Reading
SAA Notes
Verses 25:5-10 are background for the story of Ruth and the words of the Sadducees to Jesus in Matthew 23:23-32. The emphasis of the next chapter is on generosity towards God and man with the wealth in soil and material possessions that God has given them. The tithe fed the Levite, the orphan, the widow. The way the tithe was used in the early Church led to the creation of the office of deacon. Acts 6:1-7.
SJA Notes
* Holy God, please bring to an end the violence of the wicked, and make Your people secure.
“… You shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, …”
Tithing and offering of first-fruits was a very important part of living as God’s people.
They were to take seriously giving back to the Lord the first, the fruit of the ground, the produce – a tithe of the blessings God gave.
Why?
Again Moses points them to Egypt, their treatment at the hands of the Egyptians, their crying out to the Lord.
AND THE LORD.
The Lord brought them out of the Egypt, a great rescue. The Lord redeemed them into a promised land, flowing with milk and honey.
A heart of generosity in response to this is the only reaction.
As with Israel, so with us.
Jesus breaks this teaching open and deepens our understanding. In Mark 12 He says that the measure of tithing is not the amount given but the heart and attitude in the giving.
In Luke 11 Jesus confronts the Pharisees for tithing mint and rue and every herb but neglecting justice and the love of God.
Then in Luke 18 Jesus points us to the true spirit to have, that of the tax collector,
“God be merciful to me, a sinner!”
* Lord God,
Please remind us that we were slaves, that You rescued us from death and redeemed us into Your kingdom.
Please mark us as a generous people, our hearts being the measure and mark of our offerings and tithes.
Amen.