Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 11/14/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I used to think that there was a third tithe for the poor mentioned in Deuteronomy, which was collected every three years. I looked up the statements on tithing this weekend in Numbers and Deuteronomy and it appears from the quotes that there was no third tithe, but instead that the regular tithe which was given to the Levites was also supposed to be distributed to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. And that the regular tithe was only collected once every 3 years, and not on an annual basis. Here is the quote from Deuteronomy 26: 12-15, and another one from Deuteronomy 14: 27-29. (The quote from Deut. 14:27-29 is written after the tithe for festivals is described, and so it is a separate tithe, since the tithe for festivals is every year Deut. 14:22-23. And in fact it is the same as the tithe described in Deut. 26:12-15, which is the tithe to Levites, since it is every three years and goes to both Levites and the poor. It must be the same as the tithe for Levites, since why would they be getting another tithe if they already have one? Therefore the tithe to Levites was once every 3 years and the Levites and priests were expected to share it with the poor.) In Deuteronomy 26:12 it says that the third year is "the year of tithing."  

In Numbers there are passages about tithing to Levites and priests, but it doesn’t say how often that tithe is supposed to be, only in Deuteronomy does it specify that it’s once every 3 years. This tithe once every 3 years cannot be another third tithe, because it says that it is for Levites also, and if they already have one tithe for them in Numbers then why a second tithe. Deuteronomy was a retelling of the Law, and the only references to tithing for Levites in Deuteronomy are these which say that it is only once every 3 years. It makes most sense that the tithes described in Numbers were given once every three years and the Levites and priests were expected to distribute some of that to the poor, since they were the tribe sacred to God.

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 (The tithe for festivals)
22 “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide…

Deuteronomy 14: 27-29 (Tithe for Levites)
27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you. 28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

Deuteronomy 26: 12-15 (Tithe for Levites)
12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

10% once every three years is 3.33% annually. That’s pretty much what most evangelicals give annually according to statistics.  


Do you agree with me?

-Josh


ANSWER: Blessings and thank you for your question.

The idea of tithing has always been a devisive issue among Christians.  I believe in tithing, more than that, I believe in generous giving over and above a 10%.  But, let's look at your questions.

Deut 24:22 "Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year."  The people of Israel were an agricultural society.  They didn't have manufacturing or other wealth producing incomes.  They were shepherds and farmers.  God told them to tithe a 10% EVERY YEAR of their fields.  It was all they had.  So God in fact was asking for a 10th of their income each year.  

14:22–27  This section does not refer to the first tithe (Lev. 27:30–33), which belonged to God alone, was given to the Levites, and was not to be eaten by the Israelites. Rather it refers to a secondary tithe, called the festival tithe, part of which the offerer himself ate. Generally speaking, these secondary tithes were to be brought to the place which God appointed as the center for worship. However, if the offerer lived so far from ... the place where God placed His name that he was not able to carry his tithe there, he could exchange the produce for money, carry the money to God’s sanctuary, and buy food and drink there to be enjoyed before the Lord. Notice in verse 26 that the Bible does not teach total abstinence. But it does teach moderation, self-control, non-addiction, and abstinence from anything that would cause offense to another. The difference between wine and strong drink is that wine is made from grapes, and strong drink is made from grain, fruit, or honey. For two years the offerer was required to go up with either the tithe or its monetary equivalent.
14:28, 29  In the third year he used the tithe at home to feed the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow

The Ritual for Firstfruits (26:1–11)
After the people were settled in the land, they were supposed to go to God’s sanctuary and present the first of all the produce to the priest in joyful recognition of what God had done. Then they were to rehearse the Lord’s gracious dealings with them, beginning with their ancestor, Jacob (a wandering Syrian), going on to the slavery in Egypt, God’s mighty deliverance, and concluding with their possession of the land flowing with milk and honey. Phillip Keller explains this colorful term:
In the Scriptures the picture portrayed of the Promised Land, to which God tried so hard to lead Israel from Egypt, was that of a “land flowing with milk and honey.” Not only is this figurative language but also essentially scientific terminology. In agricultural terms we speak of a “milk flow” and a “honey flow.” By this we mean the peak season of spring and summer, when pastures are at their most productive stages. The livestock that feed on the forage and the bees that visit the blossoms are said to be producing a corresponding “flow” of milk or honey. So a land flowing with milk and honey is a land of rich, green, luxuriant pastures. And when God spoke of such a land for Israel He also foresaw such an abundant life of joy and victory and contentment for His people. 18

The Ritual for the Third Year Tithe (26:12–15)
In addition to the above firstfruits, the Jews were to offer a second tithe, called the festival tithe (See above), which was to be shared with the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow every third year. This tithe was to be distributed to the needy in their own towns. The people then had to testify before the Lord that they had obeyed ... all of the commands concerning the tithe.


So you see the third year tithe was in ADDITION to the regular 10% each year.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,

Thank you for your answer. But I am not concentrating on the festival tithe. I only mention it to show that it was not the same thing as the tithe which was once every 3 years.

What I am concentrating on is the tithe every 3 years. I have heard the argument that this was a separate tithe from the one mentioned in Leviticus and Numbers, but that does not make sense, because when refering to the tithe every 3 years Deuteronomy 26:13 says: "then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me..."

