Mark O’Grady - Class 5: He Shall Rejoice Ye and Your Household

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Brothers and sisters, our second class is given by our brother, Marco Grady of the Tawa New Zealand Ecclesia. The theme of Brother Mark's classes this week is, All the Tithe is Holy. And today's class is entitled, Ye Shall Rejoice, Ye in Your Household. Good morning, brothers and sisters. Well, in this morning's study, we come to the end of the journey of the tithe.

2. 0:44

   When all those practical elements that we've looked at condensed together down to an end result, which is the theme of fellowship with God. Now, to try and capture the reality of the story and what would actually transpire in the life of Israel, we're going to join in the life, as it were, of a faithful Israelite.

3. 1:02

   And we're going to call him Joshua Ben Salem for the sake of our study this morning. Now, Brother Joshua is a brother who understands all the principles of the tithe. In fact, he's upheld the principles of it in his life. He's cared for the fatherless and the widow in the year of the tithe.

4. 1:21

   He's taken the hallowed thing out of his house. He now holds the annual tithe, or the 10%, in his hand, and he wants to give the tithe to God. So where does he go? What does he do? How does he do it? How do you give the 10% of your produce for the year to God?

5. 1:44

   What's the process? Now, there's a chapter which was read for us as an introduction this morning, Deuteronomy chapter 12, which gives us a very solemn injunction in terms of how the tithe was to be delivered. So we're going to go, first of all, with Brother Joshua, back to Deuteronomy chapter 12, and see what it tells us about the tithe.

6. 2:02

   Now, I don't know if you noticed as it was read this morning, but there's actually a key phrase which comes up a number of times throughout the chapter, Deuteronomy chapter 12. It comes up in verse 5. Unto the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there.

7. 2:21

   It comes up again in verse 11. Then there shall be a place which Yahweh your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there. Verse 14. In the place which Yahweh shall choose in one of thy tribes. Again, verse 18, verse 21, verse 26. And by the time we read through all the verses of the chapter and see that phrase being repeated six times, it becomes fairly clear to us, doesn't it?

8. 2:48

   They had to conduct their worship in the place which Yahweh chose to place his name there. In fact, in particular, in verses 5 and 6, again in verse 11, and again in verses 17 and 18, we're told that they particularly had to bring the tithe to the place that Yahweh chose. Now, God put a lot of emphasis on this issue, not just here, but in other places of scripture.

9. 3:19

   And it highlights for us, doesn't it, a very basic and important divine principle. God has very specific requirements when it comes to us worshipping him in life. And when God makes requirements known to us, they must be followed explicitly. So if Joshua wanted to deliver his tithe, it had to come to the right place.

10. 3:45

    And God was very clear about what that place was. It had to come to the place chosen by God. In fact, it was the exact opposite of the idolatrous nations around and that had occupied the land before them. The pagan nations who had occupied the land before them had a wonderfully convenient mode of worship.

11. 4:06

    They developed gods for the things that they wanted to have gods for. And wherever they wanted to worship those gods, there they built a little temple or an altar or a grove of trees. And God understood that in that, there lay a very great danger for Israel when they came into the land.

12. 4:26

    Because when Israel came into the land and destroyed all the nations and all the people that lived there, it left all the structure intact. All the idols, all the altars, all the groves, all the high places. They lay undisturbed still in the land. You just imagine the risk if they had left all those things there.

13. 4:50

    Particularly, picture it in relation to the tithe. Because our friend, brother Joshua, actually lives way to the north. He lives a long way away from the tabernacle. So he's gathered up all his offerings, his 10%, and he sets out, and it's a long way that he has to travel. He got tired on the journey.

14. 5:06

    It was hard work. The sun's beating down. The path goes uphill and down dale as he's following his way down towards the tabernacle. And every hill he passed had an altar there, conveniently placed for easy worship. Attractive. No, he says, I must go to Jerusalem. That's the place that God has chosen to place his name.

