Begin today with a pop quiz?  That OK with you?

I am going to ask some questions regarding tithing, and see if
you can come up with the answers. I am going to ask you to write
them down and then we will see how many of you got them right.

Ready?

1.	Who was the first person recorded in the Bible that gave a
tithe?

2.	Who was the first person in the Bible to receive tithe?

3.	Who was the second person recorded in the Bible who
promised to tithe?

4.	Who did the second person recorded in the Bible return
tithe to?

5.	What was the tithe used for in Israel?

6.	What did Jesus say about tithing?

7.	Are we supposed to "pay" tithe?

8.	If you use God's tithe for yourself, what are you supposed
to do?

9.	What was tithing first called in the Adventist Church?

10.	How were the people encouraged to give?

11.	What is one of the things for which a minister should be
fired?

12.	What is the responsibility of the church officers in
regards to tithe?

13.	Does God still expect His Children to tithe?

Well, how did you do with your answers?  Did you miss some? 
Not sure?  Let's check them out.

1.	Who was the first person recorded in the Bible that gave a
tithe?

I am sure that most of you got this one right.  Now we know who
gave offerings first don't we?  Adam and Eve.  But there is no
mention of tithe with them or with Cain and Able.  So we move
down to that Patriarch Abraham.  And it is specifically recorded
that he returned tithe.

Which brings us to question two.  



2.	Who was the first person in the Bible to receive tithe?



Those of you who were at prayer meeting while we were studying
the book of Hebrews will know the answer to that one.  It is
found in 

Genesis 14:18  Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread
and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

19  And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most
High, Possessor of heaven and earth;

20  And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies
into your hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.

Who received the tithe?  Melchizedek.

What was his title?  King of Salem (peace) and the priest of the
God Most High.

Here we get our first clue as to what tithe is to be used for.



3.	Who was the second person recorded in the Bible who promised
to tithe?



Genesis 28:16  Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely
the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."

17  And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This
is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of
heaven!"

18  Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone
that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured
oil on top of it.

19  And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of
that city had been Luz previously.

20  Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and
keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat
and clothing to put on,

21  "so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the
LORD shall be my God.

22  "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's
house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to
You."

I would like you to note some things about this verse.  Jacob is
leaving home, in a way fleeing for his life.  God appears to him
in a dream which reassured Jacob that his God would be with him.
 In response he makes an immediate sacrifice of some of his
provisions.  Then he responds to God's implied promise of
blessing by promising a return of 10% of whatever God gives him. 



4.	Who did the second person recorded in the Bible return tithe
to?



Let's look back at the passage we just looked at.  Specifically
verse 22. 

 "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's
house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to
You."  

Exactly how he did that, we are not told.  But he did it.  

We read how things were to be tithed.

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.

31  'If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall
add one-fifth to it.

32  'And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of
whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to
the LORD.

33  'He shall not inquire whether it is good or bad, nor shall
he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and
the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be
redeemed.'"

34  These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses
for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Note here it says that tithe is a commandment, not a suggestion.



5.	What was the tithe used for in Israel?



After the Israelites left Egypt, God began retraining them in
the paths he wanted them to go in.  Instituted at the same time
as the sacrifices and ceremonies was the practice of tithing to
those who engaged in spiritual work.

When the land of Canaan was divided, the tribe of Levi, which
included all of the priesthood, were to receive the tithes of
the land rather than a part of the land itself.  This was so
that they could be freed up to spend all of their time in
preaching, teaching, and serving the spiritual needs of the
nation.

You will find that when the nation apostatized, the tithes
stopped coming in and the priesthood had to move to another
means of making a living to survive.  

Appropriately enough, when revival came, the needs of the
priesthood were taken care of again.  In the time of Hezekiah we
read:

2 Chronicles 31:4  Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in
Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites,
that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.

5  As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of
Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine,
oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they
brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.

6  And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities
of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of
holy things which were consecrated to the LORD their God they
laid in heaps.

7  In the third month they began laying them in heaps, and they
finished in the seventh month.

8  And when Hezekiah and the leaders came and saw the heaps,
they blessed the LORD and His people Israel.

People's appreciation and worship of God needs to be expressed
in a physical way.



6.	What did Jesus say about tithing?



Matthew 23:23  "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have
neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy
and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the
others undone.





7.	Are we supposed to "pay" tithe?



Anyone get this one right?  How many say yes?  How many say no? 
How many not voting?

I believe that no is the answer.  Tithing should not be money
spent for a service rendered.  I become very distressed when
someone states that they will withhold their tithe until things
go their way.  That is not a gift.  That is not an offering. 
That is not even tithe.  It is an attempt to buy (bribe) God or
the church with what they want.  We have no record of Abraham
dictating to Melchisidek what to use the tithe for.  God loves a
cheerful giving, not selfish live-er.

  

8.	If you use God's tithe for yourself, what are you supposed to
do?



In the first place, we are not to use God's tithe for anything
other than the work of God.  There are no provisions for using
the tithe for yourself, with one possible exception.  

