Victor R. Claveau, MJ
The word “Tithe” is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means that one-tenth of all produce, goods and profits, justly acquired, is owed to God in recognition of His supreme dominion over man, and to be used for religious purposes. The custom of giving tithes is very ancient
The first tithe mentioned in the Scriptures is that paid by Abraham to the priest Melchisedech.
Gen. 14:19-20 – And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Gen. 28:20-22 – Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that thou givest me I will give the tenth to thee”.
These were prescribed in the Mosaic Law.
Ex.22:29 – You shall not delay to offer from the fulness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses.
Lev. 27:30-34 – “All the 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. 31 If a man wishes to redeem any of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And all the tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD. 33 A man shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed”. 34 These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai
Dt. 14:22 – You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from the field year by year.
They in turn gave a tenth of all the tithes collected to the priests.
Num. 18:21, 26-28 – To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, their service in the tent of meeting. … “Moreover you shall say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. … So shall you also present an offering to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel; and from it you shall give the LORD’s offering to Aaron the priest.
Such was the tendency in Judah until King Hezechiah ordered that the tithe be paid.
2 Chron. 31:4-6, 12 – And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give themselves to the law of the LORD. 5 As soon as the command was spread abroad, the people of Israel gave in abundance the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 And the people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the dedicated things which had been consecrated to the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps. 7 In the third month they began to pile up the heaps, and finished them in the seventh month. 8 When Hezekiah and the princes came and saw the heaps, they blessed the LORD and his people Israel. 9 And Hezekiah questioned the priests and the Levites about the heaps. 10 Azariah the chief priest, who was of the house of Zadok, answered him, “Since they began to bring the contributions into the house of the LORD we have eaten and had enough and have plenty left; for the LORD has blessed his people, so that we have this great store left”. 11 Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them. 12 And they faithfully brought in the contributions, the tithes and the dedicated things.
Malachi told the people that they robbed God when they withheld their tithes.
Mal. 3:8-11 – ill man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How are we robbing thee?’ In your tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me; the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil; and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.
Paying tithes was continued into New Testament times.
Lk. 18:12 – I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.
The Pharisees even paid tithes on garden herbs.
Mat. 23:23 – Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
Lk. 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.
In the Christian Church, those who serve the altar should live by the altar.
1 Cor. 9:13 – Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
In the early history of the Church, spontaneous offerings were given by the faithful. As the Church grew, it became necessary that regulations were passed to ensure the consistent support of the clergy. The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law, and early writers speak of it as a matter of conscience and obligation, of even more than usual importance since it is certain that it is a law instituted by God Himself. All civilized nations recognized the right of the Church in retaining a portion of the produce of the land, and under Charlemagne, in the eighth century, this was strictly enforced. Before the Norman conquest it was similarly enforced in England. At first the tithe was payable to the bishop, but later the right of collection passed to the pastor of each church. The right to tithes was granted to certain princes in return for protection in war, but this led to abuses which in time brought about the abandonment of tithes in most places. In English speaking countries required tithes have been done away with, at least as far as Catholics are concerned. This does not relieve one of the obligation before God to tithe.