FIRST WORDS
To My Friends, Colleagues, Church Fellowship, Curious People everywhere and especially my Grandchildren,
Always know that you are fully loved by God and you are loved by me. I pray that you remember our purpose is to reflect the entire Glory of God.
MOSES REFLECTS ON HIS JOURNEY WITH CHRIST
It is important for me to begin this week by sharing how I think the first five books in scripture were written. I think we can safely attribute the actual writing of Genesis and Deuteronomy to Moses himself. I believe we have to be a bit more circumspect about the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. I personally believe these were written accounts by Joshua (in coordination with Moses) as he accompanied Moses up the mountain and down into the dessert with God's people. For Moses to have the actual conversations and participate in the experiences of these three books while at the same time maintaining such a precise accounting of the details seems a bit dubious to me. This leaves Joshua as the only one who was always there and we know he will eventually write the book of Joshua for himself.
I make this point, because it matters to me as I read the book of Deuteronomy. This book sounds different than the previous three and it just feels different. It sounds and feels more personal. In the laws, ordinances and offerings we get a first hand view of how they were practiced and not just recorded for posterity. It has the same feel for me as the Federalist Papers in our own history here in the United States. Our constitution is a cold and hard document. It is supposed to be. It is designed to be a guarantee of rights and processes. The founders were not explaining or defending the laws and processes, they were enacting them. The Federalist Papers on the other hand, are personal and alive with debate. Why the laws were passed and how they were intended to be lived out were the topics of these papers. That is Deuteronomy, it is a book written by Moses that gives us personal insight into the journey he took with God and the journey he took with God's people. He will get some things right and quite frankly he will get one key thing wrong. I hope this is not too shocking. We all get it wrong sometimes. Isn't it wonderful that we have the records of both in relation to the people of God.
I would like to use the blog this week to talk about one of those places I believe Moses got it wrong.
MOSES GETS IT WRONG
Let me take you back to Israel in the dessert of Exodus 17. We are not far into the journey with Christ when the people of Israel are thirsty. They are not shy telling Moses of their discomfort. Christ tells Moses to strike a rock with Aaron's staff the same way he struck the Nile in Egypt. Moses does, and water comes from the rock to quench the thirst of Israel. Another proof for the Israelites that they can in fact trust Christ to deliver them in their time of need.
Fast forward to Numbers 20 and we are faced with the same situation. This time, one would imagine, that the Israelites would be a little further along in their faith. God has been delivering them and traveling with them. The only casualties have come from the result of rebellion on the part of Israel and punishment from a Holy God. In numbers 20 the people are thirsty again and Moses is frustrated. Christ once again tells him to take the staff of Aaron but Christ changes it a bit this time. Instead of striking the rock, Christ tells Moses to simply speak to the rock. If you are tracking with me you remember what Moses did and Moses said. Listen to the account.
Numbers 20:8 - 13
"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water....Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank."
Do you hear the third person narrative going on in this story? We have just received the simple facts of the story. Christ said, Moses did and then Christ responds. God is not happy. Here's the thing, this is not even the mistake I am talking about! To be sure it is a terrible mistake that Moses has just made, so severe in fact that Christ will deny him entrance into the "promised land" of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but it is not the mistake I want to talk about.
If we go a little further we find ourselves at the beginning of Deuteronomy. Right at the front of Moses's first hand account of his journeys he is going to talk about this very occasion. He will back track and pick it all up from Egypt to the last battle he will fight with Israel, but he begins with what is probably the most troubling episode in his life.
Deuteronomy 1:37 and repeated in 3:21
"Because of you (children of Israel) the Lord became angry with me and said, "You shall not enter it, either."
