Week 47

This Weeks Passage: Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17

This week we discuss a similar situation in the scriptures.  Something so deeply rooted in Jewish culture that without understanding the culture and the language it becomes something altogether different, and unfortunately it has.  I’m talking about tithing and it has taken me years to fully grasp its meaning and I am still learning.  Unfortunately in the church, tithing has become more or less a 10% tax.  We are instructed to give 10% to God and that is it.  Just do it and you’ll be blessed and then we quote a few scriptures beginning with Malachi 3 completely out of context to support it.  There is no wonder why only about 6% of people tithe.

The truth is that tithing is one of the most beautiful and fulfilling acts God has given us once we understand what it really is and how we are to do it.  My wife and I are always trying to figure out how we can give more, and that is something I never did with my old understanding.  This has been life changing for me.  I hope it encourages you as well.  Over the course of a few weeks I want to try and explain what I have learned about what tithing really is and how you can really enjoy giving to God in a new way and see the fruit of His blessings as you co-partner with Him to make a difference in the kingdom.

One of the first things we need to understand about tithing is that tithing did not consist of giving money.  Did you know that?  So, when you read about the people tithing they were not giving money.  Now in our day and time money may be appropriate, but the point I’m trying to make is that we need to set aside the idea of giving money because that is not the spirit behind the purpose of tithing.  Once we understand the purpose of tithing our hearts can be opened to do it whether we’re giving money, time or something else.  So, let’s understand the purpose for why God instituted it and then we can begin to understand the different ways we can participate.

I have highlighted the words right and just and their Hebrew words because these are the two foundational words for justice.  Tzedaka is distributive justice and mishpat is retributive justice and together they form the foundation for how God wanted Abraham and his descendants to care for one another and the nations.  Retributive justice is the system of laws that would be used to settle disputes and distinguish between innocent and guilty.  This is very similar to what we would recognize in our own country today as the rules we all need to live by to produce a peaceful society.  But God added a second piece and that is distributive justice and this is the part that can be difficult for us to understand.  Tzedaka recognizes that there is much inequality within society where the rich can rule over the poor and people can get missed and become lost in the system, so there is a method of distributing basic needs to everyone so that no one goes without.  God’s desire for ensuring we are always thinking about helping others.

Doing tzedaka was part of the legal system so everyone had to do it, but it was more a moral code that was written into society.  Generally when you see the word righteousness in the bible the word is tzedaka.  For instance when Jesus says seek the kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33)  He is saying to care for the poor or do your moral responsibility of giving to others in need as is required from the Lord.  There is probably no other society in the world that has this built into the heart of peoples conscious thinking and God put it there for a reason.  Once you understand this you will begin to see it all over scripture.  We can’t understand our relationship with God without understanding how important this is in His kingdom.