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Old 07-25-2009, 08:31 PM
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Brother Presswood Brother Presswood is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Little Rock, AR
Posts: 15
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Originally Posted by PaulB View Post
I have heard it over and over again from many pulpits that Christ has fulfilled all of the requirements of the law (Sabbath, animal sacrifices, etc, etc) and yet I constantly hear that the law still stands when it comes down to tithing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
I believe that an important principle to consider is, the tithe is really given to Jesus Himself. The first time the word "tithe" is mentioned is after Lot and his family were taken from the city of Sodom and Abraham went and conquered those who had taken them away and brought them back.

Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.


Who is this Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:3 describes Melchizedek.
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

How many people can you think of described like this? I believe Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. But even if you don’t believe he was Jesus Christ, the principle is still established because the Bible says, "…[he] is made like unto the Son of God." When Abraham gave to Melchizedek, in the first mention of the tithe, he was giving it to Jesus.

To those who say that tithing is just Old Testament law, I disagree because Abraham gave tithes long before the law. The law wouldn’t be given for several hundred years yet. When Jacob got right with God in Genesis 28, he immediately made a vow to bring a tenth of everything God gave him. This, too, was before the law.

Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed 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 raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.


Tithing is a law of God, written not just in the law He gave to Moses, it’s written in your heart and in your conscience. Abraham, before there was any command, knew he was supposed to tithe. Jacob knew he was supposed to tithe.