Holy Portion

7 min read

45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as did also the musicians and gatekeepers, according to the commands of David and his son Solomon. 46 For long ago, in the days of David and Asaph, there had been directors for the musicians and for the songs of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 So in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel contributed the daily portions for the musicians and the gatekeepers. They also set aside the portion for the other Levites, and the Levites set aside the portion for the descendants of Aaron.
— Nehemiah 12:45-47

“They” in verse 45 are the priests and Levites. The worship that we do in the church today is very different from the worship that Israel did back then. And yet their worship and our worship is somehow connected in terms of who we worship, why we worship, and even the elements of worship.

One element that is totally different, though, is that we have no service of purification. Jesus offered Himself on the altar of the cross for the service of purification once for all!

But even back then, the service of our God in the temple took people, time, planning, and resources. And so when God ordained corporate worship for His people, He also established a means for supporting the upkeep of the temple and for supporting the priests and Levites for the work that they did. That is the purpose of the tithe (Leviticus 27).

Of course, money is a very sensitive topic for most people. It is today, and it probably was back then too. What is different between then and now is the attitudes of people toward community. The Israelites back then were much less individualistic than we are today.

And so the idea of contributing money for the sake of supporting corporate worship was ingrained into their cultural DNA. That concept is much more foreign for people today.

Not only that, even for people who attend church regularly, the idea of tithing may be offensive. To many people it might feel like being taxed. And no one likes to be taxed.

And not only that, even for people who attend church regularly and give, they might do so only when they feel “blessed” by a message or the music or a testimony or whatever. Or they may give a portion of whatever they have after paying all the bills, going out to eat, getting coffee and desserts at the cafe of choice, going on vacation, and so on.

I’m just being real here.

But Leviticus 27:30 says that a tithe of everything belongs to the LORD! And even the Levites were not exempt from tithing (Numbers 18:26)!

For all these reasons, I tithe. And I say that not to boast. Why would I boast about walking or breathing or waking up this morning?

Actually, God is being quite generous with us, considering that everything belongs to Him. So why does He ask for a tithe?

It’s because tithing goes way beyond just supporting the ministry and the mission of the church. Tithing is an act of faith. You give, you trust, and you forget about it.

But again, why a tithe (that is, a tenth)? And again, it is because God is very generous with us. Every single one of us could live and even become wealthy on 90% of the income that we make, if we had the will.

I’m not telling anyone that they have to tithe. I’m just sharing the biblical principle behind tithing and my own personal experience with it.

But here’s the thing. If every member of GCC gave to the LORD what the Bible says belongs to Him, we could buy the Canoo property across the street without batting an eyelash; we could support missionaries and church and ministries around the world; and maybe more people would want their children to become missionaries, evangelists, and pastors.

Father, Everything we have is Yours—even our very lives. Yet, You are so generous with us. You are the One who gives and gives and gives to us. Open our eyes and our hearts so that we might give to You the faith You are due. In Jesus’s name. Amen.