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YEHOVAH’s Tithe in Scripture 81

And almost the last words of Malachi are: “Remember ye the law of Moses my servant”
(Malachi 4:4).

In view of these exhortations, it is satisfactory to observe that Nehemiah himself gave to the
treasury 1,000 darics of gold, 50 basins, and 530 priests’ robes. Heads of fathers’ houses gave
20,000 darics of gold and 2,200 pounds of silver; whilst the rest of the people gave 20,000 darics of
gold, 2,000 pounds of silver, and 67 priests’ robes, Nehemiah 7:70-72.

Later on we have that remarkable gathering when the children of Israel “assembled fasting,
and with sackcloth and earth upon them," at the conclusion of which they “entered into a curse, and
into an oath to walk in YEHOVAH God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God." The
principal features of the oath were, not to marry heathens nor purchase on the sabbath; to leave the
land to rest in the seventh year, and not to enforce debts:

Also . . . we made ordinances for us to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel
for the service of the house of our God . . . . And we cast lots . . . for the wood offering to burn
upon the altar . . . and to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruit of
all manner of trees, year by year, unto the house of the Lord; also the firstborn of our sons,
and of our cattle . . . and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks . . . and the first fruits of
our dough, and our heave offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the vintage and the
oil, unto the priests . . . and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites . . . and the Levites shall
bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God . . . and we will not forsake the
house of our God (Nehemiah 10:29-39).

Once more we read, that when the city wall was to be dedicated, the Levites were brought to
Jerusalem, where they “offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced.”

And on that day were men appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the heave
offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of
the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced
for the priests and for the Levites that waited (Nehemiah 12:27, 43-44).

How far, then, do these passages from the Old Testament illustrate the Mosaic law concern-
ing tithes and offerings?

We may notice, in the first place, that, after the arrival of the Israelites in Canaan, the divine
law was speedily put in force as a working institution. This included the rules for the devotion of
tithes and offerings; and various intimations imply that the obligation of such tithes and offerings
was actually and strictly recognized.

A central place of worship was established and sustained, whither the tribes went up to the
feasts, in connection with which we read of priests and Levites by tens of thousands; or (if we add
their families) by hundreds of thousands. These included not only those who waited about the altar,
but the educational or teaching staff of the nation, as well as judicial officers, represented by Judges
and magistrates, I Chronicles 23:4; Ezra 8:25.

The Berean Voice July-August 2002