The Abrahamic Christian Tithing

The Abrahamic Christian Tithing: A Study Book for the Church

Tithing for Spiritual GrowthBy Samuel Kirk Mills

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Samuel Mills
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4772-0282-1

Contents

This book is dedicated to.........................................................................................................viiiForewords.........................................................................................................................ixPreface...........................................................................................................................xvIntroduction......................................................................................................................xxiChapter One The Originating Work of God in Abraham to Tithe (The Development of Abraham's Faith).................................1Chapter Two The Originating Work of God in Abraham to Tithe (The Foreshadowing of Christ's Priestly Service).....................18Chapter Three Abraham's Response to God's Work in Him (The Faith Response of Abraham)............................................45Chapter Four Abraham's Response to God's Work in Him (The Moral Response of Abraham).............................................61Chapter Five The Ultimate Aim in Abraham's Tithing...............................................................................71Chapter Six The Fundamental Benefits of Christian Tithing........................................................................78Chapter Seven The Importance of the Abrahamic Christian Tithing to the Church of Christ..........................................90Chapter Eight Abraham's Tithing and Christianity.................................................................................99Chapter Nine What is Christian Tithing?..........................................................................................103Final Thoughts The Christian Tithing Creed Christian Tithing Hymnal..............................................................106

Chapter One

The Originating Work of God in Abraham to Tithe (The Development of Abraham's Faith)

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"Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand," And he gave him tithes of all." (Genesis 14:19–20)

We start our studies by showing you the origination of God's work in Abraham that brought him to tithe. You will discover that Abraham's tithing was a gift that God gave him. It was a gift from God to Abraham for the two to begin a journey to build a strong personal relationship. You will learn about the importance of Abraham's use of this wonderful gift from God to tithe. You will see its importance on two levels.

On one level, you will see how it helped Abraham as a starting point for his spiritual growth in his personal relationship with God. You will see how God worked to activate Abraham's use of His gift of tithing by the principle of knowing and relating to Him personally. Please underline or highlight that whole sentence. You will soon discover that it is a principle that defines for us an aspect of what our Christian tithing is essentially about.

On another level, you will learn that Abraham's use of his God's gift of tithing was also important to God. It indicated to God that Abraham had come not only to know and to reckon Him as personal, but was also empowered to relate to him personally. You will learn in a later chapter that it was faith produced in Abraham that manifested itself in his knowing and reckoning God as personal. Abraham relating to God personally by his tithing was because of the faith produced in him. With this, you will also come to see that God was establishing with Abraham another principle of our Christian tithing, which is the working principle of faith—knowing and reckoning God as personal.

The good news is that the church was in the mind of God when He ordered Himself to begin this journey with Abraham to a strong personal relationship of faith through his tithing. It is remarkably true. You will learn how God was actually preparing the grounds with Abraham for our entrance into that strong personal relationship of faith with Him through our practice of Christian tithing.

We will now begin working with the Holy Spirit to discover the treasures contained in this wonderful gift of tithing that God gave to Abraham. It was not only meant for Abraham's exclusive use, but it was also meant for the church as well. Today we refer to this wonderful gift of God as Christian tithing. Please keep in mind that the treasures contained in this wonderful gift of Christian tithing that God gave to Abraham are equally yours and mine. We will begin our study with a brief narrative of the circumstances leading to the tithing of Abraham.

Abraham's Tithing-The Narrative

Abraham's tithing occurred when Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, met him on his return from a battle he had won in regards to Lot his nephew (Genesis 14:1–24). The story tells us that Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam and his allies went to battle against the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies. The latter were defeated, and Chedorlaomer took all their goods and victuals. Lot was among the people whom he took as captives with him.

When Abraham heard of the nephew's bad situation, we are told that he armed his trained servants, three hundred and eighteen of them, and went after the enemies. Abraham and his trained servants defeated them, and they recovered all the goods and the people they had taken captive, including Lot. He was met on his return from the battle by the king of Sodom, and then Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, who brought forth bread and wine and blessed him, saying, "Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand," (Genesis 14:19–20); and Abraham gave him tithes of all (Hebrew 7:4).

Key Question: Why Did Abraham Tithe?

You will notice in the text that Abraham's tithing was a direct response to the declaration of Melchizedek. It certainly does not come across that Abraham had tithed for no obvious reason, which would portray his tithing as a thoughtless behavior. It appears an inherent cause in Melchizedek's declaration had cued Abraham to tithe. Our initial task here is to find out what caused Abraham to tithe when he heard Melchizedek's declaration.

