Golden Text: Deuteronomy 14:22-29
Readings for the week:
Day 1: Deuteronomy 14:22-29
Day 2: Matthew 7
Day 3: Matthew 17:14-27
Day 4: Matthew 22:15-22
Day 5: Mark 12:1-27
Day 6: 1Corinthians 16
I- Tithing and dignity.
Tithing is a topic that is widely used in today’s debates for two main reasons, which are a consequence of the misuse that many make of this concept. On the one hand, there are those who consider that it is a commandment that is still in force and, on the other, those who consider that it is not.
To address the issue, one must begin by establishing a reality: God does not need the money of any human being, He is enough to supply everything for Himself and for His people[1]. He is eternal and owner of everything, He is not a beggar who needs the coins that limited beings wish to give because of our benevolence.
The question where one should begin and that arises because of this reality is: For who is tithing necessary?
Interestingly, there is a reality: The tithe that God asks for was always necessary for the giver (man) and not for the receiver (God). Perhaps, even, we should look at it in a different way: God gives 100% of everything that human beings have, allows them to keep 90% and asks them to return 10%, as an act of faith, love and reciprocity.
Although this analysis could answer many questions, another question could also arise from it: How does it benefit man to give a tithe to God? Moving away from the fact that if you are giving back 10% then you are not donating anything to Him, but rather keeping that part of it would be theft, as He claimed through the prophet Malachi (Mal 3:8). It must be said that man is benefited in something very important to him: his dignity.
Dignity is the quality of the one who asserts himself as a person, because he understands that he deserves respect. And from then on, he behaves, in the first instance, responsibly, with seriousness and respect for himself and others. And finally, he is also capable, based on his dignity, of not allowing himself to be humiliated or degraded[2].
It is not difficult to understand, then, that God is primarily interested in developing man’s dignity and for this he gives him responsibilities that allow him to contribute together with Him in the purposes for which this world was created.
II- Types of Tithes.
Sadly, the debate over tithing has pushed arguments to look at only one type of tithe. On the one hand, there are those who go to one extreme and affirm that the tithe is only a tenth of what is harvested or livestock, and those who at the other extreme consider that this time is over and only 10% of the salary is talked about.
This portion and the following shed some light on this and introduce three types of tithing:
(1) The one used to visit and invest in the temple.
(2) The taking out of all that was harvested or earned.
(3) The one that was given every seven years to the poor.
Verse 25 specifically expands on the concept of tithing which was about the food that would be eaten on pilgrimages to the place where the tabernacle (and later the temple) was, and about the money or cost of that food that would be given when it was the opportunity to be in the sanctuary to worship.
III- God gave the wine.
A contradictory text for many today, because of a poor approach to alcohol-containing beverages, is found in v.26. Some interpret (because there is no documented proof for this) that the wine at that time was a kind of non-alcoholic juice, but rather the opposite. With this conclusion they remove the problem that brings the consequence of an excessive use of this drink. In this way there is no need to prohibit it as it was done at one time, but any debate is demerited. However, some texts contradict any manipulation of biblical languages in this regard: 1Sam 25:37; 2Sam 13:28; Eph 5:18; Re 17:2; among others. And even the Bible teaches what good wine is: the one that “gladdens the heart of man.”[3]
Parallel to this we must remember that Jesus at the wedding feast at Cana made the best wine, that is, considering the above and in the opinion of those who knew about the subject at that time, it was the one that could most “cheer” man.
In this portion Moses goes a little further than just wine, literally saying, “wine and fermented beverage stronger in alcohol,” which shows that God never forbade that. However, it did prohibit the person from drinking any alcoholic beverage excessively, to the point that it made him lose control of himself.
Faced with a situation like this of drunkenness (which appears with the simple loss of control of oneself, even without having reached a state of unconsciousness), the believer must ask forgiveness from God and from those who have been affected in any way by this excessive behavior and work to achieve control (self-control) over this weakness.
It should also be understood that God does not command the drinking of alcoholic beverages but is saying that it is “permissible” and this only if He has control over drinking. That is why if someone considers that drinking an alcoholic substance harms him, and even to the extent that others drink in front of him (perhaps because of a past alcoholic life), he should abstain until he has self-control to control himself from falling into uncontrol. Parallel to this, those who do have control over alcohol must help the weaker not to be a stumbling block to them, abstaining from such drinks in case it is[4], and in doing so he must refrain from making judgment about others[5].
It is also good to make it clear that, although wine gladdens the heart of man, those of us who have believed in the Messiah, received the regeneration of our spirit, and walk apart for Him, do not drink this drink for the purpose of seeking the fullness of contentment; for we know that the full joy of the heart is only through fullness in the Holy [6]Spirit. This is how wine ceases to have the center to liven up any party or time of dispersion and becomes the center of a deeper and more significant symbolism: the salvific action of the Messiah on us.
In this way the wine acquires its greatest purpose and for which God gave it to man, which is clear and fulfilled in that thanksgiving of the church in apostolic times that comes to us through the Didache: “Thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David your servant, which you have made known to us through your son Yeshua.»[7].
Questions:
1.- Why do you think God requires tithing?
2.- What benefit can this requirement have for man?
3.- How would you explain to someone who questions you about your tithing to the Lord?
4.- If a former alcoholic brother tells you of his weakness still in this regard, how would you counsel and help him?
[1] Mt 17:27.
[2] Diccionario general de la lengua española, Luria L. Cayuela, VOX.
[3] Ps 104:15.
[4] 1Cor 8:13.
[5] Ro 14:1-15:6.
[6] Ef 5:18.
[7] Didajé, la mishná de los apóstoles, by the author himself (ISBN-13:9798463863423, KDP).
Under Construction..
Deuteronomy 14:22-29.
22 “You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 23 And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. 24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, 25 then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses 26 and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.
28 “At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. 29 And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.
Matthew 7.
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 17:14-27.
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
Matthew 22:15-22.
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Mark 12:1-27.
1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:
“ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
13 And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. 14 And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone’s opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” 15 But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.
18 And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. 21 And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”
24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”
1Corinthians 16.
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity. 13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.