The Great Giveaway

Day 36: Deuteronomy 11-15

The idea of tithing, where one is expected to give 10% of all earnings to the Lord, is an interesting biblical concept that finds both supporters and critics. Today, some people follow this 10% Judaic practice and give this amount or more to their church (or other worthy endeavors), all in the name of the Lord. There are also some who don’t follow this ancient law. They may view this law as one that God gave to the Israelites and not to Christians, so they don’t need to abide by it. Others view Jesus’ comments on tithing to go beyond a meager 10% and give 100% of everything—all that we have, our whole heart—which goes beyond monetary giving. Others don’t follow this law because 10% is too much to give to the Lord when we can’t even feed and clothe our families.

Regardless of what you believe or what you practice, the idea of tithing stems from the notion of giving something to the Lord. In the Old Testament, people presented animals as sacrifices to the Lord. Sometimes they burnt these animals. Sometimes they ate these animals. Sometimes they gave the animals away to people in need. However they gave, though, they rejoiced and praised the Lord as they presented their sacrifices, and they showed reverence to the Lord.

What’s more is that the Israelites could even exchange their tithe for silver, go out with their household to the place the Lord chooses for them, and then eat there in the presence of the Lord and rejoice. This counted as their tithe. Here, the tithe would be a family meal in which the household reflected on God and praised Him for all he has done. See Deut. 15:25-26. Other tithes given by the Israelites were stored and given to the Levites (who were the priests and had no money of their own), the foreigners, the fatherless, and the widows. These people could come eat and be satisfied. Through the practice of tithing, these people were taken care of.

Isn’t this how money is still distributed in churches? We give money to “the Lord” (or the church), and the church distributes this money in various ways. They give money to the ministers (aka, the Levites), immigrants, orphans, and widows. Churches are still continuing the Lord’s work, and the Lord continues to take care of His people through the tithes and offerings given by individuals.

At times, though, I have questioned what it means to give money to the Lord. How much should I give? Why do I have to sacrifice so much to give money to God? Where does the money I give go? Will it be spent recklessly and carelessly? Will it be used in the best way that will further the kingdom of God?

I don’t know. But as a preacher’s wife, I find myself in an interesting position when it comes to giving money to God: the money I give to my church indirectly comes back to me. That is, since my husband is a preacher and supported by a church that collects such money from its people, when individuals give money to our church, some of this money pays for Shane’s salary, our financial well-being. Is that right? Yes, we are doing the Lord’s work, but the money isn’t really going to the Lord; it’s going to a person (or a family).

Some people don’t think ministers should get paid, and that’s a different discussion that I’m not going to get into now. For now, I’m interested in the idea of how God commands the Israelites to distribute their tithes to people—to people who don’t have much money and who are in need of it. Here, God seems to call for the distribution of wealth to those who don’t have.

In our economy today, we have all had to make cutbacks. But how often have we thought about those people who didn’t have anything to cut back? Who didn’t have anything to begin with and are in desperate situations now? What have their lives been like during this economic depression? Deuteronomy 15 says, “If anyone is poor among your people in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need….Give generously [to the needy among your people] and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”

We already give a lot of our money to the poor through the taxes we pay. Perhaps you feel that the taxes you pay sufficiently provide for these people. Perhaps you have even complained about all the taxes you pay and the burden that poor people put on our system—on you. However, while you may want things differently, God views it as our responsibility—the church’s responsibility—to take care of these people. To give to them by giving to the Lord.

I want to encourage you to reflect on your attitudes about giving to the Lord. I also want to encourage churches to remember that a large part of the money collected should go towards those listed in Deuteronomy 15. When we give generously and do so without a resentful heart, God will bless us. So, go and give away.