Mark O’Grady - Class 1: And He Gave Tithes of All

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   Mark O'Grady of the Itawa New Zealand Ecclesia. And the theme for Brother Mark's classes this week is All the Tithe is Holy. And today's class is entitled And He Gave Tithes of All. Brother Mark.

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   Well, good morning, brothers and sisters, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, our subject this week is an intriguing one. The subject of tithing is really fascinating. It's one of those gold mines of scripture where you stumble across unexpected nuggets. And it's one of those subjects that has tentacles that find their way all the way through the divine record. But for most of us, the subject of tithing is just like some sort of shadow in the background, an obscure part of the Mosaic religious and civil code.

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   Now, if someone was to come and ask us where the subject of tithing appears, what would you say? In the law of Moses? Because that's what I initially thought. We find that tithing is one of those real foundation subjects. It's a subject of foundation principles. It actually transcends the law of Moses. Do you know where the first record of tithing appears in scripture? It's in the life of Abraham. Well, what about the second appearance of the subject of tithing?

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   It's in the life of Jacob. So suddenly we find that this topic of tithing is a fundamental part of the life of the patriarchs. Did you know that the last four chapters of the book of Nehemiah have tithing as their central theme? That 25% of the record of Hezekiah's life in the book of Chronicles is all about the subject of tithing. That aspects of tithing were applied in the acts of the apostles. They're drawn on for lessons by the apostle Paul in Corinthians, and they're delivered as an excitation in the epistle of James. So we find that this topic of tithing, which appears initially to be so obscure, actually permeates the entire series of the books of the Bible. It's one of those octopus subjects. It has got tentacles which find their way through the word. Now we're going to commence this morning by laying a simple foundation. What does the word tithing mean, and what was tithing under the law of Moses? In the Old Testament, the word tithe is ma'asa, and it means literally to take the tenth. It comes from a verb, asa, which means to take a tithe or a tenth part. It comes from a root word, isa, which means ten. So in Israel, the tax that was taken as a tithe was always taken as 10%.

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   In fact, if they ended up with a need for further taxes or levies, they always did it by imposing an additional tithe. So the root concept of 10% was always maintained. So for example, you may recall the story of Saul, when Samuel warned the people that if they chose a king, he would tithe them for his own ends. 1 Samuel 8 verse 15, and he will take the tenth, that's the word tithe, of your seed and of your vineyards and give them to his officers and to his servants. When we come to the word tithe in the New Testament, it's the word dekatu. You'll see the reference there to the Greek words deka, we get that in decathlon or decimal, this idea of 10. So the phrase to give a tithe always means to give the tenth part. So the question is, well, what does a tenth part mean? What's the significance from a scriptural point of view in this idea of a tenth part? Now to answer that, we need to look at the scriptural use of the number 10. Do you know what the number 10 represents in scripture?

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   In your mind, think of a number of occasions where the number 10 is used in scripture. We have a few of them here. Leviticus 26, 10 women shall bake bread in one oven. Daniel 1 verse 20, Daniel was found 10 times wiser than all the other magicians. Matthew 25 verse 1, the parable of the 10 virgins. Luke 19, a parable with 10 pounds, 10 servants, 10 cities. 10 men will take hold of the skirt of him that's a Jew, Zechariah 8. An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation even to the tenth generation, Deuteronomy 23. Now when you look at a list like that, what's conveyed by the number 10?

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   And it becomes obvious. It's a representation of the whole. It's a completeness or a fullness. It's all-encompassing. So the number 10 in scripture is used to represent the whole. 10 as a preferential number is exemplified in the 10 commandments and the law of the tithe. It plays a conspicuous role in the later Jewish ritual code, says Smith's Bible Dictionary.

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   The Illustrated Bible Dictionary says the number 10 therefore also signifies completeness. For example, 10 elders form a company, Ruth 4. But Bollinger says 10 is one of the perfect numbers and signifies the perfection of divine order. Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is therefore the ever-present signification of the number 10. It implies that nothing is wanting, that the number 10, that the number 10, that the number 10 represents everything, then what does one-tenth represent? And the answer is, it represents everything. It's the idea of a little portion that's taken as a representation of the entire amount to represent the whole. So when an Israelite gave a tithe or a tenth to God, it was an expression of giving everything that he had to God. It was an implicit acknowledgement that everything he possessed had come from God. It still belonged to God. It was to be used in God's service. It was a recognition that everything that we possess in life is only in his hands because God has given it to us. He's put it there and it's still his. It's to be used in his service. It's simply on loan to us. So Bollinger says the tithe represents the whole of what was due from man to God as marking and recognizing God's claim on the whole. Or Smith's Bible Dictionary.

