Deceitful Pastors Misrepresent Malachi

Deceitful Pastors Misrepresent Malachi
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 24, 2020)

Malachi was calling for a return to God’s ordinances. (see Malachi 3:7) God’s tithe ordinance said,

a) Tithes are to be agricultural. (Leviticus 27:30,32)

This means that, when a pastor uses Malachi 3:10 to teach that tithes are to be monetary, that pastor is guilty of handling the word of God deceitfully.

b) The storehouse to take tithes is in the land of Canaan. (Deuteronomy 12:10-11)

This means that, when a pastor uses Malachi 3:10 to teach that the religious institution he presides over in the office of pastor is God’s authorized Tithe Collection Storehouse, that pastor is guilty of handling the word of God deceitfully.

c) Tithes are to be given to bloodlind descendants of the biblical patriarch Levi. (Numbers 18:21)

This means that, when a pastor who is not a bloodline descendant of the biblical patriarch uses Malahci 3:10 to teach that he is God’s authorized Tithe Collection Representative, he is guilty of handling the word of God deceitfully.

d) The congregation is not to approach the House of God with their tithes. (Numbers 18:21-22; reaffirmed in Nehemiah 10:29,37-38)

This means that, when a pastor uses Malahci 3:10 to teach that the congregation is to bring their tithes to the House of God, he is guilty of handling the word of God deceitfully.

Conclusion:

Malachi 3:10 is not

a) a call for monetary tithes

b) a call for tithes to be taken to religious institutions outside of Canaan

c) a call for non-Levitic pastors to take tithes of the congregation

d) a call for the congregation to tithe to the House of God

No matter how many times a pastor says that his congregation is required by God to tithe their money and to bring that tithe to the House of God, the Bible will always state otherwise.

This begs the question…

“Who is the liar? God? or the Pastor?”

2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

 

If God's Tithe is Monetary

If God’s Tithe is Monetary
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 21, 2020)

If God’s tithe is monetary, then that means that

a) Leviticus 27:30 is a lie
b) Leviticus 27:32 is a lie
c) Deuteronomy 12:17 is a lie
d) Deuteronomy 14:22 is a lie
e) Deuteronomy 14:23 is a lie
f) Deuteronomy 14:26 is a lie
g) 2 Chronicles 31:6 is a lie
h) Nehemiah 10:37 is a lie
i) Nehemiah 12:44 is a lie
j) Nehemiah 13:5 is a lie
k) Nehemiah 13:12 is a lie
l) Malachi 3:10 is a lie
m) Matthew 23:23 is a lie
n) Luke 11:42 is a lie
o) Hebrews 7:5 is a lie.

Those who insist that God’s tithe is monetary reject and deny fifteen verses in the Bible that prove it is not.

 

Biblical Tithe Guidelines

Biblical Tithe Guidelines
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 16, 2020)

Following are the biblical mandates governing the observance of God’s commanded tithe…

1. Tithes must be agricultural crops, flocks, and herds. Leviticus 27:30,32

2. A portion of the agricultural crops tithe, after it is given, can be bought back at twenty percent over the value of the portion. Leviticus 27:31

3. The animal tithe cannot be bought back. Leviticus 27:33

4. If one attempts to exchange the animal tithe for another animal, he forfeits both animals. Leviticus 27:33

5. Tithes are to come from land that the Jews inherited. Deuteronomy 12:10-11

6. The place to tithe is in the land of Canaan. Deuteronomy 12:10-11 (2 Chronicles 6:5-6 later identifies the place as the city of Jerusalem)

7. Tithes are to be given to the Levitic tribe because they have no inheritance among the other eleven tribes. Numbers 18:21-26

8. The congregation is not to take tithes to the House of God. Numbers 18:21-22; Nehemiah 10:29,37-38

9. Bloodline descendants of the biblical patriarch Levi are the only people commanded by God to tithe to the House of God. Their tithe is a tithe of the tithes they receive from the congregation. Nehemiah 10:29,37-38

10. A Priest from the bloodline of Aaron must be present at the time that the congregation gives their tithe to the Levite. Numbers 18:21-28; Nehemiah 10:29,37-38

11. The congregation is to take a tithe to Jerusalem at the end of the Harvest to eat with the members of his household. Deuteronomy 14:22-26

12. If the one with the tithe lives too far from Jerusalem, he can sell the tithe and carry the money to Jerusalem. However, once arriving in Jerusalem, he is to use that money to buy food and drink so that he can eat it and drink it with members of his household. Deuteronomy 14:22-26

13. Every third year, a tithe must be given to widows, to orphans, to foreigners, and to Levites. Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-17

The above Scriptural truths are the only commands God gave concerning tithes. God never commanded people to tithe their money to the House of God. Nor did God tell people to take their tithes to any other city but the city of Jerusalem.

