Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession

Biblical Wealth - Part 4 of 8

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2004-08-01

Synopsis: John Weaver introduces the theology of the tithes, emphasizing that tithes belong to God and are a recognition of His sovereignty. He distinguishes between the civil tax and the tithes, outlines the three biblical tithes (Levitical, festival, and poor), and argues that without tithing, a Christian social order cannot be restored. The message reviews the historical importance of tithing in early America and warns that rejecting God's plan leads to tyranny and state overreach.

[John Weaver] So Malachi chapter 3 and let's begin reading with verse 7 and we'll read through verse 12. Malachi chapter 3 verse 7. Even from the days of your father, you are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

[John Weaver] And all nations shall call you blessed. where you shall be the lights of land, set the Lord of hosts.

[John Weaver] Now, very quickly, by way of review, we've looked, first of all, in the first message at the sovereignty and the source of wealth. We noticed how in Deuteronomy eight, the word of God says it is the Lord by God who gives the power to get wealth. All wealth ultimately is from God and God alone. You remember I told you in that first message how we got into the idea that there was a secular sphere and a sacred sphere from the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. And then I pointed out very emphatically that for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. For the child of God, everything is sacred. Because he said, whatsoever you do in word or deed, or whether you eat and drink, whatever you do, you do it all to the honor and the glory of God. And then secondly, we look at the sovereignty of God and the subjects of wealth. And I pointed out 1 Samuel 2, verse 7, where it is God that maketh rich and it is God that maketh poor.

[John Weaver] It's God that lifts up a beggar out of the dunghill. In other words, although God is absolutely, totally sovereign, Still, he has the right to dispense his gifts and his blessings as he pleases. So he then gives us two general principles upon which his blessings usually hinge. And these two hinges are, number one, covenantal obedience, and number two, individual responsibility.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that we may be covenantally obedient and fulfill our responsibilities as we should and yet not have wealth. Well, there you just bow to God's sovereignty and say that's his will. But usually when God does give wealth, he does so as we are covenantally obedient and as we're fulfilling our individual responsibility. And then last week, we looked at the purpose of wealth from Deuteronomy 8 in verse 18. And that was, of course, to in order that we may fulfill His covenant. And I went back and showed you from Genesis 1 of that dominion mandate or that great covenant or that great charter or the cultural mandate where God then demanded that we conquer and exercise dominion in this world for His honor and His glory. I showed you where the first Adam failed, but then God sent a last Adam, he sent a second man who sustained a federal headship and a federal representation and in Christ we succeeded. In Christ there is victory. Now therefore in Christ we are sent into all nations preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God and demanding that men bow their knee to Jesus Christ, who is indeed Lord of all.

[John Weaver] You remember the Bible says in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ died just for the unjust, why? That He might bring us back to God. In the garden, man ran from God. Now in Christ, we are brought back to God in order that we might obey Him. So the purpose of wealth, then, is that we might fulfill the covenant which God swear unto the fathers and of course that covenant has its final fruition and final fulfillment in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ expanded that dominion mandate in the Great Commission.

[John Weaver] Now today we're going to talk about the theology of the tithes. This is still biblical wealth, but biblical wealth number four, the theology of the tithes. It is impossible to talk about biblical wealth apart from a full discussion on the subject of the tithes.

[John Weaver] Now, apparently, the tithes and the act of tithing are misunderstood by the vast majority of professing Christians. Now, I can assure you that a few earnest believers understand the importance of the tithes. Many of you have seen and read the bumper sticker that just simply says, Hulk, if you love Jesus. Well, someone came out with a answer to that asinine bumper sticker and their bumper sticker reads tithe if you love Jesus, anybody can honk. Well, at least someone grasped that there was more to loving the Lord than just simply honking a horn. Now, I hope you've noticed that I have used the word tithes and tithes is the plural of tithe. And the reason I've used the word tithes is because There is in actuality more than one tithe in the Bible.

[John Weaver] In fact, if you look at Malachi 3 in verse 8, that question is asked, will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me? But you say, where have we robbed thee? Now look, in tithes, plural, and offerings. Then if you'll skip down to verse 10, God says, bring you all the tithes, plural, into the storehouse.

[John Weaver] Now I am sure that the average Christian knows he is responsible to tithe, but most Christians do not know that there is more than one tithe, nor could they name the tithes, nor could they discuss the importance of the tithes. Since this is an introductory message today on the theology of the tithes, I want to make one principle exceedingly clear at the very beginning. You're going to hear me repeat this several times during this message and probably in the next one or two messages that follow. But here's the principle. The tithes belong unto the Lord.

[John Weaver] Although they may be given to men, they may be used by men, they may be administered through the instrumentality of men, they are foundationally the property of God Himself. Now, I'm going to deal with this thought more probably in the last message of this series, but I want you to understand the tithes do not belong to men. nor do they belong to the church, they belong to God.

[John Weaver] Now I can prove that in just one verse. I'll show you more, but if you look in verse 8 of Malachi chapter 3, what is the question? Will a man rob the church? Will a man rob the preacher? No. Will a man rob God? And then they ask, wherein have we robbed thee? And he answered, in tithes, and in offerings, so that ties then preeminently belong to God. They are the property of God Himself.

[John Weaver] Moreover, the Scripture emphatically declares this. If you would hold Malachi chapter 3, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Look what the Bible says. Leviticus 27 and verse 30. The Word of God says it like this. Leviticus 27, verse 30. And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's.

[John Weaver] It is holy unto the Lord. All of the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. So whatever ties there are. Whatever ties exist, they belong to God exclusively.

[John Weaver] Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to Second Kings, Chapter four, let me show you another clear illustration of this. Second Kings, Chapter four, and look, if you would please, at verse 42. Second Kings four and verse 42, the Bible says, And there came a man from Baal-shelasha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, that is, tithes, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof.

[John Weaver] And he said, that is, Elisha, given to the people that they may eat." Now, I want you to see a very important truth is taught in this passage. If you look in verse 38, And Elisha came unto Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servants, Set on a great pot and seed pottage for the sons of the prophets. Now, note verse 38, And Elisha came to where? Gilgal. Now, Gilgal is not very far from Jericho. Who was it that brought these tithes to Elisha. Well, according to verse 42, it was a man from Baal Shalasha.

[John Weaver] Now, what is significant about this incident? Well, Baal Shalasha, by the way, literally means Lord of Shalasha. But Baal Shalasha was usually in the foothills of Ephraim. Well, what is significant about that? Ephraim was one of the northern tribes, not the southern tribes. Now, Ephraim, along with the other northern tribes, had apostatized and they had set up the golden calves in Dan and in Bethel.

[John Weaver] Now, when one grasps this simple fact, that the tithes belonged to the Lord, he will understand why this man traveled from Baal-Shelasha and brought those tithes to Elisha in Gilgal. Why? Because he was refusing to give his tithes to an apostate priesthood that would further an apostate worship. No, he traveled on foot in all probability, or at least on a donkey of some kind, to make sure that his tithes were given to the man of God and to the ministry that the man of God had. Now, what ministry did Elisha have? Everybody knows that Elisha was a prophet.

[John Weaver] But go back, if you would please, to verse 38. And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth of the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. What in the world is he talking about, the sons of the prophets? Well, Elisha had a school for the prophets. He had what you and I would call a Bible institute or a Bible college.

[John Weaver] And you know how many students he had? We'll skip down to verse 43. And his servitor said, What should I set this before a hundred men? So there was approximately a hundred students that Elisha had. And Elisha, the man of God, was teaching these young preachers to be men of God and to be prophets of God. So, very obviously, this man then came to make sure that a man who believed the Word of God, who stood for God, had the tithes and used them in the ministry of God.

[John Weaver] Now, if you understand this principle, then you understand that the tithe is the Lord's, and it cannot be given to the enemies of God. It must be given to God for the furtherance of His truth, His honor, His kingdom, and His people. The tithes do not belong to the church. They do not belong to the producer. They belong to God. And the tithes cannot be given to an apostate church without being given against God and not unto God. Therefore, the tithes must be given to holy, godly causes.

[John Weaver] Now, the priests And the Levites, to whom one of the tithes was originally given, had charged not only religion, but education and various other functions that we're going to discover as we get into this teaching later on. Now, before I proceed, I want to point out a relationship that exists between the tithes and biblical wealth.

[John Weaver] Now it is true that Malachi chapter 3, and I'll cover this later, that it is not just a personal blessing, but a national blessing. But you've got to remember this, that nations are made up of individuals. And God cannot bless a nation without blessing individuals who are in that nation. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, at Genesis chapter 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 12. Genesis 14 and verse 12.

[John Weaver] Everyone in here should be well aware of this story. You remember that Lot has been taken captive by these kings who have attacked Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 14, verse 12, and they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom and his goods and departed. And there came one that had escaped and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner, And these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants or trained slaves, which is actually the word, born in his own house, 318, and pursued them unto Dan. Now, I want you to note how great Abram really was, for he had 318 trained fighting men who were born in his own house. I told you earlier Probably Abram had a household of at least 2,000 people. 318 born in his own house. Watch verse 15. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.

[John Weaver] And he brought back all the goods, and he also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Kedron Laomer, and of the kings that were with him in the Valley of Sheba, which is the Kingsdale. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he, that is, Melchizedek, blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the Most High God, who has delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he, Abram, gave him Melchizedek, tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelace, that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made

[John Weaver] Abram rich. Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note that Melchizedek, God's priest, came to meet him. Now, if you will turn, hold Genesis 14, but turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 7. There are a number of passages in which Melchizedek comes into play. But note, if you would, in Hebrews chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1, you will read about him and Abraham tithing to him. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, now watch, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem, which is king of

[John Weaver] peace without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abided the priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily there, the sons of Levi, who received office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes to the people according to the law, that is, their brethren, though they came out of the loins of Abraham." And he goes on to show how that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek because Levi was yet in the loins of Abraham. Now the point I'm trying to make is Abraham gave him tithes of all. Why did Abraham refuse the offer of the king? What did the king say? You just give me the people and you take all the goods for yourself.

[John Weaver] Now you've got to remember that there were a number of kings that had come together to defeat Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding cities, so evidently there was a great, huge spoil. And Abraham said, I refuse to take even from a thread to a shoelatchet. Why? Lest you say that you made Abram rich. It is not the king of Sodom that made Abram rich. It was the Lord God of heaven and earth. And what Abraham is saying is this, God has sovereignly blessed me. God has providentially protected me. He's given me everything that I have and therefore Abram tithes all to Melchizedek. The tithe which I'm going to show you later on in great detail is a recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship, and his providence. And all Abram is saying is, everything I am and everything I have is from God himself.

[John Weaver] Now, go back in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 1 very quickly. Let me show you how God questions the people. And look at what he says. I just want you to see this connection. Look at this thought. Malachi 1 and verse 6. Look what God says. A son honored his father and a servant is master. If I then be a father, where is my honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear, said the Lord of hosts unto you, O priest that despise my name? And you say, where did we despise thy name? Now, look what God is saying. If I'm a father, where's my honor? If I'm a master, where's my fear? Where's my recognition?

[John Weaver] So when you dishonor God, And you do not recognize God's sovereignty, God's lordship, God's providence. You do not tithe. But when you tithe, it is indeed an honoring of the Lord and recognizing this simple truth. I'm not really going to get into the tithes today. I'm going to do that next week. But let me tell you, in order to really understand the importance of the tithes, you must distinguish between what I'm going to just simply call the civil tax and the tithes. Now, there was a civil tax, and the civil tax was supposed to support the civil order.

[John Weaver] It was to be the same for each man, whether rich or poor. If you will look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 30, Exodus chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Exodus 30, verse 11, and we'll read through verse 16. Exodus 30, verse 11. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou number'st them, that there be no plague among them when thou number'st them. And they shall give everyone that passeth among them that are numbered a half-shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel is twenty euros. A half-shekel shall be the offering unto the Lord. Everyone that passeth among them that are numbered from twenty years old and above shall give an offering unto the Lord. Now watch. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than a half-shekel. When they give an offering to the Lord to make an atonement for your souls, and thou shalt take the atonement money of the Lord of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, that it may be a memorial of the children of Israel before

[John Weaver] the Lord to make an atonement for your souls. Now let me just point something out. This head tax, this poll tax, was the same for each individual. It didn't matter if you were rich, it didn't matter if you were poor. Why? Because everyone has the same interest in justice. This civil tax, as I could show you later from scripture, supported what you and I would know, not only the court system, but the malicious system as well. In other words, it was solely for the protection of the people and rendering justice. In other words, Here was an equal amount paid by poor and rich alike, and the reason being, everyone had the same interest in justice. And I'm going to show you later how the Levites were not just teachers and educators, they were also judges as well. And so they took this civil tax.

