Tithe Surprise

Basic tithe was 10%. This was a precedent set by Abraham when he gave 10% of the spoils of war to Melchisedec, Priest of God and King of Salem (a Christophany, or pre-incarnation appearance of the Lord Jesus).

In Deuteronomy 14 God tells the people to tithe their produce, the crops grown in their fields. They are also to tithe their grain, their wine, their oil, and the firstborn from their flocks and herds. They are to take all this to the place the Lord designated and there they are to eat it in the presence of the Lord. The people giving the tithe consumed the tithed goods.

The passage also indicates that God recognizes that carrying all this stuff a great distance will be problematic so He tells them that if it’s too far, they should “exchange it for money, and bind the money in [their] hand and go to the place which the LORD [their] God chooses.”

Then He says a very surprising thing.

God tells the people, “you may spend the money on whatever your heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.” (Deuteronomy 14:26 NASB 2020)

Did you catch that? The people are eating the tithe or spending the money from the sale of the goods on whatever they want, including strong drink, and they are to eat it in celebration (rejoicing).

I can almost hear someone saying, “wait, I thought the tithe was given to the Levites so they were freed from work so they could serve in the temple.”

It’s true. In fact, Deuteronomy 14:28–29 has this to say. “At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and you shall deposit it in your town. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the stranger, the orphan, and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.” (NASB 2020)

So, not only the priestly Levites got this tithe, but strangers (people other than Hebrews), orphans, and widows got it too.

The Levites got provisions more often than this because, as we see in Deuteronomy 18:1-8, they were also given choice portions of the various sacrifices and offerings.

There are two things I find of particular interest in this description of the tithe.

First, the goods that were to be set aside as tithe or the money into which they were converted, were to be consumed by the people themselves.

Second, when the people consumed the tithe, they were to eat and drink whatever they wanted and they were to rejoice. This was a kind of thanksgiving festival where the Hebrew people paused to remember and enjoy the blessings Father had given them.

Father, it would seem, values reprieve or vacation from the drudgery of everyday life. Father wants us to enjoy the product of our labor and to enjoy and appreciate Him for it.

Let’s do that!