tithe – Praying Pint

52.g. Wilderness – 16.m. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Deu 26:11  And you shall rejoice in all the good that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you. “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.  I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Deuteronomy 12:7   And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:12     And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your town

Deuteronomy 16:11    And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there.

Deuteronomy 28:47     Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things,

Psalms 63:3-5    Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips

Psalms 100:1-2    Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!  Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

Acts 2:46-47   And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Philippians 4:4    Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

1 Timothy 6:17-18     As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

When God has made good his promises to us, he expects we should own it to the honour of his faithfulness. And our creature comforts are doubly sweet, when we see them flowing from the fountain of the promise. The comfort we have in our own enjoyments, should lead us to be thankful for our share in public peace and plenty; and with present mercies we should bless the Lord for the former mercies we remember, and the further mercies we expect and hope for. (Henry)

When we receive from the LORD, and give back to Him, it makes us rejoice. It is the proper response of a creature to his Creator, who has supplied him with all good things. The prayer described here shows that the giving was done with the right kind of heart. God not only wants us to give, but to give with the right heart. Right giving is done according to God’s Word Right giving is done within the context of a whole life of obedience. Right giving genuinely sets aside what is to be given unto the LORD. Right giving is not done superstitiously, Right giving is done with the expectation of blessing. (Guzik)

How can we not rejoice? When saved our sins were washed away, we were forgiven, redeemed, born again, and transformed. We were promised eternal life in heaven with God. We were given the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach, encourage, convict us of sin, and yield the fruits of joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, love, grace, mercy, generosity, hospitality, humbleness, and patience. Beyond this God blesses us with great and precious promises, godly wisdom, fruits of our labors, and material, financial, and relational blessings. How can we not rejoice?

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.

51.d. Wilderness – 15.j. “It is holy to the LORD.”

Deu 14:22  “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year.

Deuteronomy 12:6    and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.

Deuteronomy 26:12-15    “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled,  then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

Leviticus 27:30-33  “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.

The purpose of tithing; to build an honor and reverence for God. The paraphrase in the Living Bible puts it plainly: The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. (Guzik)

The whole appointment evidently was against the covetousness, distrust, and selfishness of the human heart. It promoted friendliness, liberality, and cheerfulness, and raised a fund for the relief of the poor. They were taught that their worldly portion was most comfortably enjoyed, when shared with their brethren who were in want. If we thus serve God, and do good with what we have, it is promised that the Lord our God will bless us in all the works of our land. The blessing of God is all to our outward prosperity; and without that blessing, the work of our hands will bring nothing to pass. The blessing descends upon the working hand. Expect not that God should bless thee in thy idleness and love of ease. And it descends upon the giving hand. He who thus scatters, certainly increases; and to be free and generous in the support of religion, and any good work, is the surest and safest way of thriving. (Henry)

The sacrificial meals were to be held before the Lord, in the place where He caused His name to dwell (see at Deuteronomy 12:5), that Israel might learn to fear Jehovah its God always; not, however, as Schultz supposes, that by the confession of its dependence upon Him it might accustom itself more and more to the feeling of dependence. For the fear of the Lord is not merely a feeling of dependence upon Him, but also includes the notion of divine blessedness, which is the predominant idea here, as the sacrificial meals were to furnish the occasion and object of the rejoicing before the Lord. The true meaning therefore is, that Israel might rejoice with holy reverence in the fellowship of its God. (Keil)

Giving is important, tithing is commanded, and generosity is blessed. I must admit, at times, I am discouraged by all of the requests for money by mega church outreach radio ministries. They use worldly marketing ideas. They offer, “for free”, a book or booklet for a donation, they want you to join their purpose, they want to have your support. Don’t get me wrong, many of these ministries have outreaches that give food and shelter, protect the sanctity of life, and disaster relief. This is good. However, what would happen if people of the local church tithed and gave offerings to their local church and ministries for outreach. I would think there would be more local growth and outreach.

