Why I Believe in Tithing Pastor Jim Feeney Q: Acts 20:33 [Paul] I have NOT COVETED anyone s silver or gold. That is never our intent at South Valley Church. But there is an area of finances that we do covet that is, that the Lord receive his tithe. Q: Leviticus 27:30, 32 A tithe of everything from the land...belongs TO THE LORD... An OVERVIEW of tithing in the Bible ## Wealthy Abraham, the first great patriarch of Israel, tithed centuries before Moses Law (Genesis 14). ## Poor Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, tithed, also before the Law Q: Genesis 28:22 And of all that you give me I will give you a TENTH. ## In the Law that God gave thru Moses to God s people, there were clear commandments to give the tithe Q: Leviticus 27:30, 32 A tithe of everything from the land...belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the Lord.... The entire tithe of the herd and flock every tenth animal... will be holy to the Lord. Ten lambs born? They gave the Lord one. Ten bushels of wheat harvested? They gave the Lord one. They tithed on the GROSS increase. My tithe belongs [not to me, but] to the Lord. ## 1,500 years after Moses received the Law, Jesus REAFFIRMED in His day the validity of tithing Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! YOU GIVE A TENTH of your spices mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, WITHOUT NEGLECTING THE FORMER. ## Later in the New Testament, in 1 Cor., ch. 9, the apostle Paul teaches on the financial support of the work of God and uses commands from Moses Law as guidelines Q: 1 Cor. 9:8 Doesn t the Law say the SAME thing? Page 1 of 5
## In the history of the NT Church since the first century, tithing has been commonly, although not universally, taught and practiced. In fact, tithing was a common religious practice in many nations in the ancient world. WHY I BELIEVE IN TITHING: 1. As we have just seen, it is a Bible doctrine with CONTINUITY in the Scriptures, before, during, & after Moses Law. 2. Leviticus 27:30, 32 A tithe of everything from the land... BELONGS TO THE LORD; it is holy to the lord... The entire tithe of the herd and flock... will be holy to the Lord. The tithe is NOT MINE TO WITHHOLD; it BELONGS to the LORD. The earth is the Lord s & the fullness thereof. 3. 2 Chronicles 31:12 Then they FAITHFULLY brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts. Tithing is an indicator of our FAITHFULNESS. It s a weekly, semimonthly, or monthly opportunity to demonstrate to God your faithfulness & commitment to His work on earth. 4. 2 Chronicles 31:5 As soon as the order went out, the Israelites GENEROUSLY gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a TITHE of everything. Tithing is an indicator of our GENEROSITY. And God takes notice of the attitude of generosity. Q: God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). A generous man will himself be blessed (Prov. 22:9). 5. Numbers 18:21 I give to the LEVITES all the TITHES in Israel as their inheritance IN RETURN FOR THE WORK THEY DO while serving at the Tent of Meeting. Tithing allows God-called ministers to devote themselves fully to the Lord s work. Levites/priests in O.T., 5-fold ministers in N.T. 6-8. Malachi 3:8-10 "Will a man ROB GOD? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In TITHES AND OFFERINGS. (9)You Page 2 of 5
are under a curse the whole nation of you because you are robbing me. (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. (6) Why do I believe in tithing? I wouldn t want to take a chance on God considering me a ROBBER! (7) Why do I believe in tithing? Because God says He wants His house to be ABUNDANTLY supplied. (8) Why tithe? Because God says if I am faithful in tithes & offerings, He will open the windows of heaven and pour me out abundant blessings. 9-10. Proverbs 3:9-10, KJV Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: [10] So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (9) Why should we tithe? We are HONORING the LORD when we give to Him. Many churches: Now let s praise the Lord w/our giving. (10) Why tithe? God in turn grants you abundance. 11. 2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever SOWS GENEROUSLY will also REAP GENEROUSLY. Why tithe? There is a bible principle of SOWING & REAPING. It should be our intention to SOW GENEROUSLY and our humble expectation to reap generously. 12. Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also. Why do I believe in tithing? Because MY HEART is in the KINGDOM OF GOD and in South Valley Church. So THERE my TREASURE will be also! Pastor s note: See the next page for a summary of this teaching suitable for an overhead transparency. Page 3 of 5
WHY I BELIEVE IN TITHING: by Pastor Jim Feeney 1. It is a Bible doctrine with continuity in the Scriptures, before, during, and after Moses Law. 2. The tithe is not mine to withhold; it belongs to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30). 3. Tithing is an indicator of faithfulness to God (2 Chronicles 31:12). 4. Tithing is an indicator of our generosity (2 Chronicles 31:5). And A generous man will himself be blessed (Prov. 22:9). 5. Tithing allows God-called ministers to devote themselves fully to the Lord s work (Numbers 18:21; 1 Corin. 9:13f). Levites/priests in O.T., 5-fold ministers in N.T. 6. I don t want God to consider me a robber (Malachi 3:8). 7. God wants His house, the church, to be abundantly supplied (Malachi 3:10 with 1 Timothy 3:15). 8. God says if we are faithful in tithes & offerings, He will open the windows of heaven and pour out abundant blessings (Malachi 3:10-12; also Proverbs 3:10). 9. We are honoring the Lord when we give to Him (Prov. 3:9). 10. There is a bible principle of sowing & reaping (2 Corin. 9:6). As we sow generously, we shall reap generously, both naturally and spiritually. 11. Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your HEART will be also. May both our treasures and our hearts be in the Lord s church and the kingdom of God. Page 4 of 5
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of the Zondervan Corporation. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. 2005, James H. Feeney, All rights reserved. The author grants permission to copy this material for noncommercial purposes intended to further the spread of the Word of God. Page 5 of 5