Mark O’Grady - Class 2: That They Might be Encouraged in the Law of Yahweh

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   Our second speaker this morning is Brother Mark O'Grady of the Tawa New Zealand Ecclesia. The theme for Brother Mark's classes this week is All the Tithe is Holy. Today's class is entitled That They Might Be Encouraged in the Law of Yahweh. Brother Mark.

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   Well, brothers and sisters, it's in the law that the subject of tithing really starts to take on substance and structure. The law has five separate sections explicitly dealing with the subject of tithing, and every one of them is different. Leviticus 27, Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 12, Deuteronomy 14, and Deuteronomy 26. Now, without the tithe, the entire Mosaic system was dead.

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   Does that sound melodramatic? Without the tithe, the entire religious structure in Israel literally fell apart. But all secular and religious government collapsed. And in this morning's study, we're going to go beyond the simplicity of just giving to God. God's not like some big black hole with a voracious appetite that just swallows everything we can give him.

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   And the principles that are embodied in the subject of the tithe are positive. They build, and they cause things to grow. So we're going to start this morning by considering the role of the Levites. Now, we know that in Israel, the role of the Levite was very important to the nation. They carried the vessels.

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   They set up the tabernacle. They slew the sacrifices. They did all the work of the tabernacle, of the center of Israel's worship together. But their role went much further than this. They were also especially appointed as ministers for God. They formed a pivotal role in bringing Israel and their God closely together. The nation of Israel was not pure.

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   And we're told that God wouldn't suffer them to come into his holy courts in Numbers 18, verses 22 to 23. And instead, he appointed Levi, as it were, partly as a buffer, partly as a bridge, to act as the means of bringing Israel back together again with their God. And without the work of the Levites, the whole nation of Israel was alienated from their God.

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   Their worship could not take place. So as we look upon the whole nation of Israel, we see that their worship was dependent upon the tribe of Levi. So if we were able to hover, as it were, above the camp of Israel and look down upon them, we would see a very industrious scene.

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   And right at its core, we would see the tribe of Levi, the ebb and the flow of ecclesial life in the days of Israel. And the Levites there are right at the center of that process around the tabernacle. Thousands of Levites working throughout the nation. They taught the people. They worked at the tabernacle.

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   They were working before God. And as we watch that scene, we ask ourselves a simple question. How could they afford to spend their entire day working on behalf of others? How could the Levites afford to spend all their waking hours serving God? How did they eat? Who fed them? How could they put aside all those normal necessities of daily life so that they could dedicate their life to God?

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    Now, if we turn to Numbers 18, which was read this morning, Numbers 18 has the answer. Yes, it was a great privilege for the Levites to be able to serve Yahweh. They had the priesthood. God's described as being their inheritance. But nevertheless, on a practical level, somehow these men still had to eat.

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    And in Numbers chapter 18, in verse 21 through to verse 24, God gave the Levites the tithe as their inheritance. Verse 21, Numbers 18. Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth, it's our word tithe, all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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    Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle, lest they bear sin and die. Verse 24. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto Yahweh, I have given to the Levites to inherit. Therefore, I have said unto them, among the children of Israel, they shall have no inheritance.

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    So very simply, Israel fed the Levites. So when we look down upon that industrious scene and saw all the activity of the tribe of Levi, it was only possible because they were fed by their brethren. The tithe was the lubrication that made the system work. It was the oil that enabled the wheels to go round.

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    The only reason that the tribe of Levi could concentrate on all their religious activities was because they were supported by the children of Israel who took care of their temporal needs by means of the tithe. Without the tithe, the Levites could not focus on their tasks. Without the Levites focusing on their tasks, Israel's worship was impossible.

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    And the entire system came grinding to a halt. There were no doorkeepers. There was no one to clear away the sacrifices. There was no one to prepare the sacrifices. No one to make sure that there was oil for the lamp. No one to gather the ingredients for the incense. And it highlights to us the vital importance of the humble contribution of the tithe.

