Is It True That Abraham Did Not Tithe?

By Ines Flores


Calculations from the Old Testaments reveal that Israelites were required to give as much as twenty percent of their earnings to the priests. It was the priests who gave ten percent of that as offering. Present day tithing is sacrifice that has been misunderstood. It is worth noting that there is no clear mention of tithing in the New Testament leave alone a specific percentage.

Sacrifices can be traced back to Cain and Abel who learnt from their father. Isaac and Jacob also sacrificed on different occasions. It the assertion that Abraham did not tithe true based on such and other cases? Is it possible that present day church has confused sacrifices for tithing?

Evangelical churches are insisting on planting seeds in order to get blessings or be shielded from affliction. Job would have been the beneficiary of such schemes considering what he went through. It is Abram who made tithing to gain the prominence it has today.

When he came from war, Abram gave part of his plunder to the high priest. The sacrifice included what Lot had as well as people around him. The trend was repeated when Abram rescued Lot from enemy kings. From the stories, the sacrifices were made from war plunder and not personal possession.

All the sacrifices made by Abram were voluntary. When asked to keep what he had captured in war, Genesis chapter twenty records that he declined. The reason given is that he did not want to be considered rich through war plundering. He allows the army to share what they had captured after giving a portion of it to the high priest.

Despite a lot of mentions about his wealth and prosperity, Abram did not engage in tithing on regular basis. This discredits the trend that is witnessed in churches today where tithing is a part of each prayer session. Tithing was used by societies as a lesson on honoring God. This is why it is voluntary. There is no mention of offering the best possession. That notion existed during sacrifices and not when tithing.

The New Testament is said to have replaced laws that were considered obsolete. It is interesting to note that church ministers do not consider tithing among what was erased by the New Testament. Curiously, the pastors and church ministers own the best cars, houses and properties yet they do not offer them to the ministry. Their expectation that their followers should do that is therefore suspect.

Tithing a tenth of your earnings was introduced by Moses when he wanted to make Israel a theocracy. Leviticus 27 says that the first proceeds from the land in form of seeds and animals belonged to the Lord. This was aimed at ensuring that priests had something to eat. Even the priests offered part of what they got.

Malachi 3 is where tithing seems to be founded. God would punish Israelites if they failed to sacrifice. They would face drought and famine for failing to give to God. Jesus flips the coin by condemning those who tithe at the expense of feeding the poor. This is recorded in Mathew 23.




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