15. 5:30

    And he goes around the corner, and there's another little edifice just waiting there, ready for him to do his worship. And he says, no, I must go to Jerusalem. Now, in order to fix that risk, Moses gave the people a very solemn injunction at the beginning of Deuteronomy chapter 12. These are the statutes, verse 1, and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land which Yahweh God of thy fathers giveth thee.

16. 5:54

    Verse 2, ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods. Upon the high mountains, upon the hills, and under every green tree. Overthrow their altars, break their pillars, cleanse the land. Get rid of all those things which represent easy worship. Because one of the things about corrupt worship, one of its prime features, is it's convenient.

17. 6:22

    It's designed to appeal to man. And so he said in verse 13, you shall not offer in every place that thou seest. And it would have been very accommodating, wouldn't it? Why waste all that effort traveling all the way down to the city of Jerusalem, when there were other ways of using the tithe and putting it to good use?

18. 6:46

    Let's come up with something that has the same general concepts, but is not so burdensome. Maybe some way of delivering the tithe which is more convenient to life in the land. Perhaps something that is more appropriate to our circumstances today, more relevant for the believer today. Why don't we just relax a few of those requirements and just allow us to deliver the tithe here or there or somewhere else.

19. 7:09

    And isn't that the spirit of our age today? Because the whole world, the society in which we live, everything is tailored for my convenience. And it's so easy for us to start looking at the truth that way as well. Also in society today, the freedom of the individual to define and determine exactly what they want to do in life and how they want to go about it.

20. 7:32

    I'll do it my way. You know, if I can do it in the way that I'm personally interested in, then it'll be more relevant for me. I'm more interested in it. And this is a very strong emphasis here in Deuteronomy 12. Go to the place that God chose. Do what he asked you to do explicitly.

21. 7:50

    And when it comes to delivering the tithe, it's an instruction we must follow. To the place of God's name, that's where the tithe is delivered. So, as our faithful brother Joshua trudges south carrying his tithe, we're going to travel with him along the journey. We're going to be carrying our tithe and presenting it to God.

22. 8:08

    And all the way through the land, he faithfully marches down to present it at the city of Jerusalem. And you can imagine him marching resolutely past the place where all those altars had been. I'm going to take my tithe to the place of God, the place where his name dwells. In life, we too are on the road.

23. 8:31

    We're on a journey. We are in the middle of a journey to bring our tithe to God. But where's the place? Where are we heading? Where are we going to deliver our tithe? Now, in those words in Deuteronomy 12 and verse 5, we get a hint. It says, Unto the place which Yahweh your God shall choose, out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek.

24. 9:01

    So we get a hint there. It's a place of God's habitation, and it's a place for the dwelling of God's name. Now, we know that today there is not a physical place that we go to. The Lord Jesus Christ made that very clear, didn't he, in the words to the woman of Samaria in John 4, verse 21.

25. 9:18

    Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father, but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. And in a sense for us today, the place of the delivering of our tithe is the ecclesia, isn't it?

26. 9:41

    Because it's a spiritual house, a habitation of God through the Spirit. Listen to these words from Ephesians 2. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom all the building fitly frames together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom also ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

27. 10:19

    So the habitation of God, the place that he's chosen for his name to dwell near, is the ecclesia, Bethel, the house of the living God. And therefore it's not surprising that many of the aspects of the principles of the tithe that we've looked at have such direct relevance to ecclesial life today. But we're also embarked on a longer journey, aren't we?

28. 10:44

    We're looking, brothers and sisters, for a house of God's name in the future. Both a physical house of prayer for all people, and the true habitation of God through the Spirit in the age to come. 144,000 with the Father's name written in their foreheads. That's the place that he's chosen for his name.

29. 11:05

    That's the house of Yahweh's name in the age to come. So just as Brother Joshua trudged steadfastly through the land, going down to the place that God's chosen, that's a wonderful symbol of the journey which all of us have embarked on together towards the house of God's name. And as we travel, we clutch the tithe in our hand.

30. 11:28

    Now at last, in his journey, after many days on the road, Brother Joshua draws to the close of his voyage. Far off in the distance, the gates of the temple slowly begin to draw nigh. And down the road, he can see his journey's end, the end of all his toil. Thankfully, perhaps a little footsore, a little weary, he arrives at the temple with his tithe.