[John Weaver] Now, what happens then when men reject the rule of God? Well, very quickly, turning your Bibles to 1st Samuel, Chapter 8. Look in 1st Samuel, Chapter 8. I'll just refer to this in just a few moments, but I want you to be well aware of it. You remember how Israel demanded a king that they might be like other nations. Well, look in 1st Samuel, Chapter 8, beginning there in verse 11. God says, all right, you want a king?

[John Weaver] I'm going to let you have it. But Samuel is going to tell you what manner of king you have. Verse 11, and he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set them to ear his ground and reap his harvest and to make his instruments of war and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, to be cooks and to be bakers. And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. And he will take your men's servants and your maid's servants and your goodness young men and your asses and put them to his work.

[John Weaver] And he will take the tenth of your sheep and you shall be his servants. Now, what does he say? He is saying the price for rejecting God and God's law and God's rule is exceedingly high. You're going to have a civil government that is going to be despotic, tyrannical, bureaucratic, and purely thieving. You see, the ties were to support not only the ecclesiastical realm, but the entire fabric of the social order.

[John Weaver] Now, many people do not realize that in early America, the civil governments demanded tithing. Now, the civil governments did not control the tithe, but they did demand them. Let me give you a quote from R.J. Rustooney, And he's booked in tithing in Dominion. I want you to listen to this because it's going to show you the importance of the tithe. In fact, I'll give you several quotes, but listen to this historical review. He says, when America was colonized, the settlers in every colony. Now, listen to that. The settlers in every colony made biblical law their basic law.

[John Weaver] Now, here's another sentence that Oh, how we wish it were true today. There was no tax on property. This was basic to biblical liberty. The inscription on the Liberty Bell is taken from the biblical land law, proclaim liberty throughout all the land and to all the inhabitants thereof, Leviticus 25, 10. In the first session of the Continental Congress in 1774, Congress denied that Parliament could tax real property. In 1774, Congress denied Parliament could tax real property. Gottfried Dietze had summarized the American opinion then as to property the delegates felt it should be free from seizure and taxation.

[John Weaver] By the way, let me just interject this. Many of you may or may not know that during the First American War for Independence in 1776, the Americans tried to get the Canadians to join with us in fighting the British And one of their arguments to the Canadians is this, if we don't stop it, the next thing you know, they'll be trying to tax our property. I imagine now the Canadians wish they had joined with us, but that's all right. I'll continue. Listen to this. Russ Judy tells us where the property tax came in. The property tax came in very slowly, and it appeared first in New England.

[John Weaver] coinciding with the spread of deism and Unitarianism, as well as atheism. Such anti-Christian men saw the state as man's savior, and as a result, they favored placing more and more power in the hands of the state. The South was the last area to accept the property tax, and it was largely forced on the South by post-Civil War reconstruction. Moreover, as far as possible, when the property tax was adopted in the pre-Civil War era, conservative elements limited it to the county and retained the legal requirements that only owners of real property could vote at the county level.

[John Weaver] I don't know about you, and I'm going to stop there. I'm going to come back and take up my quote in just a moment. But to me, it is so irritating. as well as so grievous to think that here is someone who has been given a stewardship of property and that people who have no property can vote and tell me what to do with the property which God has given me and what I can and cannot pay on my property. But anyhow, at least back when the property tax originated, the owners of the property were the only one who could vote at the county level.

[John Weaver] I continue quoting Roche's duty. He says, today the property tax is in effect a rent for the use of our own land. The state has the power of confiscation for nonpayment and also the right of eminent domain. This is, in terms of the Bible, a mark of tyranny As both the law and the store of Naboth's Vineyard makes clear, now listen to this, I'm going to repeat this a little later. The tithe is God's tax for the use of his earth.

[John Weaver] It is not a gift of God. Only when the giving exceeds the tithe is it called a gift or an offering. The tithe is required of all men by God. Failure to pay the tithe brings God's curse. Yielding God as due results in so great a blessing that there should be not room enough to receive it, according to Malachi chapter 3. The tithe was used for a variety of purposes.

[John Weaver] It supported the religious and educational institutions of Israel and also of colonial and early America. In fact, in the United States, the tithe was for many years legally binding on all men, and failure to pay it was a civil offense. The tithe supported the churches, Christian schools, and colleges. When Virginia repealed such a law, which made payment of the tithe mandatory, George Washington expressed his disapproval in a letter to George Mason on October 3, 1785, and he stated, he believed in making people pay toward the support of that which they profess." Isn't it amazing that not only when our country was founded that each colony adopted biblical law, But each colony also demanded that people tithe. Now the state didn't get the tithe. But they said, if we are a Christian people, that is what we should do.

[John Weaver] You're going to find out later what all these tithes did. I'm just showing you right now, when we reject God's law, The only substitute is going to be man's law. When we reject God's kingdom, it is only for the implementation of man's kingdom. Now, John R. Richardson has written a book entitled Christian Economics, and he summarized the history of the tithes under eight points. I added a ninth point. If you do nothing but just grasp this little outline, You can do a study for the tithes yourself. Here it is. First of all, God originated the tithes.

[John Weaver] They did not originate with man or the church or the preacher. God originated the tithes. And I'm not going to take time right now to go over all the scriptures to prove every one of these points. I'm just giving you the points. God originated the tithes. Secondly, Abraham embraced the tithes. We just read that in Genesis chapter 14. Abraham gave tithes of all. Thirdly, Jacob continued the tithes. You remember?

[John Weaver] He said, Lord, if you bless me, I will give you a portion of all that you give me. So Jacob continued the tithes. Fourthly, Moses incorporated the tithes. I want you to note the tithes existed before the Mosaic law. So God originated the tithes, Abraham embraced the tithes, Jacob continued the tithes, Moses incorporated the tithes, Nehemiah restored the tithes. Because during that 70 year captivity in Babylon, all of that fell into misuse and disuse. And so when Nehemiah came back, he restored the tithes. Number six, Malachi demands the tithes. We just read that in Malachi chapter three. Number seven, Christ commended the tithes. Do you remember the only time that I can recall that Christ ever commended the Pharisees was when he said to them in Matthew 23, you tithe mint and anise and cumin and these things ought you to have done and not let the other undone. So Christ commended the tithes. Number eight, Paul explained the tithes, and he did so. And the ninth point I added, the Pharisees perverted the tithes.

[John Weaver] Of course, they perverted everything. The gift without the giver is bare. In fact, the Apostle Paul said they first gave up themselves. So it's the Pharisees who perverted it.

[John Weaver] Now, let me take up. The quote again from Rush Duny, this time I'm quoting from a different book, and it's Institutes of Biblical Law. And then we'll start tying things together for you, listen carefully. He says every crime is an offense against God's law order. But certain acts are in particular singled out as especially offensive. One of these is the failure to tithe, which is described as robbing God.

[John Weaver] Before analyzing the implications of that fact, let us review the basic laws in this area. The basic civil tax in scripture, the only tax, is the Polar Head Tax, paid by every man 20 years of age and older. Exodus 30, we read that. The same tax was assessed on all men. The rich shall not give more, the poor shall not give less. Why? All have the same stake in justice and therefore all pay the same tax. Second, no man is allowed to tax his own future by means of debt. The length of dead is limited to six years, Deuteronomy 15. No man has a right to mortgage his future since his life belongs to God. Thirdly, the tithe is required of all men. Now, I want to just stop right there.

[John Weaver] Now, there are numerous scriptures given, and I'm not going to really take the time to go over all of these scriptures, only because I'm going to do so in the coming weeks. But when you stop and think the tithe, is a tax for the use of God's earth. It is not just Christians who are obligated to die. It is true we should be more than obligated because we've been redeemed. But ungodly, reprobate men breathe God's air. They use God's earth. And they benefit from it just like the godly do. Since the tithe is a tax, they are therefore required to honor the Lord, to recognize the source of all blessing. You remember what the Bible said in Proverbs 3, honor the Lord with the firstfruits of thine increase.

[John Weaver] So shall thy barns be full. The tithe was and is God's tax for the use of his earth.

[John Weaver] Now, the principle of first is very important in the Bible. Did you ever notice as you read through the Bible, God always demanded the first, the first of the sheep, the first of the oxen, the first of the grapes, the first of the fruits? Why did God demand the first? Because the first is a percentage. And when you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from him as well. And that when you give the first, you are actually saying we are dedicating the rest of it to God as well and recognizing that he gave it all to us. So it's a very important principle. Now, let me continue. Rush duty says, and I quote, If this be true, that is, that God demands every man to tithe and that the first are very important, he said, if this be true, when then is the failure to tithe held to be robbing God? The answer is very clear. Without the tithe, a totalitarian state progressively develops to play God over society. With the tithe, the rule of society is restored to God through His ordained tax.

[John Weaver] A variety of agencies are created by the tithe to minister to the needs of godly society and to provide the needs of social finances. The tithe belongs neither to the church nor state. It belongs to God and is to be given by God's people to those who will administer it under God. The social consequences are ably described by Ewing. Now he's going to quote Ewing, and I'm still quoting Rush Dooney, but he's quoting Ewing.

[John Weaver] Listen to what this one paragraph says, and I'll end here. Ewing writes, if we were living in a theocracy with the divine constitution, the tithe would cover everything.

[John Weaver] Now, don't you just stop and think about that. If we were living under biblical law, the tithe would cover everything. That is, the tithe that God demands, it would cover everything. justice, army, it'd cover everything. But at present, he says, we're living under man-made governments, and man-made governments collect their own taxes, but the tithe still belongs to God. Render, therefore, to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. The extra tax exacted by government of our day is the penalty we pay for not accepting God's rule over us nationally. Israel was told of this very thing when she demanded the king to become like other nations, that he would misappropriate the tithe. In view of the radical implications of the tithe for society, the failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God as surely as does the failure to pay the tithe."

[John Weaver] I want you to think about what he just said. When churches fail to teach the importance of the tithe, that is equally robbing God as failing to pay the tithe. It's important to understand that without the tithes, the need for social financing remains. And listen to me, folks. If social financing will not be carried out by the Christians, it will be fulfilled by the state. And the state will always exact far more than God ever demanded in the first place. because the state is always a bureaucratic entity.

[John Weaver] I get so aggravated at some of these public charities. You can give a hundred bucks to a public charity and probably the poor may end up with one or two bucks. The rest of it is consumed by bureaucracy. Whenever there is a denial of God's program, there's always going to be tyranny, corruption and misappropriation. I'm going to give you an illustration. Everybody in here has probably heard of Boss Tweed, but I'm not talking about Boss Tweed today. I'm going to tell you about Thomas Joseph Pendergast. Many of you have never heard of Pendergast. But Pendergast was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1873.

[John Weaver] He had nine brothers and sisters. In the 1890s, he worked in his brother's saloon in the West Bottoms. His older brother taught him about the city's political system and the advantages of controlling blocks of voters. And I might also add the advantage of controlling a lot of money. Thomas Pendergast also controlled Kansas City as a businessman. He gave workers jobs. He helped elect politicians. And the entire Kansas City machine made a profit that filled his pockets. Now what Pendergast did was very, very devious and very, very smart.

[John Weaver] Because at that particular time, Most professing Christians were regularly and faithfully paying the tithes. And Pendergast saw an opportunity to not only control more votes, but control more money. So Pendergast and his political machine told the Christians, look, you're paying 10, and fifteen percent? Why that's ridiculous. You don't have to pay that amount. Why we can just take a few bucks from each individual and we'll have a sufficiency. Just let everybody give a little.

[John Weaver] You remember the income tax was not established until 1913? You remember that? The social security tax was not established until 1935? Let me ask you a question. How in the world did America ever function socially, politically, before 1913 and 1935. May I answer that for you? Very well, thank you. And without debt. Or without very much debt. So what Pendergast was saying is this. We're just going to tax everybody just a little. And we're going to have enough. After his brother's death, Pendergast began to rule the democratic arena, and under Pendergast, by the way, prohibition did not stop his city from having alcohol and gambling. Under Pendergast, many elections were fixed to keep his cronies in power, and in return, Pendergast companies, one of which was Ready Mix Concrete, was rewarded government contracts under a $40 million bond program.

