THE CHANGING OF THE PRIESTHOOD
AND THE TITHE
by
Richard R. Suarez
The scriptures
make a deliberate effort to show that there are distinct differences between
the many covenants that existed prior to the commandments of
Briefly, the main
differences between covenants are, to whom and for what purpose a particular
covenant is made, and for how long it is in effect. There were so many
covenants throughout biblical history that it would be too tedious to even list
all of them much less explain them in the context of this writing. Therefor we will limit ourselves only to the ones that pertain
to this subject.
There are only two
covenants that directly address the priesthood and the tithe. The first
covenant is the Abrahamic covenant (for Christians
this one is ours) and the Mosaic covenant (this one was made for the Hebrews at
Sinai).
The Mosaic
covenant, often referred to as "the law", actually consists of
several different and distinct parts. First there were the "ten
commandments", then the statutes (the oral law) and finally the
handwriting of ordinances. This appears to be the way the scriptures describe
them. (2Ch.33:8, Ex.18:20, Ki.17:34 & 37, Eze.11:20,etc.)
Ex 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and
forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables
the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
De 4:13 And he
declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, [even] ten
commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.
De 10:4 And he wrote on the tables, according to
the first writing, the ten commandments, which the LORD spake unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in
the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto me.
Ex 31:18 And he
gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount
Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger
of God.
De
These "ten
commandments" are the same commandments God says that he will replace or
rewrite on the tables of the hearts of the "New Covenant" or
Christian believer.
2Co 3:3 [Forasmuch
as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us,
written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of
stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Heb
Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal
law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Lu
It is no
coincidence that the "ten commandments" of scripture contain
no reference to the "tithe" or any other law that would apply to only
a limited amount of time or dispensation.
The next part is
the "oral law" or "statutes" as found in the book of
Exodus chapters
This leaves us
with the third part, the "handwriting of ordinances" which are the body of the "Levitical
Law" so named because it is found in the book of Leviticus. This body of
work is what is referred to often as "the
law", especially by the New Testament authors, and is replaced by grace.
Joh
Ro
Ro
When it comes to
the statutes and ordinances, there is definitely a limitation as to whom and
for how long they apply.
Hebrews 8:13-AV
In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the
first old. Now that which decayeth
and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 7:18-AV
For there is verily a disannulling <115> of the commandment going before
for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Hebrews 8:7-AV For
if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second.
2Ch 33:8
Neither will I any more remove the foot of Israel from out of the land which I
have appointed for your fathers; so that they will take heed to do all that I have
commanded them, according to the whole law and the statutes and the
ordinances by the hand of Moses.
According to the
scriptures these ordinances were removed and done away with at the Cross by
Jesus.
Col 2:14
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which
was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Ephesians
2:15-16, "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law
of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain
one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one
body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"
2 Corinthians
3:13-14, "And not as Moses, which put a vail
over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly
look to the end of that which is abolished<2673>: But their minds
were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament;
which vail is done away in Christ."
disannulling -
Strong's #115 athetesis {ath-et'-ay-sis}from
114; AV - disannulling 1, to put away + 1519 1; 2
1) abolition, disannulling, put away, rejection
abolished - Strong's
#2673. katargeo, kat-arg-eh'-o; from 2596 and 691; to be (render) entirely
idle (useless), lit. or fig.:--abolish, cease,
cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none,
without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought,
put away (down), vanish away, make void.
The Apostle Paul
is very clear about this. Having been a Pharisee he understood quite well the
difference between the law and this "better covenant"
we have in Christ.
Hebrews 8:6-AV
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the
mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises.
Hebrews 8:7-AV For
if that first [covenant] had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second.
Hebrews 8:8-AV For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Hebrews 8:9-AV
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the
Hebrews 10:9-AV
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the
second.
By this time there
can be no doubt as to the fact that at least one portion of the "Mosaic
Law" if not all of it has been pre-empted by the "New Covenant".
Actually, this "New Covenant" had its start four hundred and thirty
years prior to the covenant delivered to Moses on
Ga
Ga 3:17 And this I say, [that] the covenant, that was
confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and
thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none
effect.
Hebrews 7:18-AV For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the
weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
One of the
strongest statements made be the Apostle Paul in attempt to show us how wrong
the “Law” was, is when he compares Moses going to the top of Mount Sinai
to receive the Law from God as the “same thing” as when Abraham had
sex with his wife’s maid, Hagar. Both producing
children of bondage.