31. 11:53

    So he walks up to the temple with his tithe, and what does he do with it? Is there a place where he puts it? Is there someone to receive it from him? Does he just poke it in the door and leave? Is there some sort of ceremony? Or is there perhaps a sign which says, deliveries round the back?

32. 12:13

    And so what's he going to do with the tithe that he's actually brought? Now bear in mind, of course, that the symbology of the story of the tithe is immensely relevant for ourselves personally. So this is something we're interested in. When the tithe is delivered, what happens? How is it actually done? And we're now going to spend a few moments going through a bit of Scripture hopping, as it were, and we're going to pull out a number of threads and then see if we can weave them together, all of us collectively, into a tapestry that creates a complete or more full picture.

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    First, in your mind, cast back to the very first occurrence of the tithe. We looked at it the other day, Genesis 14, and the story of Melchizedek. Because the first time a theme occurs in Scripture is often so significant because it lays a foundation for us to be able to understand together. So when Abram gave the tithe, who did he give it to?

34. 13:03

    And the answer is to the priest, the priest of the Most High God. He gave the tithe to the representative of Yahweh, the Most High God. So we say, ah, I wonder if that establishes a pattern for us, the giving of the tithe formally to the priest. Well, let's go back now to a story we looked at the other day in Nehemiah, Nehemiah chapter 10.

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    And see the description of the institution, of the tithing again and how they went about it in the days of Nehemiah. Nehemiah 10, verse 38. Remember, they've just made a great vow that they would actually bring the firstfruits and the tithes. This is their binding commitment. Verse 38. And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites take the tithes.

36. 14:08

    The Levites will bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. Now, this is very interesting. We've got the Levites established there to be able to gather in the tithe. But the record emphasizes the fact that in addition to all the Levites that did the work, there was one man standing there as well and he was the representative of Aaron.

37. 14:31

    He was a priest. But it emphasizes the fact that it was the priest, the son of Aaron. So here again, we have an emphasis on the role of the priest. Well, let's have a look at a third passage now, 2 Chronicles chapter 31. This is the days of Hezekiah and the great reinstitution of the principle and the methodology of the tithe which was reinstituted in the days of Hezekiah.

38. 14:58

    2 Chronicles chapter 31. Again, it's a reference that we've looked at briefly before. And the wonderful little phrase in this verse describes how they brought the tithe in. They brought in, verse 12, the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully. Over which was Konaniah, the Levite, he was ruler and Shimei, his brother, was the next.

39. 15:21

    And then it goes through a list of the names of the Levites that were there at the commandment of, that's interesting, the end of verse 13, at the commandment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house of God. Here's a whole group of Levites involved in bringing in the tithe.

40. 15:37

    We note the way in which they brought the tithe in faithfully. There's a moral dimension to the physical work here. They bring in the tithe faithfully and everything they do, it says, is at the commandment of Hezekiah the king and Azariah the ruler of the house. Go back to verse 10 and we're told that Azariah was the chief priest of the house of Zadok.

41. 15:59

    He supervised the bringing in of the tithe faithfully. Now let's go back to the passage we looked at yesterday in Leviticus 27. There are only a few short verses there in Leviticus 27. We didn't look at every attribute of those verses. There's a lot contained in a very small number of verses.

42. 16:21

    Leviticus 27 speaking of redemption or substitution of the tithe. And they were explicitly forbidden to substitute an inferior product for the tithe which was randomly selected. Verse 33, He shall not search, the Israelites should not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it. And if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy, it shall not be redeemed.

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    Now there's a couple of things I'd like us to note there as we go through. First of all, if an Israelite tried to defraud God, he lost both the substitute and the original offering which he should have given.

44. 17:10

    Think of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. Matthew 25 and verse 29. And if ever an Israelite arrived at this point, there was time no longer.

45. 17:31

    There's a ring of finality, isn't there, brothers and sisters, about those words. They shall not be redeemed. It's clearly an end point. The die is cast, there is no going back, opportunity is over, the substitution is exposed and confiscated. They shall not be redeemed.