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   Tithes and offerings along with the firstborn were intended therefore to be the representatives of the entire produce of the land and of the whole property generally. And being paid over as they were to Yahweh they constituted a practical confession and acknowledgement that the whole land and all possessions in general belonged to him and that it was he alone who conferred them upon those who enjoyed them. And that's the foundation principle upon which our whole subject rests. That everything we have comes from God. It belongs still to God. It's been given to us to use in his service.

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    So brothers and sisters is that how we view life? Do we look at everything what we possess in that context? Everything I have comes from God. It belongs to him. It's to be used in his service. Now that's a wonderful principle brothers and sisters but it's when we come to see those principles at work in somebody's life that this subject starts to take on real power. As we see a life which is based upon those principles as a founding precept. So now we're going to see the tithe as a living power in people's lives and we're going to start by turning to Genesis chapter 28 and the life of Jacob.

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    Now when we meet Jacob in Genesis 28 we meet him at the lowest point of his life. He's in exile. He's fleeing from his family. He's fleeing from death at the hands of his brother who wants to murder him. He's never going to see his mother again. He possesses a blessing which was given to him by deceit. He's totally destitute. He's absolutely alone. It was a very abject figure that we meet in Genesis 28 fleeing along the road. And as the curtain of night falls upon the scene where do we meet Jacob? Out on the road.

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    Is he in a comfortable spot? Perhaps amongst friends? Maybe resting his weary bones in some inn? No, the record says in verse 11 that he lighted upon a certain place and he tarried there all night because the sun was set. He could go no further. It had become too dark for him to continue to travel and he had no option but to stop where he was for the duration of the night. The ground for his bed, rock for pillow. And yet it was to that man in such a state on that night that God appeared.

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    And he extended to him some of the greatest promises that the world has ever known. Now in the morning when Jacob awakes, he's amazed by his vision. He's filled with reverential awe. The record tells us he got up very early in the morning. He grabs the nearest thing to hand, which is the stone he had used as a pillow, and he sets it up as a pillar. He pours oil upon it.

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    He calls the place Beth-ale, the house of God. And stirred to his very core in response to the promises he had received, he vows a deep and binding vow. Now we need to appreciate the significance of the scene in the life of Jacob. Because from this point on, Beth-ale becomes a spiritual home for Jacob's heart.

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    It was to Beth-ale that God referred when he sent him away from Laban in Genesis 31. It was to Beth-ale that Jacob again was sent by God in Genesis 35. It was at Beth-ale that Jacob's name was changed to Israel, prince with God, in Genesis 35 and verses 10 to 15. And his relationship with that place began on this one night in Genesis chapter 28.

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    Now God has just promised to him in verse 15 that he would be with him and keep him in all places wherever he went. This was God's guarantee of lifelong care for that man. Jacob's response is recorded in verses 20 and 21. He says to God, well if that's what you're prepared to do for me, then this is what I will do in response, in grateful response to you.

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    In fact, this is the place, brothers and sisters, of Jacob's commitment to God. This is the place of Jacob's spiritual awakening. This was the place where Jacob made his vow a commitment for life. In our terms, you could say it was the equivalent of Jacob's baptism. It's the place where he makes his personal, lifelong vow of commitment to God.

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    Now let's just look at the vow that he makes there in verses 20 and 21. He actually promises three things. Jacob vows a vow, verse 20 saying, If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, number one, then shall Yahweh be my God.

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    Number two, and this stone which I have set for a pillar shall be God's house. Now those two things are very significant. In fact, both of them become themes for both spiritual and natural Israel in the future. The idea of God becoming his God, and this idea of the stone being set up as Bethel, the house of God.

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    But what about Jacob himself? What's he prepared to give to God? What vow of commitment is he prepared to make as far as his own life is concerned? What spiritual endeavor was he prepared to undertake on God's behalf? He says, Well, Yahweh will become my God. This stone can become the house of God.

