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84 YEHOVAH’s Tithe in Scripture

That the holy city to which he was going in haste, to lay it even with the ground, and to make
it a common graveyard, he would declare free: and, as touching the Jews whom he had
decided not even to count worthy of burial, but to cast them out to the beasts, with their
infants, for the birds to devour, he would make them all equal to citizens of Athens; and the
holy sanctuary, which before he had spoiled, he would adorn with goodliest offerings, and
would restore all the sacred vessels many times multiplied, and out of his own revenues
would defray the charges that were required for the sacrifices; and, besides all this, that he
would become a Jew, and would visit every inhabited place, publishing abroad the might of
God (II Maccabees 9:14, 17).

Yet another charitable action is attributed to Judas Maccabeus, who, on discovering that his
Jewish followers had acted wrongly in touching dead bodies of idolaters, exhorted the multitude to
keep themselves from sin. “And when he had made a collection, man by man, to the sum of two
thousand drachmas of silver, he sent into Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for sin, doing therein right
well and honorably" (II Maccabees 12:38-43).

If now we pass from alleged facts, to principles, or exhortations concerning religious giv-
ing, we have Tobit saying: “Give of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are na-
ked: of all thine abundance give alms" (Tobit 4:16).

It is also clear that the author of the book of Tobit regarded the giving of alms as pleasing to
YEHOVAH, and a means of obtaining the divine blessing. He also thought that giving should be
done with discrimination, and in proportion to a man’s income. Exhorting his young son as to his
manner of life, Tobit says:

Give alms of thy substance; and when thou givest alms, let not thine eye be envious: turn not
away thy face from any poor man, and the face of God shall not be turned away from thee.
As thy substance is, give alms of it according to thine abundance: if thou have little, be not
afraid to give alms according to that little; for thou layest up a good treasure for thyself
against the day of necessity: because alms delivereth from death, and suffereth not to come
into darkness. Alms is a good gift in the sight of the Most High for all that give it (Tobit
4:7-11).

And to show that almsgiving should be performed with discrimination, he added: “Pour out
thy bread on the burial of the just, and give nothing to sinners" (Tobit 4:16-17).

Later on in life Tobit advised his son Tobias thus:

Good is prayer with fastings and alms, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is
better than much with unrighteousness. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold: alms
doth deliver from death, and it shall purge away all sin. They that do alms and righteousness
shall be filled with life (Tobit 12:8-10).

It is noteworthy also that the principles practiced during early life, Tobit could recommend
still in old age; for we read that on recovering his sight, at threescore and six, “he gave alms, and

The Berean Voice July-August 2002