There is no basis in the Mosaic Law for the practice of tithing 10% of our total annual income to the local church. The only commands about tithing in Scripture are for the people of Israel, and they are to tithe 10% to their own family for two years, and then in the third year, give 10% to the Levitical Priests and the community poor.

As followers of Jesus, we are not under the Law of Moses, and do not need to follow it as the people of Israel did. Nevertheless, we can look to the Law of Moses for principles and ideas on how God might want us to live our lives today.

Tithing Today

If we wanted to draw some principles from the Mosaic Law about tithing for our practice today, we could say that families should put aside a portion of their income every year to enjoy life by participating in special festivals and feasts with their family. Every third year, some funds can also go to support a ministry of our choosing, and for taking care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows in our community.

If we were going to try to follow closely the Mosaic Law about tithing, a family’s budget might look like this:

Year 1: 10% for Family Celebration
Year 2: 10% for Family Celebration
Year 3: 10% for Ministry Support and Loving Others

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Yesterday we learned that in the Mosaic law, the Israelites were instructed to tithe 10% of their income for the purpose of having a family celebration. But does this mean then that there is no such thing a tithe to the Levitical priests, or to ministries in our own day? No. Yesterday I only told two-thirds of the story.

What about the Priests?

What about giving to the Levitical Priests? Well, they also were invited to join the party and eat and drink as much as they wanted (Deut 14:27). But the tithe was not for them, but for the families who brought them, to celebrate and enjoy life together with God.

Now, this is what they were supposed to do for two years. For two years, the entire tithe went for these family celebrations. On the third year, however, things changed. On the third year, the people of Israel were supposed to forego the celebration, and on this year, give the total tithe of crops and animals to the Levitical priests and to the poor, the orphans, and the widows in the community (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12-14).

So it is true that a tithe was paid to the Levitical priests. But this tithe was only once every three years, and it was also to be distributed to the poor and needy in the community. Since this tithe was 10% every three years, it amounts to about only 3% annually, and even this amount was not for the priests only.

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When people teach about the law of the tithe, they usually go to a few passages in the Mosaic Law.

Popular Teaching on Tithing

One of the more popular Scripture passages on tithing is Deuteronomy 14:22. It says this: “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.” A similarly popular passage is Leviticus 27:30: “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.”

These passages are often used to defend the practice of reserving 10% of a person’s income for God. These passages indicate that the tithe belongs to God; it does not belong to us.

And what should be done with the tithe? If it belongs to God, how can a person give it to God? Again, the person who defends the practice of tithing will often turn to another passage in the writings of Moses, Numbers 18:24: “For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance.” And since the modern equivalent of a Levitical priest is a pastor, it is often argued that the tithes should go to support the work of the pastor, or at least the ministry of the church. So in the vast majority of churches, about one-half of the tithe goes to pay the pastor’s salary, and the other half goes to pay for the church building and programs.

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One of the most famous passages in Scripture about tithing is Genesis 14:18-20.

Genesis 14:18-20

In this passage, Abraham’s nephew Lot has been taken captive by an invading army. Abraham gathers his trained men and pursues this army to rescue Lot. Abraham is successful, and returns from the battle with Lot, Lot’s family, all the people who had also been taken captive, and all the goods and possessions which had been carried away. On their return trip, Melchizedek, the King of Salem, comes out to meet them and he blesses Abraham and blesses God. In response, Abraham gave to Melchizedek a tenth (or a tithe) of everything. And that is everything that this text says about tithing. One little line.

Hebrews 7:1-10

This passage would probably not be so prominent in the tithing debate if it were not for the comments on this passage by the author of the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews 7, the author of Hebrews makes the claim that Jesus is superior to the Levitical Priesthood. He begins this argument in 7:1-10 with a rather complex discussion about who has the right to receive tithes, and that Melchizedek is superior to the Levitical priests because through “the loins” of Abraham, the Levites paid a tithe to Melchizedek. Frankly, the whole argument sounds somewhat silly to modern ears, but was quite consistent with Hebraic ways of thinking about their ancestors and helps solve the dilemma about how Jesus could be our High Priest even though He was not of the Tribe of Levi.

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