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Author and former military man Frank Chase Jr. grew in Baltimore, MD. He got interested in writing from watching movies and listening to a radio show called mystery theatre, but it was only in his thirties after a divorce that his desire to write escalated. His debut book “False Roads to Manhood: What Women Need to Know: What Men Need to Understand” took him seven years of research and writing. If he weren’t a writer, Frank would be a stage actor as it has been his passion since high school.Being a writer has taught him that everyone will not agree with you or what you may write, but it leaves a record and a legacy that can help future generations long after you have passed on. He is currently writing a scripture-centered book and also plans on writing a fiction novel soon. Read full interview…

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Were Offerings in the Old Testament Money?

Malachi 3:8 is the bread and butter of tithe proponents. It is the main scripture used to enforce a mandatory monetary tithe in the church today. Many believers never question the doctrine because of fear of a curse from God. The conspiracy to change the biblical tithe from an agricultural base to a monetary base began before many of us were born. The scriptures read in Malachi 3:8-11:

Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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 such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;

The key to interpreting these verses is to ascertain the main subject, which is food not money. God said to them to bring the tithe into the storehouse (barn) so there would be food (to eat) in his house for the Levites when they were on duty in the temple. The verse starts out by saying that the priest robbed God in Tithes and Offering. And yet people want so bad to make these verses refer to money when the context is clear that God interest was in agricultural products and herds and flocks. We know that tithes in this verse is based on the Hebrew word Ma’aser, which means everything edible. So what was God implying when he said to the people in Malachi that they were also robbing him in offerings also? Were offerings money? Here’s how the pulpit preacher butchers this verse. They say that a believer can’t  or God won’t accept an offering from them until they first pay their tithe. But in Malachi it say tithes, which is plural and tithes is mentioned first. So that means tithes come from many products, and money is not one of them. In previous blogs, I wrote about three different tithes in Israel and I also covered the various tithes in my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?. So looking at this verse which references tithes and offerings it is clear many people in today’s churches are not paying tithes and offerings like Malachi 3:8-10 dictates.

So what does the offerings consist of in Malachi 3:8-10 and what kind were they? In this blog, I will give you a short list of scriptures on offerings for you to read so that you can determine for yourself whether offering are simply money you give on every Sunday morning tithe stickup. The offerings we are going to look at come from Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. I will not list everyone in the Bible, but you will know from this list what offerings consisted of and its purpose.

1. Exodus 13:12 first Offspring of every womb:  that you shall set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’s (NKJV).    In this verse, we see that first-born male animals were dedicated to the Lord. In follow on verses donkeys was not accepted but had to be redeemed with a lamb. So that means the herder gave the donkey and bought it back with a lamb. Also God wanted every firstborn male child, but they were also bought back the parents and told to remember this as God killed the first-born males in Egypt. In this verse, there is no money request from Yahweh in the law of the firstborn. 
2. Exodus 29:14 Sin offering:  But the meat, the skin and the food still  in the bull’s stomach must be burned outside the camps as an offering to ask forgiveness for the sins of the priests (CEV). In this verse, which requires a sin offering is clear is that in the old covenant, payment for sins committed required the life of an animal. So the question is, if the pastor says you can’t pay an offering until you first tithe, then are you using money to pay for your sins and rejecting the finished work of the Messiah on the cross? As you can see, a sin offering did not require money. The fact is, money can only be offered only if the verse specifically calls out shekels, silver, gold, talents, denari or other forms of biblical money.
3. Exodus 29:18: Burnt offering:  18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD (NKJV).

Burnt offerings don’t look like money to me. To be facetious, I guess you pay your money offering in church and according to the scripture, if they are hundred-dollar bills I guess by scripture you have to set them on fire as a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord. I regress, but it doesn’t look like this verse can be used to extract a money offering from congregants on Sunday.

            4. Exodus 29:40 Drink offering: With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering (NKJV). Here is how it reads in the CEV: With each lamb offer two pounds of your finest flour mixed with a quart of pure olive oil, and also pour out a quart of wine as an offering.  

In this verse, the text is painting a picture of full-fledged dinner cooked up for the evening for God. So far the offerings that Malachi speaks of appear related to food and not money. So the question becomes, does Malachi’s offerings have anything to do with robbing God of money? So as you can see, this is food offered to God and then he told the offeror to pour out the wine on the fire for sweet aroma to God. Now this wine was not unfermented. This wine in the text is the Hebrew word yayin or yahyin. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, it was fermented wine that Yahweh wanted poured on the fire with the flour, oil and lamb so he could smell it. There goes the false teaching that fermented wine did not exist in the Bible.

           5.  Exodus 29:41 Grain offering:  And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD (NKJV).

In this verse, the priest are offering more edible items to the Lord as offerings. There is no way offerings of money can be assumed from this verse either. Isn’t is amazing that scripture proves itself through context. Offerings in Malachi are what the context tells you not what the preacher tell you to interpret. All the offerings up to this point are related to temple worship.

         6. Exodus 30:10, 16; Annual atonement;  And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD (NKJV).

In this verse once a year atonement was done for the people of Israel. In no way can this be associated with any form of modern-day offerings of money in church. This verse has been fulfilled because Christ has made the final atonement for us on the cross. There is no need for believers today to try to pay money for their sins. To do so using the tithes and offerings according to Malachi is a violation of the all the offerings laws God specifically requested.

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In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? you will find hundreds of reasons why you should stop tithing and embrace New Covenant Grace Giving that Paul taught in the letters written the assemblies in the New Testament. If you would like to read more about tithing, click on the links below to read book bubbles from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

Money in the Temple

Now this is a good place to insert an example of how money came into the temple. In Exodus 30:11-16, the context is clear. When Israel went through a census, God required every man to pay ransom money. The amount of the money was a half a of shekel. The money was used for service of the temple. And notice that it was only men from twenty years old and up.  These verses never ask women and children to pay ransom money. It was the men who were responsible for the financial temple obligation. Wouldn’t it be nice today if women were not responsible for the church financial obligations and the men took the lead for that. Something to think about. Here is God’s ransom money requirement that was not an offering. As you read you will see that the context is about ransom money for the temple to make atonement but not about offerings as money. This money was used for the upkeep of the temple and it was not tithes or offerings. In this verse, both the rich and poor paid the same amount for the temple upkeep. What a novel idea, it almost sounds like a building fund but the problem is, this fund was only collected during census time.

11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. 13 This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.” (NKJV)

Were Offerings in the Old Testament Money Cont.?

But I digress, so let’s get back to the offerings in the Bible. By the time we get to Leviticus, there are several types of offering God requested from the people of Israel. Surely there must be money associated with these offerings. Let’ dig into them to find out.

1. Leviticus 3:1, Fellowship or Peace offering: When his offering is a sacrifice of a peace-offering, if he offers it of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD (NKJV).

In this verse, we see that this offering has no association with money, but God specifically identifies the herd as the fellowship or peace-offering. Both the priest and the giver partook of the meal. This offering was done three-time a year during  the annual three festivals in Israel and thousands of Israelite participated in this practice of the communal meal. The amount of animals killed in these offerings ranged in the thousands. Sounds like a bloody hot mess and lot of cooking going on. Well it looks like no money exchanged hands in the peace/fellowship offering.

           2.  Leviticus 5:15-16 Guilt offering:  If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the LORD, he shall bring   to the LORD as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 16 He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven (ESV).