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    And as for me personally, I'm going to tithe, he says. And that's it. That's the sum total, the full extent of Jacob's vow of commitment to God. Now just think about what God's just promised him. He's given him the Abrahamic covenant. He's promised to give him the land, to multiply his seed as the dust of the earth, to look after him wherever he travels and bring him back safe to that land, back to his father's house.

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    A promise that God would never leave him. And in return for that glorious promise which God gave to him, Jacob's heartfelt response was to offer the tithe. What remarkable significance. What weighty import then. What remarkable meaning must be concealed in the subject of the tithe. And here, brothers and sisters, we have our first clue.

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    There must be something in this little subject which is immensely personally significant. Because this tithe represented Jacob's personal vow of commitment to God. And it is synonymous with baptism. Commitment to God. Now that would suggest to us, wouldn't it, that the idea of a tithe then has more to do with a life than just goods or mere possessions.

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    There is something about the subject of the tithe which represents a person's entire being. And in scripture, the tithe speaks of the person themselves. Of them giving their life to God. It is a symbol for all of us of the theme of personal commitment. But the obvious question is, where did Jacob get this idea of a tithe from?

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    And the answer is, from his grandfather. It was his grandfather, Abraham, the father of the faithful, who first, in scripture, institutes the concept of a tithe. He set a pattern. It's a pattern for all of Israel, both spiritual and natural, to follow later. It was Abraham who started the tithe. So let's go back now to the record of Genesis 14 and see where the tithe was first instituted.

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    Now Genesis 14 is one of those significant milestones of scripture, isn't it? It's the story of Melchizedek meeting with Abraham. It's a story which is emphasized in the Psalms. It's expanded on in the book of Hebrews. It introduces us to the immortal priesthood of Christ. The priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

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    It's a story that exudes lessons and types and principles that come out of this simple little record. So the grand meeting between Abraham, the father of the faithful, and Melchizedek, the priest. The eternal priest. It's in the context of this remarkable story that the tithe is first given. Now we know the background to the chapter, don't we?

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    Kedaleoma has come down with his confederacy and he's come down and attacked the city of Sodom. He's overthrown the city and he's taken many captives, including Lot and his family. And stirred up in faith, Abraham, with 300 trained men of his own house, pursues and he destroys Kedaleoma in a mighty battle. Now it must have been a mighty battle because it's described here in Genesis 14 and also in Hebrews 7 as the slaughter of the kings.

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    So it was quite some event. Now in chapter 14 and verse 16, we have Abraham returning from the battle. Try and picture the scene in your mind. You see Abraham and his 300 young men and they're returning. They're triumphant, but they're weary from the battle. They bring with them all the captives now freed, including Lot and his family.

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    They bring also all the spoils of battle. Verse 16, he brought back all the goods and also brought again his brother Lot and his goods and the women also and the people. In verse 17, the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Kedaleoma and of the kings that were with him at the valley of Shaver, which is the king's dale.

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    And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

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    And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, give me the persons and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto Yahweh, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread, even to a shoe latchet.

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    I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abram rich. So we read through the story and it's familiar to us. But let's go back and look at the record again very carefully. First of all, note that in this story there are three main characters. We have Abraham.

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    We have Melchizedek, the king of Salem. And we have the king of Sodom. Now read the record very carefully, brothers and sisters, and look at the order in which these three characters interact in the scene. Do you notice how verse 17 introduces the king of Sodom?

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    Then verse 18 introduces King Melchizedek. And then verse 21, the record goes back to what Sodom says. And the record very carefully starts with Sodom. It inserts like the filling in a sandwich, the incident of Melchizedek. And then it carries on with the speech of the king of Sodom as well. And the story of Melchizedek is inserted in the story of the king of Sodom.

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    Now what's the implication of this, brothers and sisters? It's telling us that those two kings reached Abraham at exactly the same time. They arrived in front of Abraham together. Picture it in your own minds. It is simultaneous. It's not sequential. So the king of Sodom comes to meet him in verse 17. And King Melchizedek comes forth bearing bread and wine.

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    Now just imagine Abraham. He's on his way back into the land. And he's bringing all the goods and people. And he's trudging there through the land. And suddenly, bang, confronted face to face with two men simultaneously. Both kings. King Melchizedek and the king of Sodom. And they are two fundamentally different characters. We couldn't get a greater contrast in scripture than is painted between these two men.

