1. Under the Old Testament Law, everyone had to tithe on their income. T /
Let’s turn to the very first teaching on tithing in the Bible:
30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord … 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. (Lev 27:30-32)
What is it that is tithed on? It’s not money – it’s food! – and only certain types of food - agricultural produce and (clean) farm animals. And although it’s not totally clear from this passage, it was only produce of the land of Israel that was to be tithed on – in the wilderness, and in exile (and today), the Jews didn’t tithe.
And not everybody had an obligation to tithe. Tithing was only done by those with agricultural and horticultural occupations – landowners and herdsmen of the land of Israel – and did not come from businessmen involved in trade or merchandise. This means that many occupations were left out – some people would have tithed regularly; others would never have tithed at all. Artisans, skilled tradesmen, landlords, servants, farmhands, labourers, builders, soldiers, teachers – none of them would have tithed on their wages. And neither did any Jews living outside of Israel.
Why was this the case? Read on and find out!