Gal 4:24-25 Which
things are an allegory: for these
are the two covenants; the one from
the mount Sinai, which gendereth
to bondage, which is Agar. For
this Agar
is mount Sinai in
As Abraham, still not
confident that God would fulfill his promise, took it upon himself to “give
God a hand” and try to bring forth a son by other means than through his
wife Sara. So did Moses try to “give God a hand” by appointing
Judges to do his job of judging the people, in so, eliminating God from the judgment
process. This created another problem, in that these judges didn’t know
what to do. You can’t train people to be anointed and “hear from
God” to judge. This required Moses to demand of God the law. (More on this in part two). I
believe Paul is saying here that the Law was no more the “will of God”
than Ishmael was the “child of promise”.
Now that we have a
correct perspective of our relationship to the law, and it, to our "better
covenant", we can look closely at a now obsolete "priesthood"
and its exclusive relationship to the "tithe".
How did the
priesthood get established and what was its purpose?
The concept of a
"Priest" is contained throughout the Bible.
The Bible contains
many references to priestly actions by individuals as far back as Adam. We see
Adam's influence on his sons Cain and Abel, in that. We know that Cain and Able
were instructed to give an offering to God by someone, someone taught them to
offer a lamb as a yearly sacrifice for sin. More than likely it was Adam who
taught them and received the offering in God's behalf.
Certainly it was
Job's role as priest that is referred to in Job chapter 42 verse 8; Therefore
take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant
Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall
pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you [after your] folly,
in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant
Job.
Abraham also,
sacrificed a lamb as a burnt offering as worship to God. (Gen. 22:5)
Through out the
scriptures we have examples like these. It isn't until the Levite priesthood
(under the Mosaic law) that a priesthood becomes
structured. God instructs Moses that the Levites (one of the twelve tribes)
will now give service at the altar under Aaron. As the population grows the
number of Levites that give attendance at the altar also grows and becomes a
morning to evening never ending stream of millions of animal sacrifices along
with baked goods and produce of every kind. Gods plan to support this huge
number of workers and their families is the "tithe"
(For more on the origins on the priesthood and the
"Law" read part II)
Nehemiah 12:44-AV
And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for
the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes,
to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for
the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the
Levites that waited.
Is the
priesthood God's ideal or was it a concession to
It is evident that
even before the "law" certain individuals were already offering up burnt
offerings and filling the role of priests as we discussed earlier. Now, with
the law in place, God orders a structured priesthood under Aaron. God also
institutes an order of sacrifices, offerings and atonements, none of which
existed before as obligatory. It appears that God did not institute these for
His pleasure or of his will if the New Testament author is correct:
Hebrews 10:1-AV
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of
the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by
year continually make the comers thereunto perfect
Hebrews 10:8-AV
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering]
for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the
law;
Hebrews 10:9-AV
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the
second.
Hebrews 10:10-AV
By the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all].
This leaves us to
wonder if it was a concession or just a temporary covenant that institutes the
priesthood and the tithe. Either way one thing is certain, God’s will was
to sanctify us (set us apart) from that covenant and replace it with a
better covenant.
Hebrews 7:11-AV If
therefore perfection were by the Levitical
priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need [was
there] that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec,
and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Hebrews 7:12-AV For
the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the
law.
Hebrews 7:13-AV For
he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to
another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
Hebrews 7:14-AV For
[it is] evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of
which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning
priesthood.
Hebrews 7:16-AV Who is made, not after the law of a carnal
commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
Hebrews 7:18-AV For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the
weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
Hebrews 7:19-AV For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope
[did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Hebrews 7:24-AV
But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an
unchangeable priesthood.
Hebrews 8:13-AV
In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the
first old. Now that which decayeth
and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away.
The Apostle Paul
uses three chapters to thoroughly explain the why the priesthood is changed
(replaced). The Levitical priesthood ends and
Jesus’ begins.
One of the things
we must understand about the priesthood is that no matter what form it appeared
in before the cross. It was only a shadow but not like what was to come to
replace it.
Hebrews 10:1-AV
For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the
very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect
Heb
The word changed
does not mean to alter slightly. It doesn’t mean to leave in place and
add something to it. This word comes from the word we get metamorphosis and
means to replace with something totally different. Like what happens to the
caterpillar that is transformed into a butterfly, no longer a creature that is
in bondage to the ground but a new creature a monarch of the sky.
