YHVH had
put this pattern in place for people to approach Him and the Priesthood facilitated this
pattern.

Y’shua is described as being the WAY to the Father [John 14:6] and this is the
function of the High Priest and the Priesthood; to lead people to the Father. Y’shua
being eternal and having “endless life” is the ultimate High Priest that can atone for
us and facilitate the Way to the Father through Him continually and forever. YHVH is
no longer dependant on humans to atone for His people through His new High Priest,
Y’shua. Anybody who wants to draw near to YHVH can do it through the new High
Priest, Y’shua the Messiah, who is our eternal High Priest like Melchisedec forever.

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We have seen in the context of Hebrews chapter 7 that the issue is about replacing
the Priesthood, but now we see that the first “ % ” had a fault? Can this be
true? No, it is not so, there is something you have to know about the translation to
understand this verse correctly. In the King James Version of the Bible, the
translators inserted words that is not in the original text, that help us to read the verse
more fluently. These words are printed in grey and in italics. We see in Hebrews 8:10
that the word “ % ” is one of these words that are not in the original text and
was inserted by the translators. This totally changes the meaning of the verse and
actually read as follows: “D EE
( EED “ What is the “first” and
what is the “second”? Reading it in context we see that the writer is talking about the
priesthood and that the “first Priesthood” had faults who was replaced by the “second
Priesthood” who are without faults.

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This is already explained in Hebr 7:12-17 where Y’shua is the better High Priest,
being eternal, and we are a better “Priesthood” having the Torah written in our
hearts, which was not the case with the first Priesthood. It has nothing to do with the
falling away of the “Old Covenant” because it had mistakes in it. If you believe that,
then you are degrading the Character of YHVH saying indirectly that He made
mistakes and had to fix it. This is not true; He does not make mistakes and knows
exactly what He is doing. He changes not and He knows the end from the beginning
and everything is planned before the foundation of the earth. [Mal 3:6, Isa 46:10]

The Letter to the Hebrews, the seventh chapter is used to suggest by some that
Christians today are part and parcel of the "Melchizedek" Priesthood, not the
"Levitical" of the Mosaic dispensation. And therefore, they reason, they have a right
to collect the tithes of the people, even of Gentiles. Is this Scriptural? They say the
Law is abolished but still cling to the Law of Tithing because it benefits them. If you
do one law you should be keeping all - Annual holy days, purification, vows, land
Sabbaths, landmark and restitution laws, first fruits, firstborn redemption, firstlings,
worship customs, the year of Jubilee, fringes, mixed fabrics, Mikvah (cleansing
immersions), refuge cities, leprosy tests, year of release, Sabbath Day laws.
Why do Christians believing in tithing not revive all the other laws in the Torah if they
are the “new Priesthood”? Yes the Priesthood changed but we as the new Priesthood
following our High Priest Y’shua function without a physical Temple or physical
“Presence” of YHVH. We are the spiritual “Temple” of YHVH with His Spirit indwelling
us but we do not lead people into the physical presence of YHVH, that will only
happen after the Second Coming of Y’shua. At His coming our physical bodies will be
changed to “eternal” bodies and we will be like Y’shua our High Priest; eternal.

All the followers of Y’shua and the keepers of His Commandments (from their hearts
after the Spirit engraved it in their hearts) are part of the new Priesthood. [Rev 12:17,
Rev 14:12] Who will support us to fulfil our function as Priests? Did some Levites pay
tithes to other Levites or did the Levites receive their tithe (support) form the people
they were serving? The Priesthood only pay tithes to the High Priest. If someone
teach and receive tithes today, then they are actually taking the role of the High
Priest, who is Y’shua. This is wrong! We on the other hand cannot give tithes to other
priests and cannot receive tithes form our fellow priests. This shows that we cannot
pay or receive tithes as the New Priesthood of Y’shua.

The other principles also stand that we cannot pay tithes because se have no
inheritance (land) and we are still scattered in the nations in exile and tithes are not
to be paid in the form of money. How do we as the new Priesthood follow the
principles of giving and support Ministries that spread the Gospel of Messiah?

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Nowhere in the pages of the NT does Messiah teach that a Believer and disciple of
Y’shua should tithe. Yet Y’shua came to maintain the Torah (Mt 5.11-19). This would
of necessity include the tithing law of the Levites since the Temple was still standing
40 years after the Nazarene established his Messianic Community. One would not
have to be an accountant to figure that if Y’shua’s disciples were tithing to both the
Levitical priesthood serving in the Temple and to the Messiah himself, it would have
cost them a fortune! Yet Y’shua doesn' t command tithing for His own income, nor did
the apostles commend it (or even suggest it). In fact the NT ministry was supported
solely by freewill offerings (Mt 6:25-34; Lk 10:4-8; Ac 4:32-35; 20:33- 35; 2 Cor 8:2-
15; 9:6-12; 11:8,9; 1 Jn 3:17,18) and not by some tithing system.

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While theologians and full-time gospel workers usually argue for their tithe support,
church historians usually disagree concerning tithing. Research revealed that it is
highly unlikely that early leaders following Messiah received full-time compensation
for ministering to assemblies. Almost all of the early Messianic rabbis (like Paul),
would have refused any sustenance for teaching YHVH’s Word because of their
traditional Jewish prohibitions against it. Paul, a “tent” (tallit) maker” would have
insisted on people having trades to sustain themselves. Paul would have considered
it a sin to accept money for teaching YHVH’s Word but he accepted money because
he was poor.

