108 Offering and Tithes

Think about this: Christ loved us so much that he gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering to God.¹ He made the ultimate sacrifice for you on the cross, loving you to death and beyond. Even as time marches on, His love stays constant.

It's so important for you to grasp that the biggest sacrifice has already been made. But now, you get to be a pleasing offering to God, too. Let your service, your honor, and your giving be a delight to your Heavenly Father. Know that Jesus has given you everything, and anything you offer pales in comparison to His love.

Giving to God, supporting His work, it's an expression of love. Don't see it as a burden or an obligation, but as a response to God's love and Jesus' sacrifice. It's a way of saying "thank you" for everything Heaven has poured into your life.

¹Ephesians 5:2

“And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Honor Yahweh from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;

These words He spoke in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and empty out for you a blessing until it is beyond enough.

And Jesus *said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.

Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the crowd was putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

And a poor widow came and put in two lepta, which amount to a quadrans.

And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those putting money into the treasury;

for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

‘Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, belongs to Yahweh; it is holy to Yahweh.

But as for me, I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to Yahweh.”

who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.

He who indeed did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of Yahweh your God which He has given you.

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

‘Take from among you a contribution to Yahweh; whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as a contribution to Yahweh: gold, silver, and bronze,

Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Lift up an offering and come into His courts.

“But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as willingly as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You.

Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

“You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year.

And you shall eat in the presence of Yahweh your God, at the place where He chooses for His name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God all your days.

On the first day of every week each one of you is to set something aside, saving whatever he has prospered, so that no collections be made when I come.

Then he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;

that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then he gave him a tenth of all.

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; Who sustains his works with justice.

There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who holds back what is rightly due, and yet results only in want.

The soul that blesses will be enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High;

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.

Then He continued saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,

and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

“But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake.

It will result in an opportunity for your testimony.

So set in your hearts not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves;

for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death,

and you will be hated by all because of My name.

Yet not a hair of your head will perish.

By your perseverance you will gain your lives.

And He saw a poor widow putting in two lepta.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand.

Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the countryside must not enter the city;

because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people,

and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees;

And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them.

as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, know that summer is now near.

So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

“But be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap;

for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth.

But keep on the alert at all times, praying earnestly that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Now during the day He was teaching in the temple, but during the night He would go out and spend it on the mount called “of Olives.”

And all the people would get up early in the morning to come to Him in the temple to listen to Him.

For they all put in their gifts out of their abundance; but she, out of what she lacked, put in all that she had for living.”

And they faithfully brought in the contribution and the tithe and the holy things; and Conaniah the Levite was the officer over them and his brother Shimei was second.

Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in Yahweh.

He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives from his food to the poor.

In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’  ”

But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.

And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

“Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To release the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?

“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the afflicted homeless into the house; When you see the naked, you cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

¶Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your hand to do it.

Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When it is there with you.

And the one who is instructed in the word is to share in all good things with the one who instructs him.

¶What shall I give to Yahweh in return For all His bountiful dealings with me?

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

“Speak with the sons of Israel so that they take a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart is willing you shall take My contribution.

“Then it will be, when you enter the land which Yahweh your God gives you as an inheritance and you possess it and live in it,

So now behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which You, O Yahweh, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before Yahweh your God and worship before Yahweh your God;

and you and the Levite and the sojourner who is among you shall be glad in all the good which Yahweh your God has given you and your household.

“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the sojourner, to the orphan, and to the widow, that they may eat within your gates and be satisfied.

Then you shall say before Yahweh your God, ‘I have purged the sacred portion from my house, and I also have given it to the Levite and the sojourner, the orphan and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not trespassed against or forgotten any of Your commandments.

I have not eaten of it while mourning, nor have I purged any of it while I was unclean, nor have I given any of it to the dead. I have listened to the voice of Yahweh my God; I have done according to all that You have commanded me.

Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the ground which You have given to us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

“This day Yahweh your God commands you to do these statutes and judgments. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul.

You have today declared Yahweh to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and listen to His voice.

And Yahweh has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments;

and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, a name, and beauty; and that you shall be a holy people to Yahweh your God, as He has spoken.”

that you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground which you bring in from your land that Yahweh your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where Yahweh your God chooses for His name to dwell.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.

