08.03. Who Owns the Tithe?
3. WHO OWNS THE TITHE?
"To whom does the tithe belong?" I would like to answer this question with scripture, "The tithe is the Lord’s." In Leviticus 27:30 we read, "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord."
Some may quote, "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof," or, "Everything belongs to God." Yes, that is true; but God has given man the earth to use, and the tithe is the rent He asks for the use of it.
Illustration
My father was a tenant farmer in Oklahoma; our land was rented from an old Indian. He said to my father: "You may live in that house. You may have what land you desire for gardens and things of that kind; you may use the barn, the pasture for your horses and cattle. But the major portion of the land I want planted in cotton and corn, and for the use of all this I want one-third of the corn and one-fourth of the cotton."
That was the rent for the use of that particular farm. We called it "renting on the third and fourth." A third of all the corn and a fourth of all the cotton we raised belonged to the man who owned the land. It did not belong to my father.
It is true he tended it, gathered it, and sold it. But unless the money was turned to the landlord, my father could have been brought into court, and judgment would have been found against him.
Walking in Light
God does not ask a third or a fourth, but God does ask that we give Him the "tithe" of all that the land bringeth forth, or a tenth of our earnings.
When it dawned upon me at that noon hour in my office long ago that one-tenth of my earnings belonged to God, I did not have to get down upon my knees and take out a dollar and pray: "Lord, I have just discovered that one dime out of this dollar belongs to You but I don’t want to give it to You. It is true that You have told me that I could use nine dimes if I would give You one. But, Lord, my selfish heart wants all ten dimes. I don’t want to give You even a tenth of the dollar." No! I did not have to do that.
You say, "That would be blasphemy." Yes, that is true. Yet there are thousands of people who claim to love and follow the Lord who do not even pray about it. They just keep all the dimes of every dollar they earn.
A Thrill to Tithe
I know of nothing that thrilled me as much as awakening to the fact that I was God’s steward and one-tenth of all I made belonged to Him.
I had nothing to give at the time, for I had spent all I had. But as soon as I received my check on Saturday, I went to the bank window and cashed it. I put nine-tenths in one pocket and I put the tithe in the other.
I eagerly and quickly made my way, at the first opportunity, to the house of God, in order that I might pay my tithe. "THE TITHE IS THE LORD’S."