God in all His wisdom promulgated a
law called the tithing law. It is a law and like
all other laws of God has been designed to
find out whether His people will obey Him or
not. In verse 10 chapter 3 of Malachi, God says," bring ye all [Gen 14:20] the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be meat in mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
God cannot be tempted. His word is sharper than any two edged sword. It will stand and endure forever.
God posed a challenge to His people. As it is written, if they do so, it will surely come to pass.
Embodied in that law are three specific Commandments. And you know them all. But to refresh our
minds allow me elucidate further.
We have the so called first tithe. In ancient Israel, the first tithe according to commandment was given
to the tribe of Levy as their inheritance. The first tithe is also used by the Levites in maintaining the
administrative function of the temple.
Today, since there is a change of the priesthood and there is no more physical temple to be maintained
where rituals and sacrifices were performed, the first tithe and offerings are now used to support the work of God
through the publication of magazines, newsletters and other reading materials for the edification and spiritual
food of its members.
We are all aware of the
existence of these laws. Practices
however of God's people in
recent years prompted me to ask,
"Do we really believe the God we
profess to know? Are we really
sincere and willing to obey Him
with all our hearts whatever it
may take? Then by all means
consider it a self - imposed
responsibility, a sacred task set
upon ourselves to follow by
saving a tenth of our income so
that our family could come and
attend God's commanded festivals. Never entertain in
your mind that it is the responsibility of the church to
pay your way so that you can be in place where God
had chosen to place His Holy name.
When we plunged ourselves into the water
symbolic of our burial during our baptism we sure have
counted the cost and made plainly to understand the
awesome power and corresponding responsibility that
goes with it. The instruction is highly personal. It is
directed to each and every head of families to save a
tenth of our income. It is Christ speaking to us face to
face. We are given a choice. He said, "I call heaven and
earth to record this day against you that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing therefore
choose life that both thou and thy seed may live"
(Deut.30:19).
It will take some kind of an extraordinary will
power and determination but it will also give you true
joy and happiness far beyond measure knowing that you
have done so in loving obedience to His hollowed
command. Our faith and our belief must be solidly
substantiated by what we do.
Some people say it is impossible to comply with
the law. There really is nothing to save. Are they telling
us the truth? Are they telling us that God in all His
wisdom can impose a law that is somehow impossible
and beyond the reach of man to follow? Or are they
simply short of telling us that God is a liar. Remember
God's commandments are just, holy and true. "All of
thy commandments are righteousness" (Psa119:172).
It is not grievous.
But let's suppose for the sake of clarification
that the church will take care of the expenses of some
of our brothers in going to the feast. Let's put things
clear on our table exactly as what
we are doing today, as what most
churches of God are doing now.
Did we break the law? After all,
the church helped a member out of
love - and God is love? Right?
Wrong! The answer is we
have broken the law. Why?
Because there is a law that
specifically mandates us to save a
tenth of our income so that we can
attend the Feast of Tabernacles.
And the church Christ built to
attend to the spiritual growth of its
members has become an instrument to destroy our
spiritual future with the conspiracy of the church to be
complacent in deliberately allowing a member to break
the law.
I have had the sufficiency of experience in
police work as police investigator for six years during
the early years of my youth and among the legal minds
they used to say that the church has become an
accomplice to the commission of the crime, a party to
the crime, an accessory to the crime. Before man and
God both are guilty of the crime of breaking the second
element of God's tithing law.
So what? Why should we be so very particular
about that? Yes! You might even dare to ask me, so
what? Brethren … sin is the transgression of the
law……. and the wages of sin is death. That's what!
God's tithing law when broken like all other
commandments of God impose a similar penalty of
death. It is not just some little matter we can afford to
ignore and take for granted. It's so serious. And we
know that sin has a way of multiplying when allowed to
be practiced over and over again. That's why I dare
present this to you and not pretend like a hypocrite
telling you that everything is alright, everything is ok
when it is not.
In effect, that is exactly what the Apostle Paul
is saying when he asked, is the law sin? No! I did not
know what sin is if not because of the law that says;
save a tenth of our income to be spent in going to the
feast.
The Apostle Paul added that the law of God is
like a mirror. You won't be able to see the dirt on your
face until you saw it through the mirror. Is there
something wrong with the mirror? No! It simply
showed you the dirt on your face. It simply showed us
that by not complying with His command to save a
tenth of our income we have sinned against the Lord
and certainly it won't please Him at all.
But "the heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it"? (Jer.17:9). He
will use all possible arguments under the sun to justify
his actions regardless and say, "We would like to but
there really is nothing to save. My income is not even
enough to meet the needs of my family." Can the
church extend help to this people even out of
compassion? No! If we do, just the same, we become
an accomplice to the crime and suffer the same penalty.
He got an income but deep in his heart there is no
sincere desire to save. It is not a question of how much
income you earned rather it is a question of how much
out of that income that you saved.
Again you will say, I got an income but not
enough to meet all the necessary expenses in going
back and forth to the feast. Can we extend help to this
people out of compassion? For all purposes and intent
of the law, no! Why? What is the purpose and intent of
the law? To prove and find out how far and how deep
is your commitment to obey your God.
Or shall we give out of compassion? The
answer is still NO! There is a law and we must not
break nor compromise the laws of God. However, He
made an extra effort to obey the law but his best was
not good enough. For as long as he recognizes his
shortcomings and truly tries over and over again to
comply with the law he deserves to be given a chance.
