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The Blessing of Tithes and Offerings
In the Hebrew system one tenth of the people’s income was set
apart to support the public worship of God. “All the tithe ... is the
Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.” (
Leviticus 27:30
).
But the tithing system did not start with the Hebrews. From
earliest times the Lord claimed a tithe as His. Abraham paid tithes
to Melchizedek, priest of God.
Genesis 14:20
. Jacob promised the
Lord, “Of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
(
Genesis 28:22
). God is the source of every blessing to His creatures,
and our gratitude is due to Him.
The Lord declares, “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine.”
(
Haggai 2:8
). It is God who gives us power to get wealth. To
acknowledge that all things came from Him, the Lord directed that
we should return a part of His abundance to Him.
“The tithe ... is the Lord’s.” The form of expression is the same
as in the Sabbath law: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord
your God.” (
Exodus 20:10
). God reserved a specific part of our time
and our money, and we cannot, without guilt, use either for our own
interests.
The tithe was to be devoted exclusively to the Levites who had
been set apart for the service of the sanctuary. In no way, however,
was this the limit of the contributions for religious purposes. The
tabernacle, like the temple later, was built entirely by freewill offer-
ings, and to provide for necessary repairs and other expenses, Moses
directed that at certain times each person should contribute a half
shekel for “the service of the tabernacle.” (See
Exodus 30:12-16
).
From time to time, people brought sin offerings and thank offerings
to God, and generous provision was made for the poor.
The people were constantly reminded that God was the true
owner of their fields, their flocks, and their herds. He sent them
sunshine and rain for their planting time and harvest, and He made
them managers of His goods.
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