Deuteronomy chapter 14.
God goes in great detail to ensure his people are holy and defines clearly what is an act that is Holy and what is detestable. I wish I was that careful and self-conscious of my thoughts and actions so that I was always making sure I was holy.
Also, tithing was so important in the Old testament and still is. There seems to be four areas that suffer if a person begins to struggle with their faith or struggle with how their faith is to be lived out.
1. They quit going to church.
2. They quit reading the Bible.
3. They quit hanging around Christian friends.
4. They don't tithe.
Tithing is a way of revering God. A way of giving him the glory. The way of saying thank you for him taking care of our needs. In the Old testament we see how tithing was used for the upkeep of the church and for taking care of the pastor's or priests. But it also was important for the different ministries. In this chapter we see how it was to be used to help the pastors, widows and orphans. The church is to be so aware of needs around them and the church is to do ministry to the needs around them. Today we still have kids without parents and widows and homeless people and poor people and people who are lost without Christ. Our tithe is so essential in helping these ministries move forward. In the book of Malachi it addresses the issue about people keeping their tithe so they can buy it on personal items. It says that you use God's money to buy personal items. I wonder how much money every year gets taken from God and the ministry of the church because people used it on self: a new car, new home, new four-wheeler, new toys in general.
God says he wants to bless us but we have to be willing to look outside our walls and on to the needs of others. God says you tithe and I'll bless you. And blessings doesn't necessarily mean, and more often than not, that we're going to get rich because we tithe.
Chapter 14 could be divided into two sections with the first section being about what foods were clean and unclean while the second section is about the tithe. Some animals carried diseases and there were also nations that honored certain animals. God was setting Israel apart from the other nations and He wanted them to only honor Him.
Jesus talked about what food could be eaten in Mark 7:14-23
And He (Jesus) called the people to Him again and said to them, “Hear Me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when He had entered the house and left the people, His disciples asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
“Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.”
This verse struck me this morning. We are the Lord’s treasured possession. He treasures us and wants to bless us. I believe through tithing we ARE blessed. It’s not something to be viewed as giving up or losing, but gaining in what we can give to others. The old saying, it is better to give than to receive, is so very true. What’s amazing about the church, like you said Blair, it must be in tune to the needs of the community. The tithing we do gets distributed as needed. In a way, the church does the hard work, we just need to give.
“and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
I know I want the Lord to bless me in the work that I do! What I receive from that blessed work (a paycheck) doesn’t belong to me, as all glory belongs to God. So tithing is giving back to God what He has blessed us with!
Thank you Jim for adding what Jesus says in the New Testament! I was a bit concerned as I know here in the US eating pig and even rabbit is very common!
,for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
I agree with you Sarah….
this verse warmed my heart