Of Tithes and Taxes
A quick study on paying Taxes and paying Tithing
Jesus taught 'pay your Taxes and pay your Tithing, pay to man what is due to man and to pay to God what is due to God. [see Matthew 22:17-21]
"Render unto Caesar . . . "
Tithing - the word means one-tenth > "A tenth part of one's annual income contributed to support the clergy or a church. The Mosaic law required the Israelites to pay a tithe for the support of worship." [see Dictionary Defination of Tithing]
Tithing predates the Law of Moses. Abraham paid tithes hundreds of years before Moses.
- For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
- to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all,
Hebrews 7:1-2, New King James Version
Abraham's grandson Jacob made this pledge to God, "And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” [see Genesis 28:22]
Both Abraham and Isaac went on to become very wealthy, both were very temporally and spiritually blessed.
Malachi ends the Old Testament with this commandment with a very generous promise.
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
[ see Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV]