Deuteronomy 12:1-14 These [are] the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, [even] unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes. For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you. But [when] ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and [when] he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD: And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that [is] within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest: But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
HOW MANY OF YOU THINK THAT THE THINGS WE DO AROUND HERE AR IMPORTANT TO GOD? ---- > Then maybe you can understand why our tithe is so important!
Everything we do takes money: BLDGS, BUS, ADS, LIT, BOOKS, MISSIONS, UTILS
Our tithe and offering is God's COMMON SENSE way of paying ministry bills.
Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice!
The text introduced the principle of "God's Place" He always had one!
O.T. God had a chosen place
a> Celebrating Sacraments & Symbols
b> Central Assembly for Worship. (God met man)
c> Location for tithes & offerings
This principal is true today. Yes they went house to house...
But also daily in the synagogue --- even tho it was owned by the orthodox
Balanced between the two
a> Celebrate Baptism & Communion b> Central Assembly c> Bring tithes
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Psalms 139:7-12 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there]. [If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee].
BUT GOD'S SPIRIT IS EVERYWHERE? Yes! But his spirit is centralized also.
While this was written, God also dwelled in the O.T. Tabernacle
POINT ? : Private Family Devotion has it's place - BUT SO DOES CHURCH!
Hebrews 10:24-26 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, ----> NOTICE THE CONTEXT AROUND THE ADMONITION TO GATHER.
BACK TO TEXT: GOD TOLD THEM TO OVERTHROW THE HEATHEN PLACES: ( Hills etc )
Deu 12:3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
God has a place he chooses! NOT JUST ANYPLACE WILL DO!
TEXT: 12:5-8 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, [even] unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee. Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes.
GOD WAS CLEAR ABOUT THE CRITERIA FOR HIS PLACE...
---> the Sacrifices were symbols of Jesus (the Lamb) <---
---> God filled his place with his glory
-- Church is filled with his spirit and organized for evangelism
NOTE : GOD DESTROYED THE PLACES THAT MAN CHOSE TO WORSHIP (made his own)
These principles are carried into the N.T.
I Corinthians 16:1-3 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by [your] letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
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TEXT : 12:13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:
Be careful about T.V. & Radio preachers etc... GOD'S PROGRAM IS LOCAL!
UNDER THE LAW... JEWS Brought tithe to the Tabernacle - later to the temple
UNDER GRACE ... Some want to throw out the tithe, yet we don't give to fellowship with God. We give to further his cause!
We give cheerfully because were saved!
In the N.T. God asked for the same tithe, but from another angle!
T E X T : Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty:
WHERE DID HEY APPEAR?
---> Tabernacle at Shiloh, moved Schechem then Jerusalem
NOW WATCH THIS:
Jeremiah 7:12-14 But go ye now unto my place which [was] in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not; Therefore will I do unto [this] house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
God said he would with draw from the temple like he did at Shiloh.
--- Came true in 587 BC - Babylonian conquest
THERE WAS A CENTRAL ALTER
Deuteronomy 26:1-4 And it shall be, when thou [art] come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put [it] in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. And thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him, I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the country which the LORD sware unto our fathers for to give us. And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God.
Moses was growing old... He saw Canaan coming: He admonished them to not forget the tithe of the land.
This tithe was a thank offering from the land :::
Convert it to money and bring it in the basket!
This HARVEST TITHE was similar to our tithe today.
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**** Mosaic Law was in effect about 1,500 yrs. Jews often ignored it.
When they were spiritually low, so was their giving.
GOD CALLED ISRAEL BACK TO REPENTANCE WITH PROPHETS MANY TIMES!
Trauma of Babylon cured them of idolatry... But they slide back again!
Finally Malachi prophesied to this post exilic generation of remnant Jews.
Malachi 3:7-8 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
GOD ACCUSED THEM OF NEGLECTING GIVING LIKE THEIR FATHERS!
** But God offered to meet them 1/2 way **
They acted like they didn't know what was wrong: The charge was explained
Start Now!
Malachi 3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation. | Withdrawal of God's Divine Blessing |
The curse was given: you can't strike a bargain on this issue
THE PROPER WAY TO TITHE IS FROM THE GROSS! ( I do it! )
Those that give are blessed : & vice versa |
| God blesses those that bless his cause |
LOOK WHAT HAPPENED AFTER ISRAEL'S RESPONSE...
II Chronicles 31:10-12 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since [the people] began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left [is] this great store. Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared [them], And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated [things] faithfully: over which Cononiah the Levite [was] ruler, and Shimei his brother [was] the next.
As God's people responded.. a storehouse was built (warehouse)-treasury
The Temple Treasury was God's Storehouse! God called for the tithe!
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
Those that did not, were guilty of disobedience!
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
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Then there was a General promise to those who would be faithful...
Malachi 3:11-12 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
WHAT STARTED AS VOLUNTARY, TURNED TO A MANDATE... AND IS CONTINUED TO NOW!
******* ARGUMENTS ********
--- Tithing began with Gentile ( Melchisedec )
Hebrews 5:6 As he saith also in another [place], Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. |JESUS|
--- IT WA BEFORE THE LAW: Tithe is an eternal law!
------>> Surely Grace would not give less then the law?
--- 2'ce in Acts they gave all! - fine, let's do it. (most argue for less
--- ARGUMENT OF SILENCE ---
IF TITHE WERE TO STOP, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO!
Tithe was not part of the ceremonial Law done away with
Jesus did not come to destroy the Law... but to fulfill it!
3-8-95 AUPC (WED)
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