[John Weaver] You're talking back when now. You're talking about the 1900s, early 1900s. A $40 million bond program. The city constructed many civic buildings during the Depression, which Pendergast built. supplied the materials and got exceedingly rich. Did you know that Thomas Joseph Pendergast hand-picked Harry S. Truman, the 1934 candidate for the United States Senate? Truman was Pendergast's man. How about that? All I'm trying to show you is this, folks.

[John Weaver] I want you to see the importance of the tithes. When one denies the will and the word of God, it's only that he may establish the will and the word of man. The truth is we're either going to be ruled by God or we're going to be ruled by man. And when we deny the rule of God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Do you know why we're in such social and political upheaval and turmoil in this country? Because we've denied God. The reason we're in such economic straits in this country is because we've denied God's plan of taxation. Now, I'm not going to develop these today. I will develop them next week if I have time. Or else divide them into two if I don't have time. But I'm just going to give you, first of all, the three tithes of Scripture. And there are three. Don't get bent out of shape. It's not 30% every year. I'll explain that later. But there are three.

[John Weaver] There is the Levitical tithe. There is what is known as the festival tithe or the tithe of rejoicing. And there is the poor tithe. And God tells you exactly how to do this. And how is to be used. And what is to be accomplished in it.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make just a couple of applications. I hope the first one is exceedingly clear. Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order. It's impossible. We can sit here and say, oh, I would to God things were the way they ought to be. But until you and I actually start doing what God requires, they will never, ever be the way they ought to be.

[John Weaver] God's law is a plan of dominion. And you cannot exercise dominion without financing. His tithes are a means of accomplishing dominion. And when you fail to tithe, then there is no dominion, and that means the state steps in and takes over. What is it? Nature abhors a vacuum. Well, I tell you what, whenever Christians make a vacuum, It will always be filled by the state. So unless we restore God's plan, there will not be a restoration of Christian social order. Secondly.

[John Weaver] Each individual is responsible to be faithful unto the Lord. And you know something, it's interesting. I hope you know the pastor cannot be faithful for you. The church cannot be faithful for you. And an interesting thing is out of all the times the Bible talks about discipline, church discipline. You never find in the Bible anybody being disciplined for not tithing. You know why? Because tithing is such an offense against God. or failure to tithe is such an offense against God, God takes care of that one himself.

[John Weaver] He will either bless you or curse you. You see what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, are you tithing? It's not even my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, are you reading your Bible? Are you praying? That is your responsibility. I might remind you of it. But I cannot live your life. And I cannot make you do what's right. That is your responsibility. Each of us must assume that responsibility for ourselves.

[John Weaver] And we've got to remember this. God keeps the record. Pastor doesn't. God does. I know sometimes I have double-tithed. You say, how do you do that, Pastor? Well, because sometimes I can't remember whether I did it or didn't. And I say, well, just to make sure, I'm going to do it again. Well, you say, well, that's silly. No, that's not silly. I want to tell you something. I'd rather give God the benefit of the doubt.

[John Weaver] I already appreciate everything He has given me and everything He's done for me. And if I'm on her, I'd rather her on His behalf than on my behalf. Lastly, by way of application, and I will repeat this truth over and over, you and I cannot begin to recognize, honor, and glorify God apart from the tithes. Why? Because I'll demonstrate before I finish that the tithes are recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship. And when we tithe, we're saying, You are the true God of heaven and earth.

[John Weaver] And besides Thee, there's none else. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for the Word of God. We pray, Father, that you would indeed help us to see the importance of the tithe. Without it, there can be no godly dominion. Without it, there can be no restoration of a Christian social order. Help us to understand, if we refuse to be ruled by thee, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Help us to be faithful in all that we do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Biblical Wealth - Part 4 of 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	8904105542
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-08-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 052: Biblical Wealth — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	71

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews previous messages on the sovereignty and purpose of wealth, then introduces the theology of the tithes as essential to understanding biblical wealth.

So Malachi chapter 3, and let's begin reading with verse 7 and we'll read through verse 12. Malachi chapter 3, verse 7:

Scripture Reading — Malachi 3:7-12

"Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 8:18

"And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts." Now, very quickly, by way of review, we've looked, first of all, in the first message at the sovereignty and the source of wealth. We noticed how in Deuteronomy 8, the Word of God says it is the Lord thy God who gives the power to get wealth. All wealth ultimately is from God and God alone. You remember I told you in that first message how we got into the idea that there was a secular sphere and a sacred sphere from the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. And then I pointed out very emphatically that for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. For the child of God, everything is sacred. Because He said, whatsoever you do in word or deed, or whether you eat and drink, whatever you do, you do it all to the honor and the glory of God. And then secondly, we looked at the sovereignty of God and the subjects of wealth. And I pointed out 1 Samuel 2, verse 7, where it is God that maketh rich and it is God that maketh poor.

It's God that lifts up a beggar out of the dunghill. In other words, although God is absolutely, totally sovereign, still He has the right to dispense His gifts and His blessings as He pleases. So He then gives us two general principles upon which His blessings usually hinge. And these two hinges are, number one, covenantal obedience, and number two, individual responsibility.

Now, it is true that we may be covenantally obedient and fulfill our responsibilities as we should and yet not have wealth. Well, there you just bow to God's sovereignty and say that's His will. But usually when God does give wealth, He does so as we are covenantally obedient and as we're fulfilling our individual responsibility. And then last week, we looked at the purpose of wealth from Deuteronomy 8 and verse 18. And that was, of course, in order that we may fulfill His covenant. And I went back and showed you from Genesis 1 of that dominion mandate or that great covenant or that great charter or the cultural mandate where God then demanded that we conquer and exercise dominion in this world for His honor and His glory. I showed you where the first Adam failed, but then God sent a last Adam, He sent a second man who sustained a federal headship and a federal representation and in Christ we succeeded. In Christ there is victory. Now therefore in Christ we are sent into all nations preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God and demanding that men bow their knee to Jesus Christ, who is indeed Lord of all.

You remember the Bible says in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ died, the just for the unjust, why? That He might bring us back to God. In the garden, man ran from God. Now in Christ, we are brought back to God in order that we might obey Him. So the purpose of wealth, then, is that we might fulfill the covenant which God swear unto the fathers, and of course that covenant has its final fruition and final fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ expanded that dominion mandate in the Great Commission.

Now today we're going to talk about the theology of the tithes. This is still biblical wealth, but biblical wealth number four, the theology of the tithes. It is impossible to talk about biblical wealth apart from a full discussion on the subject of the tithes.

The Tithes Belong to the Lord

Using Malachi 3 and Leviticus 27:30, Weaver establishes that tithes are God's property, not man's or the church's, and must be given to godly causes.

Now, apparently, the tithes and the act of tithing are misunderstood by the vast majority of professing Christians. Now, I can assure you that a few earnest believers understand the importance of the tithes. Many of you have seen and read the bumper sticker that just simply says, "Honk if you love Jesus." Well, someone came out with an answer to that asinine bumper sticker and their bumper sticker reads, "Tithe if you love Jesus, anybody can honk." Well, at least someone grasped that there was more to loving the Lord than just simply honking a horn. Now, I hope you've noticed that I have used the word tithes and tithes is the plural of tithe. And the reason I've used the word tithes is because there is in actuality more than one tithe in the Bible.

In fact, if you look at Malachi 3 in verse 8, that question is asked, "Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Where have we robbed thee?" Now look, "in tithes," plural, "and offerings." Then if you'll skip down to verse 10, God says, "Bring you all the tithes," plural, "into the storehouse." Now I am sure that the average Christian knows he is responsible to tithe, but most Christians do not know that there is more than one tithe, nor could they name the tithes, nor could they discuss the importance of the tithes. Since this is an introductory message today on the theology of the tithes, I want to make one principle exceedingly clear at the very beginning. You're going to hear me repeat this several times during this message and probably in the next one or two messages that follow. But here's the principle: The tithes belong unto the Lord.

Although they may be given to men, they may be used by men, they may be administered through the instrumentality of men, they are foundationally the property of God Himself. Now, I'm going to deal with this thought more probably in the last message of this series, but I want you to understand the tithes do not belong to men, nor do they belong to the church, they belong to God. Now I can prove that in just one verse. I'll show you more, but if you look in verse 8 of Malachi chapter 3, what is the question? "Will a man rob the church? Will a man rob the preacher?" No. "Will a man rob God?" And then they ask, "Wherein have we robbed thee?" And He answered, "In tithes and in offerings," so that tithes then preeminently belong to God. They are the property of God Himself.

Moreover, the Scripture emphatically declares this. If you would hold Malachi chapter 3, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Look what the Bible says. Leviticus 27 and verse 30. The Word of God says it like this: Leviticus 27, verse 30,

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 27:30

"And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's." "It is holy unto the Lord."

All of the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. So whatever tithes there are, whatever tithes exist, they belong to God exclusively.

Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings, chapter 4, let me show you another clear illustration of this. 2 Kings, chapter 4, and look, if you would please, at verse 42. 2 Kings 4 and verse 42, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits,"

that is, tithes,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof."

"And he said," that is, Elisha,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"Give unto the people, that they may eat."

Now, I want you to see a very important truth is taught in this passage. If you look in verse 38,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets."

Now, note verse 38, "And Elisha came" to where? Gilgal. Now, Gilgal is not very far from Jericho. Who was it that brought these tithes to Elisha? Well, according to verse 42, it was a man from Baal-shalisha.

Now, what is significant about this incident? Well, Baal-shalisha, by the way, literally means "Lord of Shalisha." But Baal-shalisha was usually in the foothills of Ephraim. Well, what is significant about that? Ephraim was one of the northern tribes, not the southern tribes. Now, Ephraim, along with the other northern tribes, had apostatized and they had set up the golden calves in Dan and in Bethel.

Now, when one grasps this simple fact, that the tithes belonged to the Lord, he will understand why this man traveled from Baal-shalisha and brought those tithes to Elisha in Gilgal. Why? Because he was refusing to give his tithes to an apostate priesthood that would further an apostate worship. No, he traveled on foot in all probability, or at least on a donkey of some kind, to make sure that his tithes were given to the man of God and to the ministry that the man of God had. Now, what ministry did Elisha have? Everybody knows that Elisha was a prophet.

But go back, if you would please, to verse 38. "And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him." What in the world is he talking about, the sons of the prophets? Well, Elisha had a school for the prophets. He had what you and I would call a Bible institute or a Bible college. And you know how many students he had? We'll skip down to verse 43. "And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?" So there was approximately a hundred students that Elisha had. And Elisha, the man of God, was teaching these young preachers to be men of God and to be prophets of God. So, very obviously, this man then came to make sure that a man who believed the Word of God, who stood for God, had the tithes and used them in the ministry of God.

Now, if you understand this principle, then you understand that the tithe is the Lord's, and it cannot be given to the enemies of God. It must be given to God for the furtherance of His truth, His honor, His kingdom, and His people. The tithes do not belong to the church. They do not belong to the producer. They belong to God. And the tithes cannot be given to an apostate church without being given against God and not unto God. Therefore, the tithes must be given to holy, godly causes.

Now, the priests and the Levites, to whom one of the tithes was originally given, had charge not only of religion, but education and various other functions that we're going to discover as we get into this teaching later on. Now, before I proceed, I want to point out a relationship that exists between the tithes and biblical wealth.

Abraham's Example of Tithing

Weaver examines Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 to show Abraham tithing to Melchizedek as a recognition of God's sovereignty and provision.

Now it is true that Malachi chapter 3, and I'll cover this later, that it is not just a personal blessing, but a national blessing. But you've got to remember this, that nations are made up of individuals. And God cannot bless a nation without blessing individuals who are in that nation. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, at Genesis chapter 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 12. Genesis 14 and verse 12. Everyone in here should be well aware of this story. You remember that Lot has been taken captive by these kings who have attacked Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 14, verse 12,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants,"

or trained slaves, which is actually the word,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan."

Now, I want you to note how great Abram really was, for he had 318 trained fighting men who were born in his own house. I told you earlier probably Abram had a household of at least 2,000 people. 318 born in his own house. Watch verse 15.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus." "And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he,"

that is, Melchizedek,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"blessed him, and said, 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,"

Abram, "gave him," Melchizedek,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made" "Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."

Now, I want you to note that Melchizedek, God's priest, came to meet him. Now, if you will turn, hold Genesis 14, but turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 7. There are a number of passages in which Melchizedek comes into play. But note, if you would, in Hebrews chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1, you will read about him and Abraham tithing to him.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; now watch, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of"

"peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham." And he goes on to show how that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek because Levi was yet in the loins of Abraham. Now the point I'm trying to make is Abraham gave him tithes of all. Why did Abraham refuse the offer of the king? What did the king say? "You just give me the people and you take all the goods for yourself."

