ARE WE ON THE RIGHT PATH WHEN IT COMES TO TITHING : : THE LEVITES

We need positive contribution, its all about my very mind. We need more input on this topic, “tithe”.

Let's first view tithing from old testaments.

FIRST TITHE

The first tithing was when lot, Abraham's cousin was caught in battle at Sodom, he pursued the four kings and defeated them, took back all goods, peoples including Lot.

He met Melchizedek (Priest of Most High God) and offer tenth of what he came back with.
He did that in appreciation.

Genesis 14: 19-20
19 so he blessed him with these words: 'Blessed be Avram by El 'Elyon, maker of heaven of earth.
20 and blessed be El 'Elyon, who handed your enemies over to you.' Avram gave him a tenth of everything.

JACOB OFFERS A TITHE

Jacob needed God's help, then place a promise of tithe to it, tenth of all He will give him.

GEN. 28:20–22
20 Ya'akov (Jacob) took this vow: 'If God will be with me and will guard me on this road that I am traveling, giving me bread to eat and clothes to wear,
21 so that I return to my father's house in peace, then ADONAI will be my God;
22 and this stone, which I have set up as a standing-stone, will be God's house; and of everything you give me, I will faithfully return one-tenth to you.'

THE TITHE IS INTRODUCED AS LAW

This is at time of moses , he put the law on Israelites.
Everyone must bring in tenth of his or her planted seed. If you want to give money instead, then you will give 12% instead of 10%.
At animal, one have to keep every tenth while counting.

LEV. 27:30–34
30 ''All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs to ADONAI; it is holy to ADONAI.
31 If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.
32 ''All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's crook, the tenth one will be holy to ADONAI.
33 The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.''
34 These are the mitzvot which ADONAI gave to Moshe for the people of Isra'el on Mount Sinai.

TITHES ESTABLISHED FOR THE LEVITES

At this point moses anointed Aaron as the chief priest . at the at point the levites were given special function never to them. but stays as ministers of God. They get no inheritance but eat from tithes but after they must have removed tenth of each and every one of them. So a levite must be from the tribe of Levi and must have that function of ministerial duties to God only.

NUM. 18:20-26
20 ADONAI said to Aharon, 'You are not to have any inheritance or portion in their land; I am your portion and inheritance among the people of Isra'el.
21 'To the descendants of Levi I have given the entire tenth of the produce collected in Isra'el. It is their inheritance in payment for the service they render in the tent of meeting.
22 From now on, the people of Isra'el are not to approach the tent of meeting, so that they will not bear the consequences of their sin and die.
23 Only the L'vi'im are to perform the service in the tent of meeting, and they will be responsible for whatever they do wrong. This is to be a permanent regulation through all your generations. They are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra'el,
24 because I have given to the L'vi'im as their inheritance the tenths of the produce which the people of Isra'el set aside as a gift for ADONAI. This is why I have said to them that they are to have no inheritance among the people of Isra'el.'
25 ADONAI said to Moshe,
26 'Tell the L'vi'im, 'When you take from the people of Isra'el the tenth of the produce which I have given you from them as your inheritance, you are to set aside from it a gift for ADONAI, one tenth of the tenth

OFFERINGS AND TITHES

Offering is to offer what you have at any time. No specific thing and no specific amount. Offering can come in different forms like burnt offering and so on.

You have to make a tithe every year. But you will take it to a place God chooses for you and eat it in appreciation. Also remember the Levite's.

Also at the end of every 3years, you have to take one tenth and store it. From this you give to orphans, needy, remember your community and also those outside your community, the homeless also remember the Levites.

DEUT. 14:22–29
22' Every year you must take one tenth of everything your seed produces in the field,
23 and eat it in the presence of ADONAI your God. In the place where he chooses to have his name live you will eat the tenth of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, so that you will learn to fear ADONAI your God always.
24 But if the distance is too great for you, so that you are unable to transport it, because the place where ADONAI chooses to put his name is too far away from you; then, when ADONAI your God prospers you,
25 you are to convert it into money, take the money with you, go to the place which ADONAI your God will choose,
26and exchange the money for anything you want - cattle, sheep, wine, other intoxicating liquor, or anything you please - and you are to eat there in the presence of ADONAI your God, and enjoy yourselves, you and your household.
27 'But don't neglect the Levi staying with you, because he has no share or inheritance like yours.
28 At the end of every three years you are to take all the tenths of your produce from that year and store it in your towns.
29 Then the Levi, because he has no share or inheritance like yours, along with the foreigner, the orphan and the widow living in your towns, will come, eat and be satisfied - so that ADONAI your God will bless you in everything your hands produce

NEHEMIAH REESTABLISHES THE TITHE

There will be a tithe of first fruit every year.
Also he reminded the Levi of the tenth of tenth that will always be in the store house.