In these two verses, once again we do see money exchange hands from the one who sinned to the priest who forgave the sin, but this time the payment is for unintentional sins in the holy things of the LORD. The only way to pay for the sin is to bring a ram and its value in silver and give it to the priest along with additional fifth part of it. Some Bible versions record it as twenty percent of value of the ram. Now this guilt offering is payment for the sin and to make restitution to others affected. So the price of the ram is paid in silver to the priest and the individual sins was placed on the ram and sacrificed for forgiveness. Can you imagine paying money for sins today, everybody in the church would be dead broke and destitute for life unintentional sins. I’m glad the Messiah paid the price for our sins once and for all. Glory!

             3. Leviticus 7:11-12, Thanks/peace-offering: 11 ‘This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which he shall offer to the LORD: 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil. 

In this verse, this offering is cakes, wafers and oil. Well, well, here we go again with edible items as offerings. There is a whole lot of food offerings going on in the Old Testament and money is not the major concern of God in mandatory offerings. In Malachi the offerings are not voluntary but mandatory. So the offering the church requests is totally out of context with scripture.

             4. Leviticus 19:23-24 Praise offering:  23 ‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the LORD. 

In this verse, the praise offering is thanking God for the food he provided by his hand after they planted the tree in the promise land. Wow, they could not eat the fruit until five years later and at that time they praised God in the fourth year. A praise offering that had nothing to do with money. But in some churches, you will find people praising God and throwing money on the altar for the pastor when the sermon has got their emotions running high. Folks, don’t get played by the offering requests and stick to giving from your heart.

          5. Leviticus 22:18-21 Freewill offering:  18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘Whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, who offers his sacrifice for any of his vows or for any of his freewill offerings, which they offer to the LORD as a burnt offering— 19 you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats. 20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf. 21 And whoever offers a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.

In these verses, it appears freewill offering that most of us are accustomed to in the form of money has been blow up by the word of the Lord. The freewill offerings mentioned here come from cattle, sheep, and goats. This is shocking evidence that even freewill offerings in the Bible at least in the Old Testament are not money. Money in the old testament was silver and gold metal, but coinage did not appear until the seventh century. Most offerings in the first five books of the Bible related to animals, grain, wine, oil. So it appears that in the Old Testament, there are 1094 verses with the word offering/offerings and just by a scan of them all, none of them clearly defined offering or offering as strictly money. However by the time we get to the New Testament, we know coins were highly in use for temple offerings.

6. Numbers 5:15, Grain offering for Jealousy: Numbers 5: 11-31 deals with the husband offering a grain offering for a wife he believes has cheated on him. The text is worth reading because even if she was not caught or if the husband became jealousy he still had to offer a grain offering for jealousy to free himself from the iniquity. So the wife had to go through the procedure whether innocent or guilty the law of Jealousy. The process required a grain offering without oil or incense on it as reminder of guilt to the accused wife.

7. Numbers 19:17 Purification offering: 17 And for an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin, and running water shall be put on them in a vessel.

This text simply deals the what people must do if they if enter the tent of the dead man or are around a grave or touches a dead man in an open field or a bone of a dead man. As it stands God had many mandatory offerings that covered every possible scenario in the Old Testament, but it appears money was not a required mandatory offering. So in today’s church is the word offering the term used to give from the heart or should the term be gift?

8. In Numbers 28:11-15 God required a monthly burnt offering, which consisted of two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs, pounds of flour mixed with oil. two quarts of wine and a goat along with daily sacrifices. I can tell you one thing about the Old Testament offerings, there was sure a lot animal killings going on. I often wonder how did the clean up all that blood. If offerings are so important, why did God leave out monetary offerings in the Pentateuch?

In this blog, and from what I have studied about tithes and offering,  it appears they were never combined of mixed for any purpose in the OT and the distinction is very clear in the scripture text. No where does the Bible teach that Levites or Priests tithed from offerings they received. In fact, Levites on paid a tithe of the tithe and priests never tithed at all.

Before we go, someone might say that I did not cover offerings in the New Testament (NT). So let’s go into that right now. I found one example of a NT offering being given by the widow in Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 12:41. 1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had. And from the context there is a lot to learn about this widow woman. In fact, because of her widow status, the rich where according to the law were suppose to take care of her but by this time the temple was robbing the very least of these that they were suppose to protect and take care of based on God’s Laws for the widows. The temple was supposed to follow the laws God gave to Israel to take care of widows, but they abdicated that responsibility and violated the law. Jesus made it clear that the teacher of the law were financially taking advantage the widows by devouring their houses. In other words, the teachers of the law were cheating widows out of their homes. And it is no different today when pastors cheat members out of their money by teaching a false doctrine of monetary tithing, which has left many believer poor like the unfortunate widow.

The next time a pastors asks for an offering, you’d better have them explain and clarify which offerings are they talking about in the Bible, sin offering, burnt offering, drink offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, guilt offering, thanks offering, praise offering, freewill offering, reminder offering, memorial offering, purification offering or monthly burnt offering. The Old Testament has 1094 types of offerings and the New Testament only teaches that you give from the heart and you decide the amount  to give based on what you have and not what your don’t have.

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In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? you will find hundreds of reasons why you should stop tithing and embrace New Covenant Grace Giving that Paul taught in the letters written to the assemblies in the New Testament. If you would like to read more about tithing, click on the links below to read book bubbles from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

1. Is the Church the Storehouse for Tithing?
2. Did Jesus Collect Tithes?
3. Will a Man Rob God?
4. Eating Tithes vs. Paying Tithes
5. What are First Fruits in the Bible?
6. Official Orthodox Biblical Tithing Has Passed Away
7. Jesus and his Ministry Never Received Tithes
8. Paul Never Taught Believers to Tithe Money
9. The Church and Its Money Grab Tactics
10. Monetary Tithing is not a Foregone Conclusion
11. Money Tithing or eatable tithing, Which One?
12. Arguments Against Tithing Has a Long History
13. What Does True Giving Look Like?
14. Tithing on Increase
15. The Law Does Not Teach Monetary Tithing
16. Research Brings Truth
17. Understanding Tithing Starts With a Definition
18. The Fight Continues
19. Did Paul Convert the Tithe to Money?
20. How Did God’s Tithe Become Money?

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Thanks Gary for reading my book

Thank Rodney for reading my book

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I hope this blog helps many people in search for truth about the tithe of the Bible. And I hope the lady who was sent a fine for not paying tithe one day discovers my book and know that she is not required to tithe to God, now, in the future becuase of grace and Christ sacrifice on the cross. And if need be I hope she read the New Testament givig slides below so she can be equipped to deal with modern tithe teaching that are not in the Bible. Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway is an ebook from Amazon and in PDF, iPad and Kindle from Book Baby.

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In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? you will find hundreds of reasons why you should stop tithing and embrace New Covenant Grace Giving that Paul taught in the letters written to the assemblies in the New Testament. If you would like to read more about tithing, click on the links below to read book bubbles from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?  Check out my featured AuthorTalkAboutIt interview about my book Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

Also check me out on the sister site of Urban Authors & Writers of America at BIHAPI

It’s amazing when you discover a new biblical truth. That what happened to me several years ago when I went on a biblical journey to study tithing. What I uncovered literally shocked me into truth. I also discovered how easy it is to be biblically ignorant even when you think you are an well informed person. Needless to say, I suspect that many believers are not as astute in biblical theology and understanding. It’s no fault of their own, but when you allow so-called biblical experts tell you what the Bible says, without you doing personal follow-up, you’ll most likely become well informed in biblical error.