Some of the ministries ask support for the sermons and teaching that is broadcast on radio. I find few that preach the whole Word of God. They preach / teach in nice comfortable shallow concepts that make a person comfortable rather than convicted of sin. This is their approach; Are you hurting – God, Are you troubled – God, Are you having marital problems – God, Are you having financial problems – God, Are you needing a miracle – God, Are you having problems at work – God, … These are all about you and what you can get from God. Where is the Teaching / Preaching about sin? Where is the Preaching / Teaching that convicts a soul to repentance? Where is the Preaching / Teaching that dives into the holiness of God? Where is the Preaching / Teaching that rightly explains God’s wrath, anger, judgment……? Where is the Preaching / Teaching that declares Sin?

Far too many pastors / teachers preach about what you can comfortably “get” and speak in comforting words that neither convict or lead a person to evaluate themselves in light of the holiness of God past the Gospel of Jesus Christ and eternal life.

Far too many “Christians” are lukewarm and shallow because of this. Far too much of the world and its pleasures and what it deems important are finding ways into the church. Why??? Studying God’s Word is neglected. Why??? Far too many Christians go to church to listen to a sermon and there is no studying in their lives apart from this. Why??? Far too many Christians are confused about worldly events and cultural norms. Why??? Far too many Christians feel they are “being” Christ-like because they listen to Christian music channels all day. Why??? Why has the Christian life taken on a “look” that resembles exactly what the lost are doing???

Could it be that there is only focus on what you can get as blessings from God and never challenging the heart, mind, and soul to reflect on the holiness of God and the sinfulness of sin? When is the last time you were convicted by God’s Word and repented? When was the last time you actually studied God’s Word to learn how you might honor and glorify Jesus Christ?

If we are not studying and preachers and teachers are not proclaiming more than comfortable messages, how are we ever to grow in knowledge and understanding of sin and the holiness of God that leads us to repentance? How is the heart to be searched and the thoughts examined if God’s Word is not being used as the light into them?

The Christian life is not about checking the box to giving, attending church, listening to Christian music, etc… it is bout growing in the understanding and knowledge of God so that in every thought, word, and deed Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. Growing requires effort, steadfastness, commitment, faith, patience, determination, and purpose. There is no way to gain this understanding and knowledge through osmosis or neglect or complacency.

Paul said it like this; though you ought to be teachers by now, you are in need of being taught.

43.s. “Wilderness” – 7.z. “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest”

Exodus 22:29  “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

Deuteronomy 26:10    And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the LORD your God and worship before the LORD your God.

2 Chronicles 31:5  As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the firstfruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field. And they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

Proverbs 3:9-10   Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;  then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Matthew 6:33    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Thou shalt not delay beyond the times appointed, lest this delay grow to a total neglect. (Poole)

Setting our giving ahead of our spending is God-honoring. The problem is that giving is often based on what is left over rather than at the beginning. This is a good indication of where the importance of honoring and glorifying God has been placed in our hearts and minds. God loves a cheerful giver and one that gives out of a heart-filled desire to honor and glorify Him. It is not out of our abundance we are to give. It is the first of whatever we have. There is so much that could be said about our culture that places things of God second, third, or fourth in our daily lives. Giving is a good indication of where God is placed in our hearts. Choosing to honor and glorify God with the first of our fruits or our labor will impact our hearts. It places all things we have in light of the Giver of all things. Setting aside our first fruits with an intentional choice to give them in honor and glory of God is good for our souls. If you want more treasures in your heart for God when you die, give more while you live.

34.b. “Woe to you!”

Matthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and the good of souls, but that they might have the credit and advantage of making converts. Gain being their godliness, by a thousand devices they made religion give way to their worldly interests. They were very strict and precise in smaller matters of the law, but careless and loose in weightier matters. It is not the scrupling a little sin that Christ here reproves; if it be a sin, though but a gnat, it must be strained out; but the doing that, and then swallowing a camel, or, committing a greater sin. While they would seem to be godly, they were neither sober nor righteous. We are really, what we are inwardly. Outward motives may keep the outside clean, while the inside is filthy; but if the heart and spirit be made new, there will be newness of life; here we must begin with ourselves. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was like the ornaments of a grave, or dressing up a dead body, only for show. The deceitfulness of sinners’ hearts appears in that they go down the streams of the sins of their own day, while they fancy that they should have opposed the sins of former days. We sometimes think, if we had lived when Christ was upon earth, that we should not have despised and rejected him, as men then did; yet Christ in his Spirit, in his word, in his ministers, is still no better treated. And it is just with God to give those up to their hearts’ lusts, who obstinately persist in gratifying them. Christ gives men their true characters. (Henry)

They were blind, and so very unfit to be guides of others; they were as they were born, ignorant of divine things, of God in Christ, of the true Messiah, of the true meaning of the Scriptures, of the spirituality of the law, and of the Gospel of Christ; and the way of salvation by him; and their minds were blinded by the god of this world (satan), and with a greedy, and insatiable covetousness after the things of it. (Gill)

We should never fall into the trap of being satisfied with a superficial cleansing and the appearance of righteousness. How foolish is it to be greatly concerned with our outward appearance of righteousness (doing and saying things for the praise of others), and be unconcerned with what is inside of our hearts and minds. (sin, greed, pride, self-worth, self-reliance, anger, hate, etc…)

God is never fooled by what we show on the outside. He sees what we actually are, not what we appear to be to other men. (Guzik)

Woe to you, blind guides. You blind fools! You blind men! “Woe to you hypocrites! You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

34.x. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”

Matthew 22:34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 5:19-20   Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 11:42    “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

Matthew 23:23-24  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.  You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

1 Timothy 1:5    The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

It is clear enough what it means to love the LORD with all we are, though it is impossible to do perfectly. But there has been much confusion about what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. This doesn’t mean that we must love ourselves before we can love anyone else; it means that in the same way we take care of ourselves and are concerned about our own interests, we should take care and have concern for the interests of others. God’s moral expectation of man can be briefly and powerfully said in these two sentences. If the life of God is real in our life, it will show by the presence of this love for God and others.

For the love of God will make us humble and contented with our lot; it will preserve us from all intemperance, impatience, and unholy desires; it will make us watchful over ourselves, that we may keep a good conscience, and solicitous for our eternal welfare. And the love of our neighbor will free us from all angry passions, envy, malice, revenge, and other unkind tempers: so that both taken together will introduce into us the whole mind that was in Christ, and cause us to walk as he walked. (Benson)

We must love our neighbor as truly and sincerely as we love ourselves; in many cases we must deny ourselves for the good of others. (Henry)

As often as we may fail we must ever press on to Love God above self and to love others as self. Fail as we may the goal and aim is the same for every moment of every day.

34.q. “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Malachi 3:1-2    “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

John 2:14-17  In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.  And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”  His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Deuteronomy 14:24-26 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there,  then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses  and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.

The part of the temple which he now visited, and which was profaned to secular use, was the court of the Gentiles, separated from the sanctuary by a stone partition, and considered of lesser sanctity, though really an integral part of the temple. In this large open space a market had been established, with the connivance, and much to the pecuniary emolument, of the priests. These let out the sacred area, of which they were the appointed guardians, to greedy and irreligious traders, who made a gain of others’ piety. (unknown)

Pilgrims came from all parts of the world to keep the Passover, to offer their sacrifices, sin-offerings, or thank-offerings, according to the circumstances of each case. They did not bring their live sacrifice with them. What plan, it might seem, could be more convenient than that they should find a market where they could buy them as near as possible to the place where the sacrifice was to be offered? One of the courts of the Temple was therefore assigned for the purpose, and probably the priests found their profit in the arrangement by charging a fee or rent of some kind for the privilege of holding stalls. The pilgrims brought with them the coinage of their own country—Syrian, Egyptian, Greek, as the case might be—and their money was either not current in Palestine, or, as being stamped with the symbols of heathen worship, could not be received into the Corban, or treasury of the Temple. For their convenience, therefore, money-changers were wanted, who, of course, made the usual profit, on each transaction. We must picture to ourselves, in addition to all the stir and bustle inseparable from such traffic, the wrangling and bitter words and reckless oaths which necessarily grew out of it with such a people. (Ellicott)