Moses has just blamed Israel for his mistake of disobedience to God. Let's be clear about what exactly that mistake entailed. Christ told Moses to simply speak His word over the rock. Moses decides to make a statement about himself and Aaron instead. The mistake is nothing less than Moses setting himself up in the position of provider and savior of the nation of Israel. Remember the words? "Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water..." The heart of Moses has slipped. He has not lost favor with Christ. He has not placed himself in a position that Christ cannot use him to lead the Israelites. What he has done is make a mistake and allowed his heart to move away from the presence and the will of God. In my language, Moses has failed to live out his basic purpose which is to reflect the glory of God. Moses has chosen to reflect his own glory.
The real kicker for me, is when Moses recounts this story, he has not yet reconciled his heart to his own mistake. He blames others for the condition of his heart and his actions in relation to God. I understand this very well. There have been many times in my life when I could have used a scapegoat. A major part of the maturity of person hood, just like maturity of faith, is our willingness to accept responsibility for our own mistakes, shortcomings and sins.
For me, there is no other response here except to say, Moses got this totally wrong. There is work to be done in his life in relation to the people of Israel and in the condition of his heart towards Christ.
Allow me to compare the response of Moses to the response of Christ in relation to the hardness of Pharaoh's heart.
It is absolutely true that had the Israelites not complained and rebelled, Moses would have had no reason or opportunity to take this glory upon himself. Would you agree with me in this situation that there is in fact a cause that we can point to for this action? Would you also agree that no matter how dynamic that cause is, we cannot remove from Moses his personal accountability for his own actions? He was still the one that acted contrary to the word of Christ.
Is it not equally true, that Christ Himself is responsible for the plagues that set up a win lose scenario for Pharaoh? Would you remove the responsibility for the choices Pharaoh makes from him? Are you willing to totally blame Christ for Pharaoh's actions? I am not, and yet Christ steps up in the book of Exodus and boldly claims responsibility for His part. I hear in the words "God hardened Pharaoh's heart" as the admission that Christ's unwavering judgment played a huge role in why Pharaoh was not able to turn back. Christ never backs away from righteous acts or judgments. He always takes total and full responsibility and yet does not alleviate the reality of personal responsibility on our part. He has chosen and so must we.
Is this not the same story that will be told at the beginning of the book of Genesis, when first Adam and then Eve try to mitigate their responsibility by bringing other's actions to their defense. For Adam it was Eve and for Eve it was the serpent.
Could it be to this idea that Christ will go in the gospel of Luke, when He says that to "everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded"? Is it this same idea in the book of Revelation 20 where John records the book of life is opened and "the dead are judged according to the things written in the book, according to their deeds"?
The idea is not that we make no mistakes or commit no sin. The idea is that we take responsibility for our mistakes and sin (confession and repentance) just as Christ takes responsibility for His Holiness and standards of expectations for us. It is in this way that the people of God in the Exodus learned to walk with Christ and become holy. It is in this way that we learn to walk with Christ and become holy.
For those who know me well.
NO EXCUSES!
Yol bolsum,
Tim
Friday, May 25, 2018
Friday, May 18, 2018
Christ in Numbers (Feeding the People)
FIRST WORDS
To My Friends, Colleagues, Church Fellowship, Curious People everywhere and especially my Grandchildren,
Always know that you are fully loved by God and you are loved by me. I pray that you remember our purpose is to reflect the entire Glory of God.
CHRIST AND THE FEEDING OF THE 600,000
We, who are modern Christians, have been taught from the earliest days of Sunday School and inspired by the numerous Pastoral messages concerning the New Testament miracles where Jesus Christ feeds the 5,000 or the 3,000. But, have we made the connection between the more modern occasion of this miracle (about 30 A.D.) with the first miracle of its kind that was performed by Christ at least 1,300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ as God incarnate (God in human form).
This is not an event where Jesus Christ in a New Testament Israel is reenacting a miracle that was performed by His Father in the Old Testament before God the Father retired and left the family business to His Son. (I certainly hope you get the light hearted humor I am trying to introduce into this. I am not trying to be sacrilegious, and please forgive me if that is the way it comes across. I am trying to point out that many modern Christians take just this point of view when they think about the relationship of Jesus Christ to the Father.) This Old Testament miracle recorded in Numbers 11 is foundational, in that Christ as He leads His people in the wilderness will act consistently in both this situation and in those that are to come when He walks this world in human flesh. With that in mind I call our attention to the details of both events.