In the case of tithing and what the Bible defines as a tithe, many of us have become victims of phantom tithing passages interpreted in mysterious spiritualistic ways to get money for the church. In this post, I really want you to see that many experts, theologians, scholars, and Bible readers have not fallen for the Sunday morning tithe stickup. Where do people get the idea that God requires money as a tithe? I would have to say ignorance, confusion and a lack of scripture study is the culprit. This post will be a list of quotes from many in the christian community debunking the tithe myths that exist today. Based on the research that I have done in my book, kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway, tithing money or paying a tenth of your income is actually not in the Bible. In fact, phantom tithing verses and propaganda come from pervasive biblical illiteracy, and that can be financially dangerous to the believers in church. Proper biblical exegesis, hermeneutics, context and theology have fallen to wayside, and the idea of what a person thinks the scripture means personally has become the standard. That opens the door to private interpretation of the scripture which the Bible warns against. For example, many people think the phrase, “God helps those who helps themselves” is a verse in the Bible when it actually is not in the Bible. Because of phantom verses, many people believe tithing money is in the Bible, when it actually is not. So what are the experts, theologians, scholars saying about tithing? Let’s take a journey. But Before we do that, I would like to share with you, why i resigned from tithing.

What are People Saying About Tithing?

Studying the full scope of tithing as presented in the Bible, one discovers that tithing is first mentioned in Genesis 14: 17-24, where Abraham is described as “giving” a voluntary offering of a tenth to Melchizedek, King/priest of Salem. Of course, we “pay” an obligation, but we “give” a gift because we choose to. There was no law of tithing in the Word of God demanding that Abraham pay Melchizedek tithing on the spoils of war.  (Also, see Chapter III.)

Clearly, tithing was codified in the ceremonial law along with burnt offerings, sacrifices, heave offerings, vows, and the practice of circumcision. (Deuteronomy Chapters 11, 12 ,14, and 26, and Leviticus Chapter 12.)  “Under the Levitical system God ordained …the tithes….” S.D.A. Bible Dictionary, 1127.

Because Abraham “gave” tithes to Melchizedek before Moses and the ceremonial laws of Moses’ day, some contend that the practice of tithing is perpetual.

In addition, some churches contend that Abraham paid (not “gave” as Scripture reads) a tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek because there was an unwritten tithing law that required him to do so.  Consider this.  This action by Abraham is in no way related to the law of tithing later revealed in the Book of Leviticus.  The Levitical law required that tithe be paid only on land and animals. (Lev. 27:30-31.)  Spoils of war do not represent an increase from farming.  The Mosaic law required that the priests receive 1/500th of the goods from the spoils of war, not 1/10th.  The Levites received 1/50th of the spoils of war, not 1/10th. The law concerning spoils of war had nothing to do with tithing. (Numbers 31: 27-29.)  Now, if Moses, in Genesis, were recording a universal law of tithing at the time of Abraham, why does he depart from this law some 400 years later? Abraham’s gift was one of free-will, an offering of thanksgiving. Nothing more, nothing less!

It is true, of course, that tithing was a part of the ceremonial codes (Deuteronomy 14:22-29 and 26:12), but the fallacy of assuming that there was a perpetual law of tithing at the time of Abraham, is immediately observed when one studies the practice of circumcision. Circumcision existed before Moses (Genesis 17:10) and was adopted into the ceremonial codes as was tithing (Exodus 12: 44, 48 and Leviticus 12:3); however, as we see in Colossians 2:16,17, Paul states that Christ’s death made void the ceremonial laws (Hebrews 9: 8-11), including the practice of circumcision (Galatians 5:6; 6:15, and 1 Corinthians 7:19).   Therefore, even though circumcision and tithing were practiced before Moses and the writing of the ceremonial codes, this practice did not make either of these acts perpetual. (Taken from Beware The Tithe Trap by Dr. Fillmer Hevener)

1st Century Jewish perspective

The 1st Century Jews who were the very first Christians–and who are the Christian example that we have in the bible—had a unique perspective. Perhaps we have lost this perspective in the church of today–having to deal with so many years of tradition from which most of our churches operate.

The people in the Bible understood certain things–I believe much better than we do. They had experience that we do not have–we understand certain things that are stated in the Bible–but we do not live them out in the same way that they did–and one of the reasons this is –is because of the particular perspective the 1st Century Jews operated from.

These people had “grown up” in the traditions of the Jewish faith of that day. They lived out their lives–their tradition in these ways-

They paid a tithe–which consisted of 1/10 of their goods–1/10 of the herd and the crops which they grew. It was the part of most of the people to (those who were not of the tribe of Levi) to render this tithe to the priests–the Levites.

The Levites were the anointed appointed delegated authority within Israel to do ministry. They were the only ones who were lawfully allowed to serve God–to perform the many and various ministries–offerings unto God throughout the year. The Levites had the “office of ministry”. They had authority over the rest of Israel to be the ones who were chosen by the covenant laws delivered to Moses, to be the tribe of Israel which were allowed to be ministers unto the Lord. No one else in Israel could be a minister. No one else had the anointing to do this. The Levities were delegated by the law to be the ministry which received the tithe. They offered the tithe–which is holy unto God–as the sin offering for the people–the rest of Israel–and themselves. Their ministry function was to properly make these offerings unto God–to properly use the tithe–the offering to God for the sin of the people. They also lived on the tithe–they were allowed to eat of the slain animals–and partake of the fruits and grains which were offered through the tithe. (Taken from Vision of the Church)

Leviticus 25:1: And the LORD spake unto Moses in Mt. Sinai saying,

Verse 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, when ye come into the land which I shall give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the LORD.

Verse 3: Six years shalt thou sow thy field, and six years shalt thou prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

Verse 4: But in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

Verse 5: That which growth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the Land.

Verse 6: And the Sabbath of the land shall be meat (food)  for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for the stranger that sojourneth with thee.

Verse 7: And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

The Israelites observed a seven-year agricultural (and tithing) cycle.  Every seventh year the land (and the tithers) got a break.  No large-scale reaping was to be done, so no tithes were to be paid.  Any Jewish rabbi will tell you no tithes were paid in ancient Israel on the seventh year, and tithes were never collected from the wages of the poor. During the Sabbatical year, people were to take from the land just what they needed for their own personal consumption, and nothing more. How would this set with “conservative” preachers who holler about having a strong work ethic, and making the most (money) out of every waking moment of your life?  What if somebody out in the congregation decided that every seventh year he would ditch the factory job, sling on a backpack and go live off the land like the Indians did before the coming of the white man?

