Rebutal of World Bible Society on Tithing

WORLD BIBLE SOCIETY
http://worldbiblesociety.blogspot.com/2010/10/tithing-september-28-2010.html

Your definition of “tithe” is not supported by God’s Word. In the Bible the HOLY tithe was always only food from inside Israel which God had miraculously increased. Tithes could not come from what man increased, from Gentiles or from outside Israel. There ae 16 texts to validate this truth.

The texts you quote, Deu 14:22 and Lev 27:30, disagree with you and agree with me.

Proverbs 3:9 is about “firstfruit offerings” which are never the same thing as tithes in the Bible. Firstfruits are always only very small token offerings per Deu 26:1-4; Neh 1-:35-37 and many other texts.

The only persons who qualified as tithe-payers in the Bible were food producers who lived inside Israel. Not even Jesus, Peter or Paul qualified.

According to Lev 27:30-34 the “best” was not the tithe; it was the “tenth” whether it be the best or not. Shame on you for manipulating the Bible.

While everything belongs to God, He only accepted tithes from food increased inside His holy land of Israel. Therefore nothing you have written in this article is true. Shame, shame, shame.

If you accept tithes as a Christian minister, then YOU are robbing God by accepting that which was legislated only for Levites and priests to support the Old Covenant Temple system per Numbers 18. You also obligate yourself NOT to own or inherit property and to obey the whole Law in order to be blessed according to Galatians 3:10.

Malachi was only addressed to Old Covenant Israel who had committed to obeying all the Law in Neh 10:29 and not merely tithing. The whole law was a test.
Malachi is then narrowly addressed to dishonest thieving priests in 1:6; 2:1 and 3:1-5 who had stolen tithes and offerings per Neh 13:5-10 and Mal 1:13-14. Since, according to Neh 10:37-39 the whole tithe was to be brought to the Levitical cities, then Mal 3:10 must only refer to thieving priests.

Better New Covenant post-Calvary include: freewill, generous, SACRIFICIAL, joyful, not by commandment (or percentage) and motivated by love for God and lost souls. According to 2 Cor 8:12-14 many should not stop at 10% while many more are already giving sacrificially even though less than 10%. Gospel principles are sufficient for gospel-preaching and soul-winning churches.

Russell Earl Kelly, PHD