Truth About the Tithe
Today’s Focus: Understanding the Levitical Priesthood and the Storehouse Scripture
Scripture: Malachi 3:10; Hebrews 7:12
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
So many people use Malachi 3:10 as their “tithe” scripture to get people to tithe to the church. They use that scripture to deceive people into giving something to get something. But let’s look at this scripture and put it into context.
Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Now preachers use this scripture to encourage people to tithe but what is the scripture talking about when it says storehouses? Many preachers say the storehouse is the church? Is it? Let’s see! Under the Levitical Priesthood the brothers of Levi tithed to the sons of Levi as required by the Law. The Levites were not given a land grant but were commanded to take care of the temple. Now during this time when the prophet Malachi spoke this, which priesthood was in the order on the Earth? Yes, Levitical. So what was God talking about when He said storehouse?
Under the Temple at Jerusalem there were huge rooms. Back then the tithe was not coinage, per say but agriculture because they were an agrarian society. So the tithe would be of the harvest and of the flocks. When they would bring the tithe, which would be food or livestock, the priest would keep the animals and food in these rooms under the Temple. These rooms were called storehouses. The reason this was done because you do not want to leave the food and/or livestock exposed to the elements to reduce the risk of disease and spoilage. Now remember this is under the Levitical Priesthood under the Law but we are not under the Law but under grace. These people had to do this to fulfill the law! The law cannot save you nor can it build relationships. Now let’s put this in the mix here.
When was the Law given? 430 years after Israel’s entrance into Egypt. Now we have already said that there was an active order before the Law in the earth as it pertains to the tithe. That of course was the order of Melchizedek. Remember Abraham met Melchizedek and Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. Now here is the big thought. The tithe was customary before the Law, but the Temple at Jerusalem would not be built until after the giving of the Law, so who or where did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob give their tithes if there was no temple? Now that is a question. Well the scripture tells us that there was an existing priesthood of the order of Melchizedek and Abraham tithed to him. All the high priests of that time were named Melchizedek and of course we know the last Melchizedek is Jesus Christ. So when the order in the earth changed, the priesthood changed (Hebrews 7:12). Notice, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not tithe to an institution but to a person but when the order changed, the people tithed into the priesthood God set up for them which is to the Levitical Order. Let me tell you why you do not follow the Levitical priesthood model.
The Levites were priest, but they were not kings. They were not the royal bloodline. The royal bloodline comes through the tribe of Judah (Jesus Christ). We are a royal priesthood so we encompass both royalty and a priestly administration of the covenant between God and God.
WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW BUT GRACE, HENCE WE DO NOT TITHE OUT OF FORCE OR NECESSITY BUT OUT OF RELATIONSHIP, LOVE AND GRACE. Now that is a mouthful. If you tithe out of necessity or force then you are under the Law, mentally. Your tithe should be out of love, relationship and grace that the Lord gives you. So the Law shifts and gives way to relationship and what is that relationship? Between a father and a son.
In the next message we will look at other scriptures that are used out of context to get people to tithe into the church
At Our Father’s Service
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