During the wilderness years about 1,300 B.C. the people of God are grumbling and rebelling because of a lack of meat in their diet. They are hungry for meat in a diet that consists of manna. Christ speaks with Moses and instructs him that he is to tell the people to consecrate themselves, for tomorrow they will have meat to eat. Not just enough meat for tomorrow but enough meat to eat for the entire month. Numbers 11:18,19 Moses understandably responds to Christ with these words, see if they sound familiar. "I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, "I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!" Would they have enough if the flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?" I'll ask again, does this sound familiar. Let me take you to a response by God's servants that might be more familiar. In about 30 A.D. Christ has been teaching for the day and everyone is hungry. The disciples ask for Christ to send everyone home and Christ tells them feed the people. Mark 6:30 "This is a remote place, they said, and it's already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But Christ answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" In 30 A.D. Jesus Christ is going to take two fish and five loaves of bread and feed 5,000 people. We look upon this with awe and wonder at the power of God in the Jesus Christ, and yet 1,300 years before this Christ is going to cause a wind to blow from the sea and provide quail that will fall 3 feet deep outside the camp of Israel. The people of Israel could walk the entire day away from their camp and the quail were still piled up 3 feet deep. Three million people ate quail for the next month until they were sick of meat.
This, along with the mana from heaven, is the original miracle of the feeding of God's people.
There are many differences between these two miracles and yet the common theme is the incredible nature of the miracle that leaves we as God's children speechless as God asks, "Is the Lord's arm to short?" Num. 11:23.
When we doubt the power of Christ to speak into our lives in ways that bring forth miraculous results, we answer God's question with a tepid shrug of our shoulders.
We would do better to share with each other the bold faith of Paul when he tells Timothy, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day." 2 Timothy 1:12
"Is anything to hard for God?" Genesis 8 and Jeremiah 32
I was blessed this week when I read this encounter and immediately heard it's echoes in the centuries to come as God comes into the world to save us. I continue to be amazed at the reality of God that is the same in Christ yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yol bolsum,
Pastor Tim
To My Friends, Colleagues, Church Fellowship, Curious People everywhere and especially my Grandchildren,
Always know that you are fully loved by God and you are loved by me. I pray that you remember our purpose is to reflect the entire Glory of God.
CHRIST AND THE FEEDING OF THE 600,000
We, who are modern Christians, have been taught from the earliest days of Sunday School and inspired by the numerous Pastoral messages concerning the New Testament miracles where Jesus Christ feeds the 5,000 or the 3,000. But, have we made the connection between the more modern occasion of this miracle (about 30 A.D.) with the first miracle of its kind that was performed by Christ at least 1,300 years before the birth of Jesus Christ as God incarnate (God in human form).
This is not an event where Jesus Christ in a New Testament Israel is reenacting a miracle that was performed by His Father in the Old Testament before God the Father retired and left the family business to His Son. (I certainly hope you get the light hearted humor I am trying to introduce into this. I am not trying to be sacrilegious, and please forgive me if that is the way it comes across. I am trying to point out that many modern Christians take just this point of view when they think about the relationship of Jesus Christ to the Father.) This Old Testament miracle recorded in Numbers 11 is foundational, in that Christ as He leads His people in the wilderness will act consistently in both this situation and in those that are to come when He walks this world in human flesh. With that in mind I call our attention to the details of both events.