From the language here it is clear that this tithe every 3 years fulfilled the tithe requirements of the Law. And in Deuteronomy 26:12 it calls the third year; "the year of tithing".

In Leviticus and Numbers tithing is mentioned, but it is not said how often this tithe was to be. That is only said in Deuteronomy. If the Levites already had one tithe, why would they need a second tithe. The Levites didn't just live off tithes, they also lived off offerings and husbandry. They were given common land around all their cities to graze their animals. Deuteronomy is a retelling of the law, yet this is the only tithe which is mentioned for Levites. If the law is retold, why isn't the other tithe for Levites mentioned in Deuteronomy? And why does this tithe fulfill the requirements of the law?

In Deuteronomy the tithe every 3 years is mentioned twice. Once in chapter 14 (Deuteronomy 14:27-29) and then again in chapter 26 (Deuteronomy 26:12-15). If there were two tithes for Levites, then they were both given only once every 3 years.

You said that the tithe of Deuteronomy was a local tithe. But so is the one in Leviticus and Numbers. Levites lived in 48 cities throughout the nation. What they collected was all local. That's why Then the Levites had to tithe on what they received and give it to the priestly family of Aaron.

In Nehemiah 10 it says that they gave the tithe year by year. But by the time of the book of Nehemiah the children of Israel were decreased to only 3 tribes (levi, judah, and benjamin), and most Israelites were still in Babylon, so to make up the difference the Jews in Israel made new laws for themselves which bound themselves to giving more than normal. But these were man made laws, not God given laws. It says once in Nehemiah 10 that they did as God commanded in the Law, but that was in reference to giving the first born of their sons and cattle to God, and did not deal with the tithe or how often they gave it. Just look up Nehemiah 10.

It is also possible that in Nehemiah 10, when saying that they gave a tithe year by year, that it means that the tithe once every 3 years was collected in different years from different groups, so that every year at least one group gave a tithe. For example: The first year one third of the people give their tithe, then the second year the next third of the people give their tithe, and the third year the third part of the people give their tithe. And so year by year tithes were given. But individuals only gave once every 3 years.

Scripture cannot contradict itself. God does not put burdens on his people. That's why Paul worked with his hands to make money, so that he would not be a burden on his new converts. That's why he said that a man should give as he has purposed in his heart, and be a cheerful giver. It's impossible to be a cheerful giver if you can't pay your rent or mortgage or feed your children. The 10% on your gross is a burden to the poor, who can't afford it. It creates an elitist church run by the wealthy. In my area there are churches where you have to show your pay stub to the church staff to prove you are tithing, otherwise you can't be a member. Where is God's love for the poor in that kind of Church. The words of James, where he said not to discriminate against the poor, are completely ignored in such churches. I remember I was in a sunday school class where the teacher was a lawyer and he made a joke about people who shopped at Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store and called them white trash. Is that the Christian spirit? Is Christ, who died to set us free, now going to enslave us with a burden which a good number of people literally cannot pay. Martin Luther denounced the sale of indulgences. This is not far from that. In the writings of all the early Church fathers there is not one reference to tithing. In fact Tertullian said the opposite, by saying that everyone gives a little amount, and no one is forced, all is voluntary. Tithing did not enter the Christian Church till the 7th century at a council which declared it in Europe. Tithing did not enter the Baptist Church till 1870, when missionary societies were getting big and needed more funding. But the founders of the Baptist Church, John Smyth, Thomas Helwys, and Roger Williams, were all dead set against the preaching of tithing. They saw how it had corrupted the Anglican and Catholic Churches and refused to do the same. Tithing was for the nation of Israel alone, not for New Testament Christians who are not a nation. And even when it did existed in Israel it was only once every 3 years. It's as plain as day and the only reason I can see why pastors don't recognize that is because it pays their salary.

Sorry about my ranting. But I've had it with all this talk about tithing. I even heard a Pastor say that if I did not tithe then I was living in sin under a curse. But he didn't offer to pay my mortgage, or taxes, or even to feed of buy clothes for my children. Christ came to free us, and not create a new burden to enslave us.

-Josh

Answer
Blessings,

I think I understand where you are coming from. This isn't really an issue on "how much"  it is a heart issue.  

Now, the tithe was for both the poor and the rich.  Now that might not sound fair, but that was God's command.  The Bible tells us not to test God, but God told us to test Him with the tithe.  "Mal 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

I do not come from a rich church.  I live in a blue collar steel town.  I know what it is like not to have money to pay your bills.  I know what it is like to "work for a living."  But my lack of money does not give me an excuse not to tithe, not to give "generously."  Generousity does not come from our abundance, it comes from our sacrifice. A rich person giving money isn't a sacrifice, but a poor man is. Remember the story of the "widow's mite?"  Is it a sacrifice to tithe when you are struggling?  Yes, I live that every week, every month. But I have found that my money goes farther if I have tithed.  When I don't, it seems my bills are larger and some unexpected bill comes.  

What others have said to you about "Wal-mart", or "White Trash" is unexcusable.  God hates it when the rich look down upon or put down the poor.  God has a special place in His heart for the poor.  

We could argue for years about what the Bible says about tithing.  Ultimately, it is a matter of the heart.  Take this arguement up with the Lord, see how He leads you.