There is just so much to share about tithing that here comes the overflow. The first mention of tithing in the bible was in Genesis 14:18-20. This was after Abraham defeated the king of Sodom and brought back all the goods, his nephew Lot and his family from captivity. Then Melchizedek king of Salem (Shalom) brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. He blessed Abraham and Abraham in turn gave him a tithe of all. Bible tells us that Jesus is forever a Priest in His Father's house, in the order of Melchizedek.
Notice that bread and wine symbolises health and healing. So when Melchizedek brought the holy communion to Abraham, he responded by giving him a tithe of all. Therein lies the response we can have to God, when God brings us the bread and wine. Healing is freely given because of what Christ has done for us at the cross, so we do not have to pay for it. Our tithe to God is our response, not an obligation. As mentioned in my previous post, we do not have to tithe, we get to tithe.
In Genesis 14:21-23, the king of Sodom came to Abraham and told him to return the persons and take the goods for himself. Abraham refused. He said 'I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say: I have made Abram rich...' Question: was Abraham rich then? No. Did Abraham know he will become rich? Yes, because God made him a promise that he will inherit the Promised Land of Canaan.
Abraham knew that when God gave the word, it was as good as done. It was a revelation to me recently that all things were given to us. 1 Timothy 6:17 says '...to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.' And 2 Peter 1:3 says 'His divine power has given unto us all things pertaining to life and godliness...'All things mean all things. God does not mince His words.
Notice that Abraham gave a tithe to the Lord and trusted that God is the One who can make him rich. He didn't accept the goods from king of Sodom because he didn't want that king to boast that it was him who made Abraham rich in future. Abraham wanted God to get all the glory. In my life, there have been occasions that I have thought about borrowing from others when we needed to make a huge purchase.
But the Lord specifically told me that we shall lend and not borrow. He showed me that if we ever took a loan from someone (with the exception of the bank), then we were indebted to that person, at his mercy. And in future when we become very rich, the person would say he made us rich. That is human nature. People always want to claim credit to others' success. Thank God that He always provided for our needs so that we need not borrow from others.
Another point I wanted to highlight was this. Pastor mentioned that when you tithe, the blessings of riches will even flow to your future generations. Hebrews 7:9-10 says 'Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.' We all know that the Jews, though a minority race, bagged more of the Nobel prizes and have amassed riches more than any other race in the world.
They are enjoying a trickle of the blessings that their forefather Abraham received from God when he tithed to God. This showed that when you tithe and give to the Lord, your future generations will also be blessed richly. The Jews only have a trickle of the blessings but we have the fullness of the new covenant blessings! We have a far greater revelation of the benefits of tithing than them!
No comments:
Post a Comment