By Sam Aweda
IN the Old Testament time, the obligations were two types and were mandatory (compulsory) and none attracted greater importance than the other. These were (1) offerings (sacrifices) of animals and (2) tithes (a tenth) of the produce of the land; grain, fruits, wine, herds, flocks and other domestic animals as they pass for counting (Leviticus 27:30-33).

Details of the ordinance of tithing can be read in these other passages: Numb. 18:25-32; Deut. 12:17-23; Deut. 14: 22-27; Deut. 14: 28-29; Deut. 26:12-15. The summary of the offerings are as follows:

(i) In Ex. 13:2,11-13; 22:29-30, the Lord instructed that all the first-born sons of Israel be dedicated to Him. But He would not have human beings sacrificed (Lev. 18.21; Deut. 12:31). Therefore a ransom of two and half dollars, equivalent was payable on every first-born sons of Israel at age one month (Num. 18:15-16).

(ii) He (God) also demanded the offerings of every first-born male animal. The animals classified as ‘clean’ were not redeemable while those, which were unacceptable for sacrifice; the owner shall redeem them and pay the priest’s estimate of its worth plus an extra 20 per cent. If the owner wouldn’t redeem them, the priest may sell them to someone else (Numb: 18:8-21,24).

(iii) Offerings of first harvest i.e produce of the land grain, grapes, ripe fruits and liquors (Ex. 22:29 KJV).
(iv) All the gifts which were brought to the Lord; grain (meat) offerings, sin offerings, guilt (trespass) offerings, burnt offerings, peace offerings and all the various daily, weekly, monthly and annual sacrifices and feasts (festivals). (Ex. 28,29; Numb 3,4,18). The meat of these animals belonged to the priests, the direct descendants of Aaron. “They are for you and your families as food.” (Numb 18:17-19).

These were the offerings, which Prophet Malachi referred to in his book in 3:8-10. The assistant priests i.e. other Levites other than the direct descendants of Aaron were to be maintained by the tithes because both groups, all Levites were not to have any inheritance or property in the land, which they were going to occupy (Num. 18:20).

There was a time when the people reneged on these obligations to their brothers, the Levites and the prophet, Malachi had to reprimand them in strong terms accusing them of, ‘robbing God’ (Malachi 3:8). Other than the maintenance (support), which these offerings offer to the Levites, they were really portraying something stronger and more significant. They were shadows of things to come.

They were mimicries, imitations of what Christ would represent i.e. what Christ was coming to do for mankind (Heb. 10:1). So, Christ came and made himself a one-time perfect offering and achieved what the offerings of those animals could not even do. And so the offerings of animals have become irrelevant since then.

Hear Christ Himself: “For verily I say unto you: Every law in the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved. (till all be fulfilled (KJV)). The purpose was achieved by His death.

While on the Cross shortly before He gave up the ghost, “Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished,…said: “It is finished”

(John 19:28-30) and the “thick veil hanging in the Temple split apart” (Lk 23:45) thus bringing an end to all ceremonial and legalistic rules of worship, which had been in place for 1,400 years and henceforth Christ became: “the end of the Law” (Rom 10:4).

With the coming of Christ as our High Priest, the institution of the Levitical Priesthood was dismantled. Thus the offerings and tithes that supported it became irrelevant. Jesus paid with His life, the offering, which Malachi called for in Malachi 3:8 and should not be misinterpreted as donations or money put into the offertory plates. Preachers today have placed ‘tithing’ and over-emphasized it above ‘offerings’.

These preachers argue that tithing is mandatory (compulsory) and primary while offering is voluntary (free will). This is total ignorance of the part of the Scripture that institutionalized offerings and tithes. Under the institution, both were equal and mandatory and there was not one that was more important or more obligatory than the other. They now explain ‘offering’ as donations other than the tithes paid in to the Church or money put inside the offertory plates, during Church services. While there is nothing wrong in this practice and it is part of offering in the larger context, it must be cleared that this is not the offering, which Malachi meant.

Anyone who really grasps the concept of the New Covenant of worship brought by the Lord Jesus will quickly through the Holy Spirit realize that all the old legalistic rules for worship do not fit into the system of salvation by Grace through faith. And this is why no New Testament apostle taught tithing because it is not of faith but of the law (Gal. 3:12). All the rules of worship were to last only until the coming of Christ. They were to guide and prepare us for the coming of Christ who was to come with a superior and preferred system, which freed us from the doom and curse of the law (Gal. 3:21-24).

Since churches have done away with the Levitical offerings, I cannot understand why they still retain and demand for tithes. With all the above explanations, it will amount to fraud to use Malachi 3:8-10 to argue in favour of tithes under the New Covenant. The Lord referred to tithing only twice during His ministration and it was not that He taught it at any of the two times. He only mentioned it in passing at both times.

At the end He did not condemn it outrightly but the way He said it can best be described as ‘passive’. He had nothing strong or positive to say about it knowing that the practice was going to cease anyway, only in a matter of short time. He knew the time was almost up for the practice.