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    The contribution from every Israelite. Because the humble tithe was essential for the entire nation to be able to continue in their worship. I'd like you to come with me. Leave your hand there in Numbers 18 or a marker because we are going to come back. But let's turn briefly to Numbers chapter 13.

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    We have a graphic illustration of these principles or these issues at work. Sorry, Nehemiah. I beg your pardon. In Nehemiah 13. There's a graphic illustration of these issues at work in the story of Nehemiah and chapter 13.

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    Nehemiah returns back to the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 13 and verse 10. He says, That's the tithe. For the Levites and the singers that did the work were fled, every one to his field. Then I contended I with the rulers and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their place.

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    And as sure as night follows day, when that tithe stopped, the Levites fled to their fields. Because otherwise they starved to death. And when the Levites fled to their fields, as Nehemiah describes it, he says, The house of God is forsaken. Now that highlights for us not just how important the Levites were, but also the fact that they were very vulnerable.

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    Because their life depended on the consistent faithfulness of their brethren. And without the daily support of others, the Levites had to forsake the tabernacle. They failed in their duty. They fled from their responsibilities. And they couldn't complete their work. No matter how important it was, without Israel's help. So if Israel were generous, then the Levites fared well.

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    If Israel were mean, then the Levites fared poorly. If Israel's crops went well, then the Levites did well. If Israel's crops failed, then the Levites suffered. So when we put these things together, what do we actually have? Well, we find that Israel desperately needed the Levites for their worship to continue. But the Levites desperately needed Israel to live.

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    So in that relationship, brothers and sisters, who was self-sufficient? Neither. There was a mutual dependence between the two. And isn't that a magnificent cameo of the principles of ecclesial life through all ages. Unless an ecclesia as a whole contributes to the work of the truth, it all falls apart. Let's turn to Ephesians 4.

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    Some magnificent words of the Apostle Paul when he's speaking of the one body and how it functions together. And he speaks of the body of Christ as a body which is growing together. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 16. He speaks first of all in context in verse 15 of the head being Christ.

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    And then in verse 16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love, the idea of a building up process. From the NIV, from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.

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    And doesn't that convey in magnificent terms the dependence of the body on all parts for it to be able to function together? Very powerful lesson for ecclesia life. And you know, it wasn't the fact that some hugely wealthy Israelite brought along an enormous offering one day. It was actually the fact that every Israelite consistently brought along their contribution.

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    Big and small. All added together. As each part does its work. Held together by every supporting ligament. And so every Israelite, small and great, rich and poor, brought along their bunch of grapes, their sheaf of wheat, their barrel of oil, and the religious worship of Israel continued. And if they stopped, it failed.

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    Now in your mind, can you see this endless stream of Israelites winding their ways across the hills and down through the valleys on their journey down to the tabernacle? A river of contributions coming from the nation as each brother and sister brought their contributions from their homeland down to the tabernacle for the work to continue.

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    And one by one, they would approach and they would lay down their tithe in the storehouses that were made available. And can you imagine a Levite, as he sees that, lifting up his grateful eyes to thank the Father and carrying on faithfully with the work of worship in the tabernacle? Day by day, as each Israelite brought their contributions, so that work continued.

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    Day by day, Israelite by Israelite, offering by offering. Day by day, Israelite by Israelite, offering by remind us, each of us, brothers and sisters, has a tithe to bring, don't we? Our tithe is our personal contribution to the work of the truth in our ecclesias. And without the consistent, faithful offering of every Israelite, worship failed, the entire system collapsed.

