Give
Moses declared: “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honoured—and eat it there in his presence.” Deuteronomy 14:22-23
Giving one tenth of your income to the Lord was a principle established from the earliest days. In Genesis 14:20, Abram offers a tithe to Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Moses was concerned that this should now be the basis of the people of Israel’s life in the promised land. There are two main reasons why it was important. Firstly, it was a fundamental part of their worship. As they brought a tithe of their corn, wine, oil, cattle or sheep to God, they were recognising that everything had come from his hands in the first place.
Secondly, the tithe was intensely practical. The Levites were not to be given land because their responsibilities were to serve the Lord. So they were completely dependent on the support of others, and the tithe was a way of supporting them. Additionally, Moses said, the tithe was to be used to support foreigners, orphans and widows.
In the Old Testament, we hear about a number of different tithes that the people were to bring to God and, on top of that, they were encouraged to bring free-will offerings. People often ask what we should bring to God today. I don’t believe there is any law about this, but there are principles which can helpfully guide us. In 2 Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul tells us that Christians should give their gifts to God regularly, proportionately and cheerfully.
God is constantly blessing us, so there needs to be a regular (rather than once in a blue moon) response. The gift we give also needs to bear relationship to God’s generosity to us. A tithe may be right, but we may be in a position to give considerably more. And giving in the right spirit is essential. If you can’t give cheerfully, it would be much better to not give at all. Giving reluctantly is a miserable business for the giver and the receiver. We serve a God who has only ever given his gifts joyfully to us – and he wants us to walk in his footsteps.
QUESTION
What are the key principles which guide your giving to the Church and to charities?
PRAYER
Loving God, thank you for your amazing generosity to me. Help me to be increasingly generous and cheerful in my giving. Amen