History of Tithes in the Church

[coksiw]

Originally Posted by shag

How do you pronounce the 2nd-3rd syllable in, Coksiw?

That user name is not even close to my real name. It was a random selection of letters. I shall not be liable for any injury or damage caused to your tongue as you attempt to pronounce it .

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by coksiw

How would you apply this verse?

Isa 65:4 NKJV - (4) Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the tombs; Who eat swine's flesh, And the broth of abominable things is [in] their vessels;

Sorry for taking so long to respond.

Not understanding what point you're trying to make, however for the sake of conversation, I'll respond with the following:

In order for complete context I'll start with the previous three verses.

Isa 65:1-3
1 I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
3 A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;

The first verse prophetically is talking about the gentiles.
There second through the verse you quoted is talking to house of Israel.

Hopefully that's the response you were looking for.

[Tithesmeister]

Originally Posted by Nicodemus1968

Just looking to get your take on this.

Malachi 3:8-11
v.8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
v.9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
v.10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
v.11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Do any of these verses apply to us today? Is there a way we can rob God by not putting our tithe and offering in the storehouses? Im not talking about monetary coin alone, in your study on this subject, how can a we as the church today apply these verses of scripture?

I’m going to give you hint. If you really want to know what Malachi is all about, read the whole book and follow along with who it is written to. You will find that the message is much different than just the focus of three verses.

Generally, the book is a scathing rebuke of the Levites.

Specifically about tithes? It is doing nothing more than reinforcing the Mosaic law. Which to put in simple terms is that:

1: If you own land that God has given you, (the promised land) and IF that land produces crops, flocks, and herds, then you are to tithe on that produce.

It is a very common misconception that all of the Israelites tithed. They didn’t. Unless they owned land and the land was a gift from God, AND the land produced according to the parameters above.

Almost without exception, the tithe was food. When you review the WHOLE book of Malachi, (it takes less than ten minutes) pay attention when it begins to talk about the table of the Lord, then becomes more specific about food. It is leading up to the tithe, which was nearly exclusively food.

In fact, the commandment concerning tithe was that they that were qualified would eat the tithe, where they would eat it and who was entitled to eat it.

In the event that an unclean animal was tithed that was not permitted to be eaten, God gave instructions for those occasions as well.

Malachi is entirely consistent with the law of tithing. The law of tithing is nearly unrecognizable from what is taught and believed today. In that vein, the book of Malachi is applicable to today. It is an excellent example of religious leadership abusing the law of tithing.

Another hint: whose obligation was it to bring the tithe to the storehouse of the temple?

Malachi is an excellent book to truly do a deeper dive Bible study on, because most of laity is afraid of it. They have been deceived as to the true meaning of Malachi so they avoid it as a rule.

That’s my take.

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by coksiw

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.

Thanks for replying, but I see it differently. I think the various prophecies such as you've given from Isaiah 65 are not merely confined to the so-called "law of Moses", but have a universal, that is to say, still binding effect as part of the overall Torah of God.

For example, I wouldn't see anyone with a morbid interest in hanging out in graveyards among the tombstones as any kind of pillar or paragon of spiritual wisdom or righteousness any more than I would see someone who fills their maw with swine's flesh or drinks broth made from the cadavers of miscellaneous abominations as such, either.

[coksiw]

I found this article interesting

https://spectrummagazine.org/views/2...emanding-tithe

It apparently caused a commotion among seventh-day adventists.