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    and the message of the tithing for us brothers and sisters in this study is it is our personal responsibility to contribute to the work of ecclesial life it's our responsibility to contribute to help the truth to prosper and ecclesial life to grow and for our ecclesias to function one of the interesting features of the tithe is that it actually took a myriad of different forms it was different for each person so I might be a vineyard owner and I might bring along all my grapes you might be a wheat farmer so you bring along some bushels another brother would be a shepherd so he might bring along some sheep it doesn't matter what walk in life it doesn't matter what occupation but everybody still brought their contribution and it was always 10 percent it was always the same for every person a 10 percent contribution the wealthy brought 10 percent the poor brought 10 percent they were all bound by the same obligation but of course different people were able to give different amounts according as God had blessed them so there's a consistent principle for the entire community but each is able to contribute according to their means and according to their circumstances in life so all the faithful in Israel contributed and there's not a single person in this room who doesn't have a responsibility to contribute a tithe all of us brothers and sisters according to our circumstances in life so we ask ourselves well what is our tithe what's the tithe that we can contribute today well it's a portion isn't it of all the blessings that God has given to us to use

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    in his service God has been has blessed each of us in different ways it may be that you're one of those people that always seems to know the right thing to say although you it might be that you're one of those people who just seem to notice and can lend a helping hand when somebody else is in pain or sorrow the kindly support it may be that you have wealth or perhaps ability or perhaps time that you can offer to the service of the truth it may be youthful energy and enthusiasm our tithe may be leading studies or it may be simply saying thank you for something that has been done above all brothers and sisters our tithe is our regular consistent support for the activities of ecclesial life because it's consistent contribution that enables the ecclesia to function so the question for every one of us brothers and sisters is what is the tithe that i've contributed to ecclesial life let's go back now to numbers 18 there's some interesting features in numbers 18 which we should look at interesting phrase in numbers 18 in verse 21 god says in numbers 18 verse 21 behold i have given the children of israel sorry the children of levi all the tenth in israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation the niv says in return for the work that they do so that as each israelite came up and contributed his tithe to the work of the tabernacle brothers and sisters and as he watched the levite pick that tithe up and take it away and place it carefully in the storehouse the words of these

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    scriptures just rang in his mind for the service which they do in return for the work that they do and as surely as an israelite was able to think about those words and that principle when he gave his goods to the levites he did so in gratefulness in appreciation for the work of which was done for the service which they do because unless the levite had been prepared to sacrifice everything all material thought of his own all of his own livelihood and cheerfully give himself to the work of the tabernacle then worship was impossible the israelite could not have approached god in worship so when the israelite gave his tithe to the levites brothers and sisters he did so in gratefulness it was in appreciation for the wonderful work which the levites did on his behalf we won't turn it up but the spirit of that is captured in a magnificent verse in nehemiah 12 it speaks there of of judah and israel contributing their tithes to the storehouse and it says judah rejoiced for the priests and for the levites that waited the context is of each israelite taking of his own personal goods and giving them to the levites and as they did the record says they rejoiced they rejoiced to give to the levites for the priests and the levites that waited and that little expression doesn't it convey warmth and love and above everything else one little word appreciation so we stop and we think about that concept for a moment as far as ecclesial life's concerned the tithe was given here in the old testament to support those who labored it was given in gratitude for

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    their service now we don't have levites today do we but we do have many who serve ecclesial life is made up isn't it of many who serve in all sorts of capacities both prominent and obscure both brothers and sisters both visible and invisible both grand tasks and small labors but all of it is service for the tappenac so our community brothers and sisters is made up of people who labor on our behalf the question for us is do we bring our support do we appreciate the work that's done on our behalf in ecclesial life service for the work of the tabernacle in whatever capacity the doorman the organists the sister who washes the tea the brother who cares the brother who cares the ecclesial plan the family who cleans the hall the brother who leads the bible class the brother who makes a stand to uphold the truth in difficult circumstances the couple who visit the sick or the weak it's all service for the tabernacle or the tent of meeting as it means and so we ask ourselves the question brothers and sisters do we say thank you do we say thank you to those in ecclesial life who labor on our behalf can you remember the last three times you said thank you to others in ecclesial life were there a last three times in which we said thank you to others in ecclesial life or do we just take you know if somebody gives a study in a hall and the hall is full of bright-eyed people who are fascinated and excited about that subject in the word eagerly taking notes playing close paying close attention to