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    On one hand, he has the king of Sodom. The word Sodom means burning. Here is the king of burning. In fact, it's interesting to note that in verse 10, the king of Sodom has been slain. So this is obviously a replacement king. But the record doesn't emphasize that. It's simply his role. There he is as the king of burning.

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    Paraded in front of Abraham. Yet having thrown this man up in stark relief, the record then leaves him hanging in suspense. And the divine lens is turned to look instead at Melchizedek. He's the other king who also stands simultaneously in front of Abraham. Now, what a contrast. His name is Melchizedek. The king of righteousness.

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    He's the king of Salem. The king of peace. He comes forth bearing bread and wine. He is a priest of the most high God. Could you get a more positive description of a spiritual man? Could the record be any more plain that this was a godly man that appeared before Abraham? And here's Abraham confronted with two kings.

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    One bringing bread and wine. And the other stands there as a king of burning. We just couldn't get a greater contrast than the record is painting here for us. And then both of these kings opened their mouths. Both of them speak to Abraham. First, Melchizedek. Verse 18. He blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.

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    And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hands. Can you see the beauty of the words that flow from that man's lips? You can imagine him, can't you, raising his hands in benediction and blessing upon Abraham. Blessed be Abram of the most high God. Wonderful words. Words that describe the victory of that battle to God.

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    Words that describe to God the ownership of everything, the possessor of the heaven and earth. As he pours forth a wonderful benediction or blessing upon Abraham. And then? Well then it's the king of Sodom's turn. Feel the grossness and the cheapness of his words. Verse 21. Give me the souls. Take the goods for yourself.

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    Let's cut a deal, Abraham. You give me the people. You can take the goods. What calculating words. What greed and avarice is there. A mind that focuses on the souls of men and on the goods. The value of goods. What a horrible contrast. What an ugly contrast. With the blessings that came forth from the lips of Melchizedek.

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    Now when he says take the goods for yourself. What goods is he referring to? Well they're the spoils of verse 16. All the goods that they brought back from the war. Where did those spoils come from? Those spoils had been taken from the city of Sodom. These were the goods of Sodom. And here was a man, brothers and sisters, who was wanting to make a bargain or a deal with Abraham.

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    Abraham, you take the goods. You have all the goods that Sodom can offer. And in exchange, give me the souls of the people. They're calculating words, aren't they? Does it remind you of another section of scripture? The souls of men. Let's turn up Revelation chapter 18. It's the story of the destruction of the great whore.

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    The great system of Babylon. In Revelation 18. Now in the destruction of this great system in verse 9. First of all, all the kings of the earth wail because they see the smoke of her burning. That's interesting. What other city in scripture is described later as burning with a great cloud of smoke?

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    She's described also in another section of the apocalypse as being a great city. Revelation 11 verse 8. A great city spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. It then talks in verse 12 about her merchandise. The merchandise of gold and silver. Precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, thine wood. All manner of vessels of ivory.

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    All manner of vessels of most precious wood. Brass, iron, marble, cinnamon, odors, ointments, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, beasts, sheep, horses, chariots, slaves and souls of men. It's part of the merchandise of Sodom. So where do these symbols in Revelation 18 come from? Some of them are drawn, aren't they? From the story of the destruction of the city of Sodom.

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    And it's a representation, brothers and sisters, here in our story of everything that this world offers. Its religious values, its commercial values, its materialism. All its fun, all its comfort, all its goods. Simply exchanged for the souls of men. The danger of the affluent society in which we live, brothers and sisters, is not in the goods themselves, is it?

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    The danger is when those things become an end in themselves. And we think of the words of the Lord when he says, Take heed and beware of covetousness. For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And at this point we need to stop and ask ourselves, Well, is it possible that all the cares of this life and the goods of Sodom have become so important to us that we lose clarity of what the principles of the truth are all about and lose a commitment and zeal for the things of God?

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    And as this man offered Abraham all the goods of Sodom in exchange for the souls of men, it illustrates that point. But back in the record, brothers and sisters, we then come across Melchizedek. If we turn back to Genesis, the priest of the Most High God. He's also standing there at Abraham's side.