The apostles were legally unable to receive tithes from the people to financially
support the Work of the primitive Messianic Community because the Temple was still
standing and none of the apostles were of the tribe of Levi serving in the Sanctuary.
Most of Messiah' s disciples were Jewish, not Levites. Y’shua himself was Jewish
(from the tribe of Judah - Heb 7:12-14) and could not therefore have accepted tithes.
Only the Levites were authorised by YHVH by the Torah to take tithes from the
people. Even Paul, who was certainly not a Levite (from the Tribe of Benjamin), could
not have demanded or received tithes from his congregations. Yet, he shows that a
teacher or minister has a right to earn a living from the preaching and teaching of the
Gospel and people can support them in free will offerings (gifts).

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Paul said that you could live from the Gospel if you spread the Gospel but never
preached tithing as the vehicle to receive that support. On the contrary, he never
insisted on people giving to support him and rather work to support himself while
spreading the Gospel. The assemblies Paul did oversee were made up
predominantly of Gentiles and they were not even permitted to tithe (or to keep
certain other laws of Moses unless they were first circumcised and converted).

The Messiah did tell the Scribes and the Pharisees to tithe (Mt 23.23).

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Certainly they were correct in their fulfilling of the legal requirements of the Mosaic
economy for they were tithing on agricultural products in the presence of the
Priesthood, the Land and the Temple. Because they grew herbs they were
considered "farmers" (Lev 27.30-33) and obligated to tithe.

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o Y’shua instructed us in Luke 6:38:
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o Paul thanked the believers in Philippi about the gift they gave. He said that he
rather see them increase in their fruit of their actions (giving) than him receiving.
He compares their giving as a sweet sacrifice unto YHVH referring to (I believe),
free will offerings. [Phil 4:16–19]
o Paul says in 1 Timothy 5:17–18:
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8Those who spread the Gospel are allowed to receive support (gifts,
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not tithes) from those who are fed spiritually.
o In our giving to each other, YHVH loves a cheerful giver. When we give, a divine
law of reciprocity is activated. [2 Cor 9:7] Our giving will determine how blessed
we will be. If we sow sparingly we will reap sparingly, but if we sow bountifully we
will reap bountifully. Our giving speaks of the condition of our heart. Some give
grudgingly and some give bountifully. In our giving we need to follow the example
of YHVH who generously gives to all.

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o When we give bountifully and cheerfully, YHVH will bless us with more so that we
will able to give even more (2 Cor 9:6–15). These are divine laws and spiritual
principles that are activated by our cheerful giving.
o The Children of Israel were cheerful givers when asked to contribute to the
building of YHVH’s Tabernacle. They gave above and beyond the need (Exod
25:1–3; 35:20-29; 36:5–7).

& !
Did you realise that it is actually not legal to tithe according to the Torah? Do you see
that tithing constitutes a sin against YHVH doing things that is not Scriptural which is
a man made doctrine? Are you aware of the fact that our Master Y’shua himself
would never have touched the tithe during His ministry? The book of Acts 2:44-45
demonstrates that all early Believers gave much more than a tithe and set an
example for others to follow.
This was to support the poor in the community and those that had material things,
shared it equally with the others. This is an example of freewill offerings to the
extreme and is not an example of tithing in the early church. These events have
absolutely nothing to do with tithing laws because the majority of the Jewish
Christians around Jerusalem never stopped paying tithes to the temple and priests
(Acts 15 and 21).

Quick summery why we should not pay Tithes

o Tithes are to be brought in the form of livestock and agricultural increase, not
in he form of money.
o Tithes can only be brought if you live the Land of Inheritance (Israel).
o Tithes can only be paid if you owned land and produced food and livestock.
o The poor never paid tithes, they received tithes.
o The tithe needs to be paid to the Levites to support them in their work in the
Temple. It is their inheritance. Not living in the Land and in the absence of a
Temple, there will not be priesthood and no tithes.
o Tithes were only to be paid by Israelites and not Gentiles.
o Israelites that were in exile did not pay tithes. We are currently in exile and
are starting to go back to the Land.
o We are the “Temple” and the “Priesthood” now and theoretically need to
receive tithes and only pay it to our High Priest Y’shua. You only pay tithes on
the tithes you receive. Who will pay us tithes if we are all priests in the service
of YHVH? Those who receive tithes are taking the place of our High Priest
Y’shua.
o We should never stop giving but only as a free will offerings or gifts. (The
word for “offering” and “gift” in Hebrew is the same word).
o Everybody should give as they can and where they see a need.
o We should always give to the poor and the orphans and widows first and then
support the work of the spreading of the Gospel.
o We are to support the spreading of the Gospel and the Word through free will
offerings as led by the Spirit of YHVH.
o Those who spread the Word should support them selves, not putting a burden
on the people and setting a good example. If they are poor, they may receive
support from the congregation in the from of free will gifts.

15
o The tithing Laws give us guidelines in which areas we can support; the
Priesthood (spiritual workers), fellow believers in supporting and funding the
Festivals every year, and the poor, homeless, widows and orphans which are
more important than the other two areas of giving. These areas are supported
through Free Will Gifts and not Tithing.
o Give cheerfully and YHVH will bless you accordingly. Give in the form of Gifts
or Free will offerings and not through the principal of Tithing so that you can
give within the guidelines of the Torah not following a man made doctrine.

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