But not for long otherwise he will completely rely from
the church and neglect the sacred responsibility he
alone will soon stand to answer before God on
judgment day. "Then the King said to his servant, Bind
him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him
unto outer darkness, there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth"( Math.22:13).
Indeed, there are really some members who are
genuinely in need of help. Help in a way can be
extended but not to cover the total package of all the
expenses needed otherwise he did not save anything.
Following the diminishing principle we extend help
until such time the member involved could now stand
firmly on his two feet. The monetary help is not taken
from the first tithe but from excess 2nd tithe of affluent
members who volunteer to turn over their excess 2nd
tithe to the church after the feast; if there is any.
We are not made of the kind of stuff that Daniel
and his friends are made of, willing to be thrown into
the fiery furnace 7 times hotter but at least we should
have shown our outmost degree of respect and
reverence by saving a tenth of our income and rejoice
in God's holy presence at the feast site where ever He
commands us to go. Otherwise, it ceases to be a test
command and forfeit the purpose for which it was
intended from the very start.
There is no question that to extend financial
assistance to a brother in need is a Christian way of life
but to deny him perform the mandate of carrying out his
immediate personal responsibility is also to deprive him
of the opportunity to prove his worth of the test
command. We deprive him of the opportunity to grow
and attain his outmost potential through hard work,
patience, etc. as God - the Master Potter had envisioned
him to be.
Like the month of Ramadan, it becomes a
personal crusade among the Muslims to go to Mecca
and renew their commitment and established their
relation to their Creator by fasting for the purification
of their souls. How much more for God's first fruit, the
supreme pinnacle of His creation that we can afford to
ignore and neglect such responsibility so awesome and
great?
We know the grand promises made to our
forebears and look forward to claim the prize of our
inheritance but it seems we are not committed to do our
share of the bargain. We have been warned that
priesthood, kingship and eternal life will not be given
to us in a silver platter.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate and broad is the way, that leadeath to destruction
and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is
the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).
As loyal and dedicated members of God's
church consider it our official duty to live our lives
within the spirit and intent of the law. These wrong
practices adapted by most churches of God for so long
cannot go on forever. Now is the time to turn ourselves
into a new leaf, seek His divine forgiveness, talk and
walk in accordance with His laws which most assuredly
will be pleasing in His sight.
There are some families in God's church who
for a number of reasons express their preference to hold
God's feast of Tabernacles in their own homes. Sad to
say, the church cannot stop them if they so desire. If our
savings is not suffecient to cover the expenses of the
whole family then it is only the male who must attend
the feast. It must be borne in mind nonetheless that God
admonishes us in Deuteronomy 12:17-18 "Thou
mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn or
of thy wine or of thy oil or the firstlings of the herb or
of thy flock nor any of thy vow which thou vowest nor
the freewill of thy offering or heave of thine hand: But
thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place
which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son,
and thy daughter, and thy manservant and thy
maidservant and the Levites that is within thy gates;
and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all
that thou puttest thine hands unto."
We are but a small group and it is of paramount
importance that we hold on and stick it out together.
The vast wealth of knowledge, the valuable lessons we
learn as a result of our camaraderie, the wonderful time
spent in fellowshipping and the mountain of
experiences we shared from one another as we
exchange ideas on the immeasurable greatness of the
Almighty God. The spirit of unity and closeness we
generate as we help one another in maintaining the
cleanliness of the feast site, the beautiful sunset which
seems to be just at some distance nearby and many
more the end result of which cannot be measured nor
quantified. All these contribute to make the feast a
memorable one year after year which can never be
made possible if we are in a place away from God's
feast cite. This is the essence and sublime purpose why
God has instituted the Feast of Tabernacles.
And lastly, the third tithe given the third year
when we started to observe the tithing law. This third
tithe law is intended for the widows. the orphans, the
disabled and strangers who come within our gates. The
third tithe law unlike the first and the second tithes
follows the principle of letting the land rest in the cycle
of seven.
The late Pastor General of the Worldwide
Church of God Herbert W. Armstrong in his writings
reminds us that you and I are called not merely for
salvation. Salvation is ours for the taking. From the
time we were baptized. We alone in this whole wide
world have the precious gift of God's Holy Spirit, a
guarantee, a down payment to immortality, if we do our
part, if we overcome and endure to the end
Remember King Saul. Prophet Samuel told
him, "Obedience is better than sacrifice". And by his
disobedience, he lost his crown. Even that one talent
given us, if we are not careful enough by our
disobedience shall be taken away.
Are we called? Yes! and for a very special
reason - to support the work of God. Are we chosen?
Yes! to be kings and priest in the spiritual kingdom of
God. Are we faithful? The Cable worldwide Television
net work CNN at the end of its program hour by the
hour use to say, "We present ..... you decide"!
Consider this an intimate reminder from an
elder brother who is concerned of our spiritual future.
We all have weaknesses and challenges to face day by
day. The feast of Tabernacles is an annual affair and we
got the whole festival year to prepare. Put up therefore
a strong resolve to realize our long cherished dreams
and fulfill the very core of our appointed destiny. The
knowledge alone of knowing what has been, what is,
and what is yet to come is enough to stir us up to
action, be inspired the more and be moved to obey His
commands that are all so sacred and noble. Romeo Samudio