Today’s tithers simply don’t get that seventh-year break commanded by Scripture.  They’re pressured to slave SEVEN years out of seven to satisfy  Organized Religion’s hunger for finances.  When one job isn’t enough, people are encouraged to work two. Preachers LITERALLY (and wrongly) apply the Tithing Law, while “spiritualizing away” people’s need for physical rest, to keep the cash rolling in.  Parents who must work extra jobs come under criticism because they aren’t always there for the kids and “have poor family values”. Think of it.  God actually gave the farmer a whole year off every seventh year from plowing, sowing and reaping, besides their weekly Sabbath Day rest. God even cared about the land, which is nothing but dead, wormy dirt!  Funny how preachers don’t worry about other Christians dropping dead from overwork. I kinda suspect God is a lot more merciful than His supposed representatives up in the pulpit. (Taken from the article Rewriting Scripture to Justify Tithing) 

Several years ago when I fist started learning about tithing, I joined an Yahoo Tithing Study group. This group of believers were very well versed on tithing. One of the profound questions that escapes some people who subscribe to monetary tithing is that they never ask how God’s tithing system became a money grab for the church. Let me tell you that insofar as scripture is concerned, the Bible was not source. The catholic unilaterally established a (income based) tithe by means of religious church legislation patterned after secular law in the six century. I cover this phenomenon in my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? Here is what the catholic church decided, “The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the canons of the Council of Maçon in 585. In course of time, we find the payment of tithes made obligatory by ecclesiastical enactments in all the countries of christendom.”  The process of ripping up the God’s biblical tithe laws to change them to fit the needs of the worldwide catholic church began by proclamations to the effect: “The Church looked on this payment as “of divine law, since tithes were instituted not by man but by the Lord Himself” (C. 14, X de decim. III, 30). As regards the civil power, the Christian Roman emperors granted the right to churches of retaining a portion of the produce of certain lands, but the earliest instance of the enforcement of the payment of ecclesiastical tithes by civil law is to be found in the capitularies of Charlemagne, at the end of the eighth century.” (Taken from New Advent).  So what we have is that the Catholic juggernaught took it upon themselves to decree and declare that income-based tithing was legal based on their personal doctrinal view of the authority as religious leaders of the world. They felt it was not necessary to prove monetary tithing from the Bible because when they decreed it, that meant it was law.

Now some people believe tithing always existed in America and in the churches but, but as I discovered in my research, tithing money or income based tithing did not appear in American churches until it was invented in 1873 by Alexander L. Hogshead and John W. Pratt according to the Dean of Vanderbilt University’s James Hudnut-Beumler’s book, “In Pursuit of the Almighty Dollar,” (c) 2007 Vanderbilt University. You can see an article written by Russell Kelly explaining the invention of the the in United states in 1873, in an article titled, 1873: TITHING FIRST SUGGESTED IN USA.

Manipulating the Bible is can be done so easy and yet the hearers never question that a scripture is taken out of context. For example, when tithing taught using Proverbs 3:9, it reads, “Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase..” Now, in the average congregant ears, what are they hearing after they have been indoctrinated into the income-based tithing system? Well, this is how the verse is contorted in their mind, “Honor the Lord with your money, with the first 10% of your paycheck. Mind you, the actual verse has nothing to do with money. Proverbs 3:9 is about edible items not cold hard cash. You can check out a book bubble I wrote on first fruits titled, What Are First Fruits in the Bible? The internet is the greatest invention known to man and it has exposed all the falsehoods about income-based tithing. What do we know about tithes and first fruits?

“Tithes and first fruits were not given concurrently during each year. For example, first fruits were offered on the 16th day of the first money (Nisan) and the sixth day of the third month (Sivan) of the Jewish calendar year. In contrast, the year for the tithing of livestock [not money] commenced the first day of the sixth money (Elul); while harvest tithing initiated on the 15 day of the 11th month (Shevat). The specific tithes were due one year form the date preceded. (Sources: “The Book of Our Heritage”, By Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov/The MacArthur Study Bible, p. 185 [NKJV], by John MackArthur. (Taken from A Closer Look At Tithing by Victor T. Stephens”   

When you pay money to a church as in tithing a tenth of your income, you are paying a tax of sorts. I would even say that you a paying a temple tax or a spiritual tax which the Lord does not require. What he does ask is that believer have a whole heart of giving.

Israel’s Tithing System

We cannot stress too strongly the importance of interpreting Scripture in context. By the simple expedience of beginning the text two verses earlier, we can see how dramatically that alters one’s perception. For example, in the New Testament, there is a verse that every Christian in the world knows – it is from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi and he writes, “Work out your salvation in fear and trembling,” I imagine that most Christians are familiar with this verse but how many can complete the sentence? “for it is God that is at work within you to will and to do.” [Phil. 2:12-13]

Now, if it is true that we have to be careful to set verses in their context, it is imperative that we also set the text into its historical and cultural context. In order to see these verses in their proper light, we must first ask the question – Under what Covenant was Malachi writing, the Old or the New? Quite clearly, Malachi is both Old Testament and Old Covenant. Therefore, any exposition and contemporary application needs to take that into account.

Unlike the New Covenant where we are a “Priesthood of Believers,” in the Old Covenant was a “Priest-class” – a specific tribe designated as Priests and this was the tribe of Levi. The Levitical Priesthood, as it was known, is the concern of the Malachi passage. The over-arching argument of Hebrews is that the Priesthood of Jesus is better than the Levitical Priesthood. The writer to the Hebrews insists that:

1. The Levitical Priesthood was inferior to the priesthood of Melchizedek;
2. The Levitical order is both outclassed and replaced by the new order and has become redundant.

Under the now redundant Levitical system, the priests acted as representatives for the people and served as mediators between them and God. Whilst having priestly privileges, a Levite had no worldly comforts. For example, he had no income and no property. A Levite had no independent means of support whatsoever. Moreover, when Jacob divided Israel’s inheritance, there was not even an allotment to Levi. In such circumstances, the other eleven tribes met the day-to-day needs of the Levites. It was, if you will, an Old Covenant quid pro quo – The other eleven tribes not being allowed to minister unto the Lord is tempered by the Levites not being able to work.

The solution was an entirely practical and pragmatic one. Each tribe would be responsible for bringing into a central storehouse one-tenth of their produce to meet their everyday needs. The Malachi passage is a rebuke to those who were withholding their support and thus, compromising this system.

I am of the view that tithing is one of the things in the Bible that is “biblical” but not Christian. I readily admit that for some that is a bitter pill to swallow but we take it for granted that circumcision is clearly biblical and yet, it is not viewed as Christian. The same can be said of polygamy. My fundamental objection is that those who press the hardest the case for tithing demand that we give like Israelites do not themselves live like Levites.

Moreover, if tithing is a New Covenant praxis, why does Paul not mention it when he writes a thoroughgoing passage on giving? I do not think that it is sufficient to argue from silence that tithing was an axiom of the Christian life. Accordingly, I raise the following objections:

1. The Levitical priesthood belongs to the now obsolete Levitical Priesthood;
2. The entire book of Hebrews makes the argument that Jesus and His Covenant is superior to Moses and his covenant;
3. The point to note is not that Abraham paid the tithe but that Levi paid it. His purpose in doing so is to pose the question, “Which is the greater priesthood, the one who paid the tithe or the one who received it?”;
4. Hebrews confirms that there has been both a change in the priesthood and a change in the law;
5. In the New Covenant, there is no such office as Priest, rather, we are a royal priesthood; priest and pastor are not interchangeable terms;
6. The apostle Paul not only supported himself, he also supported others. (Taken from The Tithing Controversy: No Laughing Matter by Paul Anderson-Walsh).

In the end as it relate to giving, you have to be free not to give and if you are not, then you are not free to give because it does not come from the heart but from percentage. Become a freewill give and don’t get trapped in the tentacles of income based tithing. Below is one of my readers. Thanks Charles for joining the tithe conversation.