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    Now the question is, think through what the implications of that are. The question is, at what point would that take place? when would it be exposed and both of them confiscated? It couldn't happen, could it, until the substitution was exposed. So where did that happen? In front of the priest when it was offered.

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    It was at that point that the time for redemption was passed because that was the point when the lie was perpetrated. tithe. Think through the implications of this. It actually implies, brothers and sisters, that there was some process of assessment of the tithe. Is this the genuine tithe or not? Because that's the moment of truth when the Israelite brings his gift or his offering.

48. 18:46

    And that can only take place in the presence of the priest. So if we pull all those threads together, what do we have? We have the fact that the receiving of the tithe was a very important event. It was something which had to be conducted faithfully by a Levite specially appointed to the task.

49. 19:05

    It was overseen by the priest, in fact more particularly by the high priest either personally or through a representative of Aaron. When the tithe was received there was some process of inspection or assessment to confirm that it was the genuine tithe and not a substitute. Of course it didn't have to be a perfect tithe, we can't deliver a perfect tithe, but it had to be the genuine tithe, the whole 10%, a wholehearted offering to God with no cheating.

50. 19:39

    So armed with all those ideas, let's join Brother Joshua again and we'll see him as he brings his tithe to the priest. Now when Brother Joshua arrives, he's met by a Levite, one of those who are appointed to regulate the flow of people with their offerings to God. They direct the process of receiving the tithes.

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    Now Brother Joshua didn't happen to be first in line. In front of him was another man, Brother Melchi from another part of the country. In fact, Brother Melchi didn't live very far away from the temple, he hadn't had far to travel. Joshua doesn't know Melchi very well, only in passing really. But he's there with his tithe, some of his wheat and some of the tenth of his flock.

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    And it's his turn before Brother Joshua. And Brother Joshua watches rather idly as Brother Melchi comes up and gives his wheat and his lamb to the priest. So the priest takes the wheat and he notes the sheep. And he looks at Brother Melchi and he says, is this the tithe, the tenth, given in accordance with the method established under divine law?

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    Yes, says Brother Melchi, yes, yes, this is it. And the priest bends down and he picks up a little lamb. It's very small, rather puny in fact.

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    And the priest looks at the little animal and he looks very directly at Brother Melchi and his voice is rather firm and direct. Brother Melchi, was this the tenth animal or have you changed it for another?

55. 21:21

    And the little group by the temple gate goes very quiet and silent and still. There's a degree of tension in the air. One look at Brother Melchi's face tells it all. He tries to speak. Yes, but beneath that direct and penetrating gaze he falters, he flushes, he looks down and an inaudible whisper, shame in every syllable.

56. 21:51

    No, it's not. The priest continues his questioning. Brother Melchi, where is the correct tithe? Or, it's at home in my field. God's holy part? The hallowed tithe? At home still, Brother Melchi? And the rebuke. Brother Melchi, why hath Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the tithe?

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    Can you hear those words, brothers and sisters? You know what section of scripture they come from? It's the story of Ananias and Sapphira when they lied about the offering which they gave to God. Peter to Ananias, why hath Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price?

58. 22:40

    Melchi's house and the proceedings stop. Everybody waits. The priest sends his servant back to Melchi's house and he returns with the proper tithe. And when it's come, in the sight of all that are gathered there, it's held up, brothers and sisters, it's strong, vibrant, bursting with rude health, a wonderful tithe. And he holds up the puny, scrawny little thing that was offered in its place, a dreadful caricature of an offering made to God.

59. 23:08

    And their plain for all to see is the quality of brother Melchi's offering to God. And the priest then pronounces the divine verdict according to the law. Both it and the change thereof shall be holy. Both are taken. And then those last words of Leviticus 27 verse 33, heavy and hard with that deep severe ring of finality.

60. 23:35

    It shall not be redeemed. All chance of redemption is lost from him that hath not, even from him shall be taken away that he hath. And brother Melchi is rejected from the temple door, his head hanging in shame, his name on every lip exposed for all the world to see his offering, a living study in shame and guilt.

