Honor God by Giving

Honor God by Giving

The tithe is an important means of expressing love for God.

Leviticus 27:30-33

“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. ³²And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD. One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”

Leviticus 22:1-3; 1 Corinthians 9:16-21

God commanded Israel to bring the tithe to Him, to honor Him by their giving and to supply the needs of those who labored in the ministry of Word and sacrifice. This tithe was holy unto the Lord, even before it came to fruition on the stalks and trees. Thus to deny the Lord His tithe was tantamount to robbing Him of that which belongs to Him by right (cf. Mal. 3:8).

The discipline of tithing remains important in these days when the Kingdom of God has come (Matt. 23:23). At all times, however, we must remember that the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Ps. 24:1). Whenever needs arise within the household of faith, or among our suffering neighbors, we must not be bound merely by the tithe in what we offer for the needs of others (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:32-35). The tithe is the starting-point of our giving to the Lord, not the end.

Tithes were also to be given from among the flocks and herds of Israel. These may have been somewhat harder to part with, since animals are the source of so much good, but God required them nonetheless. In giving up animals the people of Israel were forfeiting not only immediate good but what we might refer to as opportunity cost—the opportunity for more goods to consume or sell, as well as for more offspring.

God understands this full well. It pleases Him for us to give sacrificially to His work, without grumbling or complaining, and in the full assurance that we can never give away more than He is able to provide in meeting all our needs.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.