During the wilderness years about 1,300 B.C. the people of God are grumbling and rebelling because of a lack of meat in their diet. They are hungry for meat in a diet that consists of manna. Christ speaks with Moses and instructs him that he is to tell the people to consecrate themselves, for tomorrow they will have meat to eat. Not just enough meat for tomorrow but enough meat to eat for the entire month. Numbers 11:18,19 Moses understandably responds to Christ with these words, see if they sound familiar. "I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, "I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!" Would they have enough if the flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?" I'll ask again, does this sound familiar. Let me take you to a response by God's servants that might be more familiar. In about 30 A.D. Christ has been teaching for the day and everyone is hungry. The disciples ask for Christ to send everyone home and Christ tells them feed the people. Mark 6:30 "This is a remote place, they said, and it's already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But Christ answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" In 30 A.D. Jesus Christ is going to take two fish and five loaves of bread and feed 5,000 people. We look upon this with awe and wonder at the power of God in the Jesus Christ, and yet 1,300 years before this Christ is going to cause a wind to blow from the sea and provide quail that will fall 3 feet deep outside the camp of Israel. The people of Israel could walk the entire day away from their camp and the quail were still piled up 3 feet deep. Three million people ate quail for the next month until they were sick of meat.
This, along with the mana from heaven, is the original miracle of the feeding of God's people.
There are many differences between these two miracles and yet the common theme is the incredible nature of the miracle that leaves we as God's children speechless as God asks, "Is the Lord's arm to short?" Num. 11:23.
When we doubt the power of Christ to speak into our lives in ways that bring forth miraculous results, we answer God's question with a tepid shrug of our shoulders.
We would do better to share with each other the bold faith of Paul when he tells Timothy, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day." 2 Timothy 1:12
"Is anything to hard for God?" Genesis 8 and Jeremiah 32
I was blessed this week when I read this encounter and immediately heard it's echoes in the centuries to come as God comes into the world to save us. I continue to be amazed at the reality of God that is the same in Christ yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Yol bolsum,
Pastor Tim
Friday, May 11, 2018
Christ in Leviticus (The Offering and Tithe)
FIRST WORDS
To My Friends, Colleagues, Church Fellowship, Curious People everywhere and especially my Grandchildren,
Always know that you are fully loved by God and you are loved by me. I pray that you remember our purpose is to reflect the entire Glory of God.
CHRIST INTRODUCES OFFERINGS AND THE "TITHE"
I want to share with you what I saw as the basic structure of the offerings Christ instituted. To do this we might as well tackle the big one first. The Tithe.
All offerings culminated with the "Tithe". When we talk about giving in the church these tend to be the questions.
What is the tithe? How much is the tithe? Is this really in the bible? Is this still an institute of the modern church or was it only for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament? The questions are numerous and perhaps you have asked some of these questions yourself.
For me to give these questions fair answers I begin in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers which we are currently reading.
Before we attempt to bring clarity to the questions of offerings and the tithe, permit me to clarify the difference between the ordinances Christ is instituting and the offerings He is asking His people to bring to the tabernacle.
Remember that the tabernacle is a part of the agreement Christ made with His people so that He would (not "could" but "would") travel with them to the promised land. Christ had stated He would not go with them to the promised land, because in His holiness he would destroy them before they arrived. He was Holy and they were not. His will, was that the people of Israel would move into the land He had promised for them. He knew they would be continually drawn to the building of idols in this world and the response of Christ would be harsh. Christ told Moses He intended to keep the promise of giving them a land of their own but He would send an angel to lead them. Moses asked for Christ to reconsider. Moses asked that rather than leave them to be led by an angel why not teach them how to live in relationship with Christ as they journeyed together. Christ consented to this and the tabernacle is built. Ordinances and laws are put in place and offerings are required. All of this is a part of the process Christ will use to teach His children what it means to be Holy in the presence of Christ Himself who is Holy. This brings me to the basic difference between a law that is to be followed and an offering that is to be given. This is the basic difference. Christ will use the ordinances and laws He is instituting to direct and teach us about His holiness as we observe and follow them. He will use the offerings and the tithe to bring us into right relationship and fellowship with Him as we repent, give and serve.
