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In the Gates

Whether Good or Bad

The First Commandment

No other gods

 

 Leviticus 27.30-33

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the LORD. One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”

The idea that we should not “differentiate between bad and good” is interesting. The giving of the firstfruits was literally to be that. The first of the harvest and the first of the flocks to pass under the staff were to be given to the Lord. Some of that fruit, grain, or flesh may not have been quite perfect. But the tithe is not like a sacrifice, which was to be pure and without blemish. In giving a tithe for the needs of the priests and Levites Israel shared their lives with these servants. The servants, in turn, shared in their lives, both the good and bad of them.

Now no one should have thought that he could select only the worst of his crop or herds to give to as the tithe. Just set apart the first tenth of all that you gather and bring that in as is, whether good or bad. Nor must one be expected to take the time to set apart only what is good. The Lord required the firstfruits, good and bad alike, and He expected His people to give them faithfully and His servants to receive them joyfully.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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