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days, minister of Christ) that is within thy gates; and thou shalt
not forsake him, for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee."
This latter is God's provision for the SPECIAL OFFERING that will
be necessary to defray expenses of Bro. Keisz and Bro. Walker.
Now THIS tenth of all you earn or receive CANNOT be the
SAME tenth that is put to SPIRITUAL use in the Gospel, nor come
out of that tenth. This is a SECOND tithe you are to lay aside
out of every dollar you receive, for your expense money so you
can come to God's festivals.
Next read verses 28-29, same chapter. Here is a THIRD
TITHE, set aside only EVERY THREE YEARS, however, for the PHYSICAL
need of the poor.
So here are THREE different tithes to be laid aside---30›
out of every dollar you earn or receive---except that the third
tithe is set aside only every third year. The FIRST tenth belongs
to God and is HOLY. It is to be given to His minister for Gospel
work---a SPIRITUAL use. The second 10› out of every dollar you
receive as income, you are to lay aside, and save up, for your OWN
expense money to go to the Festival of Tabernacles, Passover,
Pentecost. This second tithe is for your own personal spiritual
AND temporal use. The third tithe is for PHYSICAL use
only.
THIS SYSTEM, PLAINLY SET FORTH IN GOD'S WORD, WAS FULLY
UNDERSTOOD BY ISRAELITES OF OLD!
In many Bibles you will find the Books called the
"Apocrypha" in between Malachi and Matthew. Many suppose these
Books to be a PART of the Bible. Most Protestants do not so regard
them, nor do I. But they are universally accepted as the authentic
writings, though uninspired, of ancient Israelites from the days of
the prophets down to the 2nd Century, B.C.
Tobit was of the tribe of Naphtali, and in the captivity
of Israel, carried to Assyria in 721 B. C. In the Book of Tobit
he wrote: "I went many a time to Jerusalem for the festivals
(Tabernacles, Passover, Pentecost), as THE SCRIPTURE COMMANDS all
Israel in AN EVERLASTING DECREE, taking with me the first fruits
and the tenth parts (more than one tenth-part) of my crops and of
my first shearings, and I would give them to the priests, the sons
of Aaron, at the altar. A tenth part of all my produce I would
give to the sons of Levi, who officiated at Jerusalem, and ANOTHER
TENTH I would sell, and go and spend the proceeds in Jerusalem each
year, and A THIRD TENTH I would give to those to whom it was
fitting to give it (the poor)." (Tobit 1:6-8).
This historic writing by a man of Israel who lived in the
8th century B.C. PROVES beyond any dispute whatever that these
three different tithes were well understood then. And we ought
to be able to understand it now, even tho it is NEW LIGHT to most
of us. Brethren are we GLAD---do we REJOICE, when NEW LIGHT is
opened to us from God's word? God help us not to be sorrowful or
reject it! But REJOICE!
The question is whether we are willing to accept and
PRACTICE it! Not the hearers, but the DOERS, shall get into the
Kingdom! We could make excuse and say: "Well what would I have
left, after the withholding tax is taken out, and other expenses?"
Yes, we could grumble: "GOD ISN'T FAIR!" But we won't, will we?
For if we did, we just would not get into the Kingdom! But if we
take God at His Word, set ourselves to obey, PRAY, and TRUST HIM,
we shall be surprised to find we get along better than when we