Q. What do the Scriptures teach about tithing and is it for today?

A There has been a lot of misinformation about this subject over the centuries and this is not the place to clear them all up so I will attempt to give the simple teaching about this subject. The Scriptures teach the concept of giving. Two main areas we will concentrate on is tithing and biblical giving. So, let’s talk briefly about tithing. The Hebrew word for it is “ma’aser” which means a tenth part. We see Abraham giving a tenth of the war spoils after rescuing Lot. Jacob will give a tenth if God delivers him (Gen. 28). This is in the category of biblical giving. There is no indication that either of them made it an ongoing practice as we understand it later in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. You can give whatever percentage you want of your increase but that is not considered tithing as presented in the Torah. Tithing was done when in the land of Israel. It was agricultural in nature (animals and produce) because you were making your living off the land, God’s land, and He gave it to Israel, sends the rain and gives the increase. As a result, you gave a tithe like “rent” to the real landowner. The tithe was given to the Levite and he in turn gave a tithe to the priests. You did not tithe money. The tithe was brought two times a year for six years. It went like this. The years were counted by sevens, called a “shavuah” (seven) and the seventh year was called a “shemittah” and 7 seven -year cycles equaled 49 years. The next year was the Yovel year (50th), or jubilee, when all debts were cancelled and land went back to the previous owners and so on. So the first year of the 7 year the first tithe was brought to the Levitical city near you at the feast of Shavuot. The animals were put in stockyards and the produce was put into storage areas. The second tithe was brought to the Temple and eaten in a banquet style with the priests, Levites, poor and the needy. You stayed there until it was gone (Deut. 14.22-29). The second year of the cycle you repeated the process. The third year you brought the first tithe to the storehouses at Shavuot but the second tithe was given to the Levites to be given to the widows, orphans and the needy (Deut. 26.12-15). The fourth and fifth year repeated the first and second year of the cycle and the sixth year repeated the third. The seventh year of the cycle is called the shemittah and there was no tithe because there were no crops planted. This cycle repeated for seven cycles or 49 years. So, the 49th and 50th year there was no planting or tithing (Lev 25.20-22, Isa. 37.30). You ate what grew of itself and God promised to provide enough for those two to three years. That is biblical tithing and it can’t be done today. It is wrong to bring out Malachi and other prophets to reprove people for not tithing today trying to make them feel guilty and give up their money. The church is not the storehouse and Christian ministers are not the Levites and you did not tithe money. If these ministers want the people to tithe like the people of Israel than they need to live like Levites, which won’t happen. Besides, these same ministers will tell their people they are “free from the Law” and the Law has been “done away with” except when it comes to money. Don’t you find a strange inconsistency with that? So, in short, tithing is not in force today as described in the Scriptures because there is no Temple, no Levitical cities with their storehouses, or priests. Even if there was all of the above, if you lived outside the land you were not obligated to tithe. However, if you decided to give ten percent to the Lord you could and it was considered biblical giving, not tithing. There is a difference. If you left the corners of your field with a lot of produce for the gleaners you were considered generous and had a “good eye”. If you were stingy and had an “evil eye” you cut the corners close and didn’t leave much. Boaz in the book of Ruth was generous because the reapers left extra for the gleaners. You can give whatever you want and that applies no matter who you are or where you are. Biblical giving is not limited to money. You can give time, buying study materials, talents and other things. Also keep in mind you should give to your family first and those in need in your own household. The whole concept of tithing and biblical giving cannot be totally discussed here but hopefully there is enough here to answer your question or at least give you something to work with so you can check this out for yourself.