Exodus 22.29

“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.”

Numbers 3.11-13

Promptness in giving is what’s in view here. Israelites were expected to give on schedule as soon as the offerings came off the vine, tree, or stalk, or out of the flocks and herds.

Again, this passage speaks to the practices of giving of many believers, who pay all their bills and make all their purchases first, then, from whatever they have left over, they give to the Lord. God understood that His people might fall into this snare, and so He emphatically commanded them to give the offering at once, right off the top.

It’s not likely His opinion on this has changed.

God Himself substituted for the first-born of the sons of Israel. He took the Levites unto Himself in the place of the sons of Israel (Num. 3.11-13). Still, all the first-born sons were His, and each time a father or mother looked on that first-born son, he or she would be expected to look upon the Levites as their own family, an entire tribe given to the Lord and His service in lieu of the child who labored with his father in the fields.

The people of Israel doubtless knew that God had a right to the first-born. They remembered how He had dealt with the first-born of Egypt. But in the Levites they had a perpetual emblem of God’s grace and of His own ability to “substitute” offerings pleasing to Him in place of His sinful people.

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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.”

Leviticus 22.1-3; 1 Corinthians 9.16-21

Two other ideas are present here, that of “redeeming” one’s tithe and of “substituting” for it. Evidently it was possible to redeem a portion (or all?) of one’s firstfruit, perhaps to ensure more seed for a future planting or to build one’s flocks. It was lawful to do this, but sacrifice was still required. Paying merely the market price of grain, fruit, or livestock was not sufficient; a fifth of that price must be added. Thus one could accomplish the full purpose of the tithe in making an offering and in making it sacrificial.

The notion of substituting for a tithe is rather more mysterious, at least to me. Why would a person want to substitute, say, one calf, for another? Perhaps the one to be retained was in better condition? By substituting a less robust animal a man might keep the healthy one for himself and still fulfill the obligations of the tithe.

Unless, of course, he was discovered. That seems to be the idea here, since substituting would go against the command not to differentiate between good and bad. A man who substituted a poorer offering for a better one, should he be discovered (we must assume), would be required to relinquish both the original offering and the substitute. Thus God seems to have wanted to discourage this practice, doubtless, at least in part, to keep mere self-interest from entering into the work of giving.

This is instructive for us, if only indirectly, in our day, when so many appeals for funding offer premiums or promises of divine blessing to come to the giver – blatant appeals to mere self-interest in seeking to garner funds for the “work of the Lord.”

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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.”

Leviticus 22.1-3; 1 Corinthians 9.16-21

Tithes were also to be given from among the flocks and herds of Israel. These may have been somewhat harder to part with, since animals are the source of so much good, but God required them nonetheless. In giving up animals the people of Israel were forfeiting not only immediate good but what we might refer to as opportunity cost – the opportunity for more goods to consume or sell, as well as for more offspring.

God understands this full well. It pleases Him for us to give sacrificially to His work, without grumbling or complaining, and in the full assurance that we can never give away more than He is able to provide in meeting all our needs.

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.

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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.”

Leviticus 22.1-3; 1 Corinthians 9.16-21

God commanded Israel to bring the tithe to Him, to honor Him by their giving and to supply the needs of those who labored in the ministry of Word and sacrifice. This tithe was holy unto the Lord, even before it came to fruition on the stalks and trees. Thus to deny the Lord His tithe was tantamount to robbing Him of that which belonged to Him by right (cf. Mal. 3.8).

The discipline of tithing remains important in these days when the Kingdom of God has come (Matt. 23.23). At all times, however, we must remember that the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Ps. 24.1). Whenever needs arise within the household of faith, or among our suffering neighbors, we must not be bound merely by the tithe in what we offer for the needs of others (Acts 2.44, 45; 4.32-35). The tithe is the starting-point of our giving to the Lord, not the end.

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Leviticus 25.25-28

“If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. But if he has not sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.”

The case of properties within walled cities was different from that of the farm and pasture lands, perhaps because people who lived in walled cities – which were few – did, perhaps exclusively, the kind of work that did not require extensive portions of land (carpenters, for example). They needed a more settled environment where they could trade their labor for the increase gained by others.

