As we can all bear witness, so many religious leaders in Christianity are using tithe money to buy themselves lands, houses, cars, and whatever might be seen as an inheritance even after the scripture warns in Numbers 18:21-32 that those who receive tithes must not have an inheritance.
Therefore, in this religious discourse, I am going to show what tithe money should really be used for and after reading it you will get to discover what tithe money really means and the places you should pay your tithes according to the Bible.
But before we go into the explanations proper, let us outline the bible verses that show us where to gove our tithes.
What tithe money should be used for.
According to the Bible in Deuteronomy 14:22-26, tithe money should be used for buying whatever your heart desires; – beef, lamb, wine, beer, and eat them with your family in the presence of the Lord, and enjoy yourselves.
And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
It is worth mentioning that this tithe money is not that ten percent profit that comes from your business or your monthly salary, but rather the Bible advice that it should come from selling the tenth you have gathered from all the grain your field produces each year as well as the firstborn of your livestock.
“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
And this should specifically happen in the case where you are living very far away from the temple.
But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you, then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.
Places to pay your tithes according to the Bible.
Below are the places to pay your tithes according to the Bible:
- Eat your tithe in the presence of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 14:22-26)
- Pay your tithes to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:27-29)
- Pay your tithes to the priest. (Numbers 18:25-29).
1. Eat your tithe in the presence of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 14:22-26).
The above scripture instructs that at the end of each year, the worshipper should set aside a tenth of all that their fields and livestock produce: wine, olive oil, firstborn of herds and flocks, and eat in the presence of the Lord with their whole family.
And the main reason was to appreciate God for being the provider of all these things.
Then it goes further to instruct that, in the case where the worshipper is living very far from the temple, they should exchange these things for money ( that is sell them) and when they get to the temple they should buy whatever they like and eat them there.
The things mentioned here include cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish.
2. Pay your tithes to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:27-29)
The second instruction from the Bible about where to pay tithes is to give your tithe to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows.
The reason the scripture mentions paying tithes to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows is that they have no allotment or inheritance among the Israelites.
This second tithing was however instructed to be paid after every three years.
3. Pay your tithes to the priest. (Numbers 18:25-29).
Now paying tithes to the priest was only meant for the Levites who themselves were receiving tithes from the children of Israel.
Aaron was the priest who was serving at that time, so God instructed the Levites to take a tenth of the tithes they receive from the children of Israel and give it to Aaron as their own tithes.
It is worth mentioning here that, Gid was originally entitled to receive the tithes, but afterward, He commanded the Israelites to give his own portion of tithes to the Levites in repayment for the work they were doing in the temple.
Tithing does not mean giving money.
It is so unfortunate how the modern-day Christian is conditioned to believe that; tithing means giving money to a religious leader.
But when you read or study all the bible verses about tithing; you will discover that none of them makes reference to giving money.
Rather tithing simply means a 10%, originally called tenth; of all that your farm and livestock produce.
You can refer back to Deuteronomy 14:22; which says: “you shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year”.
And in 2 Chronicles 31:4-6, it says: Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.
The rules of tithing.
The above scripture in its whole context formulates the rules of tithing in Judaism.
And that law as we have seen so far gives instructions on where we should pay our tithe.
The first tithe is the most neglected in today’s Christianity, that is eating the tithe in the presence of the Lord with your family.
And when you read down that bible portion you will see how God tells the Jews that if the journey to the place of worship is too far, they should sell the tithes and use the proceeds to buy whatever their heart desires.
Reading through verses 27-29 you will see the second type of the tithes.
This second type of tithe was to be paid after every three years to the Levites, widows, strangers, and orphans.
Giving of tithes today in Christianity.
Today, the church emphasizes tithes in the wrong way.
Charismatic leaders admonish their congregation to pay their tithes from every ten percent of the income they make, even if it’s daily.
Believers pay their tithes wrongly to the charismatic leaders and forsake the widows, strangers, and orphans.
Conclusion.
As we can finally see, it is very wrong for a charismatic leader in this modern Christian era to use tithes money to buy houses, cars, or whatever might be seen as an inheritance because the scripture specifically warns in Numbers 18:21-32 that those who receive tithes must not have an inheritance among the people.