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    Now brothers and sisters, if we were called tonight to appear before the priest with our tithe, with our contribution, our lifetime of contribution to the work of God's truth, would we be able to say with the faithful Israelite in the declaration of Deuteronomy 26, I have taken the hallowed part or the hallowed thing out of my house.

62. 24:23

    I've truly given it to God because as surely as the principles of the tithe apply to us, so surely brothers and sisters we will be called upon to present our tithe in person before the great priest or his representative. And I imagine that that little group of believers by the temple gate was immensely sobered by what they witnessed on that day.

63. 24:45

    You can imagine brother Joshua lost in thoughtful reflection as it's his turn to give the tithe. But when brother Joshua stands before the priest, the scene is entirely different. He's been faithful. He's faithfully labored to ensure that his tithe is properly gathered for the priests and for the work of the truth. In fact, if anything, I suspect he's probably given rather more than 10% when you look at the produce that he's brought down.

64. 25:15

    And in gratitude, the Levites receive the gift at his hand. The priest smiles in acknowledgement of a faithful contribution. Faithfully, the Levite brings the contribution into the house, into those chambers. Full of symbology, the meaning of a portion richly given to God. And all of them, brothers and sisters, rest secure, happy and confident in the fulfilment of a brother's duty, faithfully delivered to the priest.

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    Well, what happens then? Does brother Joshua now go home, feeling thankful that his responsibilities are complete? you know, this is where the story of the tithe becomes wonderful, truly, truly wonderful. I'd like you to come back with me to Deuteronomy chapter 12. It's a little section in Deuteronomy 12, which is rather amazing.

66. 26:11

    Deuteronomy 12, verse 6 and 7. Thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes. Verse 7. And there ye shall eat before Yahweh your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, when Yahweh thy God hath blessed thee. Eat? Eat what?

67. 26:40

    Eat the tithe? But the tithe's for the priests. What does it mean when it suggests that the tithe should be eaten? Well, let's come over to verse 17. Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, or of thy oil. Verse 18. But thou must eat them before Yahweh thy God in the place which Yahweh thy God shall choose.

68. 27:06

    Turn over the page to Deuteronomy 14. Verse 22. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year, and thou shalt eat before Yahweh thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thy oil.

69. 27:28

    Here is a remarkable thing. And thus is introduced a wonderful concept. The fellowship meal of the tithe. And when the Israelite brought in love his contribution to the worship, his tithe contributed to the priest, the first thing they did was sit down and eat of it together. Now brothers and sisters, from a human point of view, this is so strange that commentators have really struggled with it.

70. 27:56

    They've said that the conclusion, they've come to the conclusion that, well, to give the tithe to the priest and to eat it yourself are mutually exclusive. This just can't work. They say it would be completely inefficient to go to all that work of carrying the tithe down and then to sort of eat it there before you're giving it or as you're giving it to the priest.

71. 28:13

    And on that basis, some of them even suggested that this must be a third tithe. In fact, they call it the festival tithe. That it was put aside for this particular feast. But there are two major problems with that suggestion. The first is it completely ignores the beautiful symbology in scripture of the fellowship meal.

72. 28:33

    And secondly, the word for tithe here is the same word as we have everywhere. It means 10%. If this tithe was a separate tithe, then the Israelite would be commanded to sit down and eat 10% of his entire produce in one meal. That would take some doing.

73. 28:52

    So we ask ourselves, well, what is involved here in this idea of him eating of this particular meal? In fact, he wasn't just allowed to eat of it. He was commanded to eat of it together. Throughout the scriptural record, the concept of eating a meal together or having food together has so often been used, hasn't it, to convey the idea of fellowship.

74. 29:14

    When David brought the ark up to Jerusalem, he provided bread, meat, and wine to all of the Israelites. When Christ instituted the memorial emblems, brothers and sisters, he chose to do it in a symbol of bread and wine, communion together. When the first century ecclesia came together to break bread, it was often accompanied by a fellowship meal.