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    the message that's being conveyed that support the brother receives powerful support and encouragement from that but in contrast you imagine brothers and sisters how an organist feels if she goes to play the organ at midweek bible class and there's a pathetic sprinkling of people in the hall most of us of course being far too busy with much more important things in life than to simply go and hear god's word it's her job to lead the singing and that quavery drone that's barely audible above the soft notes of the organ does that inspire her and encourage her in her labor and service for the tent of meeting how does she feel well in tithe speak she goes home hungry she's not been fed no food no support there so these principles brothers and sisters are very soul-searching aren't they for our contributions personally to ecclesial life now we've looked so far at the tithe as our contribution to ecclesial life and as our support for those who serve in whatever capacity let's stop for a moment and consider the role of the levite himself now clearly we don't have levites today there's not a tribe of priests divinely appointed by god they're not there by birth to to fulfill a specific role in israel we don't have anybody chosen as the special representative of god in our community but the levite was also somebody who assisted in the worship of god he was responsible wasn't he for the spiritual well-being of israel and for the teaching of the people and those functions do exist in ecclesial life today we don't have levites but every ecclesia every ecclesia does have those who supply spiritual leadership and care for our

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    well-being and the lesson of the tithe is that those who undertake those activities on our behalf who labor on our behalf and serve in the tent of meeting they need our support remember of course that the levite was unable to function he could not function without the support of israel do you think it would be possible brothers and sisters that those who labor in word and doctrine on our behalf today are greatly weakened if they have to labor without our support and without our encouragement and so brothers and sisters as we think about the subject of the tithe we ask ourselves the question how well do i support those who labor in word and doctrine in my ecclesia what have i done to support them do i just take take take or do i bring my tithe in support now in that context brothers and sisters i'd like us to reconsider for a moment the vulnerability of the levite you know we look at the role of a levite in in scripture and we say clearly it's a very special role they had a prominent role they were very important in daily life in israel it was their duty to assist others in worship they had to teach they had to encourage when necessary they had to rebuke but consider the other side of the same coin they were materially very poor they had no inheritance their lot involved very hard work and great service it brought extra care responsibility and it actually brought great risk it left them very dependent on the children of israel on the faithfulness and support of the individuals in israel

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    for their very food so if we look at the very faithful levite secure in his service we look at his role and we ask well what does he need from the poor widow who comes and gives her meager offering and the answer is it was his dinner he needed her support to live you couldn't get more basic than that could you and in many ways those strong priests were in a position of great weakness and they were absolutely dependent upon the faithful love and support of all their brethren just to survive you know brothers and sisters it's often that way in ecclesial life today the role of those who labor on our behalf in ecclesial life is sometimes very hard it involves great sacrifice it consumes their time their families may have to make sacrifices dad's out or dad's busy it involves cost it means those things around the home may not be done for the wife it means they're not able to do some of those things they would dearly love to do it means they may not have much time for relaxation at times it might impact on their careers on their employment or even on their businesses sometimes it involves great distress and anxiety you know we tend not to think of our ecclesial shepherds as being vulnerable do we we say well they're there to do a job they took it on they're not very good really are they they don't do it very well do they and if we want to criticize them well they should just jolly well take it well brothers and sisters they're not perfect they will make mistakes

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    but they need our support and I want to say that again very slowly and clearly in ecclesial life they need our support have you ever considered that after considering some very difficult matter arranging brethren might go home and shut the door and cry cry to the heavenly father because of their distress at the issues they're trying to cope with or perhaps lie awake in the early hours of the morning unable to sleep because of their worry for matters in ecclesial life have you ever thought about how emotionally vulnerable people are who have to make difficult decisions about people and issues and families only to have it cast back in their teeth by me because I think that they were too hard and simultaneously by you because you thought they were too soft now brothers and sisters the Israelites supported the Levites with their tithes never underestimate the strength and the courage which we deliver to our brothers and sisters when we support those who labor on our behalf in ecclesial life and never underestimate the fact that our contributions of support can make an enormous difference to either lighten the load or enormously increase the burden now to balance that I'd like to come back now to Numbers 18 and let's look again at a couple of features that come out of the record in Numbers 18 the Levite was not a ruler he was not there as a dictator someone who could demand allegiance or command obedience he was there as a servant as a minister in the tabernacle let's look at those words again verse 21 behold I have given the children of Levi