A harbour of wicked men; a place where traffic is carried on by persons of the most infamous character, who live by deceit and oppression, and practise the vilest extortion, even in the house of the most righteous and blessed God. (Benson)

If Christ came now into many parts of his visible church, how many secret evils he would discover and cleanse! And how many things daily practised under the cloak of religion, would he show to be more suitable to a den of thieves than to a house of prayer! (Henry)

The people coming to Jerusalem were coming to observe the “Passover” in remembrance of the 10th plague against the Egyptians, where God freed the Israelites from slavery over 1,500 years ago. This day was never to be forgotten. This day was to be remembered for all generations. It was a time to give thanks to God for what He did and to also perform sacrifices in line with forgiveness, obedience, and thanksgiving. Surely there were people, who, out of a pure heart to God, made long journeys for this observance. When they got there they were met with greed and extortion. God’s temple was not to be a place of this.

With the age of computer technology and social media, the Word of God is more than available to any who searches for it. I have seen this great availability occur in my lifetime. I remember when you would hear a preacher on the radio and send off a letter and wait to get the outline for the bible study. There wasn’t much chance you could hear a full message series. I am not sure when it happened, but happened it did. Soon, some of these preachers would offer these in book form for the price it cost to print. Fast forward to today. Now we can hear, or go to a website and listen to the whole message series. Never before have the Word of God and God-honoring messages been so accessible to people across the globe. There are many seeking souls who hunger for growth in God’s Word and its availability is beyond full understanding. Some preachers use this opportunity to reach the lost and feed believers with truth. Others, however, use it as a means for profit just like these money changers and animal sellers. They market God’s Word. You listen to a message, you sign up to get on a mailing list, and the next thing you know you are getting offers to buy the latest and greatest series on whatever, that will walk you through life problems, open your eyes to new truths, give you purpose in this life, make you more financially stable, how to handle difficult people, how to find peace, how to be more effective in your Christian walk, etc……….. for a price. They market and sell. There is little difference between what Jesus drove out of the Temple and what these people are doing. They have adopted the way of this world into a practice that is not honoring or glorifying to Jesus Christ. It is not that selling is wrong but the way in which it is being marketed and sold. God’s Word and messages of understanding and application should be made available and making this availability known is good. To market, it is not. To gain profit is not. To gain fame is not.

Over 50 years ago Dr. J. Vernon McGee, a great man of God, started a daily radio 5-year through the bible series. Just prior to his death 34 years ago he told his staff to continue with this broadcast until the money ran out. To this day it is still being broadcast. It was not by marketing and selling but through the Hand of God that it still exists on the air.

I often listen to him and many others on the radio. I have no doubt there are many pastors who have support staff who take care of the “business” side of their ministry where marketing and selling are being managed like a product to be sold. The next time you are listening to someone on the radio, listen for the marketing that usually comes just before the conclusion of the message or at the end. Do not allow yourself to think this is ok. It is not. Do things of God need to be marketed? Can He not fund these? Does He need earthly and worldly wisdom to figure out ways to fund broadcasts, books, podcasts, and publications? I fear too many have fallen into seeing this type of marketing and selling as it being ok. It is not. If it is God’s will then it is God’s bill. He will supply what is needed. It is not by gifted marketing strategies or flooding email accounts with pleas. It is by the will of God.

There could be many arguments made against my thoughts on this and all of them would have some merit, but at the end of the day incorporating worldly techniques to market and sell is just not right or good for the people of God.