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Deuteronomy 26.12-15
“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, then you shall say before the LORD your God, ‘I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. I have not eaten of the tithe while I was mourning, or removed any of it while I was unclean, or offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God. I have done according to all that you have commanded me. Look down from your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless your people Israel and the ground that you have given us, as you swore to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.’”
A tithe every third year was apparently to be set aside for the Levites and the needy. Upon satisfaction of this tithe an Israelite was to make this declaration before the Lord. It would be difficult to make this declaration if one had not fulfilled the requirements of this tithe. Further, the declaration reminded the one making this offering that the blessing of the Lord – the realization of His promises – is tied to obedience to His Law. When God’s people are faithful in obeying Him they may feel free to call upon Him to fulfill His promises. So, again, this would be an important matter to be reminded of from time to time, and the third-year tithe provided just such an opportunity.
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.