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    all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve and the word service there means the labor of a servant or a slave the role of a Levite combined both spiritual leadership and the role of a servant you know it's a unique a unique aspect of scripture it's a unique concept leadership through service a combined role of being a leader and a slave just think of those words that we know so well of the Lord Jesus Christ Matthew 20 verse 25 ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them they that are great exercise authority upon them but it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister means a servant and whosoever will be chief among you let him be your servant even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister to give his life a ransom for many and there's a principle brothers and sisters of service for all of us to aspire to isn't it that amazing example of the Lord Jesus Christ who came as a servant but the next interesting little thing from Numbers 18 is contained there in the section from verses 25 to verse 28 Yahweh spake unto Moses saying 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 Yahweh even a tenth part of the tribe of the tithe and this your heave offering

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    shall be reckoned unto you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress so here we have a principle brothers and sisters that when the tithe came pouring into the Levites the first thing they had to do was to go through and take a tenth of the tenth a tithe of the tithe and they had to take 10% and then contribute that 10% to Aaron to support Aaron and the priests and what does that tell us well it tells us brothers and sisters that they also had to give a tithe and anyone who takes on any responsibility in ecclesial life today must understand that they too are bound by all the same principles of life the Levites were not exempt from the responsibility on all of Israel to be able to give a tenth they too had to give their tithe and everybody in whatever role in ecclesial life must live by the same responsible the same principles we all have a responsibility contribute our tenth to Christ we're all bound by the same principles in life but as you look at that little section there through to verse 28 there is actually one subtle difference there's something very different about the tithe that the Levites had to offer compared to the rest of Israel verse 28 thus ye shall also offer and heave offering unto Yahweh of all your tithes which ye receive of the children of Israel ye shall give thereof Yahweh's heave offering to Aaron the priest verse 30 wherefore thou shalt say unto them when ye have heaved the best thereof from it

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    then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor verse 29 out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering unto Yahweh of Yahweh of all the best thereof even the hallowed part thereof out of it you notice the little word best comes up in verse 29 and verse 30 you know the fascinating thing is that that's unique that's the only time in the record that a tithe had to be based upon the best for all the rest of Israel it was actually a representative 10% it was a genuine representation of the whole whether good or bad so the tithe did not need to be the best but when it came to the Levites however when they gave the 10% to Aaron they had to make sure that it was the best so they had to live by the same principles but theirs was a greater burden theirs was an extra responsibility the principles needed to be upheld but they needed to be upheld even more strongly well what's the lesson for us in ecclesial life from that concept well it's telling us brothers and sisters that those who would be shepherds in ecclesial life are bound by the same rules and principles but the onus on them is much greater you see if I'm cleaning the hall and I don't do a very good job there's left some fluff on the carpet that's the consequence but if I'm providing assistance for someone and a deep issue personal issue in family life and helping them through a personal spiritual crisis and I don't do a very good job

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    the consequences are horrific and the area in which the Levites worked was holy to God it was a special area as verse 29 puts it it was the hallowed part which they had to give to God so brothers and sisters both brothers and sisters if we take on responsibility to serve God in areas that are precious and holy to him we must fulfill that responsibility with very great care and let all brothers and sisters who labor on behalf of our brethren spiritual welfare take careful note of the words of verse 32 you shall bear no sin by reason of it when ye have heaved from it the best of it neither shall you pollute the holy things of the children of Israel lest ye die they're very serious principles aren't they when you see them in that context and that brothers and sisters is the blend or the balance of ecclesial life there's a responsibility on the part of every one of us to contribute generously to ecclesial life and there's a responsibility on the part of those who serve to do so with great care now having seen these principles laid out for us there in Numbers 18 in the law of Moses let's step back from the record as it were for a moment and think is there an example in the pages of scripture where those principles are actually applied practically in real life can we see these excitations of Numbers 18 actually applied in a specific example can you imagine what an ecclesia would be like if all those principles were truly upheld by all the brothers and sisters in that ecclesia