If your tithe observance is contrary to any of the thirteen Biblical truths listed above, you are not obeserving God’s commanded tithe, but man’s.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

 

Was Jesus Withholding Truth?

Was Jesus Withholding Truth?
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 16, 2020)

If God requires tithes of man’s monetary gain, please explain why it is that not one person in the entire Bible was told by either God, Jesus Christ, the prophets, or the apostles to tithe their monetary gain?

Why is it that, when the apostles gained a coin from catching a fish, (Matthew 17:24-27) they gave the coin to Tax Collectors in Capernaum instead of taking a tenth of the coin to Jerusalem? (God required the children of Israel to take their tithes to Jerusalem)

Why is it that, when the apostles sold their possessions, (Luke 12:33) they gave the money to the poor as alms instead of taking a portion of the money to Jerusalem as tithe?

Why is it that Jesus told them to sell a garment and use the money gained to purchase a sword? (Luke 22:36) instead of giving a tenth of the proceeds as tithe?

If God requires man to tithe his monetary gain, Jesus sure was slack in informing or instructing his apostles correctly in the matter. Was Jesus withholding truth from the apostles?

 

Who is Authorized to Take God's Tithe?

Who Is Authorized To Take Tithe?
by Ronald W. Robey
(written February 11, 2018)

Many pro-tithe proponents argue that tithes are still required today. This begs the question…

…if the monetary tithe requirement teacher is correct, who is it that is authorized to take tithes?

In the Bible, the very last commandment concerning tithes is found in Hebrews 7:5. It clearly states the command to take tithes was given to the sons of Levi.

Hebrews 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Had God wanted the called-out assembly, the ekklesia to tithe, the Apostle Paul sure missed the chance to inform his readers of such a requirement in that passage. Paul didn’t say that the Pastor has a command to take tithes of the congregation. Paul didn’t say that the Elder has a command to take tithes of the Body of Believers. Nor did Paul say that Bishops have a command to take tithes of the called-out assembly.

And for good reason…

…because the command to tithe was given to the children of Israel, and the command to take tithes was given to the Levitic tribe in Israel. (Lev. 27:30-34; Ps. 147:19-20; Nu. 18:24-26; He. 7:5-8) God never told the apostles to teach New Testament Ministers to take tithes from the New Testament Church Body. (Acts 15:24,28-29; 21:23-25)

The Apostles and the Holy Ghost determined at the Jerusalem Council that Gentile Converts were not to be required to keep the Mosaic Law. The tithe command was part of the Mosaic Law.

Had Paul told Pastors/Elders/Bishops to take tithes of the Body of Believers in their respective assemblies, Paul would have been speaking and instructing them to act in direct opposition to the decision made by the rest of the Apostles and by the Holy Ghost concerning the Gentile Converts and the Mosaic Law.

If it is true that tithes are required today, the tithes must be taken by those that the Bible says have the legal right to take tithes,…bloodline descendants of Levi.

But wait…

…Hebrews 7:18 states that the command that the sons of Levi had, the command to take tithes, was disannulled. Cancelled.

Hebrews 7:18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

No one…let me repeat…no one, has authority today to take tithes of anybody.

To insist that some religious figures in the church have that authority, one has to deny what is clearly written in the Bible for all to see.

 

Out of a Heart of Love

Out of a Heart of Love
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 11, 2020)

I am so glad that, after nine years of believing that Malachi was speaking of a monetary tithe, the Holy Spirit told me to focus on Malachi 3:7. In that verse, I discovered that God was calling for a return to His ordinances.

It was then that my perspective changed. I could no longer haphazardly read Malachi 3:8-10 with the belief that God was saying that the New Testament Believers in Christ Jesus are required to tithe their monetary income to the local church they attend or are members of.

Malachi was calling for a return to God’s ordinances, and I knew that the apostle James stated emphatically in Acts 15:24 that there was no command for Gentile Believers to keep those ordinances.

