(REFLECTIONS ON Deuteronomy 14:22-29)

Tithe means 10%, and when we think of tithe, I am sure most of us would think of money offered to the church. Tithe has a long tradition within the church and can be found in the Bible as well, and it is giving of a tenth of the first fruits or best of what we have been blessed with. In simple terms, the tithe is giving back to the Lord what He has lavishly given to us.

The purpose of the tithe, in addition to giving back to God, is to support ministry, ministry workers, and those that are in need. In today’s Scripture, however, we see that not all tithe is monetary, and in fact is to be eaten in the presence of the Lord.

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.

The purpose of the eating of this tithe is to remember the Lord, remember the blessing of the Lord, and to honor and glorify the Lord for what He has given.

In addition, the purpose of this tithe is also for the Levites, the foreigners, the fatherless and widows, so that they may eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord may continue to bless the giver. As it is written in today’s Scripture,

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Brothers and sisters, in addition to our monetary tithe at church, may we also eat, share, fellowship with a tithing heart, that is a grateful heart, an obedient and reverent heart, because our offering to the Lord is also an offering of thanksgiving for what He has done, is doing, and will continue to do in our lives.

As we enjoy our next meal with the Lord and with others, may we do so with a grateful heart, a heart of thanksgiving, and may our meals also be an offering to the Lord. When we say “grace” and pray for our meal before we begin to eat, may we do so not just with the same old prayer that we have always prayed, but may we consider in our hearts that what we have is from the Lord, it is to be enjoyed with the Lord to remember and honor Him, and to be shared with others as well.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy 14