Saturday 31 January 2015

Prove That Abraham Did Not Tithe

By Ines Flores


Calculations from the Old Testaments reveal that Israelites were required to give as much as twenty percent of their earnings to the priests. It was the priests who gave ten percent of that as offering. Present day tithing is sacrifice that has been misunderstood. It is worth noting that there is no clear mention of tithing in the New Testament leave alone a specific percentage.

The first sacrifice made in the bible is that of Cain and Abel who were following the example of their father. Other sacrifices are conducted by Isaac and Jacob, among other fathers of faith. Does there exist any prove to suggest that Abraham did not tithe? With this in mind, is it right to say that sacrifice has been confused with tithing?

Evangelical churches are insisting on planting seeds in order to get blessings or be shielded from affliction. Job would have been the beneficiary of such schemes considering what he went through. It is Abram who made tithing to gain the prominence it has today.

Genesis fourteen records that Abram offered a sacrifice from what he got from conquering his enemies in war. The sacrifice included what Lot and the people around him had. A similar sacrifice is made after Lot was rescued from his enemies. These cases indicate sacrifice from war plunder but not personal possession.

Abraham is seen to make sacrifices as a matter of personal decision but not because of a law. An example is when he is told to keep what he captured during war. Genesis 20 says that he refused and preferred that it be shared among his army soldiers. When distributing the loot, he gave some of it to the high priests.

Despite a lot of mentions about his wealth and prosperity, Abram did not engage in tithing on regular basis. This discredits the trend that is witnessed in churches today where tithing is a part of each prayer session. Tithing was used by societies as a lesson on honoring God. This is why it is voluntary. There is no mention of offering the best possession. That notion existed during sacrifices and not when tithing.

The New Testament is said to have replaced laws that were considered obsolete. It is interesting to note that church ministers do not consider tithing among what was erased by the New Testament. Curiously, the pastors and church ministers own the best cars, houses and properties yet they do not offer them to the ministry. Their expectation that their followers should do that is therefore suspect.

Moses is considered to have introduced the ten percent rule. He wanted to provide Levites with something to eat when he said that the first proceed of every harvest must be offered to God. This rule did not spare the priests. That it does not apply to present day priesthood raises questions.

Malachi 3 is where tithing seems to be founded. God would punish Israelites if they failed to sacrifice. They would face drought and famine for failing to give to God. Jesus flips the coin by condemning those who tithe at the expense of feeding the poor. This is recorded in Mathew 23.




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