Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamingZword
Tithes are quite biblical, the way tithes are being spent by today's preachers is not.
The tithes were for the support of the church, a portion went to the priests but a larger portion was for the poor and the orphans.
The tithes are to be split accordingly to this formula, first the expenses of the church, then a reasonable salary to the ministers (A mansion is not a reasonable expense), and then the rest goes to charity.
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I believe it was more specific than that.
In
Numbers 18 the instructions were that 10% of the tithe was to be kept for the Levites (Which would include all of those who worked in the temple... porters, musicians etc). Then another 10% was to be given to the priest. They were to take only 10% for each group but they were allowed to take the best of it.
The rest fed the elderly, the poor, the widows, the orphans, strangers etc.
Also the priest was never to handle the tithe outside the 10% that was given to him by God's word. The Levites who were not priests handled the division of the tithe to the priests, themselves and the people and what was not in the 20% given to the priests & Levites was kept in the store house.
Now... with that in mind remember what Nehemiah found when he came to Jerusalem? (Also remember that Nehemiah and Malachi were contemporaries)
* He found an Ammonite living in the storehouse rather than the tithe being stored there.
* He found the priests handling the tithe rather than the Levites.
* He found the priests were keeping ALL the tithe and weren't even giving the Levites their part and had the Levites working... even on the sabbath.
* He found that the poor, elderly, widows etc were not being fed with the tithe.
Now... take in consideration that Malachi starts off his book by stating this in 1:1... The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
He was saying... this message is to Israel.
Now note this... In 2:1 he states And now, O ye priests, this commandment [is] for you.
And he never denotes a change of audience even through the third chapter.
Malachi was talking about what Nehemiah had found in the temple.
In
Malachi 3 he was saying...
Mal 3:8 KJV - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me.
(WHO robbed God? Who is Malachi talking to? The Priests!!!) But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
(They were stealing the tithes & offerings by not having them handled according to Gods law)
Mal 3:9 KJV - Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
(The priests have not only robbed God but they have robbed the entire nation because the tithe was to the Levites first... then the priests... then the entire nation)
Mal 3:10 KJV - Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
(Kick out that Ammonite who is forbidden to even be in the congregation much less live in the storehouse. And... did the people EVER take their tithes to the storehouse? No... they brought it to the Levites. This isn't to the people. This is to the priests who were mishandling the tithe when they shouldn't have been handling it at all) 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].
So God is saying... handle the tithe the way I said to handle it. You might think you'll be broke if you do that because you're taking it all right now but try my word... take care of my people... give the control back to the Levites... give the Levites there portion... feed the people. Do all this so there will, once again, be meat in my house and you'll find out that your blessings will be more than you can handle.
Like the preachers say... you just have to understand Gods math.
But these scriptures are twisted 180 degrees from the actual message.
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