Let's begin in the latter part of Exodus as Christ begins telling Moses about several types of offering he is to institute. Let's do a quick overview of these offerings and their purpose.
Burnt Offerings - these were offerings to atone for sin
Sin Offerings - for sins that could not be atoned for
Guilt Offerings - for sins that could be atoned for
Grain Offerings - these were offerings given in gratitude for abundant crops
Fellowship Offerings - these were in honor of our fellowship with God
In addition to these offerings there were the offerings of our gifts and talents. Everyone had something they could do to work for God and His temple. Writing, Sewing, Woodworking, Metalworking, Music etc… Everyone was encouraged to contribute for the temple in their work.
Here was the catch. In most of these fellowship offerings we were to give freely as we felt called. There were annual offerings that had to happen but in relation to individuals it was between you and God when you brought one of these offerings to the temple or the church. In these times you came to just be in the presence of Christ and to be in fellowship with Him.
Here was Christ's decree in all of these offerings.
Exodus 34:20 - Christ says, "no one is to appear before me empty handed".
This brings us to the questions of a tithe. Leviticus tells us the tithe happened in a couple of ways. Whenever your land or your flock or your occupation increased you brought the “first fruits” of that increase to the temple. You were also asked every three years to not totally gather your fields and your flocks so that those who were poor (usually the orphans and widows) could use your produce to help feed and clothe themselves.
Why the "first fruits"?
Numbers 3:11 tells us the "tithe is His because He set aside the firstborn of Israel for himself in Egypt when He struck down all the firstborn of the Egyptians.
Why 10%
Leviticus 27:30 Christ tell us that the tithe is one tenth of everything that is first in your life. Crops, Animals, money, etc...
I have continued to say in these blogs that Christ in the books of the Old Testament must agree with Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
In the new testament (Mark 12 and Luke 21) we have Jesus Christ honoring a poor widow who was bringing an offering to the temple. It was a very small amount and yet she brought it. In the midst of very wealthy people giving offerings in the temple Christ called attention to this one small offering from the widow. He said to His disciples that this woman’s offering was more pleasing than the large amounts the wealthy were giving. Christ did honor and promote the idea of giving an offering and tithing in the New Testament.
The early church also practiced both offering and tithing. The bible tells us that people went and sold items or brought money to the church for the common fellowship and purpose of the church.
In our modern era when we receive an increase in our income on at least a monthly basis the idea of a monthly tithe is common. When we make money we give to the church and the community of believers.
A shoutout to my mother and father.
I have always given at least a tithe and often an offering each week or month since I made my first dime as a paperboy and cutting lawns in the summers at about 13 years old. My mother and father modeled this for me. When I began working at the age of 13, each week (that was how often I was paid) 10% of my income went into the offering plate of the church. As my income increased so did my tithe. The extra I might give to the church for things that were close to my heart were my offerings.
Joy and I as the pastor give 10% of our income and we give offerings as well. In our offerings we support things like sending kids to camp or special ministries. We support various youth projects in the church. We support things like Feed My Starving Children. These offerings are not a part of our tithe or a part of the 10% that we give in the general offering of the church. In addition to this we help many families outside of the church. We support the Optimist Club, many school fundraisers and various other community organizations.
I believe in tithing and I practice tithing. I believe in the offering and I practice the giving of various offerings. I go back to scripture and I would say again that the bible makes this a very personal decision between you and Christ.
The invitation of Christ is that His presence will move from a tabernacle into our hearts. This means as we journey towards the promise of an eternal life with Him (which is our "promised land") He will teach us how to be Holy as He is holy. We will fail in this and yes we must bring a sacrifice of repentant hearts into His presence if we want to be forgiven and restored to a place of holiness so we can have the blessing of His presence with us on this journey. It also means we bring fellowship offerings to Him in the form of our gifts and the first fruits of our labor. Christ instituted the church as the body of Christ in this world until He comes again. When He comes again the church will be obsolete and I will once again bring my offerings directly into His presence. Until then I give my tithe and fellowship to the church and my fellow believers in Christ.
