If we faithfully give to God a tithe, that is, a tenth of all our income, will that mean that we will automatically receive a blessing every time? What is the meaning of the promise in Malachi 3:10? And is the “storehouse” to which we bring the tithe solely the local church?
God had no other recourse than to show the people one example of their failure of turning back to him: their failure to tithe and make offerings to him. This is not to imply that this was the only area where the nation had failed, but it would serve well enough for those who were unconvinced that they had turned their backs on God. They were robbing God of the tenth that belonged to him.
The tithe was generally considered to be a tenth of what a person earned, for that is what the priest of Salem (Jerusalem), Melchizedek (Gen 14:20), received from Abraham even before the law of Moses gave similar instructions (Lev 27:30). From this tithe, a tenth of it went to the priests, while others who benefited were widows, orphans and resident aliens (Deut 14:28–29).
The offerings, however, were those portions of the animal sacrifices designated for the priests (Ex 29:27–28; Lev 9:22; Num 5:9) or those gifts that were voluntarily given for a special purpose (Ex 25:2–7).
Kaiser, Walter C., et. al., Hard Sayings of the Bible, (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press) 1997.
God had no other recourse than to show the people one example of their failure of turning back to him: their failure to tithe and make offerings to him. This is not to imply that this was the only area where the nation had failed, but it would serve well enough for those who were unconvinced that they had turned their backs on God. They were robbing God of the tenth that belonged to him.
The tithe was generally considered to be a tenth of what a person earned, for that is what the priest of Salem (Jerusalem), Melchizedek (Gen 14:20), received from Abraham even before the law of Moses gave similar instructions (Lev 27:30). From this tithe, a tenth of it went to the priests, while others who benefited were widows, orphans and resident aliens (Deut 14:28–29).
The offerings, however, were those portions of the animal sacrifices designated for the priests (Ex 29:27–28; Lev 9:22; Num 5:9) or those gifts that were voluntarily given for a special purpose (Ex 25:2–7).
Kaiser, Walter C., et. al., Hard Sayings of the Bible, (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press) 1997.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment