Buy Beer with Your Tithe Money

Here's a verse you're not gonna hear on Sunday morning:

“Be sure to save one-tenth of all your crops each year. Take it to the place the Lord your God will choose where he is to be worshiped. There, where you will be together with the Lord, eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and eat the animals born first to your herds and flocks. Do this so that you will learn to respect the Lord your God always. But if the place the Lord will choose to be worshiped is too far away and he has blessed you so much you cannot carry a tenth, exchange your one-tenth for silver. Then take the silver with you to the place the Lord your God shall choose. Use the silver to buy anything you wish—cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you wish. Then you and your family will eat and celebrate there before the Lord your God. Do not forget the Levites in your town, because they have no land of their own among you.” Deut. 14:22-27, NCV

I actually never knew this verse existed until just a couple of years ago. How does that verse fit in with modern-day teachings of the tithe and first fruits? Put simply, it doesn’t. The only two explanations for this are that either we are not being taught everything we need to know about the tithe(the Law actually commands around 33% giving, not just 10%), or, as I believe, Christians are not obligated to “tithe” any longer, as we are now living under the New Covenant.

I’m sure some people I know get tired of hearing me talk about tithing. So why do I keep talking about it? Because I can never explain the relief I felt when Father showed me I had been laboring under the misconception that Christians living under the New Covenant are obligated to tithe. It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. Now I knew God was taking care of me because he loves me, not because he was obligated as a result of me pushing the right buttons and following all the rules.

But don’t take my word for it. Study it for yourself. There are many good resources out there for studying the original purpose of the tithe and what it really meant for Israel, and what it means for us today. If you’d like me to point you in the right direction, I’d be happy to give you info on many resources I have, on both sides of the issue, so you can decide for yourself.

Well, this ended up being longer than I intended but I hope this marks a return for me to more regular blogging. I don’t consider myself a writer of even average competence, so it is just my intention to blog my thoughts, however unpolished and disjointed they may seem. And I’m always interested in what you, dear readers, have to say!