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 unto the Lord. 32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. 33 He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
This passage of scripture teaches us the sacred duty and principle of tithing, an instruction coming to us from God Himself, which should be thoroughly understood, and consistently practiced by all people, not only Christians, for every person on the planet is a beneficiary of the blessings of God in some form or another. The tithe then represents ten percent of whatsoever we earn or receive in the form of financial or material gifts, and as the above passage states, it is holy unto The Lord, whether we spend it or not. The fact that very many people, including many Christians spend the tithe on personal bills or items does not negate the fact that it is still holy. The same is true when people work over the Sabbath hours, which work in itself does not prevent the Sabbath from being holy.
Whenever we receive financial or material blessings, ten percent should be taken out first before even looking at the bills, and it should not be touched for any reason. The command given in the passage for today is so serious that the shepherds back then were instructed to take out every tenth animal from their flocks to be devoted as their tithe, and they were not even to consider whether it was good or bad, for every tenth one was holy, and as such must not be interfered with for any reason. Such a stipulation teaches us the gravity of the sin of appropriating for our personal use, that which God has reserved for Himself, for whenever this is done, it results in very severe losses to those who embark upon such a course of action, as is plainly stated in the scriptures. Let's read:
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
This plan of returning ten percent to God is a part of His overall plan to root out selfishness from our hearts, and also serves to remind us that we are dependent on Him for life and health and every good gift, which He showers on us each and every day. But the disposition to be stingy with God, or to rob Him of His due results in greatly depleted blessings, if any at all, for the practice essentially violates one of the great principles embedded in our daily existence. No river hoards all the water flowing into it, but rather it gives out as it receives, and it is a well known fact that its capacity to receive is directly linked to its outflows, or else flooding and devastation is the result. Similarly, we do not only inhale, for if we were to retain all the air we take in, we would soon become bloated and explode and die.
The principle of tithing therefore ensures that there is a regular measured outflow, so that our ability to receive on a continuous basis may be established, hence the reason why the Bible states that it is more blessed to give than to receive, for by returning the tithe faithfully, we are thus made channels through which the financial and material blessings of God can flow then through us as a conduit to the world around us, and in so doing, everyone is blessed. We therefore end with two passages of scripture, which show us the principle of giving and the results which follow, and which also demonstrate the flip side of the very same principle, with its negative side effects, and it is the will of God that after reading, we will make the wise choice to return a faithful tithe. Let's read:
Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
2nd Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!