Post by Mark on Aug 15, 2009 5:38:17 GMT -8
Probably the most popular argument suggesting that we are not truly serious about 
observance is the presumption that since we cannot offer sacrifices, we cannot live in obedience to . One of these days I’m likely to counter I’ve purchased a brass fire pit from Wal-Mart and every New Moon we trap an appropriate small neighborhood animal. Just for the record, that would be a lie.
Deuteronomy 12:1-7 actually forbids us from performing ritual sacrifices here in America, or anywhere upon the Altar of God at the mount in Jerusalem.
These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
(Deu 12:1-7)
The whole understanding of sacrifice is contrasted between the commands of God and the practice of pagan cultures. Unfortunately this contrast is completely lost on those who lump the ideas of "sacrifice" all together as one.
The pagan usage of sacrifices and offerings were to appease or appeal to the gods, invoking mercy or wrath upon their enemies. The sacrifices and offerings were considered an investment into their future well-being. It is not so in the command given by God in the. "And ye shall rejoice… wherein the Lord thy God hath (has already) blessed thee." From a Judaic perspective, the sacrifices, tithes and offerings are to be a confession of the goodness and providence Adonai has already bestowed upon us.
Our modern usage and understanding of the word "sacrifice" taints our interpretation of the commandment- considering all "sacrifices" the giving up of things that we hold as valuable. When reading through the first chapters of Leviticus, we find that most "sacrifices" are more like a family BBQ than yielding our best to God. Deuteronomy 12 confirms this idea, in our modern usage of the word, not so much a "sacrifice" as a party: "And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee."
The answer to the question as to why we do not offer sacrifices today (rather, here) is because such is forbidden in. We must not offer sacrifices, nor give offerings, nor pay tithes, anywhere but at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as the place where the name of Adonai will continually dwell (1st Kings 8).
The idea of the "tithe" has been tragically manipulated away from biblical worship to supporting the corporate agendas of the religious institution. The tithe was never designed for the financial support of the religious system. The half-shekel tax was provided for Temple maintenance (Exodus 30:15). The tithe was established for the support of the tribe of Levi (in the land of Israel) which had no part in the physical inheritance. It is commanded that the tithe be spent nowhere else but at the Temple in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). "Replacement Theology" (the notion that the Christian Church has replaced national Israel as God’s Covenant people) is the basis for the modern usurping of the tithe.
The question arises, then, if it is appropriate for us to tithe or to present offerings in the condition of galut (exile) that we currently are in (even national Israel is considered in exile without the Temple). The answer is yes and Deuteronomy 12 and 14 give prescription as to how we are to observe these commands.
If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
(Deu 12:21-22)
If you just can’t get there from here, commands that you take the resources that you would otherwise be tithing and sacrificing and offering and you celebrate with that money- God commands that we party.
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
(Deu 14:22-27)
If you can physically make it to Jerusalem; but it’s impractical to bring your tithes and offerings (last I heard, a yearling lamb doesn’t work for carry-on luggage), you are to trade your offerings in for money; but get this: when you get to town, you aren’t to hand it over to the Levites. God is just excited to have you there. And He wants you to take that money and rejoice in all that the Lord has blessed you with in that year.
The purpose of the tithes and the offerings is not to finance the kingdom of God. He doesn’t need your money. The purpose of the tithes and offerings is to include God in your life- to enjoy the good that He has given you; but be sure to include Him in that rejoicing.
It doesn’t end there. It is not all about us. Adonai our God, in His blessing to us, commands that we pass on that blessing to those around us. In the national system prescribed in, while each year we are to remember the Levite, the poor and the fatherless, all of the tithes and offerings are to be reserved for the destitute every third year (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). In applying this principle, many reserve 1/3 of their "tithes and offerings" for care for the poor. Incidentally, the national average for benevolence giving allotted by Church budgets is less than 2%, under the heading of miscellaneous spending.
This does not mean that it is inappropriate to financially support those who minister to you. Yet, Paul, when encouraging the Corinthian Church in this (1st Corinthians 9:9) he references Deuteronomy 25:4, not the command for tithing.
The point is that it is not the role of the local congregation to legislate nor administrate our worship in giving. It is each person’s privilege and responsibility to use our finances in a manner that is worshipful and pleasing to God.
observance is the presumption that since we cannot offer sacrifices, we cannot live in obedience to . One of these days I’m likely to counter I’ve purchased a brass fire pit from Wal-Mart and every New Moon we trap an appropriate small neighborhood animal. Just for the record, that would be a lie.Deuteronomy 12:1-7 actually forbids us from performing ritual sacrifices here in America, or anywhere upon the Altar of God at the mount in Jerusalem.
These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
(Deu 12:1-7)
The whole understanding of sacrifice is contrasted between the commands of God and the practice of pagan cultures. Unfortunately this contrast is completely lost on those who lump the ideas of "sacrifice" all together as one.
The pagan usage of sacrifices and offerings were to appease or appeal to the gods, invoking mercy or wrath upon their enemies. The sacrifices and offerings were considered an investment into their future well-being. It is not so in the command given by God in the
. "And ye shall rejoice… wherein the Lord thy God hath (has already) blessed thee." From a Judaic perspective, the sacrifices, tithes and offerings are to be a confession of the goodness and providence Adonai has already bestowed upon us.Our modern usage and understanding of the word "sacrifice" taints our interpretation of the commandment- considering all "sacrifices" the giving up of things that we hold as valuable. When reading through the first chapters of Leviticus, we find that most "sacrifices" are more like a family BBQ than yielding our best to God. Deuteronomy 12 confirms this idea, in our modern usage of the word, not so much a "sacrifice" as a party: "And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee."
The answer to the question as to why we do not offer sacrifices today (rather, here) is because such is forbidden in
. We must not offer sacrifices, nor give offerings, nor pay tithes, anywhere but at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as the place where the name of Adonai will continually dwell (1st Kings 8).The idea of the "tithe" has been tragically manipulated away from biblical worship to supporting the corporate agendas of the religious institution. The tithe was never designed for the financial support of the religious system. The half-shekel tax was provided for Temple maintenance (Exodus 30:15). The tithe was established for the support of the tribe of Levi (in the land of Israel) which had no part in the physical inheritance. It is commanded that the tithe be spent nowhere else but at the Temple in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 12:17-18). "Replacement Theology" (the notion that the Christian Church has replaced national Israel as God’s Covenant people) is the basis for the modern usurping of the tithe.
The question arises, then, if it is appropriate for us to tithe or to present offerings in the condition of galut (exile) that we currently are in (even national Israel is considered in exile without the Temple). The answer is yes and Deuteronomy 12 and 14 give prescription as to how we are to observe these commands.
If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
(Deu 12:21-22)
If you just can’t get there from here,
commands that you take the resources that you would otherwise be tithing and sacrificing and offering and you celebrate with that money- God commands that we party. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
(Deu 14:22-27)
If you can physically make it to Jerusalem; but it’s impractical to bring your tithes and offerings (last I heard, a yearling lamb doesn’t work for carry-on luggage), you are to trade your offerings in for money; but get this: when you get to town, you aren’t to hand it over to the Levites. God is just excited to have you there. And He wants you to take that money and rejoice in all that the Lord has blessed you with in that year.
The purpose of the tithes and the offerings is not to finance the kingdom of God. He doesn’t need your money. The purpose of the tithes and offerings is to include God in your life- to enjoy the good that He has given you; but be sure to include Him in that rejoicing.
It doesn’t end there. It is not all about us. Adonai our God, in His blessing to us, commands that we pass on that blessing to those around us. In the national system prescribed in
, while each year we are to remember the Levite, the poor and the fatherless, all of the tithes and offerings are to be reserved for the destitute every third year (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). In applying this principle, many reserve 1/3 of their "tithes and offerings" for care for the poor. Incidentally, the national average for benevolence giving allotted by Church budgets is less than 2%, under the heading of miscellaneous spending. This does not mean that it is inappropriate to financially support those who minister to you. Yet, Paul, when encouraging the Corinthian Church in this (1st Corinthians 9:9) he references Deuteronomy 25:4, not the command for tithing.
The point is that it is not the role of the local congregation to legislate nor administrate our worship in giving. It is each person’s privilege and responsibility to use our finances in a manner that is worshipful and pleasing to God.
