Borrowing your Tithe

By Kenneth Tamara

As Christians, if we are going to be honest with ourselves, we have had times when emergencies popped up, and we over spent one way or another. And when the paycheck comes in, we are faced with a dilemma - pay our tithe, and be left with unpaid bills, or pay bills and skip on tithe. Some people choose the former, and call up the agencies owed to make payment arrangements; others choose the latter and explain it away that God will understand that they had to pay their bills. Most preachers, teach that no matter what, you must pay your tithe, even at the risk of your light being cut off, or car being repossessed. That seems kind of harsh and cruel, as if God is a task master, concerned only with getting his! What exactly does the bible say though?

 ^"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord" - Leviticus 27:30-32

According to this scripture, you can borrow the tithe, but you have to pay back with interest (a fifth part, which is 20%). Some people have misinterpreted "a 5th part" as 5%, but if you do your math, thats 20%. The Living Bible translation explains it better:

  “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy 

Tithes can be borrowed and paid back with interest. Why don't preacher teach this truth? Are we scared that people will start borrowing their tithes every other month? Teach the truth, and believe people will behave responsibly and faithfully. If you find yourself in a bind, it is not an excuse to skip paying your tithe. Do what you have to do with the money, but recognize that you owe the tithe, plus 20%.

Another scripture that came to mind is Matt 15:5-8

But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips,  but their hearts are far from me.

Although this scripture is not talking about tithes, however money that can be used to fulfill one's responsibilities cannot be "devoted to God" to escape fulfilling one's responsibilities.