To address faithfully our key question, we will briefly look at the nature of the circumstances that prompted Abraham to tithe. You will see in Melchizedek's declaration that he was indicating to Abraham the personal influence of God in the victory he had just won against his enemies. Thus, we will first address the question of why Abraham tithed by first exploring two things:

• The theological foundation to the work of God in Abraham's life to tithe

• The objective/s of God's work in Abraham's life to tithe

In undertaking this initial task, we will draw from our fundamental Christian view regarding the work of God in His creation (the plan of God and His directive work to fulfill His purpose in humanity) and our fundamental Christian view pertaining to the nature of God (the matter of God's impersonal and personal nature).

God's Work in Abraham's Life to Tithe

Part of our Christian fundamental knowledge about God is that all the details of our lives on earth are well within the plan of God. What does the plan of God mean? Millard Erickson, a well-known Christian theologian, briefly helps us to understand the meaning of God's plan. He defines the plan of God as God's eternal decision rendering certain all things concerning our lives that would happen (Erickson, 1992, p. 109). God's eternal decision simply means the choices that God had made before time concerning a matter, a thing, or a person, for example. Erickson is pointing us to a strong fundamental position of our Christian belief, which is that nothing happens on earth by chance, and/or without God originating or willfully permitting it.

Erickson (1992) further explains the fundamental position of our Christian belief with several biblical examples:

For the Old Testament writers, it was virtually inconceivable that anything could happen independently of the will and working of God. As evidence of this, consider that common impersonal expressions like "it rained" are not found in the Old Testament. For the Hebrews, rain did not simply happen; God sent the rain. They saw him as the all-powerful determiner of everything that occurs. God himself comments, for example, concerning the destruction inflicted by the King of Assyria: "Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should make fortified cities crash into heaps of ruins" (Isaiah 37:26). Even something as trivial as the building of reservoirs is described as having been planned long before (Isaiah 22:11). (p. 110)

You can see that these biblical examples from Erickson affirm our fundamental Christian view that whatever is done on earth is by the sovereign plan and the directive work of God. Wayne Grudem, another Christian theologian, speaks to us concerning our fundamental Christian view regarding the plan of God (1999):

God plans our days before we are born, for David affirms. "In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:16). And Job says that man's "days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5). This can be seen in the life of Paul, who says that God "had set me apart before I was born" (Galatians 1:5) and Jeremiah, to whom God said, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you, I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:5). All our actions are under God's providential care, for "in him we live and move" (Acts 17:28). The Lord directs the individual steps we take each day. Jeremiah confesses, "I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). We read, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 20:24) and, "A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Success and failure come from God, for we read, "Not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another" (Psalm 75:6–7). ... All of these passages, reporting both general statements about God's work in the lives of all people and specific examples of God's work in the lives of individuals, lead us to conclude that God's providential work of concurrence extends to all aspect of our lives. Our words, our steps, our movements, our hearts, and our abilities are all from the Lord. (pp. 145–146)

Erickson and Grudem have therefore helped us to conclude that Abraham's tithing was a planned behavior by God. He did not tithe by chance. He tithed not only because God wanted him to, but also because He worked in him to do so. It means that if God had not planned for him to do it, and had not worked in him to do so, Abraham would probably not have tithed. The fact that He wanted him to tithe, and the fact that He had worked in him to do so, shows the importance that God gave to Abraham's tithing. That importance also applies to the church's practice of Christian tithing as well, as children of Abraham. It is the promise of this book that by the end of your study, you would have drawn out the full scope of the importance that God has given to our practice of Christian tithing. Albeit, it means that our Christian tithing that came out of the plan and work of God for Abraham to tithe was an intention of God before the creation of the universe.

Our conclusion concerning God's work in Abraham to tithe is very agreeable with the scripture that says that God is at work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God was the originator of Abraham's tithing. Hence, there was a work of God in Abraham to act out the intention of God concerning his tithing. We will discuss God's purpose and His aim concerning Abraham's tithing in later chapters. Albeit, Abraham's tithing was one of the detailed activities that God had planned the patriarch will do by His direct work in him during his lifetime on earth, which brings up another key question.

Key Question: What was God's Objective for Working in Abraham to Tithe?

