What your pastor never told you about the Old Testament – Part 6

Revealing what TITHE is, its origin, types and why Israel paid tithe constituted the contents of the last edition in the series. In this edition, we shall see, by Scripture revelation, to whom was TITHE paid, the purpose of tithe and its final abrogation (when it ended authoritatively).

To Whom Was TITHE Paid?
The eleven tribes of Israel, who were allotted portions of land, paid tithes to the Levites, as the latter had no land allotment. According to the Law, ONLY THE LEVITES HAD DIVINE COMMAND TO COLLECT TITHES (Num. 18:20-24; Heb 7:5).

The Purpose of TITHING:
The following were the cardinal purposes of the imposition of tithes on Israel.
– The people had to give a tenth of their farm produce, fruits, herds, flocks, etc., to God as a mark of appreciation, worship, and thanks.

– They gave tithes to acknowledge God as the owner of all flesh and spirits, the Supreme Controller of life’s events and the Source of all divine blessings (Rom 8:32).

– They paid tithes to sustain the tribe of Levi, who constituted the priesthood and had no portion of land (Num 18:24; 35:1-8).

– They gave tithes to feed the widows, strangers, orphans and the needy (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12-15).

When Did Payment of Tithe End?
As has been revealed by the Scripture, the dispensational periods (time and season) by which God programmed His mandates are clearly displayed and didn’t transfer events from one dispensation into another, except He deems it fit.

The Old Testament was for the Jews (Rom 3:1-2; 9:4-5) and not the Gentiles (Eph 2:8-13). The New Testament is for both Jews and Gentiles (Mt 26:28; 2Cor 3:5,6; Heb 8:6-10). While Jesus was alive, the New Testament was not in force because “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator” (Heb 9:16).

Where He ended, the Apostles took over and the first generation Christians “followed steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine without paying tithes (Acts 2:42; 2Jno 9-10). “Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one who believeth” Rom 10:1-4). TITHING ended when Christ died to abolish the Law (Col 2:14).

All Bible excerpts are from the KJV.