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• Is the Church the Storehouse for Tithing?
• Did Jesus Collect Tithes?
• Will a Man Rob God?
• Eating Tithes vs. Paying Tithes
• What are First Fruits in the Bible?
• Official Orthodox Biblical Tithing Has Passed Away
• Jesus and his Ministry Never Received Tithes
• Paul Never Taught Believers to Tithe Money
• The Church and Its Money Grab Tactics
• Monetary Tithing is not a Foregone Conclusion
• Money Tithing or Eatible tithing, Which One?
• Arguments Against Tithing Has a Long History
• What Does True Giving Look Like?
• Tithing on Increase
• The Law Does Not Teach Monetary Tithing
• Research Brings Truth
• Understanding Tithing Starts With a Definition
• The Fight Continues
• Did Paul Convert the Tithe to Money?
• How Did God’s Tithe Become Money?

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One of the reasons, I write these tithing blogs is to make sure people have information to fight against the monetary deception. For the Bible says in Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”  To reject knowledge about God’s authentic, authorized biblical agricultural and herd and flock tithe can lead to financial ruin.  The Law of God declares the tithe as edible items but today most of God’s people have forgotten the law of their God and changed His tithe into a money collection system that has produced a grotesque financial aristocracy in the leadership of the institutional church.

Many pastors argue that how are they suppose to pay the church bills if people don’t tithe. Many of them are taught in seminary what the true tithe is, but are cautioned not to teach what the Bible actually says because they my go bankrupt if the people don’t give. So pastors think they only have two options in order to survive: one, they much teach people will be cursed if they don’t tithe ten percent of the annual income or two,  trust God in faith to provide the money from voluntary gifts given from the heart as the Bible in instructs in 2 Cor. 9:7 that “each should give according to what he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (CJB).  Now, Paul’s statement makes it clear that every individual must decide how much to give, which makes it illegal to say that a tenth of someone’s income is required by Yahweh. No pastor or church is authorized to use the Old Testament tithe law in the New Convenant.

When Paul wrote Hebrews 7:18, it reads: “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment…”  The question to ask is what is the former  commandment that Paul sets aside and annuals. Based on strict exegesis from Hebrews 7:5 which reads: ” And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; …” the commandment Paul refers to setting aside is Hebrews 7:5 because he refers to no other commandment in the chapter or any surrounding chapters. So as it stands,  the “disannulling of the commandment” is no other than Paul setting aside the Levite’s tithe commandment for the institutional church and the believer. So why did Paul disannull the tithe command? The next verse in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 19 says why tithing is set aside in the New Testament: “for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The new hope in Christ is that we give from the heart as we purpose in our hearts. Just as Christ gave his life freely, we give freely as he did without compulsion or grudgingly as cheerful freewill grace givers. Paul rejected tithing because he understood that Christ came from another priesthood and considered Levi’s priesthood as one that was made after a carnal command.

Based on the law, and in Hebrews chapter 7 verse 5, the Bible says that Levi had the commandment to collect and receive tithes. If you look in Numbers 18:26, reads “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe.” From this verse, it is clear that the Levites had to pay a tithe of the tithe. In other words a tenth of the tenth. Mathematically that is one percent. So that means the High Priest Aaron and his son received on one percent of the tithe. The chapter also says that Levi paid tithes in Abraham when Abraham tithe to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:9). What Paul indicates in this chapter is that Abraham’s one-time tithe was for Levi  (the future priesthood of Israel), and not a tithe for Abram himself.

The Bible debunks money tithing because tithing is commanded in the scripture from agricultural increase in Leviticus 27:30-33, Deut. 12:17, Duet. 14:23, 28, 2 Chron. 35:1-6 Nehemiah 10:37 and 12:44, Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42. Anyone who suggests of commands Christians to pay tithes from income have misread the Bible when it clearly proves there is no such thing as tithing o non-agricultural increase. Agricultural tithes were mandatory in the scripture and they came from land based products. And by the way, offerings were required three times a year and guess what, only men were required to bring offerings.  See Deuteronomy 16:16 which reads “Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”

Most pastors love to use the Abraham argument of tithing before the law law to justify why believers must pay a tithe in the age of grace. However, as James Ngari of Facebook’s Tithing. The Bitter Truth dispels any notion that tithing is required or that Abram freely tithe based on God’s command when he wrote:

Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek Reflected Pagan Tradition. The false teaching is that Abraham freely gave tithes because it was God’s will. For the following reasons, Genesis 14:20 cannot be used as an example for Christians to tithe.

(1) The Bible does not say that Abraham “freely” gave this tithe.

(2) Abraham’s gift was NOT a holy tithe from God’s holy land gathered by God’s holy people under God’s holy Old Covenant.

(3) Abraham’s tithe was only from pagan spoils of war common to many nations.

(4) In Numbers 31, God only required 1% of spoils of war.

(5) Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek was a one-time recorded event.

(6) Abraham’s tithe was not from his own personal property.

(7) Abraham kept nothing for himself; he gave everything back.

(8) Abraham’s tithe is not quoted anywhere in the Bible to endorse tithing.

(9) Genesis 14, verse 21, is the key text. Since most commentaries explain verse 21 as an example of pagan Arab tradition, it is contradictory to explain the 90% of verse 21 as pagan, while insisting that the 10% of verse 20 was God’s will.

(10) If Abraham is an example for Christians to give 10% to God, then he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom!

(11) Since neither Abraham nor Jacob had a Levitical priesthood to support, they had no place to bring tithes and probably left food for the poor at their altars.

Another person in the feed on Facebook wrote that item (12) would be that Abram had to kill someone before he had the elements to tithe.

Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? by Frank Chase Jr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

TITHING MONEY DEBUNKED BY MANY IN HISTORY

Not only does the Bible debunk tithing, but many people throughout history have argued that tithing money is not biblical and that God never required.

Didascalia Apostolorum (ca. 225)

“No more be bound with sacrifices and oblations, and with sin offerings, purifications, and vows . . . nor yet with tithes and firstfruits. . . . for it was laid upon them [i.e., the Israelites] to give all these things as of necessity, but you are not bound by these things. . . . Now thus shall your righteousness abound more than their tithes and firstfruits and part offerings, when you shall do as it is written: Sell all thou hast, and give to the poor.”

35. Hugh Connolly, Didascalia Apostolorum: The Syriac Version Translated and Accompanied by the Verona Latin Fragments(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1929), 2:34–35.

Waldenses (ca. 12th century)

The Waldenses, followers of Peter Waldo (ca. twelfth century), believed that tithes should not be given to priests “because there was no use of them in the primitive Church.”

Allix, “Some Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History of the Ancient Churches of the Piedmont,” 1690, reprint, Bible Truth Library: Bible and Church History Collection, The Bible Truth Forum, CD-ROM. Available from http://www.bibletruthforum.com, 218, 232.

Thomas Aquinas (1225–1275)

“Paying tithes, it appears, is no longer of precept, because the precept to pay tithes was given in the Old Law. . . . Paying tithes cannot be considered a moral precept, however, because natural reason does not dictate that one ought to give a tenth, rather than a ninth or an eleventh. Therefore, it is a ceremonial or a judicial precept.”

Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiæ, vol. 39 (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964), 139.