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    you imagine the strength the vibrancy the enthusiasm of a group like that it's a recipe brothers and sisters for ecclesial growth and strength and we're blessed with a marvellous example of that in the book of chronicles second of chronicles chapter 31 in the days of Hezekiah we know that the days of Hezekiah saw some of the greatest reforms that ever took place in the nation of Israel second of chronicles chapter 30 for example is about that that wonderful Passover that great stirring celebration of the Passover where both Israel and Judah flocked down to keep it in second of chronicles chapter 30 in chapter 31 and verse 1 as soon as the Passover was finished spiritually stirred up and encouraged it says in verse 1 all Israel that were present this is second chronicles 31 verse 1 when all this was finished all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah they break the images in pieces they cut down the groves they threw down the high places and the altars until they had utterly destroyed them all and then they returned every man to his possession in their own cities so here's a picture brothers and sisters of an ecclesial environment which is stirred up full of enthusiasm they are absolutely thrilled to have been able to keep such a marvellous Passover together and they go out and they cleanse all the idolatry out of the land and then satisfied they return back to their homes then we come to the story of hezekiah verse 2 and 3 hezekiah appoints the courses of the priests and the levites after their courses every

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    man according to his service the priests and the levites for burnt offerings and for peace offerings to minister to give thanks and to praise in the gates of the tents of Yahweh and then himself of his own substance gives a portion for the burnt offerings for the evening and the morning offerings for the

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    he's re-establishing the entire structure of divine worship which had stopped so after Israel has renewed their heart with that marvellous new Passover now hezekiah goes through and sequentially and very carefully he puts back in place all the building blocks for worship to function he re-establishes the priests and the levites after their courses in their orders he gets the offerings going again he supplies the means so the morning and evening sacrifices and the sabbath day sacrifices can all start again and all the structure of the mosaic worship suddenly starts to come alive again hezekiah was a man who was absolutely committed to his god he understood the importance of all elements of the law in fact he understood the implications of every little section under the law and in most wonderful words we read in verse 4 moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the levites there's the tithe that they might be encouraged in the law of yahweh what wonderful words brothers and sisters we're talking here about the giving of the tithe and it says there that they might be encouraged excuse me that they might be encouraged in the law of yahweh now hezekiah is talking about food but he understands that there's more involved than simply a subject of food this is much more than just temporal needs for the levites this subject is much more profound than just filling the belly he understood what was involved in these principles and so it says brothers and sisters he did this that they might be encouraged in the law of yahweh and it

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    doesn't matter whether our tithe is half a bushel of wheat or 10,000 sheep it's all designed to encourage our brothers and sisters in the law of yahweh it was done and contributed by everybody now you know the extraordinary thing of this little passage here in verse 4 is that it's exactly the opposite of what you would expect wouldn't you have said that the most important role of the levites was to encourage israel in the law of yahweh wasn't that their task and yet here we have israel encouraging the levites in the law of yahweh isn't that a magnificent principle in terms of ecclesial life that if we bring our contributions brothers and sisters with a willing spirit to ecclesial life we encourage our brothers and sisters in god's word even if it's a mechanical thing that we're doing even if we're just bringing some food for them to put in their stomach the spirit of contribution there encourages our brothers and sisters in the law of yahweh and then just look at the wonderful response stirred to the core brothers and sisters stirred up in their heart by the wonderful things they've been experiencing together we have a wonderful picture here in chapter 31 of israel responding from the heart with extraordinary generosity just look at the words that are described there in verses 5 and 6 as soon as the commandment went abroad the children of israel brought in the abundance of the first fruits of corn wine oil honey and of all the increase of the field and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly and concerning the children of israel and