I would be interested in other interpretations of the ordinances and the offerings from these books of the Old Testament.
I hope this foundation for the tithe and offering is a blessing to my family as it has been a blessing to me. Thank you mom and dad for teaching me even when I didn't fully understand the scripture supporting the practice.
Yol bolsun,
Tim
To My Friends, Colleagues, Church Fellowship, Curious People everywhere and especially my Grandchildren,
Always know that you are fully loved by God and you are loved by me. I pray that you remember our purpose is to reflect the entire Glory of God.
CHRIST INTRODUCES OFFERINGS AND THE "TITHE"
I want to share with you what I saw as the basic structure of the offerings Christ instituted. To do this we might as well tackle the big one first. The Tithe.
All offerings culminated with the "Tithe". When we talk about giving in the church these tend to be the questions.
What is the tithe? How much is the tithe? Is this really in the bible? Is this still an institute of the modern church or was it only for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament? The questions are numerous and perhaps you have asked some of these questions yourself.
For me to give these questions fair answers I begin in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers which we are currently reading.
Before we attempt to bring clarity to the questions of offerings and the tithe, permit me to clarify the difference between the ordinances Christ is instituting and the offerings He is asking His people to bring to the tabernacle.
Remember that the tabernacle is a part of the agreement Christ made with His people so that He would (not "could" but "would") travel with them to the promised land. Christ had stated He would not go with them to the promised land, because in His holiness he would destroy them before they arrived. He was Holy and they were not. His will, was that the people of Israel would move into the land He had promised for them. He knew they would be continually drawn to the building of idols in this world and the response of Christ would be harsh. Christ told Moses He intended to keep the promise of giving them a land of their own but He would send an angel to lead them. Moses asked for Christ to reconsider. Moses asked that rather than leave them to be led by an angel why not teach them how to live in relationship with Christ as they journeyed together. Christ consented to this and the tabernacle is built. Ordinances and laws are put in place and offerings are required. All of this is a part of the process Christ will use to teach His children what it means to be Holy in the presence of Christ Himself who is Holy. This brings me to the basic difference between a law that is to be followed and an offering that is to be given. This is the basic difference. Christ will use the ordinances and laws He is instituting to direct and teach us about His holiness as we observe and follow them. He will use the offerings and the tithe to bring us into right relationship and fellowship with Him as we repent, give and serve.
Let's begin in the latter part of Exodus as Christ begins telling Moses about several types of offering he is to institute. Let's do a quick overview of these offerings and their purpose.
Burnt Offerings - these were offerings to atone for sin
Sin Offerings - for sins that could not be atoned for
Guilt Offerings - for sins that could be atoned for
- Without doing a thorough study of the offerings we can see at a basic level these offerings keep us connected to Christ even when we fail to live up to His Holy Character in the ordinances and laws. Were it not for these offerings we could not stay in right relationship with Christ. Even if we can't live by the standards of His Holly character we can show we want to by our repentant hearts that obey the offerings. Both conscious and unconscious sin is dealt with in these three offerings.
Grain Offerings - these were offerings given in gratitude for abundant crops
- These offerings were a constant acknowledgement that everything Israel had comes from Christ. These do not mirror the Egyptian offerings that were given so that you would have a good crop. These offerings were given regardless of the bounty of the crop. They were given from good crop harvests and the same is required even in a poor harvest. All that we have comes from Christ.
Fellowship Offerings - these were in honor of our fellowship with God
- These were instituted as a reason for all Israel to come to Christ just to be in His presence. Not because they had sinned or failed, but rather because He wanted to be with them and they wanted to be with Him. A part of these offerings were the things they brought to the tabernacle to sustain it and the things they brought to the tabernacle because they were the people of Christ.