Roger Williams (1603–1683)

Roger Williams has been credited with founding the first or second Baptist church in America. In 1652, Williams concluded that ministers of the gospel are to serve freely and be supported freely, “and that not in stinted Wages, Tithes, Stipends, Salaries, &c. but with larger or lesser supplies, as the Hand of the Lord was more or lesse extended in his weekly blessings on them.”

Roger Williams, The Complete Writings of Roger Williams, 7 vols. (New York: Russell & Russell, 1963), 7:165.

John Milton (1659)

Milton wrote forcibly against tithes, which he considered ceremonial and abolished.

John Milton, Considerations touching the likeliest means to remove hirelings out of the church. Wherein is also discourc’d of tithes, church-fees, church-revenues; and whether any maintenance of ministers can be settl’d by law.(London: L. Chapman, 1659), A9–A10, 15–18, 32–35, 37.

John Bunyan (Baptist; 1628–1688)

John Bunyan (1628–1688), author of Pilgrim’s Progress, commented on Luke 18:10–13, “This paying of tithes was ceremonial, such as came in and went out with the typical priesthood.”

John Bunyan, Bunyan’s Searching Works: The Strait Gate, The Heavenly Footman,The Barren Fig-Tree, The Pharisee and Publican, and Divine Emblems(Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1851), 24.

The Little Parliament (1653)

The Little Parliament (1653), under Cromwell and the Independent Churches, was moving toward voluntarism, that is, “that the maintenance of Churches by means of tithes ought to be done away.”

Henry William Clarke, History of English Nonconformity, 2 vols.(London: Chapman and Hall, 1911-1913), 1:374.

Martin Luther (1483–1546)

“I would even be glad if [today] lords ruled according to the example of Moses. If I were emperor, I would take from Moses a model for [my] statutes; not that Moses should be binding on me, but that I should be free to follow him in ruling as he ruled. For example, tithing is a very fine rule, because with the giving of the tenth all other taxes would be eliminated. For the ordinary man it would also be easier to give a tenth than to pay rents and fees. Suppose I had ten cows; I would then give one. If I had only five, I would give nothing.”

Martin Luther, “How Christians Should Regard Moses,” In Luther’s Works, vol. 35, edited and translated by E. Theodore Bachman (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960), 165-66.

Separatists in Amsterdam (1602–1603)

“That the due maintenance of the Officers aforesaid, should be of the free and voluntarie contribution of the Church, that according to Christs ordinance, they which preach the Gospell may live of the Gospell: and not by Popish Lordships and Livings, of Iewish Tithes and Offerings.”

Henry Martyn Dexter, The Congregationalism of the Last Three Hundred Years, as Seen in Its Literature (New York: Harper, 1880), 307.

“VII. That the due maintenance of the Officers aforeſsaid ſhould be of the free and voluntary contribution of the Church, that according to Chriſts ordinance they which preach the Goſpell, may live of the Goſpell, and not by Popiſh Lordſhips and livings or Iewiſh Tithes and offerings.”

Henry Ainsworth and Francis Johnson, An Apologie or Defence of Such True Christians as are commonly (but vniuſtly) called Brovvwinsts (n.p.: n.p., 1604), 58.

John Smyth (1609)

John Smyth (1609), a Separatist whom many credit with being the first Baptist, said that Christ abolished tithes.

John Smyth, Parallels, Censures, Observations [Amsterdam]: n.p., 1609, text-Fiche.

John Robinson (1610)

Robinson was the pastor of the “Pilgrim Fathers” before they left on the Mayflower. Robinson remained in Holland with the majority of the congregation. He wrote that he supported the views of Ainsworth and Smyth. In his argument, he claimed that the author of Hebrews taught that “the law is abolished by the gospel, in the sense we speak of: and the old testament by the new, in respect of ordinances,” and tithing was one of those ordinances that had been abolished. He argued that the maintenance of ministers should be through voluntary contributions.

John Robinson, The Works of John Robinson: Pastor of the Pilgrim Fathers, 3 vols., edited by Robert Ashton (London: John Snow, 1851), 2:185-86; 466-67.

Adam Clarke (ca. 1762–1832)

“I say again, let there be a national religion, and a national clergy supported by the state; but let them be supported by a tax, not by tithes, or rather let them be paid out of the general taxation; or, if the tithe system must be continued, let the poor-rates be abolished, and the clergy, out of the tithes, support the poor in their respective parishes, as was the original custom.”

Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary: A New Edition, with the Author’s Final Corrections,6 vols. (New York: Methodist Book Concern, 1846), 1:179-80.

Charles Buck (English; 1833)

His article on tithing stated that nothing in the New Testament commanded tithing since “the divine right by which they were raised necessarily ceased.”

Charles Buck, “Tithes,” in A Theological Dictionary, new ed., edited by E. Henderson (London: James Duncan, 1833), 905-06.

1. Newton Brown (Baptist; 1836)

John Newton Brown (1803–1868), who wrote the draft of the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833), edited an encyclopedia. The article on tithes in this encyclopedia (published in 1836) explicitly said they ceased. The New Hampshire Confession of Faith was a precursor to the Baptist Faith and Message.

1124. Newton Brown, ed., “Tithes,” in Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, 2 vols. (Brattleboro: Fessenden, 1836), 2:1124.
1125. Campbell Morgan (English Congregationalist; 1898)

“I hear a great deal about the tithing of incomes. I have no sympathy with the movement at all. A tenth in the case of one man is meanness, and in the case of another man is dishonesty. I know men today who are Christian men in city churches and village chapels, who have no business to give a tenth of their income to the work of God. They cannot afford it. I know other men who are giving one-tenth, and the nine-tenths they keep is doing harm to their souls. (Taken from http://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/articles/tithing.php#.WhcwALQ-f1I).

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In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? you will find hundreds of reasons why you should stop tithing and embrace New Covenant Grace Giving that Paul taught in the letters written the assemblies in the New Testament. If you would like to read more about tithing, click on the links below to read book bubbles from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

There is no scripture in the Bible were they did turn the land and crop tithe into money, but what the Israelites did with the money once they got to the temple blows up any argument that Israelites paid money to the temple or to the priests. Here is what Deuteronomy 14:24-27 says, “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,  25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 26 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. 27 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.” This scripture clearly debunk monetary tithing because God told the Israelite farmer and herders that if the livestock and crop tithe was to much to carry to the temple festival site, they could sell their tithes and carry the money rather than the goods to the temple site. When they arrived at the place where God choose he told them according the Jewish Bible “…and exchange the money for anything you want–cattle, sheep, wine, other intoxicating liquor, or anything you please–and you are to eat there in the presence of Adonai, and enjoy yourself , you and your household (verse 26).” 

Based on scripture, not one penny of the money carried to temple was ever paid as a tithe. In fact it is clear that they spent the money on food and drink and ate the tithe in what I would call a potluck dinner. They had a party with God and ate good food celebrating the blessings they had received. Sorry pastors, Duet. 14 is not a smoking gun for monetary tithing, but it is a clear rejection of the monetary tithe scam. Following the examples of the New Covenant giving principles is the only way to support ministry and churches.