Now you've got to remember that there were a number of kings that had come together to defeat Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding cities, so evidently there was a great, huge spoil. And Abraham said, "I refuse to take even from a thread to a shoelatchet." Why? "Lest you say that you made Abram rich." It is not the king of Sodom that made Abram rich. It was the Lord God of heaven and earth. And what Abraham is saying is this, God has sovereignly blessed me. God has providentially protected me. He's given me everything that I have and therefore Abram tithes all to Melchizedek. The tithe, which I'm going to show you later on in great detail, is a recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship, and His providence. And all Abram is saying is, everything I am and everything I have is from God Himself.

Now, go back in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 1 very quickly. Let me show you how God questions the people. And look at what He says. I just want you to see this connection. Look at this thought. Malachi 1 and verse 6. Look what God says.

Scripture Reading — Malachi 1:6

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?"

Now, look what God is saying. "If I'm a father, where's my honor? If I'm a master, where's my fear?" Where's my recognition?

Distinction Between Civil Tax and Tithes

Weaver differentiates the equal head tax of Exodus 30 from the tithes, explaining the civil tax supported justice and protection, while tithes supported the broader social order.

It was to be the same for each man, whether rich or poor. If you will look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 30, Exodus chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Exodus 30, verse 11, and we'll read through verse 16. Exodus 30, verse 11:

Scripture Reading — Exodus 30:11-16

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. Now watch. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before" "the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls."

Now let me just point something out. This head tax, this poll tax, was the same for each individual. It didn't matter if you were rich, it didn't matter if you were poor. Why? Because everyone has the same interest in justice. This civil tax, as I could show you later from scripture, supported what you and I would know, not only the court system, but the militia system as well. In other words, it was solely for the protection of the people and rendering justice. In other words, here was an equal amount paid by poor and rich alike, and the reason being, everyone had the same interest in justice. And I'm going to show you later how the Levites were not just teachers and educators, they were also judges as well. And so they took this civil tax.

Now, what happens then when men reject the rule of God? Well, very quickly, turning your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 8. Look in 1 Samuel, chapter 8. I'll just refer to this in just a few moments, but I want you to be well aware of it. You remember how Israel demanded a king that they might be like other nations. Well, look in 1 Samuel, chapter 8, beginning there in verse 11. God says, "All right, you want a king?"

"I'm going to let you have it. But Samuel is going to tell you what manner of king you have." Verse 11, "And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work."

Consequences of Rejecting God's Rule

Using 1 Samuel 8, Weaver warns that rejecting God's law leads to despotic government, and notes that early America enforced tithing as part of biblical law.

"And he will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants." Now, what does he say? He is saying the price for rejecting God and God's law and God's rule is exceedingly high. You're going to have a civil government that is going to be despotic, tyrannical, bureaucratic, and purely thieving. You see, the tithes were to support not only the ecclesiastical realm, but the entire fabric of the social order.

Now, many people do not realize that in early America, the civil governments demanded tithing. Now, the civil governments did not control the tithe, but they did demand them. Let me give you a quote from R.J. Rushdoony, and he's in his book, Tithing and Dominion. I want you to listen to this because it's going to show you the importance of the tithe. In fact, I'll give you several quotes, but listen to this historical review. He says, "When America was colonized, the settlers in every colony"—now, listen to that—"the settlers in every colony made biblical law their basic law."

Now, here's another sentence that—oh, how we wish it were true today. "There was no tax on property. This was basic to biblical liberty. The inscription on the Liberty Bell is taken from the biblical land law, 'Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,' Leviticus 25:10. In the first session of the Continental Congress in 1774, Congress denied that Parliament could tax real property." In 1774, Congress denied Parliament could tax real property. Gottfried Dietze had summarized the American opinion then as to property: "the delegates felt it should be free from seizure and taxation." By the way, let me just interject this. Many of you may or may not know that during the First American War for Independence in 1776, the Americans tried to get the Canadians to join with us in fighting the British. And one of their arguments to the Canadians is this, "If we don't stop it, the next thing you know, they'll be trying to tax our property." I imagine now the Canadians wish they had joined with us, but that's all right. I'll continue. Listen to this. Rushdoony tells us where the property tax came in. "The property tax came in very slowly, and it appeared first in New England,

coinciding with the spread of deism and Unitarianism, as well as atheism. Such anti-Christian men saw the state as man's savior, and as a result, they favored placing more and more power in the hands of the state. The South was the last area to accept the property tax, and it was largely forced on the South by post-Civil War reconstruction. Moreover, as far as possible, when the property tax was adopted in the pre-Civil War era, conservative elements limited it to the county and retained the legal requirements that only owners of real property could vote at the county level." I don't know about you, and I'm going to stop there. I'm going to come back and take up my quote in just a moment. But to me, it is so irritating, as well as so grievous, to think that here is someone who has been given a stewardship of property and that people who have no property can vote and tell me what to do with the property which God has given me and what I can and cannot pay on my property. But anyhow, at least back when the property tax originated, the owners of the property were the only ones who could vote at the county level.

I continue quoting Rushdoony. He says, "Today the property tax is in effect a rent for the use of our own land. The state has the power of confiscation for nonpayment and also the right of eminent domain. This is, in terms of the Bible, a mark of tyranny, as both the law and the story of Naboth's vineyard makes clear." Now listen to this, I'm going to repeat this a little later. "The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth." "It is not a gift to God. Only when the giving exceeds the tithe is it called a gift or an offering. The tithe is required of all men by God. Failure to pay the tithe brings God's curse. Yielding God His due results in so great a blessing that there should be not room enough to receive it, according to Malachi chapter 3. The tithe was used for a variety of purposes."

"It supported the religious and educational institutions of Israel and also of colonial and early America. In fact, in the United States, the tithe was for many years legally binding on all men, and failure to pay it was a civil offense. The tithe supported the churches, Christian schools, and colleges. When Virginia repealed such a law, which made payment of the tithe mandatory, George Washington expressed his disapproval in a letter to George Mason on October 3, 1785, and he stated, he believed in making people pay toward the support of that which they profess." Isn't it amazing that not only when our country was founded that each colony adopted biblical law, but each colony also demanded that people tithe. Now the state didn't get the tithe. But they said, if we are a Christian people, that is what we should do.

You're going to find out later what all these tithes did. I'm just showing you right now, when we reject God's law, the only substitute is going to be man's law. When we reject God's kingdom, it is only for the implementation of man's kingdom. Now, John R. Richardson has written a book entitled Christian Economics, and he summarized the history of the tithes under eight points. I added a ninth point. If you do nothing but just grasp this little outline, you can do a study of the tithes yourself. Here it is. First of all, God originated the tithes.

Historical Summary of the Tithes

Weaver presents a nine-point outline tracing the tithes from God's origination through Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nehemiah, Malachi, Christ, Paul, and the Pharisees' perversion.

They did not originate with man or the church or the preacher. God originated the tithes. And I'm not going to take time right now to go over all the scriptures to prove every one of these points. I'm just giving you the points. God originated the tithes. Secondly, Abraham embraced the tithes. We just read that in Genesis chapter 14. Abraham gave tithes of all. Thirdly, Jacob continued the tithes. You remember?

He said, "Lord, if you bless me, I will give you a portion of all that you give me." So Jacob continued the tithes. Fourthly, Moses incorporated the tithes. I want you to note the tithes existed before the Mosaic law. So God originated the tithes, Abraham embraced the tithes, Jacob continued the tithes, Moses incorporated the tithes, Nehemiah restored the tithes. Because during that 70-year captivity in Babylon, all of that fell into misuse and disuse. And so when Nehemiah came back, he restored the tithes. Number six, Malachi demands the tithes. We just read that in Malachi chapter 3. Number seven, Christ commended the tithes. Do you remember the only time that I can recall that Christ ever commended the Pharisees was when He said to them in Matthew 23, "You tithe mint and anise and cummin, and these things ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone." So Christ commended the tithes. Number eight, Paul explained the tithes, and he did so. And the ninth point I added, the Pharisees perverted the tithes.

Of course, they perverted everything. The gift without the giver is bare. In fact, the Apostle Paul said they first gave up themselves. So it's the Pharisees who perverted it.

The Tithe as God's Tax and Its Social Implications

Quoting Rushdoony, Weaver argues the tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth, and failure to tithe leads to a totalitarian state and robs God.

Now, let me take up the quote again from Rushdoony, this time I'm quoting from a different book, and it's Institutes of Biblical Law. And then we'll start tying things together for you, listen carefully. He says, "Every crime is an offense against God's law order. But certain acts are in particular singled out as especially offensive. One of these is the failure to tithe, which is described as robbing God." "Before analyzing the implications of that fact, let us review the basic laws in this area. The basic civil tax in Scripture, the only tax, is the poll or head tax, paid by every man 20 years of age and older." Exodus 30, we read that. "The same tax was assessed on all men. The rich shall not give more, the poor shall not give less. Why? All have the same stake in justice and therefore all pay the same tax. Second, no man is allowed to tax his own future by means of debt. The length of debt is limited to six years," Deuteronomy 15. "No man has a right to mortgage his future since his life belongs to God. Thirdly, the tithe is required of all men." Now, I want to just stop right there.

Now, there are numerous scriptures given, and I'm not going to really take the time to go over all of these scriptures, only because I'm going to do so in the coming weeks. But when you stop and think, the tithe is a tax for the use of God's earth. It is not just Christians who are obligated to tithe. It is true we should be more than obligated because we've been redeemed. But ungodly, reprobate men breathe God's air. They use God's earth. And they benefit from it just like the godly do. Since the tithe is a tax, they are therefore required to honor the Lord, to recognize the source of all blessing. You remember what the Bible said in Proverbs 3, "Honour the Lord with the firstfruits of thine increase."

"So shall thy barns be filled with plenty." The tithe was and is God's tax for the use of His earth. Now, the principle of first is very important in the Bible. Did you ever notice as you read through the Bible, God always demanded the first, the first of the sheep, the first of the oxen, the first of the grapes, the first of the fruits? Why did God demand the first? Because the first is a percentage. And when you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from Him as well. And that when you give the first, you are actually saying we are dedicating the rest of it to God as well and recognizing that He gave it all to us. So it's a very important principle. Now, let me continue. Rushdoony says, and I quote, "If this be true," that is, that God demands every man to tithe and that the first are very important, he said, "if this be true, why then is the failure to tithe held to be robbing God? The answer is very clear. Without the tithe, a totalitarian state progressively develops to play God over society. With the tithe, the rule of society is restored to God through His ordained tax."

"A variety of agencies are created by the tithe to minister to the needs of godly society and to provide the needs of social finances. The tithe belongs neither to the church nor state. It belongs to God and is to be given by God's people to those who will administer it under God. The social consequences are ably described by Ewing." Now he's going to quote Ewing, and I'm still quoting Rushdoony, but he's quoting Ewing. Listen to what this one paragraph says, and I'll end here. Ewing writes, "If we were living in a theocracy with the divine constitution, the tithe would cover everything."

Now, don't you just stop and think about that. If we were living under biblical law, the tithe would cover everything. That is, the tithe that God demands, it would cover everything. Justice, army, it'd cover everything. But at present, he says, we're living under man-made governments, and man-made governments collect their own taxes, but the tithe still belongs to God. "Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." The extra tax exacted by government of our day is the penalty we pay for not accepting God's rule over us nationally. Israel was told of this very thing when she demanded the king to become like other nations, that he would misappropriate the tithe. "In view of the radical implications of the tithe for society, the failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God as surely as does the failure to pay the tithe."

Illustration of Political Corruption

Weaver recounts the story of Thomas Pendergast to illustrate how rejecting God's tithing plan leads to bureaucratic tyranny and misuse of funds.

I want you to think about what he just said. When churches fail to teach the importance of the tithe, that is equally robbing God as failing to pay the tithe. It's important to understand that without the tithes, the need for social financing remains. And listen to me, folks. If social financing will not be carried out by the Christians, it will be fulfilled by the state. And the state will always exact far more than God ever demanded in the first place, because the state is always a bureaucratic entity. I get so aggravated at some of these public charities. You can give a hundred bucks to a public charity and probably the poor may end up with one or two bucks. The rest of it is consumed by bureaucracy. Whenever there is a denial of God's program, there's always going to be tyranny, corruption and misappropriation. I'm going to give you an illustration. Everybody in here has probably heard of Boss Tweed, but I'm not talking about Boss Tweed today. I'm going to tell you about Thomas Joseph Pendergast. Many of you have never heard of Pendergast. But Pendergast was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1873.

