This question is in regards to the collection of tithes in this
day and age: since the Levitical priesthood nor the
Temple exist today, are 'churches' in the right to pass the plate or
ask for donations?
No, (today's) assemblies do not have the 'right' to collect tithes.
(collect, demand, pass the plate, put up a donation jar, make one feel obligated, etc...).
Matthew 10:8 Freely you have received, freely give. Do Not
Accumulate gold, nor silver nor brass (money) in your purses, nor a
wallet for the road.... A worker (disciple of YHWH) is worthy of his
food.
Numbers 18:21: And to the Levites I hereby give all
the tithes (mostly from the field, the herd, and the flock) in Israel as
the share in return for the services that they (the priests from the
tribe of Levi) perform, the services of the Tent of Meeting
(Tabernacle)... :24 for it is the tithes set aside by the
Israelites As A Gift to Elohim that I give to the Levites (for they have
no territorial share among the Israelites) :26 Speak to the
Levites and say to them, When you receive from the Israelites their
tithes, which I have assigned to you as your share, you shall set aside
from them one-tenth of the tithe as a Gift to YHWH... (the best of the best of the best always goes to the Creator) :29 You (the priests) shall set aside (one-tenth of) all Gifts due to
Elohim from everything that is Donated to you, from each thing the Best
portion... :31 You and your households may eat it anywhere for it is your recompense for your Services in the Tent of Meeting
YHWH's own definition of 'tithes' is that tithes are Donations of Gifts
that are given to the priesthood In Return for the services they
provide (of which they and their households may eat). He is taking care
of their needs through the assembly they minister to.
In
today's world if you find a teacher of The Word, whether in a
home study group, a small assembly or good sized congregation, who has
helped you along the Path of Righteousness by increasing your
understanding of Scriptures, and IF you are so moved in your heart, I
see no reason why you should not help him with his needs (feed, clothe,
give drink) and not his wants (car, new church, house, vacation...) in
return for his service of doing God's Work, teaching and preaching and
ministering to His People.
Our Creator says Tithes are Donations
of Gifts to Him, handled by ministers of His Work... We choose to give,
with the best intentions of our hearts, the best of the best of what we
have, whether you want to call it a tithe, gift, donation or offering. If He is not please with what
He sees, our 'giving' is of no pleasure to Him.
I
also like to take into consideration how Y'shua Messiah instructed his
12 apostles:
Mark 6:7 - And he called his twelve and began to send them
two by two... And he commanded them that they are not to take anything
for the road except a staff - no bag, no
bread and no money in their purses. Rather that they wear sandals and
not wear two tunics. (travel light and take only a Walking Stick-- no
baggage, no food, and no money makes them reliant upon YHWH and the
households who receive them).
In Luke 10:1 Y'shua also appointed 70 from
his other disciples and sent them out in pairs as 'sheep among wolves',
to prepare the way for Messiah to come.
When YHWH gave
instructions for the Levitical priesthood to be established, they were
taken care of by the people they ministered to, with food, drink and
other necessities, so they were able to tend to temple duties and take
care of their families. They were sustained by the tribes (community) as commanded
by Elohim God. No plate was passed, no can was set up for 'love' donations, nor was there a Paypal button asking for donations. In today's world, how many teachers of
the Word do you see freely giving and humbly receiving? how many travel
without convenient accommodations? how big are their purses/bank
accounts? how big are their mega-churches? How far are they from the
Truth of His Word?
'Tithes'
were originally described by Master Yahweh in Leviticus 27:30 as being from the land, whether seed from
the ground or fruit from the tree... 27:32 of the herd or flock.
It was seldom money that was tithed, unless you lived far off and you
were bless with so much cattle and
produce that transporting them was unreasonable, then you could sell
them and take the money with you to the place YHWH chose to establish
His Name (Deuteronomy 14:24) and purchase livestock or food or drink
when you got there. But at no time neglect the Levite in your community
for he has no hereditary portion as you have. Every 3rd year the full
tithe of the yield for that year was left in the settlement. Then the
Levite, AND the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow in your
settlements shall come and eat their fill, so that YHWH your Elohim may
bless you in all the enterprises you undertake. (Tithes, since they are
of the field or herd or flock, aka Food, also provide for the poor,
widows, orphans and sojourners among us.) Also, in Malachi 3:10 YHWH
Himself refers to our tithes as food brought into the storehouse of His
House...
Quote
from Exposing the Tithe Lie:
1) What is the tithe? The tithe is 10% of
the increase, established in Leviticus 27:30-33 as an offering Holy to
the Lord. The scripture identifies the tithe as grain and fruit, herd
and flock. The tithe is food! An example
of the tithe can be seen in a shepherd with a flock of 100 sheep who is
blessed with the birth of 50 lambs in the spring. Five of the lambs
must be offered to the Lord as a tithe. The tithe was brought to the
temple in Jerusalem in acknowledgement and appreciation of God’s
provision for His people.
2) What was the tithe for?
God doesn’t need the food – God doesn’t eat. God doesn’t desire
sacrifices or offerings ( Psalm 40:6 and Hosea 6:6 ) – He desires mercy.
God doesn’t need us to give Him a 10th of everything – when He already
owns everything ( Psalm 24:1 and Job 41:11b ). The tithe was used to
feed the Levite priests (and their families) who were required to work
in the temple day and night ministering to God on behalf of God’s people
( 1 Chronicles 9:33 ). Without the tithe, the Levite priests would have
needed to raise their own food, thereby taking them away from
ministering before God. Hence the reference in Malachi 3:10 "…that there
may be food in my house". Nehemiah 13:10-13 records a time when the
Levite priests were not receiving the tithe wherein they abandoned their
daily temple responsibilities to work the farms to feed their families.
The reference to ‘robbing God’ in Malachi 3:8 is in fact robbing God of
ministry and worship by failing to take care of God’s priests through
the tithe of food items. Unlike the other tribes of Israel who were
given land as their inheritance, the Levites were not given any land –
only a few cities in which to live. God was their inheritance ( Numbers
18:20-21 ). Thus, the remaining tribes were obligated to provide the
Levites with food since they had no land on which to grow their own.
3)
What is the storehouse? 2 Chronicles 31 teaches that the storehouse is
the Temple in Jerusalem. When the tithe was re-instituted under King
Hezekiah, the king gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple to
hold the tithe. Apparently the grain "tithe" was heaped up in the
streets, which caused a traffic jam of sorts. King Hezekiah had the
storehouse built to relieve a bad case of urban congestion in ancient
Jerusalem. End Quote
Let us get back to the origins of Faith and the Plan our Creator set forth for us.