In my effort to debunk false tithing claims, let me give you more refutations that blow up the pro-monetary tithe doctrine so that you will know that truth does not lie but sheds light on falsehood. We often hear preacher say that tithing was before the law. That claim is false because the tithe before the law was not the same as the tithe in the law. The tithe was not commanded until the law was established under Moses. The tithe ordinance law was abolished by the institution of the New Covenant and Hebrews 9 and 10 makes this clear. Another twisted tithe searching asserts that tithing is how God’s church receives support. There is no verse in the Bible to substantiate that claim so it is false because Paul stated that believer support the church in this way 2 Cor. 9;7: Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (NIV).  One of the most heinous violations of scriptural interpretation is when a pastors say, tithing keep the Devil from attacking your finances. This is blatant robbery of God’s people and is patently false and out of context because Malachi 3:8-11 is not talking about money tithing. And the devourer mentioned in the verse refers to Israel’s devourer which is locusts. Here is an excerpt from my book, kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? that explains the devourer in the proper Hebrew text.

The theological question one must ask is: Who is the devourer? Is he the devil or is he something or someone else? If you don’t know, keep reading and the truth will set you free from fear forever. So let’s see what the Bible says based on the Hebrew language and not what man says from personal interpretation. In Malachi 3:11, the key word is devourer. From Strong’s #398, devourer in the Hebrew is “akal.” It means to eat, feed, or consume. It refers to something that eats food, either man or animal. The Hebrew word has six meanings: “1) to eat (human subject), 2) to eat, devour (used of animals and birds), 3) to devour, consume (used of fire), 4) to devour, to kill (used of sword), 5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects: that is, pestilence, drought), 6) to devour (used of oppression).”

If you examine the context of Malachi 3:11 and the six meanings and nuances of the Hebrew word “akal,” then who and what is the devourer? Using word study and replacing the word devourer in the text with each of the Hebrew meanings will show you how to interpret the text.

1. And I will rebuke the [humans] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your  ground…

2. And I will rebuke the [birds, animals, insects] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the  fruits of your ground…

3. And I will rebuke [fire] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;…  And I will rebuke the [pestilence, drought] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

5. And I will rebuke the [sword] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

        6. And I will rebuke the [oppressor] for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

 Because the Hebrew word “akal” has different nuances and meanings, we must examine its use in the text to make sure who and what the context of Malachi 3:11 refers to when it uses the word devourer. In Exodus 24:16-17, devourer is used to describe God as a devouring fire. What we see in the text is God in a theophany (a manifestation or appearance of a deity), as a cloud in verse 16 and fire in verse 17. To the Israelites, the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire (Devourer Heb. akal KJV) on top of the mountain. In this context, the devourer (akal) is not the devil but is God as a manifestation.

In Deuteronomy 4:24, “akal” is used to describe God as a consuming fire. “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire (Hebrew Akal), a jealous God.” The context of this verse has no connection to the devil but ascribes human feelings and affections to God associated with jealousy using figurative language, which is often called anthropopatheia in theology.

In Genesis 37:33, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and they took his coat of many colors and killed an animal and dipped Joseph’s coat in the blood to fake his death to Jacob. Jacob said in verse 33 “…It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured (Devourer Heb. akal) him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces” (NIV). The word devourer in this context is the nuance that speaks of an animal consuming human flesh like a devouring beast. No way one can insinuate that the devil is referenced in this verse either. To equate the devil with the word devourer would mean that Joseph’s brothers would have had to say the devil ate the body of Joseph. That is preposterous!

It is amazing what word study can do for people who seek truth to what a word means in the Bible. Word study is a valuable study practice to ward off false doctrine. The same Hebrew word “akal” is used in Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat (“akal”) from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat (“akal”) from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” As I stated earlier, devourer in this nuanced context of the Hebrew word “akal” deals not with an animal but with Adam, a human, eating from the trees in the Garden of Eden. There is no way you can turn the Hebrew word in this verse into the devil either. I hope you realize at this point that the devourer in Malachi is not the devil and never has been.

When the prophet spoke in Malachi 3:11, could he have had Psalms 105:34-35 in mind because the same Hebrew word “akal” describes what devourer means. The verse says, “He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number; they ate up [“akal”] every green thing in their land, ate up [“akal”] the produce of their soil” (NKJV). The text shows that pests were devouring everything in Egypt. There are many other instances of devourer appearing in the Scripture that show the word “akal.” Amos 4:6-9 and Exodus 10:3-5, 14-15 refers to the same Hebrew word “akal,” where pests are eating something.

Nowhere does the word “akal” imply that the devourer is the devil. From the list I gave, only number 2 is the correct word for Malachi 3:11. In the verse God uses the pronoun he to indicate something that eats crops. The context shows that God will rebuke insects or locusts from destroying their crops and would prevent fruit from falling off the vine before they ripen. The devourer is not the devil in Malachi. So there is no curse on you or your money for not tithing. If you suspect that my analysis is wildly inconclusive, then let the Bible explain itself. Malachi 3:11 says, “I will also stop locusts from destroying your crops and keeping your vineyards from producing” (CEV). The NIV says, “I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty.”

When God said he would rebuke the devourer, he was only speaking of little creatures and insects that destroy agriculture. There was no blessing of rain because God shut up the sky. Without rain, the animals would starve and die of thirst. So in Malachi it was drought and insects that caused problems for the Hebrew people all because the priests profaned the tithing covenant laws of Levi. The Hebrew language explains and proves the devourer in Malachi is not something you should be afraid of unless you are a farmer. The curse of Malachi is God holding back rain from the land and allowing insects to run rampant throughout the crops during a drought. If Israel tithed livestock and crops in the manner God instructed, He promised to give them rain, to keep locust from eating their crops and that the fruit from the trees wouldn’t fall prematurely. What God promised in Malachi is directly related to Israel’s agricultural land economy and nothing to do with money. Malachi is not talking about your paycheck. Finally, if a pastor tells you that you will not receive God’s best and are cursed for not tithing, tell him or her the New Testament says in Galatians 3:13 that Christ became sin and a curse for us, so there is no curse for not tithing. Tell them that Paul wrote, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (NIV).

No matter what you hear come from the pulpit, always remember that when the Bible says tithes, God is asking for eatable agricultural products from the land and livestock.

One of the most common claims made about tithing is when Christians say, “I tried tithing and it works,” but that claim is false because tithing money is based on a false assumption and false motive that tithing is money that God requires. The reality is, God does not honor a practice based false assumptions and misinterpretation of scripture. Then we have other believer saying, “The Lord convicted me to tithe.” That may sound noble, but it is a false claim because the Holy Spirit always convicts based on truth and not falsehood, lies or error. The conviction to tithe does not come from the Lord, it comes from the conviction of another who browbeats people to pay ten percent from the pulpit or be cursed. It really is not the Lord convicting Christians to tithe, it is fear of a so-called curse from God that motives people to believe that ten percent of their paycheck is required from Yahweh.  One of the latest shell tricks from the pulpit is to tell believers that Jesus is their Melchizedek as if that is enough to force them to believe in tithing, which some do. Melchizedek was a priest and because Jesus priesthood was after the order of Melchizedek, all believers are required to tithe. It is false because Hebrews 10:12 says,  “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,” This scam won’t work because we are all no Kings and Priests in the Kingdom of God and as such, we as priest don’t pay a tithe. There is no more sacrifice or tithing because our high priest Christ is sat down at the right hand of the father.

If people take time to study their Bibles, it would not be difficult to debunk tithing. However, when I studied the subject I wanted to make sure I left no tithing scripture unturned. So in my power point original tithing study on New Testament Giving compiled some evidence from others on how others refuted an debunked false tithing claims. Check out the two slides below.

