““When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession and you have conquered it and settled there, put some of the first produce from each crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored. Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, ‘With this gift I acknowledge to the Lord your God that I have entered the land he swore to our ancestors he would give us.’ The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the Lord your God. “You must then say in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation. When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by making us their slaves, we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! And now, O Lord, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the Lord your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him. Afterward you may go and celebrate because of all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household. Remember to include the Levites and the foreigners living among you in the celebration. “Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. In this year of the special tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will have enough to eat in your towns. Then you must declare in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands. I have not eaten any of it while in mourning; I have not handled it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me. Now look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you swore to our ancestors to give us—a land flowing with milk and honey.’”
Deuteronomy 26:1-15 NLT
The modern world doesn’t understand tithing. They erroneously believe that the reason we tithe is to supply the necessary capital for the church institutions to thrive. There is truth that tithe is used this way, but that is more an issue of gods stewardship of the church leadership. A godly church leadership will use the funds in such a way that it benefits the whole. Regardless, there is no edict against using the funds to feed the church leadership or pay for their needs either. The edict is that there not be imbalance and that the leadership carry such character as to be men who would distribute funds rather than hoarde them. Nevertheless, we don’t give to any particular leadership. We give to God. This passage shows that our giving isn’t a matter of fund management. It’s a matter of our own character. Our giving is designed to bring God into the blessings he has given us. A helpful metaphor would be that our tithe is our invitation for God to sit at the head of the table for a dinner that we have prepared from the harvest he gave us. Naturally, this requires acknowledgment of his blessings. It requires us to be thankful people. We ought to tithe because we love him and truly want to show that to him.
Purpose of Tithing: Tithing is not solely for church funding, but primarily a matter of character development and expressing gratitude for God’s blessings.
Stewardship of Church Funds: Church leadership should use tithes responsibly, benefiting the entire congregation and demonstrating good stewardship.
Invitation to God: Tithing symbolizes inviting God to share in the blessings He has provided, reflecting a thankful and loving attitude towards Him.
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