Tithe not binding?

[Hounddog]

I am aware of someone who has researched the topic of tithe and come to the conclusion that it was a tax on farming types activities and we are no longer obligated to pay tithe. How would you answer this belief? Can you think of any non-farming activities in the bible where people paid a tithe, not counting the upcoming situation?

Given that Abraham paid a tithe on the booty he got from a war effort directly to Melchizedek, what did Melchizedek do with this tithe?

[newbie]

tithe is still binding no matter what people try and 'reason' it to be...

it is actually our privilege to tithe...  to give back and we receive a blessing... if you take away the tithe, you also take away the blessing also...

[Listen]

God gave us the gift of choice.  He also gave us the gift of His son to die for our sins but we have to accept.
I have a problem with the ideas of obligation and give to receive.  Don't we give because we already have received His gift of His Spirit living within us?  Don't we do His will for us because we love Him and want to do as He has asked?

[Raven]

I am aware of someone who has researched the topic of tithe and come to the conclusion that it was a tax on farming types activities and we are no longer obligated to pay tithe. How would you answer this belief?

Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for paying tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, while forgetting the "weightier matters of the law."  He then said that they should have done both.  Sounds like a ringing endorsement of tithe paying to me.  And then there was the matter of "Render unto Caesar . . . ., and unto God the things that are Gods."  What things are God's?  He told us in more than one place that the tithe is His, but especially in that well known passage in Malachi.

[Ed Sutton]

Psalms 50:12  If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

Haggai 2:8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

(God owns the whole Earth and us - how are we to tithe the Earth and ourselves unto God ? ) The Bible says.

Exodus 19:5  Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

1 Corinthians 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 7:23  Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.
------
(God owns time and appoints things in time as He wishes ) thus time is tithable unto God, but can not be bought or sold with money.
Psalms 31:15  My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.

Daniel 7:25  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (The times and laws thought to be changed - owned by God, not the little horn.)

Daniel 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.  (past, present, future time is God's property to do with as He sees fit.)

(swearing is sign of ownership and ability to control according to the rights and abilities of ownership.)
Matthew 5:
34  But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
35  Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Malachi 3:1-10  no time limitations given upon the perpetuity of  dealing with God's goods as He specifies, despite any promises from God as rewards of obedience.   You either grew all or some of your food, and bought what you did not grow, the conditions nor promises neither one, limit tithing to farmers.  Such limitations are bad hermeneutics, could the context show in this passage, that, if you eat, you render to God cheerful tithes and offerings, otherwise you don't eat. 

[Larry Lyons]

If you want to make the pastor's jopb to be a voluntary- self- supporting position, hinder or stop the work of the church as an organized entity and scatter the flock, just convince enough of the members to stop paying tithe.

[newbie]

God gave us the gift of choice.  He also gave us the gift of His son to die for our sins but we have to accept.
I have a problem with the ideas of obligation and give to receive.  Don't we give because we already have received His gift of His Spirit living within us?  Don't we do His will for us because we love Him and want to do as He has asked?

didn't mean to imply this...yes, we give because it is the right thing to do and it is out of love for what Jesus has done... no denying that
but we have such a loving God that if we do the right things in this life He will reward us with blessings beyond what we can even imagine

[Listen]

He will reward us with blessings.  Yes He will and does daily but at the same time our motivation for doing what we do makes all the difference as to whether we are working/paying for the reward or because we Love Him and doing His will is most important.

I googled tithe in the KJV and "tenth of your increase"
Genesis 14:20     And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Numbers 18:21   And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Leviticus 27:30   And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.
Leviticus 27:32   And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
2 Chronicles 31:5   And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

The verses saying, all the tenth and the tithe of all things. Wouldn't that be money also.

Hounddog, those are great ?'s and I have really enjoyed looking up verses in the Bible.  Is this one of those things that has to be looked at in principle since we do not use the barter system as they did then but almost exclusively money.   It could be looked at as mentioning the herd, flock or field is just a more descriptive detail of all.  Hmmmm

[Ed Sutton]

Genesis 28:10-22    What did Jacob do, and WHY ?  The why is very very important .

( Looking at the why )  Jacob tenth =  hits {CC 65.1-.4} 


The tithing system reaches back beyond the days of Moses. Men were required to offer to God gifts for religious purposes before the definite system was given to Moses, even as far back as the days of Adam. ......{CCh 276.1} ........

.......The reward of whole-souled liberality is the leading of mind and heart to a closer fellowship with the Spirit. 510 {CCh 277.4}

[Listen]

Jesus rebuked the Jewish leaders for paying tithe of mint, anise, and cumin, while forgetting the "weightier matters of the law."  He then said that they should have done both.

Straining at gnats and swallowing camels

Keeping the letter of the law but missing the spirit 

[Ed Sutton]

Tithe between the born again convert and God is one of many seatbelts of the heart.  If that seatbelt is no longer binding toward the conscience, it's because the former believer has unbucked their heart from God.  As far as absolute requirement that denotes undefiled readiness to enter New Jerusalem, look at the verse about thieves.

1 Corinthians 6:10  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Matthew 25:
18  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

With holding Tithe & Offerings = fear of want, selfishness, refusal to choose to trust God to support & sustain.

Psalms 37:
25  I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26  He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
27  Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
28  For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29  The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
30  The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
31  The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.


Romans 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

In the heart of the non tithe payer - is God's law of benevolence and trust - in the heart ?

[Hounddog]

Thank you all for all the postings on this topic that will go along with a couple I picked up myself in reading..

[dedication]

Malachi 3:8-12  ESV

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.


Proverbs 11:24  ESV
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.


Hebrews 7:6
 those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people,

 1 Corinthians 9:13-14   
   Do you not know that they which minister about holy things live [of the things] of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?     Even so has the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.