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    But what he offers to Abraham is exactly the opposite. Back to Genesis 14. And look at the words that he speaks. Genesis 14 verse 19. So what about the goods? Abraham. All those goods which you have brought back. Who do they belong to? Blessed be the Most High God. The possessor of heaven and earth.

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    Everything Abraham belongs to God. Well, what about deliverance? What about that wonderful victory, Abraham, which you have just wrought? Blessed be the Most High God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thine hand. And there in front of Abraham, brothers and sisters, was an enormous contrast of those two ways. So clearly placed before Abraham.

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    Two fundamentally different outlooks in life. Both of them claimed his attention. Both of them were seeking his loyalty. And you couldn't help, could you, but see the contrast between those two men. In fact, the very way in which the record is structured with one story inserted inside the other makes that contrast abundantly clear.

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    And you know, Abraham saw it all. He saw it displayed there in front of him. He looked at it. He weighed it up. And he made his choice. Now when he hears the words of Melchizedek, in your mind, just watch him. He listens to Melchizedek. He turns around. He calls the young men to bring all the spoils of Sodom.

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    Methodically, he goes through, part by part by part. He selects a tenth of all the goods. He piles them up separately together. And then formally, and with reverence, he passes them across to Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God. And without a word, he's made his decision obvious. He's broadcast for all the world to see, brothers and sisters, his approach in life.

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    The tithe is a representative of all. For all, Abraham has made his choice. And he's publicly demonstrating that everything he had belonged to the Most High God. That it should be rendered back to God in the person of the representative of God, the Most High Priest. And it's a wordless expression here, brothers and sisters, of all the values that Abraham has.

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    In fact, you know, he was saying more than that. As he took those tithes and he gave them to Melchizedek, what was it? It was an expression of respect and of reverence. Remember the words of Hebrews chapter 7? Now consider how great this man was, says the Apostle, in reference to Melchizedek. Consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

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    So the tithe is an acknowledgement of greatness. It's a recognition of the importance of the one before whom Abraham stood. But having made very clear his choice to Melchizedek, he still has to respond, doesn't he, in Genesis 14 to the king of Sodom. So having given the tithe, Abraham turns back and he looks at all the goods of Sodom that are laid out there before him.

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    He looks at everything that the king of Sodom can offer him. All its wealth, all its possessions, all the glory of conquest. And he utterly rejects it. In fact, he doesn't just utterly reject it, brothers and sisters. He repudiates it with vehemence and passion. Just look at the words. He says, I have lift up mine hand, verse 22.

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    In other words, I have made an oath or a commitment or a promise. I have lifted up my hand unto Yahweh, the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. Now that's interesting. Whose words were those? Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. Those were the very words of Melchizedek.

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    And here is a man who's listened to the words of Melchizedek and he's appropriated them for himself. And they are spoken by Abraham as his own conviction. A response to the words of Melchizedek. These have been given to me by the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. And so he says to the king of Sodom, I will not take a thread, not a shoe latchet, not anything of yours at all.

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    Can you see the emphasis in those words? I will take nothing, he said. From a thread to a shoe latchet, I'll not take anything at all. I don't want anything of yours, Sodom. I don't want to be indebted to you. I don't want to be in your grasp. I don't want to owe you anything.

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    Because he makes his reasons abundantly clear when he says to that king, I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou should say, I have made Abram rich.

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    There's vehemence. There's passion. There's a zeal of fervor in those words, brothers and sisters, because he understood the issues. He had made a solemn vow before God not to accept the treasures of Sodom. He had made a promise to reject that call. In fact, the only thing he did accept in verse 24 was the food for what the young men needed to eat.

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    Simply something which was necessary merely to sustain life. There's an echo there later in the life of Jacob when he promises to give a tithe. He speaks of God giving him bread to eat and raiment to put on. Not riches, not wealth, not the goods of Sodom, but the basic necessities of life.

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    Now, brothers and sisters, just as surely as those two kings stood in front of Abraham in those days, standing in front of us today are two kings, a king of righteousness and a king of Sodom. And they both call for our allegiance. And the issues for us in life today are just as stark as they were for Abraham.