In addressing the objective of God's work in Abraham to tithe, we are actually looking at how Abraham's tithing was of the `good pleasure' of the Lord. You will find out that God's objective in working in Abraham to tithe was generally for two things:

A. Abraham's Faith Development

B. The Foreshadowing of Christ's Priestly Office to His Church Our concentration for this section of our study will be on the matter of the development of Abraham's faith.

Abraham's Faith Development

You will learn here that one of the core lessons of Genesis chapter 14 was the Lord's treatment of Abraham's view of God's nature. You will discover it was in the treatment of his view of God's nature that consequently brought about his tithing. What brought about the treatment of Abraham's view of God's nature? In the following discussion, you will find out that certain behaviors of Abraham betrayed his limited view of God's nature, as only impersonal when he was initially brought to Canaan. Evidently, his initial behavior in the land of Canaan indicated at least two things:

• A weakness in his trust in God

• A weakness in his dependency on God

Hence, you will see that the treatment of his view of God's nature was necessary for strengthening his trust in the Lord and increasing his dependency on God. We will briefly look at Abraham's journey of faith with the Lord from when he was called in his land of nativity to when he was actually living in the land of Canaan. As we sketch out Abraham's journey of faith with the Lord, you will be able to trace the awesome transformative work that God performed in his life. You will also see how his tithing was a vital component to the change that the Lord brought about in his view of God's nature. You will come to value how that vital component of his tithing is a critical element to our practice of Christian tithing today.

Abraham's Journey of Faith with God

Abraham first came to faith in God through the knowledge and the belief in YHWH when the latter had appeared to him in the land of his nativity in Ur of Mesopotamia. That he began his faith journey with God as an idol worshiper and an unbeliever is scripturally evident. "And Joshua said unto all the people, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, `your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old times, even Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor: and they served other gods.'" (Joshua 24:2)

We also know scripturally that the call of God actually came to him when he was living in the land of his nativity and not in Haran where he went to dwell for a season before God finally removed him into Canaan. Stephen, one of the first six deacons of the early church affirms this point in his address before the Jewish authorities. "And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; the God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Haran, and said unto Him `Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land that I will show thee.'" (Acts 7:2–3)

We will now discuss what Abraham's view of the nature of God was at the time of his initial sojourning in the land of Canaan.

Abraham's Initial View of God's Nature

When Abraham came to Canaan, it soon became evident it was the scope of his view of God's nature that determined how he handled his affairs. How he handled his affairs showed the strength of his faith (trust in God). Perhaps it will be good for our discussion to take a moment to address this question: How does one's view of God's nature affect the way one handles one's affairs? It will help us understand further why Abraham's view of God's nature needed treatment. For that matter, Erickson (1992) had stressed the importance for one to have a correct view of God. "The doctrine of God is the central point for much of the rest of theology. One's view of God might even be thought of as supplying the whole framework within which one's theology is constructed and life is lived. It lends a particular coloration to one's style of ministry and philosophy of life. Problems or difficulties on two levels make it evident that there is a need for a correct view of God" (p. 75).

Furthermore, Erickson (1992) noted the value in keeping together an important pair of our fundamental Christian understanding of who God is concerning His transcendent (impersonal) and His immanent (personal) nature. Erickson (1992) defines the transcendent (impersonal) nature of God as the unlimited sense of who He is such that we as human beings lack the ability to comprehend Him fully. He extends the meaning of God's impersonal nature as also His holiness and goodness that go far beyond, infinitely beyond our range of understanding; and that this is true of His knowledge and power as well (p.76). He defined the immanence (personal nature) of God in this manner, "The meaning of immanence is that God is present and active within his creation, and within the human race even those members of it that do not believe in or obey him" (p. 76).

Grudem (1999) explains the transcendent (impersonal) and the immanent (personal) nature of God by using the terms infinite for God's transcendence and personal for God's immanence. He defines their meaning accordingly, "Unlike other systems of theology, the Bible teaches that God is both infinite and personal; he is infinite in that he is not subject to any of the limitations of humanity, or of creation in general. He is far greater than anything he has made, far greater than anything else that exists. But he is also personal; he interacts with us as a person, and we can relate to him as persons. We can pray to him, worship him, obey him, and he can speak to us, rejoice in us, and love us" (p. 75). In simple terms, we may conceive of God's transcendence/infinite/impersonal nature as God's separateness/intangible involvement with His creation, and God's immanence/personal nature as His nearness/tangible involvement with His creation.

(Continues...)

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