The First Tithe (Old Covenant)

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30“‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh’s. It is holy to Yahweh. Leviticus 27:30

19All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, I have given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your offspring with you.” 20Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. 21“To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. Numbers 18:19-21

Yahweh first made provision for His ministers, the Levites. These servants of the Old Covenant lived off of the first tithe (tenth) which were given daily by all those in covenant with Yahweh. This was a commandment from God Himself; to disobey was to break the commandment of the Law and incur all the curses contained therein. The first tithe was such a part of Yahweh's mind that He called them "His." Thus, in reality, the first tithe of each Israelite's increase did not even belong to them. It was God's from the beginning.

As said above, the tithe is already Yahweh's, therefore to not give it back to Him is to rob Him.

8Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. 9You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. Malachi 3:8-9

The Lord Jesus showed us that it is right and good to tithe on all of our increase to the priests, just as the Pharisees had practiced, even though the other weightier matters of the Law they had left undone. Thus, the Christ upheld the commandment of the Law with respect to tithing, as He did with the rest of God's Law (Matthew 5:17-18).

23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. Matthew 23:23

See also (Luke 11:42).

Christ therefore reminds us that to consciously disobey God, even in one of the least commandments, is sin and is cause for a lowering of position in the coming Kingdom (Matthew 5:19). We should obey all His commandments, out of love (1 John 5:3).

We see that the reason for this first tithe is so that there would be food in God's House (Malachi 3:10). The Levitical priesthood had no other inheritance except the tithes of the children of Israel. If Israel did not bring in their first tithe every day, God's Temple remained desolate. Because daily sacrifices were required, God had set up His nation so that there would always be food for His servants by means of those they ministered to at the altar. Thus, we see the importance of giving the first tithe under the Law, and should not be surprised that Yahweh uses such strong language when referring to it.

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The Good Message

As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.

But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.

This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, Christ Jesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.

You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.

God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.

That Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.

His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.

The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.

So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.

Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!