But, for the sake of an argument, let’s just surmise that the New Testament Body of Believers in Christ Jesus are required to keep God’s ordinances…

We still run into a snag. Why? Because

a) God’s tithe ordinance said that agricultural crops, flocks, and herds were to be tithed…not money. Leviticus 27:30,32. Upon learning this, I realized that I could no longer teach the congregation that ten percent of their money was God’s required tithe.

b) God’s tithe ordnance said that tithes are to be taken to Jerusalem. Deuteronomy 12:10-11; 2 Chronicles 6:5-6. Upon learning this, I realized that I could no longer teach that the congregation was required to bring tithes to the building where I pastored in Manassas, VA.

I began teaching these truths in 1988…

1. That no minister living outside of the land of Canaan is God’s Authorized Tithe Collection Representative

2. That no religious institution outside of the city of Jerusalem is God’s Authorized Tithe Collection Facility.

After learning what the Bible actually says about

a) the commanded ELEMENTS of the tithe;

b) the commanded GIVERS of the tithe;

c) the commanded LOCATION of the tithe;

d) the commanded RECIPIENTS of the tithe;

e) the commanded YEAR of the tithe

I could no longer teach or preach a monetary tithe requirement doctrine.

God’s desire for the New Testament Body of Believers in Christ Jesus is that man gives out of a heart of love…not due to a command by a second or third party. Giving out of a heart of love will be more acceptable than giving because another person said we must give.

God does not demand a certain percentage when we give. He only wants us to consider the following as we give…

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

 

God's Guideline for Biblical Tithing

God’s Guideline for Biblical Tithing
by Ronald W Robey
(written February 03, 2020)

In the Bible, God had a strict guideline that He expected to be followed when it came to tithing. This guideline was so strict that, if it was not observed in the manner God said it was to be observed, the children of Israel would be cursed.

So what was God’s Tithe Guideline?

1. Tithes were not to be observed until the children of Israel, aka the congregation, were living in the land of Canaan. (see Deuteronomy 12:10-11)

2. Tithes were to be strictly agricultural. (see Leviticus 27:30,32; Deuteronomy 12:17; 14:22-23; 14:26; 2 Chronicles 31:6; Nehemiah 10:37; 12:44; 13:5,12; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42)

3. The congregation were to take their tithes to Jerusalem. (see Deuteronomy 12:10-11; 2 Chronicles 6:5-6)

4. The congregation was to give a tenth part of their agricultural increase to the Levitic tribe. (see Leviticus 27:30,32; Numbers 18:21-26; Nehemiah 10:29,37-38)

5. A bloodline descendant of the biblical patriarch Aaron was to be present at the time the congregation gave their tithes to the Levitic tribe. (see Numbers 18:21-28; Nehemiah 10:29,37-38)

6. The Levitic tribe was to take a tithe of the tithes that they received from the congregation to the House of God. The Levites were not to take the entire tithe they received from the congregation to the House of God…only a tithe of the tithe. Ten percent of ten percent. The remaining ninety percent of the tithes the Levitic tribe received was to be their sustenance for when they were not working at the House of God. (see Numbers 18:21-28; Nehemiah 10:29,37-38)

7. At the end of the yearly harvest, the congregation is to take a second tithe to Jerusalem to eat with members of their individual households. This would include, not just family members, but servants in the household as well. (see Deuteronomy 14:22-26; 2 Chronicles 6:5-6)

8. Those members of the congregation that had to travel great distances in order to get to Jerusalem could sell their tithe before starting the journey to Jerusalem. However, upon arrival at Jerusalem they were to use the money from the sale of the tithes to purchase food and drink to eat with the members of their household. (see Deuteronomy 14:22-26)

9. Every third year, the congregation was to keep the tithe (that they normally took to Jerusalem to eat) in their cities to be distributed to Levites, to widows, to orphans, and to foreigners in their cities. (see Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-17

These are the guidelines God set forth governing the observance of tithing. There is no other format of tithe observance required by God in the entire Bible than what is written in the guideline above.

This mean that, when pastors teach their congregations that God’s word instructs them to tithe their monetary income to the House of God, these pastors are guilty of

a) handling the word of God deceitfully
b) lying to their congregations
c) extortion

“Extortion: The obtaining of property from another, with his consent, induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right. – Black’s Law Dictionary, 8th Edition; Thomas West Publishers, ©2004”