A lot of Christians today are conflicted about the tithing issue. For the most part believers want to know that their actions in tithing or refusing to do so are in accordance with what God wants. For guidance on how to live the lives that please God, many look at the examples set by patriarchs like Abraham. A deep examination of the life he lived will prove that Abraham did not tithe.
The misconception that Abraham paid tithes is rooted in an incident that takes place in the book of Genesis chapter fourteen. The incident entails a battle in which Abraham engaged after lot, his nephew was captured and taken away among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's captors were identified as the four kings.
Along with the captives, the kings had also taken valuable possessions. The people's food was taken. So were all the properties of Lot. Clearly, The patriarch's quest was one of revenge, restoration and justice.
The patriarch was victorious. He was victorious because he did not go alone. He had help in the form of a number of allies who are named in verse thirteen as Mamre, Aner and Eshcol. He also had the Lord with him in battle and this was the chief reason for his victory.
Since he had the assistance of the other men, it is easy to view the post war action as that of issuing rewards in the form of the spoils of war rather than tithing. Melchidezek bestows a blessing on the patriarch after the battle and is given a tenth of the spoils. This is not a tithe. It is simply a reward for bravery and victory. The patriarch asks the King of Sodom to allow the men to have their share of the plunder in verse twenty four.
The patriarch did not give of his own possessions as is required in tithing. In chapter twenty two he responds to an offer by the king of Sodom for him to take all the food and wealth by stating that he had made an oath to God that he would take nothing from him. He asked instead that the men bellowed to eat some of the food and that his fellow warriors be given a share of the spoils as is due to them. His denial of ownership of the spoils of war means that he did not give from his own possessions.The failure to fulfill this requirement rules out the act as one of tithe giving.
Additionally tithing is a frequent, habitual act. This is why today's tithers use weekly, bi-weekly or monthly routines. This was a single activity with no evidence of repetition thereafter.
This patriarch was certainly not a tither. His giving was not an organized habitual one. It was rather a single event that fulfilled a custom of sharing the rewards of a well fought battle. Additionally, his failure to view the possessions as his own rules out the act as tithing since it would not have been truly his to give.
The misconception that Abraham paid tithes is rooted in an incident that takes place in the book of Genesis chapter fourteen. The incident entails a battle in which Abraham engaged after lot, his nephew was captured and taken away among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot's captors were identified as the four kings.
Along with the captives, the kings had also taken valuable possessions. The people's food was taken. So were all the properties of Lot. Clearly, The patriarch's quest was one of revenge, restoration and justice.
The patriarch was victorious. He was victorious because he did not go alone. He had help in the form of a number of allies who are named in verse thirteen as Mamre, Aner and Eshcol. He also had the Lord with him in battle and this was the chief reason for his victory.
Since he had the assistance of the other men, it is easy to view the post war action as that of issuing rewards in the form of the spoils of war rather than tithing. Melchidezek bestows a blessing on the patriarch after the battle and is given a tenth of the spoils. This is not a tithe. It is simply a reward for bravery and victory. The patriarch asks the King of Sodom to allow the men to have their share of the plunder in verse twenty four.
The patriarch did not give of his own possessions as is required in tithing. In chapter twenty two he responds to an offer by the king of Sodom for him to take all the food and wealth by stating that he had made an oath to God that he would take nothing from him. He asked instead that the men bellowed to eat some of the food and that his fellow warriors be given a share of the spoils as is due to them. His denial of ownership of the spoils of war means that he did not give from his own possessions.The failure to fulfill this requirement rules out the act as one of tithe giving.
Additionally tithing is a frequent, habitual act. This is why today's tithers use weekly, bi-weekly or monthly routines. This was a single activity with no evidence of repetition thereafter.
This patriarch was certainly not a tither. His giving was not an organized habitual one. It was rather a single event that fulfilled a custom of sharing the rewards of a well fought battle. Additionally, his failure to view the possessions as his own rules out the act as tithing since it would not have been truly his to give.
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