He had nine brothers and sisters. In the 1890s, he worked in his brother's saloon in the West Bottoms. His older brother taught him about the city's political system and the advantages of controlling blocks of voters. And I might also add the advantage of controlling a lot of money. Thomas Pendergast also controlled Kansas City as a businessman. He gave workers jobs. He helped elect politicians. And the entire Kansas City machine made a profit that filled his pockets. Now what Pendergast did was very, very devious and very, very smart.

Because at that particular time, most professing Christians were regularly and faithfully paying the tithes. And Pendergast saw an opportunity to not only control more votes, but control more money. So Pendergast and his political machine told the Christians, "Look, you're paying ten, and fifteen percent? Why that's ridiculous. You don't have to pay that amount. Why we can just take a few bucks from each individual and we'll have a sufficiency. Just let everybody give a little."

You remember the income tax was not established until 1913? You remember that? The social security tax was not established until 1935? Let me ask you a question. How in the world did America ever function socially, politically, before 1913 and 1935? May I answer that for you? Very well, thank you. And without debt. Or without very much debt. So what Pendergast was saying is this. We're just going to tax everybody just a little. And we're going to have enough. After his brother's death, Pendergast began to rule the Democratic arena, and under Pendergast, by the way, prohibition did not stop his city from having alcohol and gambling. Under Pendergast, many elections were fixed to keep his cronies in power, and in return, Pendergast companies, one of which was Ready Mix Concrete, was rewarded government contracts under a $40 million bond program.

You're talking back when now. You're talking about the 1900s, early 1900s. A $40 million bond program. The city constructed many civic buildings during the Depression, which Pendergast built, supplied the materials and got exceedingly rich. Did you know that Thomas Joseph Pendergast hand-picked Harry S. Truman, the 1934 candidate for the United States Senate? Truman was Pendergast's man. How about that? All I'm trying to show you is this, folks.

I want you to see the importance of the tithes. When one denies the will and the word of God, it's only that he may establish the will and the word of man. The truth is we're either going to be ruled by God or we're going to be ruled by man. And when we deny the rule of God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Do you know why we're in such social and political upheaval and turmoil in this country? Because we've denied God. The reason we're in such economic straits in this country is because we've denied God's plan of taxation. Now, I'm not going to develop these today. I will develop them next week if I have time. Or else divide them into two if I don't have time. But I'm just going to give you, first of all, the three tithes of Scripture. And there are three. Don't get bent out of shape. It's not 30% every year. I'll explain that later. But there are three.

The Three Biblical Tithes and Applications

Weaver lists the Levitical, festival, and poor tithes, and applies the message by stressing individual responsibility, the necessity of tithing for dominion, and honoring God.

There is the Levitical tithe. There is what is known as the festival tithe or the tithe of rejoicing. And there is the poor tithe. And God tells you exactly how to do this. And how it is to be used. And what is to be accomplished in it.

Now, let me make just a couple of applications. I hope the first one is exceedingly clear. Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order. It's impossible. We can sit here and say, "Oh, I would to God things were the way they ought to be." But until you and I actually start doing what God requires, they will never, ever be the way they ought to be. God's law is a plan of dominion. And you cannot exercise dominion without financing. His tithes are a means of accomplishing dominion. And when you fail to tithe, then there is no dominion, and that means the state steps in and takes over. What is it? Nature abhors a vacuum. Well, I tell you what, whenever Christians make a vacuum, it will always be filled by the state. So unless we restore God's plan, there will not be a restoration of Christian social order. Secondly.

Each individual is responsible to be faithful unto the Lord. And you know something, it's interesting. I hope you know the pastor cannot be faithful for you. The church cannot be faithful for you. And an interesting thing is out of all the times the Bible talks about discipline, church discipline, you never find in the Bible anybody being disciplined for not tithing. You know why? Because tithing is such an offense against God, or failure to tithe is such an offense against God, God takes care of that one Himself.

He will either bless you or curse you. You see what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, "Are you tithing?" It's not even my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, "Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" That is your responsibility. I might remind you of it. But I cannot live your life. And I cannot make you do what's right. That is your responsibility. Each of us must assume that responsibility for ourselves.

And we've got to remember this. God keeps the record. Pastor doesn't. God does. I know sometimes I have double-tithed. You say, "How do you do that, Pastor?" Well, because sometimes I can't remember whether I did it or didn't. And I say, "Well, just to make sure, I'm going to do it again." Well, you say, "Well, that's silly." No, that's not silly. I want to tell you something. I'd rather give God the benefit of the doubt.

I already appreciate everything He has given me and everything He's done for me. And if I'm in error, I'd rather err on His behalf than on my behalf. Lastly, by way of application, and I will repeat this truth over and over, you and I cannot begin to recognize, honor, and glorify God apart from the tithes. Why? Because I'll demonstrate before I finish that the tithes are recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship. And when we tithe, we're saying, "You are the true God of heaven and earth." And besides Thee, there's none else. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for the Word of God. We pray, Father, that you would indeed help us to see the importance of the tithe. Without it, there can be no godly dominion. Without it, there can be no restoration of a Christian social order. Help us to understand, if we refuse to be ruled by Thee, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Help us to be faithful in all that we do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sovereignty of God in Wealth

Summary: All wealth comes from God, and tithing is a recognition of His sovereignty and lordship.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'All wealth ultimately is from God and God alone' and 'the tithe is a recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship.'

Tithes as God's Property

Summary: Tithes belong exclusively to the Lord and must be given to godly causes, not to apostate institutions.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The tithes belong unto the Lord... they are foundationally the property of God Himself' and cites Leviticus 27:30.

Biblical Law vs. Man's Law

Summary: Rejecting God's tithing plan leads to tyrannical human government and excessive taxation.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'When we reject God's law, the only substitute is going to be man's law' and references 1 Samuel 8.

Historical Importance of Tithing

Summary: Early America enforced tithing as part of biblical law, and its decline coincided with the rise of anti-Christian philosophies.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Rushdoony: 'When America was colonized, the settlers in every colony made biblical law their basic law' and notes the property tax came with deism and Unitarianism.

Individual Responsibility in Tithing

Summary: Each person is accountable to God for tithing; failure to tithe brings God's direct blessing or curse.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Each individual is responsible to be faithful unto the Lord' and 'God takes care of that one Himself.'

Tithing as a Means of Dominion

Summary: Without tithing, there can be no restoration of a Christian social order or exercise of godly dominion.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order' and 'His tithes are a means of accomplishing dominion.'

Key Arguments

Tithes are not optional gifts but a required tax to God

Summary: The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth, not a voluntary offering; failure to pay is robbing God.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Rushdoony: 'The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth. It is not a gift to God.'

Tithing predates the Mosaic Law

Summary: The practice of tithing was established by God, embraced by Abraham, and continued by Jacob before the law was given.

Evidence: Weaver outlines: 'God originated the tithes, Abraham embraced the tithes, Jacob continued the tithes, Moses incorporated the tithes.'

The civil tax was equal for all, unlike modern property taxes

Summary: Exodus 30 shows a head tax of half a shekel for every man, rich or poor, because all have the same interest in justice.

Evidence: Weaver reads Exodus 30:15: 'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel.'

Rejecting God's tithing system leads to state tyranny

Summary: When Christians fail to finance godly dominion through tithes, the state fills the vacuum with oppressive taxation and bureaucracy.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Whenever Christians make a vacuum, it will always be filled by the state' and cites 1 Samuel 8's warning.

Tithing is an act of honoring God as the source of all blessing

Summary: Giving the firstfruits acknowledges God's provision and dedicates the remainder to His purposes.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from Him as well.'

The church's failure to teach tithing is itself robbing God

Summary: Neglecting to instruct on the importance of the tithe is as serious as failing to pay it.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Rushdoony: 'The failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God.'

Scripture References

Malachi 3:7-12

Context: Read at the opening to introduce the topic of tithing and God's promise of blessing for obedience.

Deuteronomy 8:18

Context: Cited in review to show God gives power to get wealth and the purpose of wealth is to fulfill His covenant.

1 Samuel 2:7

Context: Mentioned to illustrate God's sovereignty in making rich and poor.

1 Peter 3:18

Context: Referenced to explain Christ's death brings us back to God for obedience.

Leviticus 27:30

Context: Quoted to prove that all the tithe of the land is the Lord's and holy unto Him.

2 Kings 4:38-43

Context: Used to illustrate a man bringing tithes to Elisha instead of the apostate northern priesthood.

Genesis 14:12-24

Context: Read to show Abraham tithing to Melchizedek as recognition of God's sovereignty.

Hebrews 7:1-10

Context: Referenced to explain Melchizedek's priesthood and Abraham's tithe, including Levi paying tithes in Abraham.

Malachi 1:6

Context: Cited to show God questions where His honor and fear are when people fail to recognize His lordship.

Exodus 30:11-16

Context: Read to describe the equal head tax for rich and poor, distinguishing it from the tithe.

1 Samuel 8:11-17

Context: Quoted to warn of the despotic nature of human kings who would take tithes for themselves.

Leviticus 25:10

Context: Mentioned as the inscription on the Liberty Bell, relating to biblical land law and liberty.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Context: Alluded to in the principle of honoring the Lord with firstfruits for blessing.

Matthew 23:23

Context: Referenced as Christ commending the Pharisees for tithing mint, anise, and cummin.

Deuteronomy 15

Context: Cited regarding the six-year limit on debt as part of biblical economic law.

Historical References

Thomas Aquinas

Context: Mentioned as the source of the secular/sacred division that Weaver refutes.

Early American colonies and biblical law

Context: Weaver states settlers made biblical law their basic law and enforced tithing.

Continental Congress 1774

Context: Congress denied Parliament could tax real property, reflecting biblical land law.

American War for Independence and Canada

Context: Americans warned Canadians that without resistance, property taxes would follow.

George Washington's letter to George Mason (1785)

Context: Washington disapproved of Virginia repealing mandatory tithe laws, believing people should support what they profess.

Thomas Joseph Pendergast

Context: Political boss who exploited Christians by promising lower taxes, leading to corruption and control of Kansas City.

Harry S. Truman

Context: Hand-picked by Pendergast as the 1934 candidate for U.S. Senate.

Income tax (1913) and Social Security tax (1935)

Context: Mentioned to contrast modern taxation with earlier reliance on tithing.

Important Quotes

Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Significance: Establishes that failure to tithe is robbing God, a central theme of the message.

Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order.

Significance: Emphasizes the essential role of tithing in achieving godly dominion.

When we reject God's law, the only substitute is going to be man's law. When we reject God's kingdom, it is only for the implementation of man's kingdom.

Significance: Summarizes the consequence of abandoning biblical tithing principles.

The failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God as surely as does the failure to pay the tithe.

Significance: Highlights the responsibility of church leaders to instruct on tithing.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding that the tithe belongs to God change our attitude toward giving?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that tithes are God's property, not ours to use as we please.

In what ways does tithing serve as a recognition of God's sovereignty in our lives?

Context: Weaver connects tithing to honoring God as the source of all wealth and blessing.

What are the differences between the biblical civil tax and the tithes, and why is this distinction important?

Context: Weaver contrasts the equal head tax with the proportional tithes and their purposes.

How does the example of Abraham tithing to Melchizedek inform our practice of tithing today?

Context: Weaver uses Abraham's tithe as a model of recognizing God's provision and refusing worldly wealth.

What are the social and political consequences when Christians neglect tithing?

Context: Weaver argues that failure to tithe leads to state overreach and tyranny.

How can we apply the principle of 'firstfruits' in our modern financial practices?

Context: Weaver explains that giving the first portion dedicates the whole to God.

Why does Weaver say that the church's failure to teach on tithing is a form of robbing God?

Context: Weaver quotes Rushdoony to stress the importance of instruction on this topic.

Applications

Recognize God's ownership of all wealth

Summary: Acknowledge that everything we have comes from God and tithe as an act of honoring His sovereignty.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The tithes belong unto the Lord' and 'when you tithe, it is indeed an honoring of the Lord.'

Give tithes to godly causes

Summary: Ensure tithes are directed to ministries and institutions that uphold biblical truth, not apostate organizations.

Evidence: Weaver uses the example of the man from Baal-shalisha bringing tithes to Elisha instead of the apostate priesthood.

Assume personal responsibility for tithing

Summary: Each believer must be faithful in tithing without relying on pastoral enforcement, as God Himself blesses or curses accordingly.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Each individual is responsible to be faithful unto the Lord' and 'God takes care of that one Himself.'