I will give an example.  Suppose that you had a really good
barley crop, but your wheat crop was a dud.  You needed to save
your wheat to plant next year.  You could keep the tithe of the
wheat if you brought barley of the same value plus 20%.  

By the way, tithe was also a partnering with God, as Jacob
expressed.  If you were tithing the new sheep from the year, as
they came out of the pen you would designate every 10th one as
tithe.  Whether that lamb was healthy or sickly, God would take
the 10th one.  This demonstrates that God is with us when things
are financially good, or financially bad.  



9.	What was tithing first called in the Adventist Church?



Systematic benevolence.  You might be interested to see how they
worked it at first.

        The pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church could
have gone more easily to the Old Testament and brought in the
obligation of the tithe, but at this juncture, regardless of the
attractiveness of the tithe, they were not sure that it was not
one of those "ceremonial " obligations that ceased at the cross.
In the occasional mention of organization they were looking to
the New Testament with its seven deacons, not to the Old
Testament with the appointment by Moses of the seventy. In
finance they were looking to the New Testament and Paul's
counsel in 1 Corinthians 16:2 that "upon the first day of the
week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, "rather than to Malachi's direction to "bring ye
all the tithes into the store house, that there may be meat in
mine house" (Mal. 3:10). They conceded that the tithing system
was a good plan, and it did have a strong bearing on the
conclusions reached and set before the church. Here is the
argument set forth in the address:

        If Paul found it essential to complete success that
method should be observed in raising means for benevolent
purposes, it is certainly not unreasonable to conclude that we
should find the same thing beneficial in promoting a similar
object. As Paul wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we
may rest assured that his suggestions were not only safe to
follow, and calculated to ensure success, but also that they
were in exact accordance with the will of God. We shall not
therefore displease Him by adopting the suggestions of His
servant Paul.

     The next paragraph delineated the points supported by
Scripture, which it was thought should form the basis for the
plan Sabbathkeeping Adventists ought to follow: 

	"Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by him 
in store as God hath prospered him." This implies: 

	1. A stated  time for the business, viz., the first day of the
week. 

	2. The concurrent action of each individual, for he adds, "Let
every "one of you" lay by him in store. 

	3. This is not a public collection, but a private act of
setting apart for the Lord a portion of what one possesses. 

	4. The amount to be given is brought home to the conscience of
each individual by the language, "as God hath prospered him."-

     The next point made was "How may we reduce to practice
these excellent suggestions?" It was thought that with few
exceptions the following plan could be adopted:

	1. Let each brother from 18 to 60 years of age lay by him in
store on the first day of each week from 5 to 25 cents.

        2. Each sister from 18 to 60 years of age lay by her in
store on the first day of each week from 2 to 10 cents.

        3. Also, let each brother and sister lay by him or her
in store on the first day of each week from 1 to 5 cents on each
and every $100 of property they possess. 



10.	How were the people encouraged to give?

See above.

11.	What is one of the things for which a minister should be
fired?



	The Pastor's Duty

     	Let the church appoint pastors or elders who are devoted
to the Lord Jesus, and let these men see that officers are
chosen who will attend faithfully to the work of gathering in
the tithe. If the pastors show that they are not fitted for
their charge, if they fail to set before the church the
importance of returning to God His own, if they do not see to it
that the officers under them are faithful, and that the tithe is
brought in, they are in peril. They are neglecting a matter
which involves a blessing or a curse to the church. They should
be relieved of their responsibility, and other men should be
tested and tried. 



12.	What is the responsibility of the church officers in regards
to tithe?



	The Responsibility of Church Officers

     	It is the duty of the elders and officers of the church to
instruct the people on this important matter, and to set things
in order. As laborers together with God, the officers of the
church should be sound upon this plainly revealed question. The
ministers themselves should be strict to carry out to the letter
the injunctions of God's word. Those who hold positions of trust
in the church should not be negligent, but they should see that
the members are faithful in performing this duty. . . . Let the
elders and officers of the church follow the direction of the
Sacred Word, and urge upon their members the necessity of
faithfulness in the payment of pledges, tithes, and offerings.-



13.	Does God still expect His Children to tithe?



Malachi 4:7  Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone
away from My ordinances And have not kept them. Return to Me,
and I will return to you," Says the LORD of hosts. "But you
said, 'In what way shall we return?'

8  "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In
what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.

9  You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even
this whole nation.

10  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be
food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of
hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And
pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room
enough to receive it.

11  "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he
will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine
fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts;

12  "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a
delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.



1 Timothy 5:17  Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy
of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and
doctrine.

18  For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it
treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."



Matthew 10:6  "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.

7  "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.'

8  "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

9  "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money
belts,

10  "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor
staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.





14.	What are you going to do about it?



I have not spoken my words today.  Not one of us can afford not
to tithe.  God promises us extra blessings when we do.  Those
blessings may not be just financial, but may also be spiritual. 
I have experienced the blessings of tithing in my life.  If you
have not yet, God is challenging you to test Him.  Are you
willing to take Him up on His challenge?


Laurie DeWitt