WHAT IF GOD HAD NOT MADE TITHING A REQUIREMENT

God ordained that the Levites be totally dedicated to the service of the Temple and the congregation. The tribe of Levi was to be a special gift that would greatly benefit the people: “Behold, I myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting” (Numbers 18: 6). But such a gift needed financial support, and God provided such support as well: “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” (V. 21).

What if God had not instituted the tithing system as a way of supporting the priestly tribe?

If tithing were not implemented, the other logical option would have been to leave the sustenance of the Levites to free-will offerings. No doubt, people would have given to the priestly “fund” but sporadically and according to their whims. Thus, the Levites would have been at the mercy of the whims of the people, and may have had to turn to begging to survive. This is unfortunately what some ministers end up doing today in some congregations where the tithing system is not practiced. Because of constant financial want, many clergymen have to remind the congregation, on an ongoing basis, to contribute financially. This is both stressful and humiliating for people who are dedicating their whole life to serving God and believers.

God is the best employer of all. Though Levi was one of the smallest tribes, it would reap the tithes of the other 10 tribes. Their income would have been sufficient and relatively predictable, thus they could dedicate themselves fully to the task of serving the congregation while being fully able to provide for the needs of their families.

God’s servants live very stressful lives. They certainly do not need the stress of uncertainty when it comes to making a living. They have families with the same needs as anyone else. God saw to it that their needs would be addressed sufficiently so as to dedicate themselves to the service of God’s people without anxiety.

It should also be stressed that having an assured source of income also prevented the human temptation to give special attention to wealthy “benefactors” who would give more than the rest. The tithing system would also take away from such benefactors the power and influence that they, in turn, would exert over the clergy. God’s servants must be totally objective towards all and must never favor the rich. A God-imposed and directed system would effectively prevent such a possibility.

The tithing system, therefore, reveals God’s love and concern toward His priesthood and His brilliant way of preventing any favoritism. Most of all, it reveals his fairness and concern toward those who dedicate their whole lives to His service.

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