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    judah that dwelt in the cities of judah they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto yahweh their god and they laid them up in heaps this is the same spirit as shown in acts chapter 6 the saying pleased the whole multitude as soon as the commandment came abroad they were thrilled to have the opportunity of personally contributing to the work of the ecclesia and in the offerings came pouring as they brought their tithes into the house now just look at verse 7 in fact first of all verse 6 you see there it says they laid them up by heaps at the end of verse 6 if you've got an oxford bible do you see what it says in the margin it says heaps heaps the jerusalem bible says of that they were piling them up heap after heap so we get this picture here of these offerings that come flooding into the tabernacle and they're piling them up heap after heap now just look at the expression in verse 7 in the third month they began to lay the foundation of the heaps this is extraordinary these heaps brothers and sisters became so enormous that they started by carefully constructing a foundation for the heaps and then it says they finished them in the seventh month so for four months these tithes came pouring into the tabernacle now isn't that a marvelous spirit of contribution to ecclesial life and when an ecclesia can work together like that what happens well in verse 8 it causes people to see and it causes them to bless

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    Yahweh and bless Israel in verse 9 it causes people to wonder to ask to be amazed to want to find out why verse 10 wonderful words Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him and said since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of Yahweh we have had enough to eat and have left plenty for Yahweh hath blessed his people that which is left is this great store the contributions of their ecclesia were so great that there was more than enough that which is left is this great store and if an ecclesia can respond like that brothers and sisters if our ecclesias respond like that then its reservoirs will be full and so in verse 11 and 12 we then find that Hezekiah commands and they prepare chambers so the ecclesia begins to store away the tithe for leaner times building a storehouse of strength for the future need protection for times ahead brothers and sisters is that what we want in our ecclesias is that what we want in our personal homes to have a reservoir of food stored up for future need so that we can build up a store of strength for the future not just a mega covering for the needs of the day not a scrimping meal of dried biscuits but heaps upon heaps piled up enormous foundations strengthening our brethren in the law of Yahweh well if that's what we want it all comes from the tithe from each of us personally doing our own personal bit our enthusiastic contribution to the things of ecclesial life it's interesting that Hezekiah led the example

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    didn't he led by doing it himself in verse 4 he appointed the king's portion out of his own substance and then we have a marvellous little expression a fascinating little expression about those that actually received the tithe and carried it into the storehouse you'd look at it and say it's a very basic labouring task they came down and they picked the tithes up and they carried !

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    them across and plonked them down in the storehouse but look at the description of verse 12 these men they brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully over which was Kononiah the Levite he was ruler Shimei his brother was the next there were brethren brothers and sisters who assisted the ecclesia in bringing in the tithe and they helped their brothers and sisters deliver the tithe faithfully and then the record carries on in verse 14 hezekiah appoints a whole course of people and their responsibility was to then take the tithe and to administer it out for the needs of the Levites !

50. 47:07

    to take all the contributions of all of us brothers and sisters and to administer it in a way that assists the work of the truth in ecclesial life to direct the efforts and all the generosity of Israel so that the practical outworkings of ecclesial life can be covered what a wonderfully stirring scene it is that we have brothers and sisters in 2nd of chronicles chapter 31 it's a picture of an ecclesia that's alive it's vibrant it's growing it's knit together in love and it's been blessed by Yahweh and brothers and sisters that's the glorious picture of an ecclesial environment where each of the participants understands the principle of bringing his own or her own personal tithe our contribution for those who serve and labour on our behalf and the principle is that they might be encouraged in the law of Yahweh so brothers and sisters for the sake of our ecclesias for the sake of our young people for the sake of our children and for the sake of our homes let's bring our personal tithe of support in ecclesial life for all those who labour and serve in whatever capacity it might be that all of us are encouraged together in the law of Yahweh !