I’ve decided to open a can of worms, but I hope that you will hear me out. My family has chosen to go back to our Hebrew Roots as we have come to understand that our Messiah Yeshua (Hebrew name of Jesus) was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died as a Jew, and resurrected as a Jew…but more accurately an Israelite. (To understand more of where I’m coming from either visit my blog or HebRoots.)  Understanding both that and the fact that the Bible was written by Jews/Israelites helps you to understand Scripture from a whole other perspective.  It’s like putting on the glasses of the writer and finally understanding what they were trying to say instead of sitting there scratching our head going “huh?”.

Tithe has and always been a big hot topic, so I set out to better understand exactly what was taught in Scripture.

I began in Genesis.

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.  (Genesis 14:30)

This is the first time the tithe is recorded, and it was Abraham, the Father of our faith, giving tithes to Melchizedek.

Then in Deuteronomy:

And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: (Deuteronomy 12:6)

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. (Deuteronomy 26:12)

These two verses give us further specifications. The tithe is to be given to the Levites (priests), the poor, the orphans, and widows. Since we no longer have the Levites among us currently, we often turn to Galatians 6:6.

Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.

And 1 Timothy 5:17-18:

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.  For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing, and The laborer is worthy of his wages.

Those verses give us the understanding that we can also give of our tithes to those who teach us whether our pastor/congregational leader, a ministry, or a special speaker.

We are just to constantly remember the warning in Malachi 3:8.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

We are not to forsake our tithes and offerings.  Tithe is literally defined tenth hence where we get our understanding of ten percent as our tithe which is correct.

And finally, there was a second tithe in Scripture and still practiced to this day by many Hebrew Roots believers. It is found in Deuteronomy 14:22-27

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.

While we are not to neglect the first tithe, we are to also set aside a second tithe to be used for the Biblical Feast Days of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Shavuot (Pentecost), Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Sukkot (Tabernacles). These are special times of rejoicing and learning before our Heavenly Father, YHVH, and our Messiah who came to redeem us!

So while I have definitely thought out of the box this time, I hope I have challenged you to consider a new yet old perspective on tithing!