3346 metatithemi {met-at-ith'-ay-mee} from 3326 and 5087; Strongs’
definition:
1) to transpose (two things, one of which is put in place of
the other)
1a) to transfer
1b) to change
5746 Tense -
Present See 5774
3331 metathesis {met-ath'-es-is}
from 3346; AV - change 1, translation 1, removing 1 Strongs’
definition:
1) transfer: from one place to another
2) to change
2a) of things
instituted or established
Here are some
other scriptures where the same word #3346 appears.
Jude 1:3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort [you] that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude
1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning <3346> (5723)
the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated <3346> (5681)
that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated
<3346> (5656) him: for before his translation <3331> he
had this testimony, that he pleased God.
It is a drastic
mistake to assume that once something is established by scripture that it
cannot be changed somehow attributing everything as God’s will. If that
was the case the children of
Since the
priesthood and the tithe under the law have become an integral part one of
another (remember the only purpose of the tithe is to support the Levites) let
us take a closer look at the "tithe".
What does
"tithe" mean?
The word
"tithe" Strong’s number 04643 ma`aser
{mah-as-ayr'} or ma`asar
{mah-as-ar'} and (in pl.) fem. ma`asrah
{mah-as-raw'} from # 06240; literally means a tenth
part. The word does not mean offering, gift or sacrifice as it has come to
be known.
Where did the
"tithe" come from?
We have no known
usage of the word biblically prior its use in Genesis chapter 14 verse 20 where Abram returned from a battle against several
kings who had kidnapped his nephew
Genesis 14:20-AV And blessed be the most high God, which hath
delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave
him tithes of all.
Hebrews 7:4-AV Now consider how great this man [was], unto
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
This gift or
offering that Abram makes to Melchisedec is a one
time event. It cannot be misconstrued as a mandated, ceremonial or
traditional (as under the law) form of giving. It is however curiously similar
to the type of giving described in the New Testament. Abram was blessed by Melchisedec so he blessed him back by giving him some of
the loot.
The tithe
is not a part of and is not mentioned as one of the commandments that God gave
to Moses on
It is only in
Leviticus that the word "tithe" takes on an entirely new meaning.
According to the Levitical law, it was ordained by
God to collect tithes of the people to support the priests that served in the
temple, and their families. The reason for this was because the Levites unlike
the other tribes were not given lands and herds, what God calls an
inheritance.
Numbers 18:24-AV But
the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an
heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit:
therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have
no inheritance.
Numbers 18:26-AV Thus
speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the
children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your
inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for
the LORD, [even] a tenth [part] of the tithe
Here in Nehemiah
we have a clear statement that the tithe is for the Levites
and preists, and it is the tithe on that tithe they
have received that is for the "storehouse" or
"treasure house".
Nehemiah 10:37 And
[that] we should bring the firstfruits of our dough,
and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner o f trees, of wine and of oil,
unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and
the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites
might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. Nehemiah
At this point the
"tithe" becomes a doctrine of the law and no longer just another word
like "tenth", "fifth", "quarter" or
"half". It becomes an obligatory act along with hundreds of other
acts required by the law that until Liviticus had no
such connotation. Acts like picking up sticks, lighting fires, leading animals,
etc. now become a sin and punishable even by death if performed on the Sabbath.
Hundreds of normal acts that people did or didn’t do before the law now
are not allowed or become mandatory under it.
Just because there
is a pre-law use of the word tithe, It doesn’t
establish it as a doctrine of mandatory giving any more than the pre law use of
the word circumcision establishes it as a mandatory practice. In fact according
to the Apostle Paul, the fact that something like
circumcision which was practiced before the Mosaic Law, once becoming part of
the body of the law, now is contrary to grace and not to be observed by the
Christian believer. Paul goes on to say that if you observe one law you are a
debtor to do the whole law and are fallen from grace.
Ga 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith
Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage.
Ga 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised,
Christ shall profit you nothing.
Ga 5:3 For I testify
again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the
whole law.
Ga 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace
Ga 5:6 For in Jesus Christ
neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh
by love.
Ga 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
No other New
Testament author deals with or mentions the tithe except Paul. He treats the
tithe with the same disdain as he treats circumcision. In reference to any
command of tithing Paul says he never told anyone to do it and never wrote them
to tell them to. The reason he gives is that it hinders the gospel of Christ.
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
Again there is no
mention of a Christian observance of the tithe by Paul even when he is
referring to the support of those that preach the gospel. This is consistent
with all the other New Testament scriptures regarding giving and receiving. At
the same time Paul reinforces that mandatory giving is not part of our
covenant.