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    Sodom stands in front of us today and it calls for our allegiance. Take all these goods for yourself. You're entitled to them. You've earned them. They're yours by right of conquest. No one has the right to tell you what to do with the things that you've earned for yourself. So go on. Take all that Sodom can offer simply in exchange for your soul.

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    And the call of Sodom to us today is very subtle. He comes, as he did to Abraham, as a friend and not as an enemy. And we need to listen and hear the sound of that call, working on our weaknesses, appealing to us with all the things that this materialistic world can offer, the pleasant things, the things of Sodom.

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    And we need to develop in life, brothers and sisters, that same adamance that Abraham had, the same fire and passion and conviction in our lives, a wholehearted repudiation of this world and a commitment to the things of God. And the other king? Well, the other king comes, doesn't he, bearing bread and wine.

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    He brings an acknowledgement that everything we have has come from God. He brings a recognition for everything that God does for us in life. He brings a giving back to God, the spirit of the tenth, a portion of everything that God has given to us. And the choice, brothers and sisters, the choice confronts us in life in the same way that those men confronted Abraham.

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    Abraham, every one of us makes choices. It's part of life. And when we make our choices and our decisions in life, we need the courage to make them the right choices. It means fathers who make a choice to avoid a job with much long periods of travel away from the family. It means brethren who look for a job which is conducive to life in the truth.

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    It means young sisters who make the choice that getting a good career in life is not the top priority. It means sisters who stay at home to look after the family and other members of the ecclesia in their time of need. It means parents who make the choice to dress their children in decent clothes and avoid the absurd and untidy fashions of the world.

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    It means young people who decide not to go out to the cafe again with all the other young folk. Why? Because they want to stay home to do some personal Bible study. It means young people who make the choice that the latest fashions to look cool are not their greatest aspiration in life.

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    It means brothers and sisters who choose to go out to Bible class midweek despite all the pressures that this life brings upon us day by day. It means families who make the choice to go to Bible school rather than spend all their holidays at the beach. Above all, brothers and sisters, it means people who have the courage to make the choice, to make right choices in life rather than to simply submit to enjoy all that Sodom can offer.

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    Now the reason that we focus, brothers and sisters, on the passion and the zeal of the statement of Abraham is because wholehearted zeal and commitment to the truth is something that we desperately need today. Our families need it. Our ecclesias need it. Our wholehearted commitment of our entire being to the cause of God's glorious truth.

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    A total dedication to things of God. That's what's represented by the tithe. The record says there that Abraham gave him tithes of all, of everything. And isn't that our life? The truth, brothers and sisters, to us must become everything, everything that we have belongs to God. It's been given to us for use in his service.

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    You know, brothers and sisters, this subject is actually about basics, isn't it? It causes us all to stop and to reassess our own personal lives. What am I doing with my life? What have I allowed my job to become? What have I placed my hopes on? What's most important to me in life?

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    Where is my allegiance? Where is my heart? For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You know, it helps for us, brothers and sisters, to be able to look off into the future and see the end result. Little did Abraham know as he stood there and resisted the temptations offered by the king of burning, that in a few short years he would stand on a lonely hill and look down onto the plain and see the smoke of the burning of that city ascending to heaven, as fire and brimstone burnt that city into obliteration.

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    What a contrast with a glorious priesthood, a priesthood forever after the order of Melchizedek. And in that context, in a context that just reeks of the issue of our age, we are introduced for the very first time to the subject of the tithe. It forms a key part, a central element in the story of Abraham before Melchizedek, because it's the epitome of Abraham's choice to serve his God.

82. 40:57

    We couldn't get a more appropriate, more directly relevant symbol of our life today than the story of Abraham and the tithe. Because in one little symbol, in its simplicity, it captures a whole life which is committed to God. It's the essence of a life which is given to God, but given by choice.

83. 41:21

    Now, brothers and sisters, if tithing was Abraham's response to those momentous events in Genesis 14, if tithing was Jacob's response when given airship of the greatest promises the world has ever known, if tithing was the summation of their response, their heartfelt response to God, an expression of their love and faithfulness, then this little subject of tithing must have immense significance for us.

84. 41:56

    It must be very powerful. So may it be, brothers and sisters, that in our homes and our families and our ecclesias, we have the courage to make the choice that Abraham had, to give our life in commitment to the Most High God, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.

85. 42:23

    Amen. Amen.