Quote:
Originally Posted by votivesoul
Coksiw,
I'm not following the purpose or meaning of your response to Nicodemus. Care to elaborate?
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Tithing from the increase of the land in Israel was a commandment in the OT. Not eating swine meat was also a command (don't eat unclean animals).
In the context of the law of Moses, disobeying such commandments was disobeying God. Therefore, you will find prophecies like that bringing up accusations of disobedience, because all those prophecies are in the context of the Moses' covenants.
Now, are those passage applicable? Absolutely, but not in the "tithe" and "offering" system, but in the reflection of what God cares about. Tithing and offering was intended to support the Levites, orphans, widows, etc...
You can apply it this way: if you have resources to help brothers and sisters around you in need, and you withhold those resources, you are figuratively "robing" God, because God expects righteousness, fruit of repentance, in you, and you are not doing it. If there are opportunities to support teachers and preachers in your congregation, or just that your congregation has needs to keep running (bills, rents, activity funding, etc...), and you have the ability to participate, and you are withholding your resources, you are doing the same.
But what most people that hold the tithing position want to hear is something else: the only "legit" application they find in Moses' tithing is the 10% of all the things.