2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth
in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Lu
What does the
New Testament say about giving and the support of the ministry?
All the new
covenant scriptures uphold one basic principal. This principal is called "free
will" and is in harmony with every other principal of our covenant. "Free
will" is the cornerstone of faith. We are saved by a free will act of
faith. Nowhere in our covenant does it say that we are obligated to perform any
act to fulfill our part of the covenant. In fact it says that Jesus fulfilled
everything, he is the "author and finisher of our faith".
Therefore, the
type of giving in this better covenant must be "free will giving".
The strongest reference on giving in the support of a minister or particular
ministry is to that of the teacher.
Ga 6:6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate
unto him that teacheth in all good things.
Ga
One of the biggest
mistakes made by Christian leadership today is to go outside of our covenant
and embrace doctrines of the law, or any other covenant. It seems impossible
that we did not know that to do so is abusing our power in the gospel. That
Paul’s words of warning went unheard is beyond reason. Nevertheless
ministers, whether knowingly or not are leading their congregations into
bondage and condemnation.
We frustrate grace
and hinder the very gospel we swore to preach.
I can’t tell
you how many times my wife and I have invited a guest to church, usually
someone we are trying to witness salvation to, just to have some pastor hammer
the congregation with Malachi chapter three. No wonder the guest never
returned. The gospel they heard preached was quenched along with the Spirit and
untill this study I didn’t
understand why even though in my spirit I knew there was something wrong.
Malachi should
never be used against a New Testament believer. The entire book was given to
the prophet to rebuke the priests and religious leaders that were under the Levitical Law. There is nothing to gain in using it unless
the intent is to intimidate and condemn. Let us look for a moment at these all
too familiar scriptures.
Malachi 3:8-AV
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein
have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:9-AV Ye
[are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
Malachi 3:10-AV Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
[there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
Malachi 3:11-AV
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he
shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her
fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of
hosts.
Let us take one
verse at a time.
Malachi 3:8-AV
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein
have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
According to the
New Covenant it is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. Is the
payment for sin paid by the blood of Christ or not?
Hebrews 7:27-AV Who needeth not daily,
as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then
for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:12-AV Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us].
Malachi 3:9-AV Ye
[are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
There is no
curse for the New Covenant believer. Which nation is being referred to?
Ga
Ro 8:1 [There
is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, ...
Malachi 3:10-AV Bring
ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house,
and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts,
if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
[there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
The word meat in
this scripture is the word prey. The word for
sacrificial animals, live animals to kill.
Hebrews 7:27-AV Who needeth not daily,
as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins,
and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up
himself.
Malachi 3:11-AV
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he
shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her
fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of
hosts.
God gives us
the power to rebuke the devourer. Those of the "Law" did not have
this authority.
Lu
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
These scriptures
in Malachi obviously have nothing to do with Christianity. Yes, they are in the
Bible. But not everything in the Bible applies to everyone. The big defense by
proponents of the tithe is that it is a biblical concept. If that is the real
reason how come they are not also pushing circumcision, Kosher
dietary laws, animal sacrifice, burnt offerings, Sabbath observance, etc. I
tell you, I believe it is a smoke screen for the real reason. The real reason
is they just won’t trust God. Yes, they have no faith that God will
really supply all their needs like the scriptures say. Like Abraham when he
went into his wife’s handmaiden. Just giving God a
hand. Sure God promised, but! The end result, children of
bondage!
There are plenty
of wonderful scriptures in our Christian covenant about giving and receiving.
One of the truly exciting concepts that the scriptures have is that of giving. A true opportunity to bless and be blessed. When we do give,
God is glorified, because he knows we don’t have to. We do it because we
want to and God truly loves a cheerful giver.
Post script:
This book was
written approximately two years after I had asked God to reveal to me why a
certain ministry my wife and I cared very much about was steadily growing
smaller. They were also steadily growing poorer. God showed me why by the many
infallible proofs of scripture and compelled me to share this with the Body of
Christ. It has never been my intent to offend anyone or prove myself better
than anyone else. But by the grace of God I would still be
believing something else. I truly believe that this study will break the
financial bondage that many Churches are under and that the "Good
News" of the liberty we have in Christ will be released. God bless you as
you read and study these scriptures and thank you for your patience with me.
Part II Jethro, the priest of Midian - The real story behind the origin of the Law