75. 29:35

    The very first occurrence of the tithe is the days of Melchizedek. In the context, Melchizedek came forth bearing bread and wine. This subject is very closely tied in with the idea of a fellowship meal. This is clearly a time of close fellowship between the Israelite and the priests. But this fellowship extends much further, brothers and sisters, than just between the Israelite and the priest.

76. 29:59

    This fellowship extended to a fellowship with God. Where does this meal take place? In the place which Yahweh chose to place his name. Who did the priest and the Levite represent to the Israelite? They're there as a representative of Almighty God himself. And here we have this glorious picture of an Israelite, brothers and sisters, who has faithfully completed his task in a fellowship meal in the house of God.

77. 30:24

    God. That's the glory of fellowship that comes from a clear conscience of understanding that obligations have been fulfilled, responsibilities have been met. And as they did, back in Deuteronomy chapter 12, we turn back to Deuteronomy 12 and verse 18, the command says, but thou must eat them before Yahweh thy God in the place which Yahweh thy God shall choose, thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy manservant, thy maidservant and the Levite that's within thy gates, and thou shalt rejoice before Yahweh thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand to.

78. 30:59

    Now isn't that a peculiar concept as far as the world's concerned? To them, this poor bloke has just lost 10% of his entire produce for the year. How can you rejoice in that? They would probably look at it in the same way that we look at the Inland Revenue Service today. Not with a lot of affection perhaps.

79. 31:23

    But it's a curious thing here that here's a man who's just lost 10% of his produce. He can deliver it and sit down and rejoice. Well, brothers and sisters, it's only because he understands the underlying golden principle of the spirit of the tithe. Actually, it all belongs to God. The whole lot. And in his goodness, he's allowed us to retain 90%.

80. 31:49

    In that frame of mind, an Israelite could truly rejoice. Now what's the best way of us being able to envisage or comprehend what this glorious rejoicing actually means? Well, think what it represents in terms of our life story and our journey. Here's an Israelite who's delivered his tithe. It's been accepted by the priests.

81. 32:11

    It's been brought into the chamber. Now he's rejoicing in fellowship with his God in the place of God's name. Rejoicing in all the blessings that Yahweh has given him. It's a cameo, isn't it, brothers and sisters, of the kingdom. Of acceptance in the kingdom. And when God in his mercy gives you a place in the kingdom, will you rejoice?

82. 32:41

    When all the struggles, the fears, all the faithful labours are over and the Lord has accepted the offering, will you rejoice? When our tithe is complete and the priest accepts it and acknowledges it. Will we rejoice, brothers and sisters, at that point in the kingdom age? That's what's involved in this fellowship meal with them rejoicing there in the place of God.

83. 33:12

    Nevertheless, through the spirit of rejoicing, there is still reverence and respect. Put yourself again back in the shoes of an Israelite. We know from Leviticus 27 and from Deuteronomy 26 that that tithe is very holy. It is the hallowed part as it's described. It's clearly and unquivocably God's. It belongs to him, not us.

84. 33:34

    We have no right to it. And so we must deliver it to God very carefully and faithfully. We've brought it down and we've presented it. We've given it to God in his presence through the representation of his priest. As the Jerusalem Bible puts it, the place which he has chosen as a home before his name.

85. 33:52

    So now we're actually in God's place. In verse 18 when it says that they have to do it before Yahweh, it literally means in his presence or before his face. So he is an Israelite with very godly fear and reverence. In front of the very face of God, as it were, in the presence of God, giving his tithe of something he knows no longer belongs to him.

86. 34:15

    It is a holy or hallowed thing and he gives it to God's representative knowing that it's a very special thing. And the first thing he then does is take some of it back, stick it in his mouth, chew it and swallow it. Would you feel a little nervous about that combination of ideas?

87. 34:37

    Would you feel perhaps that maybe you were treading on hallowed ground? In some ways, wouldn't it? It would be the same spirit with which we approach the memorials of fellowship. Let a man examine himself and so let him eat and drink. And you know, that's exactly what this tithe was actually designed to do.

