Where did tithing 10 percent come from?

Tithing of 10 percent came from the Old Testament, when Jacob encountered God in a dream while on his way to Haran. As a result, Jacob pledged to give God a tenth of all his possessions on condition that God take him to his uncle’s place safely and again return him home safely.

The story began when Jacob, with the help of his mother, deceived his father Isaac into blessing him instead of Esau, his elder brother. This turn of events infuriated Esau, who vowed to kill Jacob when the opportunity presented itself.

This made Jacob very afraid, and again, together with his mother Rebeca, they planned for Jacob to escape to his uncle Laban, who lived in Haran.

On his way to Haran from Beersheba, Jacob came to a certain place and decided to spend the night there because the sun had set. He took a stone, rested his head on it, and slept. In his dream, he beheld a ladder that was set up on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven. He then saw the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder. He then beheld the LORD God above the ladder, and He communed with him (Genesis 28:16).

When he woke up in the morning, Jacob was afraid by reason of the dream and designated the place as the gate of heaven. It was at this point that he made an offering and made a vow to God concerning tithes.

Genesis 28:18–22 gives us an account of what transpired. We thus read:

‘Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and keep me in this way I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me, I will surely give a TENTH to You”.’

It is this verse that most Christians use to arrive at the conclusion that the amount of tithe one should pay is determined by calculating 10 percent of their gross income. This money is then given to their local assembly as a tithe.

Who was the first to tithe in the Bible?

The subject of tithing is one of the controversial doctrines that has divided Christians into two distinct groups, namely, those who believe it is still applicable and those who do not. We leave it to you to make your own judgment based on the scriptures.

So how did tithing begin?

The first encounter with the principle of tithing in the Bible appears in Genesis 14:18–20, when Abram meets Melchizedek, who was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God.

Abram was returning home after defeating the armies of four kings, including Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. In the process, Abram was also able to rescue Lot, his nephew, from captivity by the four kings (Genesis 14:9).

In Genesis 14:18–20, we thus read:

‘Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand”. AND HE GAVE HIM A TITHE OF ALL.’

Here we see Abram giving a tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek. It is worth noting that after receiving the tithe, Melchizedek blessed Abram.

Also, notice that this event happened way before Moses ever received the Ten Commandments and other ordinances from God, where tithing and offerings were instituted. This implies that the principle of tithing is immemorial, and we cannot therefore pinpoint the exact time it started in view of Biblical recording.

So, the question is, why did Abram give a tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek? Where did he learn of this practice? The Bible does not provide answers to these questions, so we leave it at that.

What is tithing, according to the Bible?

In the book of Leviticus 27:30–34, Moses instituted the law of tithing as directed by God. We thus read:

‘And 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 to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to them. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD. He shall not require whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he exchanges it at all, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.’

From this Bible passage, we make two important observations about tithing:

The first observation is that there were two main categories of tithes: tithes of the land (seed of the land or fruit of the tree) and tithes of the herd or flock.

The second observation is that there was a window for redeeming the tithe. Scripture tells us that if a man wished to redeem his tithe, all he had to do was add one-fifth to it. For instance, supposing the tithe was worth fifty dollars, he gave that and an additional 10 dollars. The redemption window was provided in order to allow the person the liberty to eat the tithe in any place, for he understood it to be the second tithe, as before observed, and which was thus supposed to be eaten in Jerusalem.

According to the authorities in charge of the second Temple, any person was allowed to redeem the tithes due from another person as long as they paid the exact value for them without adding the fifth part. These tithes could thereafter be eaten in any place, but the money paid for redemption had to be taken back to Jerusalem. At Jerusalem, the money was spent on social feasts attended by the Levites, the widows, the fatherless, the strangers, and the poor.

Let us examine the two types of tithes identified above.

(a) Tithe of the land

(i) Seeds of the land

In this case, the tithe from the seed of the land referred to the tithe from that which was not sown but from what was yielded. This included the produce of the seed as captured in Deuteronomy 14:22, that says: ‘You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain (that is, the harvest reaped) that the field produces year by year.’

The seed of the land also included the corn of the threshing floor, as recorded in Numbers 18:25–27, which says:

‘Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe. And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress.’”’

The implication of this tithe was that the whole yield produced by the land in any given year was subject to the tithe tribute. This tribute was a yearly rent that the children of Israel (in this case, tenants) were expected to pay God (in this case, the Owner of the Land). The tribute was also a form of thanksgiving offering rendered to God for His providence throughout the year.