For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

who has become such not according to a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

For it is witnessed about Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

All day long he is insatiably craving, While the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Whatever Yahweh pleases, He does, In heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all deeps.

The One who causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

And God is able to make every grace abound to you, so that in everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

But you shall remember Yahweh your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

And I know, O my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness. I, in the uprightness of my heart, have willingly offered all these things. So now with gladness I have seen Your people, who are present here, make their offerings willingly to You.

The wicked borrows and does not pay back, But the righteous is gracious and gives.

“Sell your possessions and give it as charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And which of you by worrying can add a single cubit to his life span?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,

yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’

For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.

Now this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to share with the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

So Moses commanded and a proclamation was passed throughout the camp, saying, “Let no man or woman any longer do the work for the contributions of the sanctuary.” Thus the people were restrained from bringing any more.

Indeed, the material they had was sufficient and more than enough for all the work, to do it.

¶With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Yahweh, for it is good.

But the noble man counsels noble plans; And by noble plans he rises up.

Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar?

So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

Who gives to the animal its food, And to the young ravens which call out.

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground.

Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering;

but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

¶Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of the peoples, Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.

Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Lift up an offering and come into His courts.

Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; Worship Yahweh in the splendor of holiness.

He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves with him.

He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates gifts of bribery will live.

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess His name.

“You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching the word and teaching.

For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

Keep worthlessness and every false word far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,

Lest I be full and deny You and say, “Who is Yahweh?” Or lest I be impoverished and steal, And profane the name of my God.

All day long he is gracious and lends, And his seed is a blessing.

And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church fellowshipped with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone.

For even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

Yahweh is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

He who gives to the poor will never want, But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

Moreover, in my pleasure in the house of my God, the treasure I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, over and above all that I have already prepared for the holy house,

contributing to the needs of the saints, pursuing hospitality.

And if you offer your soul to the hungry And satisfy the soul of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your thick darkness will become like midday.

How blessed is he who considers the poor; Yahweh will provide him escape in a day of calamity.

¶But You, O Yahweh, be gracious to me and raise me up, That I may repay them.

By this I know that You delight in me, Because my enemy makes no shout in triumph over me.

As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You make me stand firm in Your presence forever.

¶Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Yahweh will keep him and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

“Therefore, when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;

for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you send forth your hand to do.

It is the blessing of Yahweh that makes rich, And He adds no pain with it.

He has given freely to the needy, His righteousness stands forever; His horn will be raised in glory.

Now brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,

And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is profitable for you, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it.

But now complete doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it from what you have.

For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.

For this is not for the relief of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—

at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality.

As it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack.”

But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.

For he not only accepted our plea, but being himself very earnest, he has gone out to you of his own accord.

And we have sent along with him the brother whose praise in the things of the gospel is throughout all the churches.

And not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work that is being ministered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness,

that in a great testing by affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the richness of their generosity.

taking precaution lest anyone discredits us in our ministering of this generous gift,

for we respect what is good, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many things, but now even more earnest because of his great confidence in you.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, a glory to Christ.

Therefore openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting about you.

For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord,

begging us with much urging for the grace of sharing in the ministry to the saints,

and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then he gave him a tenth of all.

Then the people were glad because they had offered so willingly, for they made their freewill offering to Yahweh with a whole heart, and King David also was exceedingly glad.

Delight yourself in Yahweh; And He will give you the desires of your heart.

or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with generosity; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Who does justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. Yahweh sets the prisoners free.

Only they asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.

And when I arrive, whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem,

and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.

because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

He who is gracious to a poor man lends to Yahweh, And He will repay him for his bountiful deed.

you will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us is bringing about thanksgiving to God.

You give to them, they gather it up; You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.

And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and security forever.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

being devoted to one another in brotherly love, giving preference to one another in honor,

¶Cast your burden upon Yahweh and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Command them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

Who raises the poor from the dust And lifts high the needy from the ash heap,

To make them sit with nobles, With the nobles of His people.

Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the spoils.

Prayer