Rebuke The Devourer
So I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse. Nehemiah 13:11-12
Nehemiah had gone back home for a short vacation and to give King Artaxerxes a report of his rebuilding work. When he returned, he was horrified to find Eliashib the priest entering into an unholy alliance with Tobiah the enemy (Neh. 13:4). Tobiah was a very influential man who knew how to move his way around the chambers of God. In order to curry Tobiah’s favor, Eliashib the priest converted the temple treasury into a guest room for Tobiah (13:5). Eliashib should have known better than to be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14-15).
Without a treasury, the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers had no food or provision. Tobiah, the enemy of Nehemiah in the rebuilding project, had come in and devoured the portion that was due unto the Levites. When Nehemiah came back and discovered what the evil Tobiah had done, he rebuked Tobiah and kicked him out of the treasury room (Neh. 13:8). He then brought back into the house of God worship and provision (13:9). Visibly upset, Nehemiah challenged the Jewish leaders, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” All of Judah then brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse (13:10-12).
In life, we are owners of nothing but stewards of everything. God tests our spiritual maturity by looking at how we handle our money. The more mature you are, the more generous and giving you are. Satan is the devourer of our financial provision. He knows fully well that without finances, the work of God cannot go on. “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Mal. 3:10-11).
How could a chief priest like Eliashib have an alliance with an evil devourer like Tobiah? Yet, well-meaning Christians unknowingly do that all the time. By not being faithful tithers and generous givers, or even worse, speaking out against tithing, Christians allow the devourer to come into our midst and plunder our wealth. Don’t give any place to the devil in your life. Be a faithful tither today!
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Incredible! You have REVERSED what actually happened in Nehemiah 13. It was Eliashib the high priest who emptied out the two storerooms of tithes in order to accommodate Tobiah. Eliashib, not Tobiah, was guilty of stealing the Levites’ portion of the tithes.
The same thing is seen in Malachi. Beginning at 1:6 to the end of the book, the “you” who is guilty of stealing is every priest in the nation –this whole nation of you– priests. The priests were cursed in 1:14 and the priests were cursed in 2:2.
According to Nehemiah 10:37b the people were ordinarily told to bring their tithes, not to the Temple, but to the Levitical cities where the Levites and priests received them per Neh 10:38. Therefore Mal 3:10 must only refer to dishonest priests also. I am convinced that Neh 13 and Mal 3 coincide.
Tithes were always only food from inside Israel. Jesus, Peter and Paul did not qualify as tithe-payers and neither did the poor nor those who lived outside Israel.
You are wrong to teach tithing. The whole law was a test. Obey ALL to be blessed; break ONE to be cursed. Galatians 3:10-13 clearly replace Malachi 3:10-12 for Hebrews.
NT giving is primarily sacrificial. That means more than 10% for many and less for others.
Russell Earl Kelly
http://www.tithing-russkelly.com
How could a chief priest like Eliashib have an alliance with an evil devourer like Tobiah? Yet, well-meaning Christians unknowingly do that all the time. By not being faithful tithers and generous givers, or even worse, speaking out against tithing, Christians allow the devourer to come into our midst and plunder our wealth. Don’t give any place to the devil in your life. Be a faithful tither today!
Wow, pastor, what a powerful saying!! “.. we are owners of nothing and stewards of everything!” If many of us would actually grasp this understanding, how powerful the church will be!! When all the members of the church understand that all the material wealth bestowed upon us are for our safekeeping and we are accountable to the ultimate usage of all these wealth, and not to hog it for our own pleasure only, then we will find a great move of the Holy Spirit upon the church when it exhibits such great unity.
===>Russell Earl Kelly
Nice theoretical insight you had put there in your message and all those interpretation of Bible. Very entertaining and ehh. .. almost convincing. I am not very good in my english, so I read the message posted concerning Nehemiah 13:9-12. Appear you are very defensive with regard to you theoretical teaching against teaching about tithing.
Well, for my I prefer to tithe in according with what is writtened in the Bible, 10% of what my whatever things I can translate as my salary or profit or produce. Being in this part of the world, Singapore. My country has no natural resource. So if tithing is only restricted to food, then we really have nothing to give.
Anyway, a simple Christian like me prefer to use the scale method of tithing, it is easier 10% of whatever things I can translate as my salary or profit or produce is what I should tithe.
Primarily sacrificial offering above tithe, sure, I have been challenged on few occasion and I did and God reward back with double or even triple portion.
For layman like me, a simple Christian. Mathematic calculation is much easier based on 10%. Pastor Kong once said in a sermon. “If you are not earning a salary. So 10% of zero = zero. That means you don’t have to tithe. Don’t force yourself to give out tithe if you do not earn any salary.”
Thank you Pastor Kong for this assuring message, “.. we are owners of nothing and stewards of everything!” It is very true, perhaps some of us were not being blessed with great prosperities as yet is because we are NOT A GOOD STEWARD FOR LORD JESUS’ MONEY YET.
Friend
There is a 20 point essay on the first page of my web site complete with Scripture references. If you are able to disprove it, I will remove it from the internet.
Nobody in Singapore qualifies as a tithe-payer because nobody in Singapore is under the Old Covenant and nobody there has an increase of food from inside Israel. There are 16 texts which prove this and none which say otherwise.
All New Covenant believers can give generous sacrificial freewill offerings as the Spirit leads. That may mean more than 10% for many, but it is still only called a freewill New Covenant offering.
In Christ’s love
Russ Kelly
http://www.tithing-russkelly.com