Tithing, Giving and the Scriptures [Part 4]

THE CODIFIED LAW (The Written Law of Moses)

Tithing Instituted as Part of the Covenant (Leviticus 27:30-34)

30″ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. 33He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’ ” 34These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Under the law, one tenth of everything from the land—plant or animal—was considered holy and belonged to God. This portion could be redeemed, but a fifth part of the value had to be added. There could be no substitutions or alterations (switch one cow for another, for instance; if you tried and someone found out, both would be considered part of the tithe). It wasn’t until Numbers 18 (following) that further instruction was given in regard to implementing the tithe; what to do with the cows, grain, etc.

Believers in Kenya need help

Our Brother Samuel in Kenya has asked for financial help to buy food for his family, church and the homeless families and orphans they are caring for. Most of them survived the recent post-election civil war, and had hoped to begin rebuilding their homes and communites, but now the food shortages are so great that there are demonstrations and riots against the government.

Here’s the contact information to send money via Western Union:

Samuel Asonga Atema

Kenya

You will need to supply a “Test Question & Answer” for security purposes [example: name of dog / Spot].

Then email the MTCN number and “Test Question & Answer” to samuelasonga@yahoo.com. He will not be able to receive your gift unless he has all the information.

Any amount would be appreciated, suggest min. $25.

If you would rather not contact him directly you can send gift to me via paypal [you do not need to 'join' paypal in order to use their services--look for 'Don't have a PayPal account?'] and I will forward via Western Union. I have set up a separate paypal account for this purpose: wecanprepare@gmail.com. Here’s a link:

Thanks.

[Hedz Up] Teaching Moments

This week keep an eye out for little moments the Lord uses to get your attention, internally or circumstantially. He may stir old desires or ideas, spark new directions, and/or solve problems in unusual ways. These will be fleeting moments. Once noticed and engaged, these teaching moments may expand into complex projects. His desire is that we remain attentive even to the subtlest glimpses of His Presence within our peripheral vision.

Have a great week!