Prioritize tithing as a means of dominion

Summary: Faithfully tithe to finance the work of God's kingdom and restore a Christian social order.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order' and 'His tithes are a means of accomplishing dominion.'

Give the firstfruits to God

Summary: Practice giving the first portion of income as a recognition that all provision comes from God.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from Him as well.'

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T00:38:00Z

Clean Transcript

Biblical Wealth - Part 4 of 8

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

So Malachi chapter 3, and let's begin reading with verse 7 and we'll read through verse 12. Malachi chapter 3, verse 7: "Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."
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"And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts."
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Now, very quickly, by way of review, we've looked, first of all, in the first message at the sovereignty and the source of wealth. We noticed how in Deuteronomy 8, the Word of God says it is the Lord thy God who gives the power to get wealth. All wealth ultimately is from God and God alone. You remember I told you in that first message how we got into the idea that there was a secular sphere and a sacred sphere from the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. And then I pointed out very emphatically that for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. For the child of God, everything is sacred. Because He said, whatsoever you do in word or deed, or whether you eat and drink, whatever you do, you do it all to the honor and the glory of God. And then secondly, we looked at the sovereignty of God and the subjects of wealth. And I pointed out 1 Samuel 2, verse 7, where it is God that maketh rich and it is God that maketh poor.
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It's God that lifts up a beggar out of the dunghill. In other words, although God is absolutely, totally sovereign, still He has the right to dispense His gifts and His blessings as He pleases. So He then gives us two general principles upon which His blessings usually hinge. And these two hinges are, number one, covenantal obedience, and number two, individual responsibility.
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Now, it is true that we may be covenantally obedient and fulfill our responsibilities as we should and yet not have wealth. Well, there you just bow to God's sovereignty and say that's His will. But usually when God does give wealth, He does so as we are covenantally obedient and as we're fulfilling our individual responsibility. And then last week, we looked at the purpose of wealth from Deuteronomy 8 and verse 18. And that was, of course, in order that we may fulfill His covenant. And I went back and showed you from Genesis 1 of that dominion mandate or that great covenant or that great charter or the cultural mandate where God then demanded that we conquer and exercise dominion in this world for His honor and His glory. I showed you where the first Adam failed, but then God sent a last Adam, He sent a second man who sustained a federal headship and a federal representation and in Christ we succeeded. In Christ there is victory. Now therefore in Christ we are sent into all nations preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God and demanding that men bow their knee to Jesus Christ, who is indeed Lord of all.
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You remember the Bible says in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ died, the just for the unjust, why? That He might bring us back to God. In the garden, man ran from God. Now in Christ, we are brought back to God in order that we might obey Him. So the purpose of wealth, then, is that we might fulfill the covenant which God swear unto the fathers, and of course that covenant has its final fruition and final fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ expanded that dominion mandate in the Great Commission.
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Now today we're going to talk about the theology of the tithes. This is still biblical wealth, but biblical wealth number four, the theology of the tithes. It is impossible to talk about biblical wealth apart from a full discussion on the subject of the tithes.
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Now, apparently, the tithes and the act of tithing are misunderstood by the vast majority of professing Christians. Now, I can assure you that a few earnest believers understand the importance of the tithes. Many of you have seen and read the bumper sticker that just simply says, "Honk if you love Jesus." Well, someone came out with an answer to that asinine bumper sticker and their bumper sticker reads, "Tithe if you love Jesus, anybody can honk." Well, at least someone grasped that there was more to loving the Lord than just simply honking a horn. Now, I hope you've noticed that I have used the word tithes and tithes is the plural of tithe. And the reason I've used the word tithes is because there is in actuality more than one tithe in the Bible.
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In fact, if you look at Malachi 3 in verse 8, that question is asked, "Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Where have we robbed thee?" Now look, "in tithes," plural, "and offerings." Then if you'll skip down to verse 10, God says, "Bring you all the tithes," plural, "into the storehouse."
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Now I am sure that the average Christian knows he is responsible to tithe, but most Christians do not know that there is more than one tithe, nor could they name the tithes, nor could they discuss the importance of the tithes. Since this is an introductory message today on the theology of the tithes, I want to make one principle exceedingly clear at the very beginning. You're going to hear me repeat this several times during this message and probably in the next one or two messages that follow. But here's the principle: The tithes belong unto the Lord.
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Although they may be given to men, they may be used by men, they may be administered through the instrumentality of men, they are foundationally the property of God Himself. Now, I'm going to deal with this thought more probably in the last message of this series, but I want you to understand the tithes do not belong to men, nor do they belong to the church, they belong to God.
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Now I can prove that in just one verse. I'll show you more, but if you look in verse 8 of Malachi chapter 3, what is the question? "Will a man rob the church? Will a man rob the preacher?" No. "Will a man rob God?" And then they ask, "Wherein have we robbed thee?" And He answered, "In tithes and in offerings," so that tithes then preeminently belong to God. They are the property of God Himself.
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Moreover, the Scripture emphatically declares this. If you would hold Malachi chapter 3, but look in your Bibles first of all to the book of Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30. Look what the Bible says. Leviticus 27 and verse 30. The Word of God says it like this: Leviticus 27, verse 30, "And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's."
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"It is holy unto the Lord." All of the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. So whatever tithes there are, whatever tithes exist, they belong to God exclusively.
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Now, if you'll turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings, chapter 4, let me show you another clear illustration of this. 2 Kings, chapter 4, and look, if you would please, at verse 42. 2 Kings 4 and verse 42, the Bible says, "And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits," that is, tithes, "twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof."
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"And he said," that is, Elisha, "Give unto the people, that they may eat." Now, I want you to see a very important truth is taught in this passage. If you look in verse 38, "And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets." Now, note verse 38, "And Elisha came" to where? Gilgal. Now, Gilgal is not very far from Jericho. Who was it that brought these tithes to Elisha? Well, according to verse 42, it was a man from Baal-shalisha.
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Now, what is significant about this incident? Well, Baal-shalisha, by the way, literally means "Lord of Shalisha." But Baal-shalisha was usually in the foothills of Ephraim. Well, what is significant about that? Ephraim was one of the northern tribes, not the southern tribes. Now, Ephraim, along with the other northern tribes, had apostatized and they had set up the golden calves in Dan and in Bethel.
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Now, when one grasps this simple fact, that the tithes belonged to the Lord, he will understand why this man traveled from Baal-shalisha and brought those tithes to Elisha in Gilgal. Why? Because he was refusing to give his tithes to an apostate priesthood that would further an apostate worship. No, he traveled on foot in all probability, or at least on a donkey of some kind, to make sure that his tithes were given to the man of God and to the ministry that the man of God had. Now, what ministry did Elisha have? Everybody knows that Elisha was a prophet.
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But go back, if you would please, to verse 38. "And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him." What in the world is he talking about, the sons of the prophets? Well, Elisha had a school for the prophets. He had what you and I would call a Bible institute or a Bible college.
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And you know how many students he had? We'll skip down to verse 43. "And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?" So there was approximately a hundred students that Elisha had. And Elisha, the man of God, was teaching these young preachers to be men of God and to be prophets of God. So, very obviously, this man then came to make sure that a man who believed the Word of God, who stood for God, had the tithes and used them in the ministry of God.
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Now, if you understand this principle, then you understand that the tithe is the Lord's, and it cannot be given to the enemies of God. It must be given to God for the furtherance of His truth, His honor, His kingdom, and His people. The tithes do not belong to the church. They do not belong to the producer. They belong to God. And the tithes cannot be given to an apostate church without being given against God and not unto God. Therefore, the tithes must be given to holy, godly causes.
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Now, the priests and the Levites, to whom one of the tithes was originally given, had charge not only of religion, but education and various other functions that we're going to discover as we get into this teaching later on. Now, before I proceed, I want to point out a relationship that exists between the tithes and biblical wealth.
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Now it is true that Malachi chapter 3, and I'll cover this later, that it is not just a personal blessing, but a national blessing. But you've got to remember this, that nations are made up of individuals. And God cannot bless a nation without blessing individuals who are in that nation. So look in your Bibles, if you would please, at Genesis chapter 14. And let's begin reading there with verse 12. Genesis 14 and verse 12.
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Everyone in here should be well aware of this story. You remember that Lot has been taken captive by these kings who have attacked Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 14, verse 12, "And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants," or trained slaves, which is actually the word, "born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan." Now, I want you to note how great Abram really was, for he had 318 trained fighting men who were born in his own house. I told you earlier probably Abram had a household of at least 2,000 people. 318 born in his own house. Watch verse 15. "And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus."
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"And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he," that is, Melchizedek, "blessed him, and said, 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," Abram, "gave him," Melchizedek, "tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made"
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"Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."
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Now, I want you to note that Melchizedek, God's priest, came to meet him. Now, if you will turn, hold Genesis 14, but turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 7. There are a number of passages in which Melchizedek comes into play. But note, if you would, in Hebrews chapter 7, beginning there with verse 1, you will read about him and Abraham tithing to him. "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; now watch, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of"
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"peace; without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham." And he goes on to show how that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek because Levi was yet in the loins of Abraham. Now the point I'm trying to make is Abraham gave him tithes of all. Why did Abraham refuse the offer of the king? What did the king say? "You just give me the people and you take all the goods for yourself."
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Now you've got to remember that there were a number of kings that had come together to defeat Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding cities, so evidently there was a great, huge spoil. And Abraham said, "I refuse to take even from a thread to a shoelatchet." Why? "Lest you say that you made Abram rich." It is not the king of Sodom that made Abram rich. It was the Lord God of heaven and earth. And what Abraham is saying is this, God has sovereignly blessed me. God has providentially protected me. He's given me everything that I have and therefore Abram tithes all to Melchizedek. The tithe, which I'm going to show you later on in great detail, is a recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship, and His providence. And all Abram is saying is, everything I am and everything I have is from God Himself.
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Now, go back in your Bibles to Malachi chapter 1 very quickly. Let me show you how God questions the people. And look at what He says. I just want you to see this connection. Look at this thought. Malachi 1 and verse 6. Look what God says. "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?" Now, look what God is saying. "If I'm a father, where's my honor? If I'm a master, where's my fear?" Where's my recognition?
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So when you dishonor God, and you do not recognize God's sovereignty, God's lordship, God's providence, you do not tithe. But when you tithe, it is indeed an honoring of the Lord and recognizing this simple truth. I'm not really going to get into the tithes today. I'm going to do that next week. But let me tell you, in order to really understand the importance of the tithes, you must distinguish between what I'm going to just simply call the civil tax and the tithes. Now, there was a civil tax, and the civil tax was supposed to support the civil order.
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It was to be the same for each man, whether rich or poor. If you will look in your Bibles to the book of Exodus chapter 30, Exodus chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 11. Exodus 30, verse 11, and we'll read through verse 16. Exodus 30, verse 11: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. Now watch. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before"
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"the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls." Now let me just point something out. This head tax, this poll tax, was the same for each individual. It didn't matter if you were rich, it didn't matter if you were poor. Why? Because everyone has the same interest in justice. This civil tax, as I could show you later from scripture, supported what you and I would know, not only the court system, but the militia system as well. In other words, it was solely for the protection of the people and rendering justice. In other words, here was an equal amount paid by poor and rich alike, and the reason being, everyone had the same interest in justice. And I'm going to show you later how the Levites were not just teachers and educators, they were also judges as well. And so they took this civil tax.
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Now, what happens then when men reject the rule of God? Well, very quickly, turning your Bibles to 1 Samuel, chapter 8. Look in 1 Samuel, chapter 8. I'll just refer to this in just a few moments, but I want you to be well aware of it. You remember how Israel demanded a king that they might be like other nations. Well, look in 1 Samuel, chapter 8, beginning there in verse 11. God says, "All right, you want a king?"
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"I'm going to let you have it. But Samuel is going to tell you what manner of king you have." Verse 11, "And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work."
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"And he will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants." Now, what does he say? He is saying the price for rejecting God and God's law and God's rule is exceedingly high. You're going to have a civil government that is going to be despotic, tyrannical, bureaucratic, and purely thieving. You see, the tithes were to support not only the ecclesiastical realm, but the entire fabric of the social order.
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Now, many people do not realize that in early America, the civil governments demanded tithing. Now, the civil governments did not control the tithe, but they did demand them. Let me give you a quote from R.J. Rushdoony, and he's in his book, Tithing and Dominion. I want you to listen to this because it's going to show you the importance of the tithe. In fact, I'll give you several quotes, but listen to this historical review. He says, "When America was colonized, the settlers in every colony"—now, listen to that—"the settlers in every colony made biblical law their basic law."
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Now, here's another sentence that—oh, how we wish it were true today. "There was no tax on property. This was basic to biblical liberty. The inscription on the Liberty Bell is taken from the biblical land law, 'Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,' Leviticus 25:10. In the first session of the Continental Congress in 1774, Congress denied that Parliament could tax real property." In 1774, Congress denied Parliament could tax real property. Gottfried Dietze had summarized the American opinion then as to property: "the delegates felt it should be free from seizure and taxation."