(ii) Fruit of the tree

This type of tithe was represented by “the fullness of the press”, the wine and oil mentioned in Numbers 18:27, which says:

‘And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress.’

(b) Tithe of the herd or the flock

This category of tithe is found in Deuteronomy 14:22–23, where we read:

‘You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain, your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God.’

In this passage, we again see the categories of tithes that the children of Israel were expected to pay, namely:

• the tithe of the grain,
• the tithe of the new wine,
• the tithe of the oil,
• the tithe of the firstborn of their herds, and
• the tithe of firstborn of their flock

According to the tithe of the herd or flock, of all that passed under the rod of the herdsman, the tenth goat, sheep, or cattle (cow or bull) was to be holy to the LORD. It did not matter whether the animal was good or bad; in other words, the animal could not be substituted.

The selected animal would then be slain, its blood and fat offered at the altar, and the flesh eaten by the owners.

What were tithes used for?

Why did God require tithes from the children of Israel? This brings us to the uses of tithes discussed in the following section.

Deuteronomy 14:28 gives us a hint of how the tithe was supposed to be used in those days. We thus read:

‘At the end of every third year, you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger, the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.’

From this passage, we can infer that the tithe was supposed to cater for the needs of:

• Levites
• Strangers
• Fatherless
• Widows

In Numbers 18:21, we read:

‘Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.’

Here, we see that the tithes were to be given in order to meet the needs of the Levites. This is because the Levites were not given an inheritance like the rest of the tribes of Israel; instead, the tithes became their inheritance. This was to allow them to fully concentrate on the work of the tabernacle meeting.

After receiving the tithes of the children of Israel, the Levites were also expected to offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth of the tithe. This was reckoned by the Levites as though it were the grain or corn of the threshing floor and the fullness of the winepress (Numbers 18:25–28).

Where is it in the Bible about tithing?

Deuteronomy 12:5-7:

‘But you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice in what the LORD your God is giving you.’

Deuteronomy 12:10-11:

But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be a place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings that you vow to the LORD.

Deuteronomy 26:12

‘When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, Then you shall say before the LORD your God: I have removed the holy tithe from my house and also given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.’

2 Chronicles 31:4-5

‘Moreover, he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the LORD. As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything.’

Nehemiah 10:36-38

‘To bring the firstborn of our sons and our cattle, as is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks, to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendants of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse.’

Malachi 3:8-12

‘Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it, And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts.”’.’

Nehemiah 12:44

‘And at the same time some were appointed over the rooms of the storehouse for the offerings, the firstfruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions specified by the Law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who ministered.’

Numbers 18:21

‘Behold I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an Inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.’

Hebrews 7:5

‘And indeed, those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak.’

What can tithes be used for?

Nowhere in the New Testament have Christians been compelled to tithe. However, given that we still have the same needs in the Church today as the ones experienced in the Old Testament setting, I believe tithes and offerings may come in handy.

There are ministers of the gospel who have dedicated their lives to preaching the good news. I believe that by giving tithes and offerings, the needs of these ministers can be well taken care of, giving them ample time to concentrate on searching the scriptures in order to deliver the word of God in an effective way.

Since the gospel is still being preached, the finances needed to support missionary work can be easily obtained through the willful giving of tithes and offerings by congregations.

We still have widows, orphans, and the poor in the church today. I believe the tithes and offerings that congregations give can go a long way toward meeting the needs of these individuals.

In addition, each local church has recurring bills that have to be paid on a monthly, if not yearly, basis, including water, electricity, and rates, among other utilities. Money collected from tithes and offerings may also be used to sort out such bills.

Tithing also secures blessings from our Maker. In Genesis 14:18–20, we see Abram being blessed after giving tithes of the spoils of war to Melchizedek. The children of Israel were also guaranteed God’s blessings for their obedience in tithing, which honored God by placing Him first in their resources.

So, tithing is a way of honoring God by showing Him gratitude, for it is He who gives us the power to make wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). We owe all that we have and all that we are to God, and without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Conclusion

Indeed, many reports abound regarding the misappropriation of money given by congregations as tithes and offerings. However, that should not deter us from continuing with the good work of giving that Christ began in us. We cannot stop giving out of fear that the money will be stolen. We continue giving because we believe that there are some genuine servants of God out there who will always ensure that the money given is ultimately used for the purpose intended.

So there you have it: to tithe or not to tithe, the choice is yours.

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you.

Related Post: Biblical teachings on giving

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