Introduction to II Corinthians 8-9

In II Corinthians 8-9, the apostle Paul is raising money for the poor Jewish Christians in Judea. Other gentile churches have given and now it is time that the Corinthians do likewise. Paul is sending a delegation to pick up the relief fund from them and he wants to make sure that they are ready. As Paul lays out the Jewish Relief Fund cause, we Christians today are blessed with the Biblical principles on giving that Paul provides.

Before we begin, an obvious question arises… What Is The Difference Between the Old And New Testaments Regarding Giving?

I. Tithing in the Old Testament

What we know about the tithe… 1.Tithe means a tenth 2.The tithe concept preceded the nation of Israel when Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek – Genesis 14:20 3.Jacob also tithed ten percent to God – Genesis 28: By some estimates, the total tithe was thirty-three percent of one’s total annual income.

Many scholars believe that the total OT tithe was 33% Type of TitheAmountPassage Levitical10%Leviticus 27:30-33 Festival (or called Second Tithe) 10%Deuteronomy 12:17-19; 14:22-27 Charitable3.3%Deuteronomy 14:28-29 Government10%I Samuel 8:15-18

The Levitical Tithe This was the tithe which went to support the Levitical priests. The Levites were not given an inheritance of land to support themselves. Rather, they were to be supported by the other eleven tribes and to dedicate their lives to maintaining temple worship. This would be akin today of supporting our pastors and ministerial staff.

'Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. 'If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. 'For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. Leviticus 27:30-33

Some qualifications… 1.The Jews were to give ten percent of all new produce of the land to the Lord 2.You could buy it back for its value plus an additional 20%. Leviticus 27:31 3.The animals would be randomly marched through the gate and the tenth one would be marked with red paint and identified as belonging to the Lord.

“According to Rabbinical tradition, the animals to be tithed were enclosed in a pen, and as they went out, one by one at the opening, every tenth animal was touched with a rod dipped in vermilion.” Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., & Gardiner, F. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures : Leviticus (205). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

4.If you were caught cheating by replacing the animal selected for the tithe with another animal, you lost both. Leviticus 27:33 5.The tithe was given to support the tribe of Levite – Numbers 18: The Levites were to tithe to support the priests – Numbers 18:25-28

The Festival Tithe (also called the Second Tithe) This tithe went for the religious festival costs. The feasts that the Lord outlines in the Torah lasted for many days. This tithe went for cost of food to feed the people.

"You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. "You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.Deuteronomy 14:22-23

The Charitable Tithe This tithe was taken only in the third year so it averaged annually 3.3%. It was used to help four different groups: The Levite, alien, orphan, and widow.

"At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. "The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do. Deuteronomy 14:28-29

Government Tithe This is what we would know today as the income tax. These funds were used to run the government of the day. This tithe was not part of the original covenant but was added when Israel insisted on having a king like all the other nations.

"He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. "He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. "He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. "Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.“ I Samuel 8:15-18

How did the Lord feel about the Jews not tithing… "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8

II. Giving in the New Testament

In short, Christians technically do not tithe. Tithing is an Old Testament obligation and was required under the law. As New Testament Christians we are not under the law but under grace as Paul points out. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

What we know about New Testament giving… 1.Being under grace no longer means that we have to give to God, it now means that we get to. 2.No direct percentage or amount is indicated in the New Testament. This is not by accident. 3.The New Testament seems to identify three areas of Christian giving.

1. Pastoral Support In I Corinthians 9, Paul builds a case that vocational Christian workers have the right to be supported by the church. Paul however, chose not to take a dime from the Corinthians to eliminate any possible accusation that he was proclaiming Christ for financial greed. Let’s look at vss: 8-14

The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Galatians 6:6 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. I Timothy 5:17

2. Special Projects At different times in the life of the church, the Lord puts it on the heart of His people to share financially with hurting people especially fellow Christians. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Romans 15:26

3. Spontaneous Individual Giving Even though we collectively give through the channel of the local church, we are also called to open our hearts and pocketbooks when God lays it on our hearts to directly meet a need.

But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. I John 3:17-18