July 11th The ‘Where’ Of The Tithe
Bible Reading: Neh. 13:12; Deut. 14:24-25
2 Chron. 31:5-6 ‘as soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps’
God is specific about where the tithe is supposed to go. Its clear ones tithe is never to go to personal bills, shopping, groceries, school fees, etc. The tithe is ‘consecrated to the Lord’ and brought to His house or temple, which is His storehouse.
It’s God that determined what the tithe is, 10% of increase, and also where it was to go. He told the Israelites if it was too heavy to carry, convert it into money and take it to ‘the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name’.
Deut. 26:13 says ‘…remove the holy tithe from your house’ or in modern times your bank account and take it to the local church where you receive the Word of Life. Once in a while God may direct you to give your tithe to the priest or the poor; when He does, obey Him.
Prayer:
i. Pray for the peace of God in the Middle East and troubled spots around the world Ps. 122:6-7; Is. 54:13
ii. Invoke a stronger presence of God and angels for salvation of souls, peace and revival Mat. 6:10; Heb. 1:14
Thought for the day:
Obeying God is more profitable than great sacrifice