88. 34:57

    Turn over again to Deuteronomy 14. Verse 23, thou shalt leap before Yahweh thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there. End of the verse, that thou mayest learn to fear Yahweh thy God always.

89. 35:17

    Now brothers and sisters, there's still a major component of Brother Joshua's story that remains untold. Who was it that ate this meal in front of the priests? Go back to Deuteronomy 12 now. Verse 18, thou must eat them in the before Yahweh thy God in the place which Yahweh thy God shall choose.

90. 35:35

    Thou and thy son and thy daughter and thy manservant and thy maidservant and the Levite that is within thy gates. It's the whole community, brothers and sisters. The whole community is involved in the celebration. So now we need to revisit our mental picture of Joshua coming down through the land. As he walked faithfully from his home all the way down to the tabernacle, he did not travel alone.

91. 36:03

    The whole family, brothers and sisters, the whole family came with him. In addition to that, the servants as well. In fact, this would suggest that the Levites who lived scattered throughout the land also travelled together with the people in their area. The Levites that are within thy gates, it says. So all who labour together in that part of God's vineyard, all of them come together here as a community to worship together.

92. 36:30

    As a family community, they had worked together. As a family community, they gathered the tithe together. As a family community, they travelled together down to the tabernacle. As a family community, they gave the tithe together. And as a family community, they rejoiced together in the fellowship meal before God. It's a wonderful thing, isn't it, in ecclesial life, brothers and sisters, a wonderful thing to see a family which is united together in the things of God.

93. 37:00

    A family that sits together in the memorial meeting. A family that shares together a love for the principles of the truth, at one with the things of God around his word. If it's a wonderful thing to see in this life, imagine what it will be like to be in the kingdom, rejoicing with our families together.

94. 37:28

    Because that's the end result for the faithful Israelite. A glorious blessing as he delivers his tithe with his whole family and they rejoice together. Now, brothers and sisters, those of you who have children, I guess for all of us it's the same, isn't it, the greatest blessing you could possibly imagine would be rejoicing together in the kingdom with our children.

95. 37:57

    There before the great priest, with an offering from our family which has been accepted. A family truly in fellowship together with the things of God.

96. 38:13

    Now, would we like our journey to end that way, brothers and sisters? Is that our heartfelt desire as far as our families are concerned and the bringing of our tithe? Well, the only way they can rejoice together with us in that fellowship meal is if they share the same spirit of love and knowledge of those things.

97. 38:35

    If they share the same values at journey's end. In fact, this is far more than them doing it just because the family does. The spirits become their spirit because they, in this record, are rejoicing too. These are glorious principles, brothers and sisters. When a faithful Israelite arrived at the journey's end with his family, they couldn't help but rejoice together.

98. 39:02

    Because for them, it was the end result of a journey begun a long time ago. When the seed was sown, the Israelite taught his children what it meant. As the seed grew, he spoke of the goodness of God's blessing. When he harvested the grain, he described the ways of God. As he threshed the produce, he demonstrated God's actions to his children.

99. 39:31

    As he separated out the tithe, he explained to his family what it meant, what it represented to them and their family. As they traveled together to the house of God, he explained why. As the priest examined the offering, his children knew what was happening. When the priest thankfully accepted the offering, his children were thrilled with their parents.

100. 39:57

     And when the meal was eaten, why? They rejoiced. It's no marvel. There's no magic in it. It's simply the end result of a journey begun a long time before. Here's a picture of a faithful Israelite, brothers and sisters, who has involved his children in the work. And they're there with him rejoicing in their offering before God.

101. 40:26

     Brothers and sisters, if we want our children there in that day, if we want to be able to rejoice together with them in fellowship with our Heavenly Father in that day before our priest, the journey begins now. It begins with that level of understanding in our homes and in our families. Let nothing come before that, brothers and sisters.

102. 40:46

     Let's involve our children in understanding those glorious principles of the tithe as a way of life. That's the way for a family to travel together to the house of God. So may it be, brothers and sisters, that in that time when our High Priest returns, we may have the wonderful blessing of being able to rejoice in his presence with all our family.

103. 41:11

     Amen.