Tithing, Part One

     My spiritual daughter, A Chinese convert, is extremely earnest in her devotion to the Lord.  She asks me numerous questions about the faith and its application to daily life.  Recently, she asked me about tithing; what the word "tithe" meant.

     I told her that the word means "a tenth."  Her response was, "Whoa!!!  That is a lot!"  I explained the background of the word and a proper Christian attitude toward it.  I'll tell you what I told her.

     Whether or not we believe that the Law given to the Jews is still in effect (I do, because God has explicitly said that He does not change.  Malachi 3:6a), Christians live under the Free Grace of God and not under the Law.  Modern Jews choose to remain under the Law, which Christians  believe was given to point to the need for the Christ, the Messiah.  The Law does not save us; it shows us why we need to be saved.

     The tithe was known before the time of the Israelites: the practice existed in Persia, Egypt, and China and may have originated in 8th Century BCE Babylon.  Abram knew of the tithe and practiced it when he migrated from Ur of the Chaldees.

     Under the Levitical Code the tithes were given only at the Temple (Dueteronomy 12:5-12) and went exclusively to the Levites (Numbers 18:21), who gave a tithe of their portion to the priests.  The tithe was an annual obligation under the code.