NEH. 10:35–38
35 'Every year we will bring the firstfruits of our land and the firstfruits of all fruit from every kind of tree to the house of ADONAI.
36' We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and of our livestock, as prescribed in the Torah, and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, to the house of our God, to the cohanim ministering in the house of our God.
37' We will bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every kind of tree, wine and olive oil to the cohanim in the storerooms of the house of our God, along with the tenths from our land for the L'vi'im; since they, the L'vi'im, take the tenths in all the cities where we farm.
38 The cohen the descendant of Aharon is to be with the L'vi'im when the L'vi'im take tenths. The L'vi'im will bring the tenth of the tenth to the house of our God, to the storerooms for supplies

THE ROBBING OF GOD

What really happened here? Two things and main thing. One, some Israelites maybe failing in keeping tenth of their goods. But strongly here the Levi are not delivering the tenth of tenth to the storehouse. Remember the Levi are in charge of the store house and have to take tenth from tenth given and deposited in the store house.

This is like corruption we see today, you went to local government, pay sum of money for one purpose or another yet the government won't receive the said money.

MAL. 3:3–11
3 He will sit, testing and purifying the silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold and silver, so that they can bring offerings to ADONAI uprightly.
4 Then the offering of Y'hudah and Yerushalayim will be pleasing to ADONAI, as it was in the days of old, as in years gone by.
5 Then I will approach you for judgment; and I will be quick to witness against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers; against those who take advantage of wage-earners, widows and orphans; against those who rob the foreigner of his rights and don't fear me,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot.
6 'But because I, ADONAI, do not change, you sons of Ya'akov will not be destroyed.
7 Since the days of your forefathers you have turned from my laws and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot. 'But you ask, 'In respect to what are we supposed to return?'
8 Can a person rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How have we robbed you?' In tenths and voluntary contributions.
9 A curse is on you, on your whole nation, because you rob me.
10 Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse, so that there will be food in my house, and put me to the test,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot. 'See if I won't open for you the floodgates of heaven and pour out for you a blessing far beyond your needs.
11 For your sakes I will forbid the devourer to destroy the yield from your soil; and your vine will not lose its fruit before harvest-time,' says ADONAI-Tzva'ot

ISRAELITES DEFEATED MANY CITIES

At a point when Israelites destroyed so many gods in the land. Normality retired. Tithes were given as before to Levi.
There was enough in the house of Levi and a storehouse was ordered to be made. Then tenth was moved into the storehouse for God. Something happens from this point in Malachi….. Just come with me

2 CHRON. 31:10-12
11 Then Hizkiyahu ordered storerooms prepared in the house of ADONAI. After preparing them,

1. they faithfully brought in the offerings, the required tenths and the consecrated things. Konanyahu the Levi was put in charge of them, with Shim'i his brother as his assistant.

DON’T NEGLECT THE WEIGHTIER ISSUES

Neglecting most important people and important things to do. You keep making sure you tithe while neglecting those at your mercy, neglecting those at orphanage, neglecting those in need.

MATT. 23:23
23 "Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers and P'rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah- justice, mercy, trust. These are the things you should have attended to- without neglecting the others!

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We now look at our own moment.

Questions like

• Do Jesus pay tithe?
• Do the disciples pay tithes?

Next we ask...

• Why do tithes resurfaces after about 600 years?
• And why is tithe now a monthly due that one will even go to extent of subjecting another into condemnation?

We come to questions like, who's right...

• Who and who have the spiritual right to collect tithe, since its holy? (At the old testaments levites were in charge.
• Is it a sin for a non Levi to collect tithe?

Do pastors of today apply the method of removing one tenth from tithe been collected from members?

As in Malachi , at a point the Levi stop bringing in tenth to storehouse.
Any correlation to today's men of God?

Read that Malachi very well, I think its time to make use of it against your pastors.

From the old, you suppose to eat your tithes for two years. The third year for livites.

• How do we come to a monthly contribution?
• What really went wrong?
• Where do we miss it all?
• Are we to enrich the church or the church to enrich us?

We look at happenings in our country

Can the poor go to schools and universities of so many pastors of today , even in truth, all are built with tithe money?

The same thing Jesus said at Matthew 25:35 down….( we neglected the wealthier things)

If every rich Nigerian give to the poor around him or her tenth, do you think any will be poor today?

Corinthian says, you are the church!

If we really want to maintain the church, then we must start by maintaining every individual we see that's in need.

We seek for his or her need and not wait for him/her to ask.

Paying tithes never a Christian practice because Jesus never paid tax so to His disciples.

Do we really want to follow Him?

Give give give…

If you love paying tithes then you have to travel to isreal and meet the levites and pay your tithes accordingly.

If you want to be blessed, GIVE!
He said blessed is the one that is giving….

Don't subject yourself into issues above you. Don't play a guilty card. Each month you panic about your tithe, are you still under boundage?

If you really want to destroy devourer in your life, in your family and in your generation as a Christian please GIVE FREELY .

• Goto hospitals and start paying bills
• Goto schools and start paying school fees.
• Goto universities and ask why our ladies do chose to be prostitutes….NO MONEY FOR FEES.
• instead of building a hotel in your village build industries and employ youths.
• Goto orphanages and supply foods.

AFFECT THE CHURCH(WHICH IS INDIVIDUALS) POSITIVELY.

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