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By the way, let me just interject this. Many of you may or may not know that during the First American War for Independence in 1776, the Americans tried to get the Canadians to join with us in fighting the British. And one of their arguments to the Canadians is this, "If we don't stop it, the next thing you know, they'll be trying to tax our property." I imagine now the Canadians wish they had joined with us, but that's all right. I'll continue. Listen to this. Rushdoony tells us where the property tax came in. "The property tax came in very slowly, and it appeared first in New England,
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coinciding with the spread of deism and Unitarianism, as well as atheism. Such anti-Christian men saw the state as man's savior, and as a result, they favored placing more and more power in the hands of the state. The South was the last area to accept the property tax, and it was largely forced on the South by post-Civil War reconstruction. Moreover, as far as possible, when the property tax was adopted in the pre-Civil War era, conservative elements limited it to the county and retained the legal requirements that only owners of real property could vote at the county level."
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I don't know about you, and I'm going to stop there. I'm going to come back and take up my quote in just a moment. But to me, it is so irritating, as well as so grievous, to think that here is someone who has been given a stewardship of property and that people who have no property can vote and tell me what to do with the property which God has given me and what I can and cannot pay on my property. But anyhow, at least back when the property tax originated, the owners of the property were the only ones who could vote at the county level.
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I continue quoting Rushdoony. He says, "Today the property tax is in effect a rent for the use of our own land. The state has the power of confiscation for nonpayment and also the right of eminent domain. This is, in terms of the Bible, a mark of tyranny, as both the law and the story of Naboth's vineyard makes clear." Now listen to this, I'm going to repeat this a little later. "The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth."
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"It is not a gift to God. Only when the giving exceeds the tithe is it called a gift or an offering. The tithe is required of all men by God. Failure to pay the tithe brings God's curse. Yielding God His due results in so great a blessing that there should be not room enough to receive it, according to Malachi chapter 3. The tithe was used for a variety of purposes."
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"It supported the religious and educational institutions of Israel and also of colonial and early America. In fact, in the United States, the tithe was for many years legally binding on all men, and failure to pay it was a civil offense. The tithe supported the churches, Christian schools, and colleges. When Virginia repealed such a law, which made payment of the tithe mandatory, George Washington expressed his disapproval in a letter to George Mason on October 3, 1785, and he stated, he believed in making people pay toward the support of that which they profess." Isn't it amazing that not only when our country was founded that each colony adopted biblical law, but each colony also demanded that people tithe. Now the state didn't get the tithe. But they said, if we are a Christian people, that is what we should do.
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You're going to find out later what all these tithes did. I'm just showing you right now, when we reject God's law, the only substitute is going to be man's law. When we reject God's kingdom, it is only for the implementation of man's kingdom. Now, John R. Richardson has written a book entitled Christian Economics, and he summarized the history of the tithes under eight points. I added a ninth point. If you do nothing but just grasp this little outline, you can do a study of the tithes yourself. Here it is. First of all, God originated the tithes.
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They did not originate with man or the church or the preacher. God originated the tithes. And I'm not going to take time right now to go over all the scriptures to prove every one of these points. I'm just giving you the points. God originated the tithes. Secondly, Abraham embraced the tithes. We just read that in Genesis chapter 14. Abraham gave tithes of all. Thirdly, Jacob continued the tithes. You remember?
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He said, "Lord, if you bless me, I will give you a portion of all that you give me." So Jacob continued the tithes. Fourthly, Moses incorporated the tithes. I want you to note the tithes existed before the Mosaic law. So God originated the tithes, Abraham embraced the tithes, Jacob continued the tithes, Moses incorporated the tithes, Nehemiah restored the tithes. Because during that 70-year captivity in Babylon, all of that fell into misuse and disuse. And so when Nehemiah came back, he restored the tithes. Number six, Malachi demands the tithes. We just read that in Malachi chapter 3. Number seven, Christ commended the tithes. Do you remember the only time that I can recall that Christ ever commended the Pharisees was when He said to them in Matthew 23, "You tithe mint and anise and cummin, and these things ought you to have done, and not to leave the other undone." So Christ commended the tithes. Number eight, Paul explained the tithes, and he did so. And the ninth point I added, the Pharisees perverted the tithes.
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Of course, they perverted everything. The gift without the giver is bare. In fact, the Apostle Paul said they first gave up themselves. So it's the Pharisees who perverted it.
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Now, let me take up the quote again from Rushdoony, this time I'm quoting from a different book, and it's Institutes of Biblical Law. And then we'll start tying things together for you, listen carefully. He says, "Every crime is an offense against God's law order. But certain acts are in particular singled out as especially offensive. One of these is the failure to tithe, which is described as robbing God."
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"Before analyzing the implications of that fact, let us review the basic laws in this area. The basic civil tax in Scripture, the only tax, is the poll or head tax, paid by every man 20 years of age and older." Exodus 30, we read that. "The same tax was assessed on all men. The rich shall not give more, the poor shall not give less. Why? All have the same stake in justice and therefore all pay the same tax. Second, no man is allowed to tax his own future by means of debt. The length of debt is limited to six years," Deuteronomy 15. "No man has a right to mortgage his future since his life belongs to God. Thirdly, the tithe is required of all men." Now, I want to just stop right there.
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Now, there are numerous scriptures given, and I'm not going to really take the time to go over all of these scriptures, only because I'm going to do so in the coming weeks. But when you stop and think, the tithe is a tax for the use of God's earth. It is not just Christians who are obligated to tithe. It is true we should be more than obligated because we've been redeemed. But ungodly, reprobate men breathe God's air. They use God's earth. And they benefit from it just like the godly do. Since the tithe is a tax, they are therefore required to honor the Lord, to recognize the source of all blessing. You remember what the Bible said in Proverbs 3, "Honour the Lord with the firstfruits of thine increase."
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"So shall thy barns be filled with plenty." The tithe was and is God's tax for the use of His earth.
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Now, the principle of first is very important in the Bible. Did you ever notice as you read through the Bible, God always demanded the first, the first of the sheep, the first of the oxen, the first of the grapes, the first of the fruits? Why did God demand the first? Because the first is a percentage. And when you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from Him as well. And that when you give the first, you are actually saying we are dedicating the rest of it to God as well and recognizing that He gave it all to us. So it's a very important principle. Now, let me continue. Rushdoony says, and I quote, "If this be true," that is, that God demands every man to tithe and that the first are very important, he said, "if this be true, why then is the failure to tithe held to be robbing God? The answer is very clear. Without the tithe, a totalitarian state progressively develops to play God over society. With the tithe, the rule of society is restored to God through His ordained tax."
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"A variety of agencies are created by the tithe to minister to the needs of godly society and to provide the needs of social finances. The tithe belongs neither to the church nor state. It belongs to God and is to be given by God's people to those who will administer it under God. The social consequences are ably described by Ewing." Now he's going to quote Ewing, and I'm still quoting Rushdoony, but he's quoting Ewing.
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Listen to what this one paragraph says, and I'll end here. Ewing writes, "If we were living in a theocracy with the divine constitution, the tithe would cover everything."
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Now, don't you just stop and think about that. If we were living under biblical law, the tithe would cover everything. That is, the tithe that God demands, it would cover everything. Justice, army, it'd cover everything. But at present, he says, we're living under man-made governments, and man-made governments collect their own taxes, but the tithe still belongs to God. "Render therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." The extra tax exacted by government of our day is the penalty we pay for not accepting God's rule over us nationally. Israel was told of this very thing when she demanded the king to become like other nations, that he would misappropriate the tithe. "In view of the radical implications of the tithe for society, the failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God as surely as does the failure to pay the tithe."
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I want you to think about what he just said. When churches fail to teach the importance of the tithe, that is equally robbing God as failing to pay the tithe. It's important to understand that without the tithes, the need for social financing remains. And listen to me, folks. If social financing will not be carried out by the Christians, it will be fulfilled by the state. And the state will always exact far more than God ever demanded in the first place, because the state is always a bureaucratic entity.
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I get so aggravated at some of these public charities. You can give a hundred bucks to a public charity and probably the poor may end up with one or two bucks. The rest of it is consumed by bureaucracy. Whenever there is a denial of God's program, there's always going to be tyranny, corruption and misappropriation. I'm going to give you an illustration. Everybody in here has probably heard of Boss Tweed, but I'm not talking about Boss Tweed today. I'm going to tell you about Thomas Joseph Pendergast. Many of you have never heard of Pendergast. But Pendergast was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1873.
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He had nine brothers and sisters. In the 1890s, he worked in his brother's saloon in the West Bottoms. His older brother taught him about the city's political system and the advantages of controlling blocks of voters. And I might also add the advantage of controlling a lot of money. Thomas Pendergast also controlled Kansas City as a businessman. He gave workers jobs. He helped elect politicians. And the entire Kansas City machine made a profit that filled his pockets. Now what Pendergast did was very, very devious and very, very smart.
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Because at that particular time, most professing Christians were regularly and faithfully paying the tithes. And Pendergast saw an opportunity to not only control more votes, but control more money. So Pendergast and his political machine told the Christians, "Look, you're paying ten, and fifteen percent? Why that's ridiculous. You don't have to pay that amount. Why we can just take a few bucks from each individual and we'll have a sufficiency. Just let everybody give a little."
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You remember the income tax was not established until 1913? You remember that? The social security tax was not established until 1935? Let me ask you a question. How in the world did America ever function socially, politically, before 1913 and 1935? May I answer that for you? Very well, thank you. And without debt. Or without very much debt. So what Pendergast was saying is this. We're just going to tax everybody just a little. And we're going to have enough. After his brother's death, Pendergast began to rule the Democratic arena, and under Pendergast, by the way, prohibition did not stop his city from having alcohol and gambling. Under Pendergast, many elections were fixed to keep his cronies in power, and in return, Pendergast companies, one of which was Ready Mix Concrete, was rewarded government contracts under a $40 million bond program.
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You're talking back when now. You're talking about the 1900s, early 1900s. A $40 million bond program. The city constructed many civic buildings during the Depression, which Pendergast built, supplied the materials and got exceedingly rich. Did you know that Thomas Joseph Pendergast hand-picked Harry S. Truman, the 1934 candidate for the United States Senate? Truman was Pendergast's man. How about that? All I'm trying to show you is this, folks.
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I want you to see the importance of the tithes. When one denies the will and the word of God, it's only that he may establish the will and the word of man. The truth is we're either going to be ruled by God or we're going to be ruled by man. And when we deny the rule of God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Do you know why we're in such social and political upheaval and turmoil in this country? Because we've denied God. The reason we're in such economic straits in this country is because we've denied God's plan of taxation. Now, I'm not going to develop these today. I will develop them next week if I have time. Or else divide them into two if I don't have time. But I'm just going to give you, first of all, the three tithes of Scripture. And there are three. Don't get bent out of shape. It's not 30% every year. I'll explain that later. But there are three.
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There is the Levitical tithe. There is what is known as the festival tithe or the tithe of rejoicing. And there is the poor tithe. And God tells you exactly how to do this. And how it is to be used. And what is to be accomplished in it.
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Now, let me make just a couple of applications. I hope the first one is exceedingly clear. Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order. It's impossible. We can sit here and say, "Oh, I would to God things were the way they ought to be." But until you and I actually start doing what God requires, they will never, ever be the way they ought to be.
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God's law is a plan of dominion. And you cannot exercise dominion without financing. His tithes are a means of accomplishing dominion. And when you fail to tithe, then there is no dominion, and that means the state steps in and takes over. What is it? Nature abhors a vacuum. Well, I tell you what, whenever Christians make a vacuum, it will always be filled by the state. So unless we restore God's plan, there will not be a restoration of Christian social order. Secondly.
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Each individual is responsible to be faithful unto the Lord. And you know something, it's interesting. I hope you know the pastor cannot be faithful for you. The church cannot be faithful for you. And an interesting thing is out of all the times the Bible talks about discipline, church discipline, you never find in the Bible anybody being disciplined for not tithing. You know why? Because tithing is such an offense against God, or failure to tithe is such an offense against God, God takes care of that one Himself.
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He will either bless you or curse you. You see what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, "Are you tithing?" It's not even my responsibility to stand over your shoulder and say, "Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" That is your responsibility. I might remind you of it. But I cannot live your life. And I cannot make you do what's right. That is your responsibility. Each of us must assume that responsibility for ourselves.
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And we've got to remember this. God keeps the record. Pastor doesn't. God does. I know sometimes I have double-tithed. You say, "How do you do that, Pastor?" Well, because sometimes I can't remember whether I did it or didn't. And I say, "Well, just to make sure, I'm going to do it again." Well, you say, "Well, that's silly." No, that's not silly. I want to tell you something. I'd rather give God the benefit of the doubt.
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I already appreciate everything He has given me and everything He's done for me. And if I'm in error, I'd rather err on His behalf than on my behalf. Lastly, by way of application, and I will repeat this truth over and over, you and I cannot begin to recognize, honor, and glorify God apart from the tithes. Why? Because I'll demonstrate before I finish that the tithes are recognition of God's sovereignty, of His Lordship. And when we tithe, we're saying, "You are the true God of heaven and earth."
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And besides Thee, there's none else. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for the Word of God. We pray, Father, that you would indeed help us to see the importance of the tithe. Without it, there can be no godly dominion. Without it, there can be no restoration of a Christian social order. Help us to understand, if we refuse to be ruled by Thee, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Help us to be faithful in all that we do. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T13:30:35Z

Biblical Wealth - Part 4 of 8

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver introduces the theology of the tithes, emphasizing that tithes belong to God and are a recognition of His sovereignty. He distinguishes between the civil tax and the tithes, outlines the three biblical tithes (Levitical, festival, and poor), and argues that without tithing, a Christian social order cannot be restored. The message reviews the historical importance of tithing in early America and warns that rejecting God's plan leads to tyranny and state overreach.