In addition to these offerings there were the offerings of our gifts and talents. Everyone had something they could do to work for God and His temple. Writing, Sewing, Woodworking, Metalworking, Music etc… Everyone was encouraged to contribute for the temple in their work.
Here was the catch. In most of these fellowship offerings we were to give freely as we felt called. There were annual offerings that had to happen but in relation to individuals it was between you and God when you brought one of these offerings to the temple or the church. In these times you came to just be in the presence of Christ and to be in fellowship with Him.
Here was Christ's decree in all of these offerings.
Exodus 34:20 - Christ says, "no one is to appear before me empty handed".
This brings us to the questions of a tithe. Leviticus tells us the tithe happened in a couple of ways. Whenever your land or your flock or your occupation increased you brought the “first fruits” of that increase to the temple. You were also asked every three years to not totally gather your fields and your flocks so that those who were poor (usually the orphans and widows) could use your produce to help feed and clothe themselves.
Why the "first fruits"?
Numbers 3:11 tells us the "tithe is His because He set aside the firstborn of Israel for himself in Egypt when He struck down all the firstborn of the Egyptians.
Why 10%
Leviticus 27:30 Christ tell us that the tithe is one tenth of everything that is first in your life. Crops, Animals, money, etc...
I have continued to say in these blogs that Christ in the books of the Old Testament must agree with Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
In the new testament (Mark 12 and Luke 21) we have Jesus Christ honoring a poor widow who was bringing an offering to the temple. It was a very small amount and yet she brought it. In the midst of very wealthy people giving offerings in the temple Christ called attention to this one small offering from the widow. He said to His disciples that this woman’s offering was more pleasing than the large amounts the wealthy were giving. Christ did honor and promote the idea of giving an offering and tithing in the New Testament.
The early church also practiced both offering and tithing. The bible tells us that people went and sold items or brought money to the church for the common fellowship and purpose of the church.
In our modern era when we receive an increase in our income on at least a monthly basis the idea of a monthly tithe is common. When we make money we give to the church and the community of believers.
A shoutout to my mother and father.
I have always given at least a tithe and often an offering each week or month since I made my first dime as a paperboy and cutting lawns in the summers at about 13 years old. My mother and father modeled this for me. When I began working at the age of 13, each week (that was how often I was paid) 10% of my income went into the offering plate of the church. As my income increased so did my tithe. The extra I might give to the church for things that were close to my heart were my offerings.
Joy and I as the pastor give 10% of our income and we give offerings as well. In our offerings we support things like sending kids to camp or special ministries. We support various youth projects in the church. We support things like Feed My Starving Children. These offerings are not a part of our tithe or a part of the 10% that we give in the general offering of the church. In addition to this we help many families outside of the church. We support the Optimist Club, many school fundraisers and various other community organizations.
I believe in tithing and I practice tithing. I believe in the offering and I practice the giving of various offerings. I go back to scripture and I would say again that the bible makes this a very personal decision between you and Christ.
The invitation of Christ is that His presence will move from a tabernacle into our hearts. This means as we journey towards the promise of an eternal life with Him (which is our "promised land") He will teach us how to be Holy as He is holy. We will fail in this and yes we must bring a sacrifice of repentant hearts into His presence if we want to be forgiven and restored to a place of holiness so we can have the blessing of His presence with us on this journey. It also means we bring fellowship offerings to Him in the form of our gifts and the first fruits of our labor. Christ instituted the church as the body of Christ in this world until He comes again. When He comes again the church will be obsolete and I will once again bring my offerings directly into His presence. Until then I give my tithe and fellowship to the church and my fellow believers in Christ.
I would be interested in other interpretations of the ordinances and the offerings from these books of the Old Testament.
I hope this foundation for the tithe and offering is a blessing to my family as it has been a blessing to me. Thank you mom and dad for teaching me even when I didn't fully understand the scripture supporting the practice.
Yol bolsun,
Tim
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