Truth About the Tithe
Today’s Focus: Foundation for the Concept of the Tithe: Covenants and Promises Part 2
Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:1-5; Hebrews 6:13-20; Galatians 3:14-19
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
When we look at covenants that God makes, promises are attached to them. Now once again the promise is the result of the prior agreement or covenant. Promise is guaranteed and available because of the covenant. Now many of us have made covenants with each other and broke them easily but this covenant that God made with Himself and made us beneficiaries of the covenant is guaranteed. Because remember in Hebrews 6:13-20, it said that it was impossible for God to lie and He sealed it with an oath. So we can rest assure that we will receive the promise once we come in right position to receive it. Now let me give you an example of how promises work as it pertains to covenants so that we can understand what the scripture is saying in Galatians 3:14-20
Suppose you have a will that names beneficiaries but the beneficiaries have not arrived or exist yet. Until the beneficiaries arrive there is a fully funded estate to benefit them once they arrive. This fully funded estate is held as a promise. This promise is fully available to them once they arrive. The covenant serves as the will and God made this covenant between Himself that we would be sons. So the promise is available, to all those who call on the name of the Lord and are adopted into the House of God. With that said let’s look at parts of this scripture in Galatians.
Galatians 3:15: “Brethern I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, NO MAN disannulleth or added thereto.” Now in this scripture Paul is describing the basic concept of a covenant and how once it is confirmed no man can add or take away anything to the promise associated with it. Now God is about to make a comparison.
Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham and His seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.” Now God is speaking of His covenant that He made with Himself but look who the promise or beneficiary of the covenant is made to? To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. The scripture goes on to say that the seed is singular and is Christ. Now for there to be a promise made to Abraham, there had to be a pre-existing agreement or covenant. Do we see this? The covenenant between God and God named Abraham and his seed the beneficiary of that covenant. So now we have God making a comparision between two covenants, man’s and God. Now watch this picture come into view:
Galatians 3:17,18:”And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the Law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, CANNOT DISANNUL, THAT IT SHOULD MAKE THE PROMISE OF NONE EFFECT. FOR IF THE INHERITANCE BE OF THE LAW, IT IS NO MORE OF PROMISE: BUT GOD GAVE IT TO ABRAHAM BY PROMISE. Wherefore then serveth the law? IT WAS ADDED BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS, TILL THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE PROMISE WAS MADE; AND IT WAS ORDAINED BY ANGELS IN THE HAND OF A MEDIATOR“
Now watch this. God made a covenant before the foundation of the world and attached promises to it. God made another covenant in the Earth with Israel making them a nation. Now the first covenant is clearly the one between God and God. God created the second covenant with Israel at Sinai to protect them and preserve them due to transgressions. This second covenant DOES NOT DO AWAY WITH THE FIRST. The first covenant still stands and this is why Paul said in Galatians 3:19 “TILL THE SEED SHOULD COME TO WHOM THE PROMISE WAS MADE.” So the covenant of the Law was an intermediate covenant to bring the people back to the first covenant so that they may receive the promise made to Abraham and his seed.
This is important to understand how the covenants work and which one does what because it frames our understanding about the tithe.
At Our Father’s Service
Elder Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
