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?
Present day trend where Christians are required to offer seeds lacks basis in the scripture. If there was a basis for such an argument, it is expected that Job would have been asked to offer something for protection against afflictions. It is not until Abraham that a tenth of proceeds is mentioned in terms of tithing.
The offering made by Abram in Genesis fourteen was based on what the armies had captured in battle. It also included what his brother Lot had as well as the people around him. This is an indication of sacrifice and not tithing. The tithe that Abram gave after rescuing Lot came from what the armies plundered.
All the sacrifices made by Abram were voluntary. When asked to keep what he had captured in war, Genesis chapter twenty records that he declined. The reason given is that he did not want to be considered rich through war plundering. He allows the army to share what they had captured after giving a portion of it to the high priest.
The church today has made tithing part of daily service unlike what the bible suggests. Abraham was a very wealthy man yet he only gave up what was gotten from war. From the traditions of the Israelites, tithing was a form of worship and was to be based on individual preference. There is no mention that people were required to give their best as is advocated in the church today.
A new system is said to have been established through the New Testament. While so many other things changed, tithing remained as it was in the Old Testament. The other irony is an instance where pastors and church ministers own big cars and the best properties yet they do not feature during tithing. The fact that they expect their followers to tithe is 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 chapter three made it mandatory to tithe. Failure to obey this law meant that they would go for years without rain. It was therefore an appeasement. The New Testament, however, turns the tables and advocates for giving instead of tithing. In fact, the giving is supposed to come second after helping the poor according to Matthew 23.
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