Introduction and Review

Weaver reviews previous messages on the sovereignty and purpose of wealth, then introduces the theology of the tithes as essential to understanding biblical wealth.

So Malachi chapter 3, and let's begin reading with verse 7 and we'll read through verse 12. Malachi chapter 3, verse 7:

Scripture Reading — Malachi 3:7-12

"Even from the days of your fathers you are gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But you said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring you all 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 8:18

"And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts." Now, very quickly, by way of review, we've looked, first of all, in the first message at the sovereignty and the source of wealth. We noticed how in Deuteronomy 8, the Word of God says it is the Lord thy God who gives the power to get wealth. All wealth ultimately is from God and God alone. You remember I told you in that first message how we got into the idea that there was a secular sphere and a sacred sphere from the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. And then I pointed out very emphatically that for the child of God, there is no division between the secular and the sacred. For the child of God, everything is sacred. Because He said, whatsoever you do in word or deed, or whether you eat and drink, whatever you do, you do it all to the honor and the glory of God. And then secondly, we looked at the sovereignty of God and the subjects of wealth. And I pointed out 1 Samuel 2, verse 7, where it is God that maketh rich and it is God that maketh poor.

The Tithes Belong to the Lord

Using Malachi 3 and Leviticus 27:30, Weaver establishes that tithes are God's property, not man's or the church's, and must be given to godly causes.

Scripture Reading — Leviticus 27:30

"And all the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's." "It is holy unto the Lord."

All of the tithe of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. So whatever tithes there are, whatever tithes exist, they belong to God exclusively.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits,"

that is, tithes,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof."

"And he said," that is, Elisha,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"Give unto the people, that they may eat."

Now, I want you to see a very important truth is taught in this passage. If you look in verse 38,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 4:38-43

"And Elisha came again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets."

Abraham's Example of Tithing

Weaver examines Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 to show Abraham tithing to Melchizedek as a recognition of God's sovereignty and provision.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants,"

or trained slaves, which is actually the word,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus." "And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he,"

that is, Melchizedek,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"blessed him, and said, 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,"

Abram, "gave him," Melchizedek,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made" "Abram rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion."

Scripture Reading — Genesis 14:12-24

"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; now watch, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of"

Scripture Reading — Malachi 1:6

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?"

Now, look what God is saying. "If I'm a father, where's my honor? If I'm a master, where's my fear?" Where's my recognition?

Distinction Between Civil Tax and Tithes

Weaver differentiates the equal head tax of Exodus 30 from the tithes, explaining the civil tax supported justice and protection, while tithes supported the broader social order.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 30:11-16

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. Now watch. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before" "the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls."

Consequences of Rejecting God's Rule

Using 1 Samuel 8, Weaver warns that rejecting God's law leads to despotic government, and notes that early America enforced tithing as part of biblical law.

Historical Summary of the Tithes

Weaver presents a nine-point outline tracing the tithes from God's origination through Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nehemiah, Malachi, Christ, Paul, and the Pharisees' perversion.

Of course, they perverted everything. The gift without the giver is bare. In fact, the Apostle Paul said they first gave up themselves. So it's the Pharisees who perverted it.

The Tithe as God's Tax and Its Social Implications

Quoting Rushdoony, Weaver argues the tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth, and failure to tithe leads to a totalitarian state and robs God.

Illustration of Political Corruption

Weaver recounts the story of Thomas Pendergast to illustrate how rejecting God's tithing plan leads to bureaucratic tyranny and misuse of funds.

The Three Biblical Tithes and Applications

Weaver lists the Levitical, festival, and poor tithes, and applies the message by stressing individual responsibility, the necessity of tithing for dominion, and honoring God.

Biblical Wealth - Part 4 of 8

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	8904105542
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-08-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 052: Biblical Wealth — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	71

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver reviews previous messages on the sovereignty and purpose of wealth, then introduces the theology of the tithes as essential to understanding biblical wealth.
The Tithes Belong to the Lord: Using Malachi 3 and Leviticus 27:30, Weaver establishes that tithes are God's property, not man's or the church's, and must be given to godly causes.
Abraham's Example of Tithing: Weaver examines Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7 to show Abraham tithing to Melchizedek as a recognition of God's sovereignty and provision.
Distinction Between Civil Tax and Tithes: Weaver differentiates the equal head tax of Exodus 30 from the tithes, explaining the civil tax supported justice and protection, while tithes supported the broader social order.
Consequences of Rejecting God's Rule: Using 1 Samuel 8, Weaver warns that rejecting God's law leads to despotic government, and notes that early America enforced tithing as part of biblical law.
Historical Summary of the Tithes: Weaver presents a nine-point outline tracing the tithes from God's origination through Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Nehemiah, Malachi, Christ, Paul, and the Pharisees' perversion.
The Tithe as God's Tax and Its Social Implications: Quoting Rushdoony, Weaver argues the tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth, and failure to tithe leads to a totalitarian state and robs God.
Illustration of Political Corruption: Weaver recounts the story of Thomas Pendergast to illustrate how rejecting God's tithing plan leads to bureaucratic tyranny and misuse of funds.
The Three Biblical Tithes and Applications: Weaver lists the Levitical, festival, and poor tithes, and applies the message by stressing individual responsibility, the necessity of tithing for dominion, and honoring God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Tithes are not optional gifts but a required tax to God

The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth, not a voluntary offering; failure to pay is robbing God.

Weaver quotes Rushdoony: 'The tithe is God's tax for the use of His earth. It is not a gift to God.'

Tithing predates the Mosaic Law

The practice of tithing was established by God, embraced by Abraham, and continued by Jacob before the law was given.

Weaver outlines: 'God originated the tithes, Abraham embraced the tithes, Jacob continued the tithes, Moses incorporated the tithes.'

The civil tax was equal for all, unlike modern property taxes

Exodus 30 shows a head tax of half a shekel for every man, rich or poor, because all have the same interest in justice.

Weaver reads Exodus 30:15: 'The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel.'

Rejecting God's tithing system leads to state tyranny

When Christians fail to finance godly dominion through tithes, the state fills the vacuum with oppressive taxation and bureaucracy.

Weaver says, 'Whenever Christians make a vacuum, it will always be filled by the state' and cites 1 Samuel 8's warning.

Tithing is an act of honoring God as the source of all blessing

Giving the firstfruits acknowledges God's provision and dedicates the remainder to His purposes.

Weaver explains, 'When you give the first, it is a recognition that everything else came from Him as well.'

The church's failure to teach tithing is itself robbing God

Neglecting to instruct on the importance of the tithe is as serious as failing to pay it.

Weaver quotes Rushdoony: 'The failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God.'

Scripture References

Malachi 3:7-12: Read at the opening to introduce the topic of tithing and God's promise of blessing for obedience.
Deuteronomy 8:18: Cited in review to show God gives power to get wealth and the purpose of wealth is to fulfill His covenant.
1 Samuel 2:7: Mentioned to illustrate God's sovereignty in making rich and poor.
1 Peter 3:18: Referenced to explain Christ's death brings us back to God for obedience.
Leviticus 27:30: Quoted to prove that all the tithe of the land is the Lord's and holy unto Him.
2 Kings 4:38-43: Used to illustrate a man bringing tithes to Elisha instead of the apostate northern priesthood.
Genesis 14:12-24: Read to show Abraham tithing to Melchizedek as recognition of God's sovereignty.
Hebrews 7:1-10: Referenced to explain Melchizedek's priesthood and Abraham's tithe, including Levi paying tithes in Abraham.
Malachi 1:6: Cited to show God questions where His honor and fear are when people fail to recognize His lordship.
Exodus 30:11-16: Read to describe the equal head tax for rich and poor, distinguishing it from the tithe.
1 Samuel 8:11-17: Quoted to warn of the despotic nature of human kings who would take tithes for themselves.
Leviticus 25:10: Mentioned as the inscription on the Liberty Bell, relating to biblical land law and liberty.
Proverbs 3:9-10: Alluded to in the principle of honoring the Lord with firstfruits for blessing.
Matthew 23:23: Referenced as Christ commending the Pharisees for tithing mint, anise, and cummin.
Deuteronomy 15: Cited regarding the six-year limit on debt as part of biblical economic law.

Historical References

Thomas Aquinas: Mentioned as the source of the secular/sacred division that Weaver refutes.
Early American colonies and biblical law: Weaver states settlers made biblical law their basic law and enforced tithing.
Continental Congress 1774: Congress denied Parliament could tax real property, reflecting biblical land law.
American War for Independence and Canada: Americans warned Canadians that without resistance, property taxes would follow.
George Washington's letter to George Mason (1785): Washington disapproved of Virginia repealing mandatory tithe laws, believing people should support what they profess.
Thomas Joseph Pendergast: Political boss who exploited Christians by promising lower taxes, leading to corruption and control of Kansas City.
Harry S. Truman: Hand-picked by Pendergast as the 1934 candidate for U.S. Senate.
Income tax (1913) and Social Security tax (1935): Mentioned to contrast modern taxation with earlier reliance on tithing.

Important Quotes

Will a man rob God? Yet have you robbed me. But you say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

Establishes that failure to tithe is robbing God, a central theme of the message.

Without the tithes, there cannot be a restoration of the Christian social order.

Emphasizes the essential role of tithing in achieving godly dominion.

When we reject God's law, the only substitute is going to be man's law. When we reject God's kingdom, it is only for the implementation of man's kingdom.

Summarizes the consequence of abandoning biblical tithing principles.

The failure of the church to teach its importance and meaning constitutes a form of robbing God as surely as does the failure to pay the tithe.

Highlights the responsibility of church leaders to instruct on tithing.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding that the tithe belongs to God change our attitude toward giving?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that tithes are God's property, not ours to use as we please.

[Question]

In what ways does tithing serve as a recognition of God's sovereignty in our lives?

[Context]

Weaver connects tithing to honoring God as the source of all wealth and blessing.

[Question]

What are the differences between the biblical civil tax and the tithes, and why is this distinction important?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the equal head tax with the proportional tithes and their purposes.

[Question]

How does the example of Abraham tithing to Melchizedek inform our practice of tithing today?

[Context]

Weaver uses Abraham's tithe as a model of recognizing God's provision and refusing worldly wealth.

[Question]

What are the social and political consequences when Christians neglect tithing?

[Context]

Weaver argues that failure to tithe leads to state overreach and tyranny.

[Question]

How can we apply the principle of 'firstfruits' in our modern financial practices?

[Context]

Weaver explains that giving the first portion dedicates the whole to God.

[Question]

Why does Weaver say that the church's failure to teach on tithing is a form of robbing God?

[Context]

Weaver quotes Rushdoony to stress the importance of instruction on this topic.

Applications

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