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In my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? you will find hundreds of reasons why you should stop tithing and embrace New Covenant Grace Giving that Paul taught in the letters written to the assemblies in the New Testament. If you would like to read more about tithing, click on the links below to read book bubbles from Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway?

1. Is the Church the Storehouse for Tithing?
2. Did Jesus Collect Tithes?
3. Will a Man Rob God?
4. Eating Tithes vs. Paying Tithes
5. What are First Fruits in the Bible?
6. Official Orthodox Biblical Tithing Has Passed Away
7. Jesus and his Ministry Never Received Tithes
8. Paul Never Taught Believers to Tithe Money
9. The Church and Its Money Grab Tactics
10. Monetary Tithing is not a Foregone Conclusion
11. Money Tithing or Eatible tithing, Which One?
12. Arguments Against Tithing Has a Long History
13. What Does True Giving Look Like?
14. Tithing on Increase
15. The Law Does Not Teach Monetary Tithing
16. Research Brings Truth
17. Understanding Tithing Starts With a Definition
18. The Fight Continues
19. Did Paul Convert the Tithe to Money?
20. How Did God’s Tithe Become Money?

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Thanks Charles for Joining the Tithing Conversation 

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Take Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on a email book blog tour. Get a copy of the Blog Tour below and help me celebrate the one year anniversary of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway by sending my book on an email Book Blog Tour with your email network of friends or however your choose. Go to the link

below and get the book blog document and share with your email network of friends.
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Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway will be featured on Good Kindles at Free and Bargain ebooks Book Promotion site for Authors

Every since I published my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing Anyway some people question that I wrote the book to so discord among believers and to create financial havoc in churches. I can say for sure that is not the intention at all. In fact, it was my desire for truth that drove me to study and seek information about tithing money to the institutional church.  That fact that monetary tithing has been around for centuries, it is clear from my studies that the practice has never been accepted 100 percent by academic scholars, theologains and bibical experts.  There has never been a consensus about the way tithing is taught accept for those who have a monetary vested interest in maintaining the currect system that is contextually inaccuate with the scripture both hermanutically and exegetically.

In this post, I felt that it was necessary to share what many authors wrote about tithing by providing excerpts from their books that address what they have discovered about tithing. If you read this entire post, you will see that my book, Kleptomaniac: Who’ Really Robbing God Anyway is not as far fetched as some suppose. The reality is, pastors don’t want to deal with the truth on this subject because they have sunk their entire financial future into a doctrine to ensure a certain lifestyle remains intact.  And whatever means to ensure that system never gets disrupted, methods are employed to dispense of anyone who threatens the modern monetary tithe system. Anyone who tries to follow the money will be dealt with Al Capone style.

After reading the various authors, you must make the decision about whether or not tithing money or food is described in the Bible. Now some may say I’m biased because I posted only authors   who are against tithing. That may be true, but there are many books, sermons, and pastors who have supported tithing for years and so it is clear in church academia what they believe, but many who disagree with tithing have been gagged by excommunication and have been ridiculed as quacks or demons. The way to misdirect the religious masses is to create a counter-arugment that discredits the person who disagrees with the popular doctrine. Whe I finally came forward with my decision to resign from tithing, it was not received by my church leadership. Then I was immediately considered a financial threat to the church.

Daniel White is Reading Kleptomaniac

The first author, Michael Burman makes it clear what tithing is in Iron Sharpens Iron on page 18-19. 

The second author  Greame Carle’ makes it clear the misinterpretation tithing in Eating Sacred Cows on page 30 and 33.

Those who want christians to tithe becasue Jesus encouraged the Pharisees to do so, do they also want Christans to offer animal sacrifices because Jesus commanded the leper to do so? If not, why not? This offering of lambs and birds by cleansed lepers is certainly not now necessary, but equally certainly was until Jesus died on the cross, He said, “Whever…annuls one of the least of these commandmants (of the Law) , and so teaches other, shall be called least in the Kingdom…” because and the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, Until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18-19) So these passages , although they are recorded in what we call the New Testament, are not yet teaching the New Covenant but rather are more carefully explaining the demands of the Old Coveant. I have heard  Dr. Derek Prince state that he is afaid not to tithe because he didn’t want to receive the curse. He may have since changed his position on this without my hearing about it, but his his word then illustrated this well; a wonderful Christian teacher thinking that non-tithing will bring a curse. Christians are not blessed or cursed on the bases of tithing or not? On the contrary, placing ourselves under the law, even the law of tithing, will bring us under a curse. Gal 3:20.

The reality is the tithe in Matthew is for those boud to the demands of the ordinances of the Law and so believers are not bound to the tithe law under grace.

The third author Michael Morrison makes it clear that tithing is not required in Sabbath, Circumcision and Tithing on page 162.

The article is titled, Single Mom Fined $1,000 by Church For Not Tithing–Threatens to Remove Her. After reading the article, I shook my head in disbelief and knew I had to write another blog post to address tithing. I guess I will be for the foreseeable furture continue to write tithing blogs until the monetary tithing madness ends. Let me make this clear as day, what you give to your church is your personal business. However no pastor has a right to take scripture out of context as a means to sustain a finanical system the Bible never endorses. So let’s take a magnifying glass to  a scripture text to show that tithing in the Bible was not income but edible items. We know pastors love to quote Malachi but I will not start with that verse. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

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Take Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway on a email book blog tour. Get a copy of the Blog Tour below and help me celebrate the one year anniversary of Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway by sending my book on an email Book Blog Tour with your email network of friends or however your choose. Go to the link below and get the book blog document and share with your email network of friends.
Frank Chase–Kleptomananiac Book Blog Tour Small pdf

Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway will be featured on Good Kindles at Free and Bargain ebooks Book Promotion site for Authors

When the truth smacks people in the face, the response sometimes comes in the form of obfuscation. That’s the case with monetary tithing. For a lot of people in the religious community who stand by the docrtine of monetary tithing, many of them don’t realize they are behaving like peasants. What do I mean by that? Well, the literal informal meaning defines a peasants “as an ignorant rude, or unsophisticated person; a person of low social status.”  When it comes to tithing, many people go on the defensive and sometimes to the extreme to defend the monetary tithe doctrine that has no biblical support. At one time in history, the Bible was was entirely latin and during that time, the farming peasant community could not read so they had to depend on the religious elites to translate the words of the Bible, which made peasants vulnerable to whims of any transliteration or interpretation put forth by the religious leaders.  Today, most people don’t really study tithing in its purest sense. That’s why preachers can interpret the tithe as money and the peasant congregation just accepts the interpretation because they believe what the preacher tells them even when the evidence suggests otherwise. Though the monetary tithe was created out of context in the back rooms of religious leaders centuries ago. They also had a plan to ensure tithing would exist in future ages and they way that happened was to convince people they would be cursed if they didn’t tithe and to convince people of boutiful blessings if they faithfully tithed using Malachi chapter 3, which was redefined for the masses of christian peasants. The whole monetary tithe ponzi plan was based on financial interests and had nothing to do with the Bible. You can get signed paperbacks, just order Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? from Paypalme for $23.87

For those interested in what reviewer think about, Kleptomaniac: Who’s Really Robbing God Anyway? go to Reader’s Favorite and learn more about what a reviewer thinks. 

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Thanks Daniel White for Joining the tithe converation.

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