Covenant Contrasts Part 14
(The old covenant verses that you will read in this series are true. They are God-breathed Scripture. But their time is over. They have no bearing on our new covenant lives with Jesus. Yet they are taught Sunday after Sunday as words to live by. They fill our Christian books, devotionals, and sermons. This mixed covenant message leads to confusion, frustration, angst, and a huge lack of confidence in our life with Jesus. And this way of teaching must come to an end. May you grow in the knowledge and grace of the new covenant as we study these covenant contrasts together.)
A quick study of the tithe in the Old Testament produces these highlights. First, it’s purpose was to meet the needs of the Levites. This tribe of priests was not given any land as an inheritance. So they relied on the tithe of the children of Israel for their sustenance. “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting” (Numbers 18:21).
Second, the tithe items that appear in the Old Testament are seed, fruit, produce, oxen, sheep, grain, wine, and oil. “Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S; it is holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 27:30). “You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year” (Deuteronomy 14:22). “The sons of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of sacred gifts which were consecrated to the LORD their God, and placed them in heaps” (2 Chronicles 31:6). “All Judah then brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses” (Nehemiah 13:12). A concordance search of “tithe” or “tithes” shows no evidence of money being collected.
Finally, God pronounced punishment upon the children of Israel when they abandoned the tithe, and prosperity when they put it back into practice. ” ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, “How have we robbed You?” In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows’ “ (Malachi 3:8-10).
My point? ALL of this tithe business is old covenant. And it is over for new covenant saints. The word tithe only appears two times in the New Testament, both in Jesus’ accusation against the Pharisees that they tithe their garden herbs but ignore the more important practices of love, mercy, justice, and faithfulness. Tithe or tithes is nowhere to be found in any of the apostles’ letters of instruction to the church.
So why do so many Bible teachers today emphasize the tithe or, in some cases, require a tithe to be collected from the congregation? How many times, for example, have you heard this Malichi passage preached at you? I can say with new covenant confidence, this warning and promise do not apply to God’s new covenant saints. Do not let any church leader tell you what amount you are required to give to their ministry. There are no godly percentages. The requirement under the new covenant is ZERO!
So there is no giving under the new covenant? Yes there is, but it is exactly that; GIVING as in a gift, not meeting a tithe requirement. In the New Testament, Paul gives us at least four principles for new covenant giving. Give generously. Give purposely. Give cheerfully. Give according to your ability, according to what you have available to give.
Give generously. “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). This “reaping” is not necessarily for yourself, but the fruit of the gospel going forth.
Give purposely and cheerfully. “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Give out of what you have. “For if the desire to give is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have” (2 Corinthians 8:12).
And included in these instructions is “do not give under compulsion.” Paul specifically addresses the pressure leaders place on their people to give. You are free from giving under compulsion. You are free of a percentage. You are free of the tithe. You are free to give generously, cheerfully, and according to your ability. The old covenant is over. The tithe is over.