Thus, houses sold within walled cities could only be redeemed within the first year. After that they remained the property of the buyer, surviving in his hands or those of his heirs, even beyond the Jubilee, or until he decided to sell. This was especially true for the Levites, who owned no lands or properties. Homes purchased from Levites, moreover, were to be released in the Jubilee, thus restoring to that tribe the only property granted to them by the Lord. Pasturelands belonging to the Levites were not to be sold.

We place these property laws within the context of the first commandment, but we might also visit them under the eighth as well. Here they remind us, as the Lord insists, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Ps. 24.1). We worship and serve the Lord by keeping this stewardship principle in mind in all we do.

Leviticus 25.25-28

“If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold. If a man has no one to redeem it and then himself becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it, let him calculate the years since he sold it and pay back the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and then return to his property. But if he has not sufficient means to recover it, then what he sold shall remain in the hand of the buyer until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his property.”

Here is a perfect example of how the Law of God and the divine economy turn “upside-down” our thinking about the way things are or ought to be. In the American economy, property tends to improve in value, and people who buy property typically expect to turn a profit when they sell it.

In Israel the value of property was fixed by the amount of harvest a portion of land could expect to yield. When one sold his land, perhaps because he could not work it as the land deserved, he was paid the price of harvests remaining until the Year of Jubilee. The person who bought the land would then have incentive to work it, because the only hope of real gain he might have would depend on his ability to produce more from the land than the standard yield (which was itself subject to price controls).

If one who sold the land decided to buy it back, all he had to pay was the difference in years remaining between when he sold it and the Jubilee. Thus, he would not pay more to redeem his land, but less, and the one from whom he redeemed it, if he were diligent during his tenure on the land, would end up with more than he had originally invested. At the very least, he would not receive less.

Thus greed, speculation, and indolence were all checked and controlled by devotion to God and proper stewardship of His land.

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Leviticus 25.23, 24

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.”

Love for God and obedience to His Law play out in everyday and systemic ways. With respect to the first commandment, we note that love for God involved even proper stewardship of the land.

The tribes of Israel were to receive an allocation of land upon conquering Canaan, and, within that, cities and farmlands would be parceled out to heads of households in a fair and just manner. But the land was still the Lord’s, and His will was that men should work the land and subdue it so as to cause the land to be fruitful and bring forth abundance (Gen. 1:26-28). They would be more likely to do this if they could keep in mind that this land was not their possession but their trust; they were to be stewards, not owners, at least, not as we think of this today.

We are always guests on God’s land, stewards of His gifts and treasures. And we demonstrate our love for Him every day in the way we care for and use all that He has entrusted to us.

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I have a little confession to make.

Too many Christians want to have their faith and Kansas, too.

When God's people leave off doing things His way, the glory of God begins to pack its bags.

Leviticus 19.31

“Do not turn to mediums or wizards; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Isaiah 8.19, 20; Acts 16.16-18

Leviticus 20.6

“If a person turns to mediums and wizards, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.”

Exodus 22.18

“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.”

Leviticus 20.27

“A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”

A medium was a person or object that allowed the living to make contact with the dead, or with the spirit world, as a means of gaining enlightenment or direction. This was a common practice in pagan religions. Mediums could consult animal entrails, tossed sticks or bones, or even the stars on behalf of those willing to pay for their services. They could conjure dead spirits, as we see in the case of the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28).

A “medium” is simply a “means” or an “avenue” by which the living connect with the dead. I find it interesting to reflect on today’s “media” – television and pop culture, especially – in the light of such a definition. For certainly these can be means through which the living are put into contact with dead worldviews, harmful values and practices, and sinful ways, and be encouraged to believe that such are normal and acceptable.

We must be continually on guard against any such medium drawing us away from love for God.

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Deuteronomy 23.17-18

“None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God.”

The use of prostitutes in conjunction with rituals of worship was not uncommon among pagan religions. God is here forbidding any such practice, and, in so doing, reinforcing the idea that Israel must not allow pagan preferences or protocols to infect the pure worship of the living God. Just because the pagans do it, it’s part of the culture with which they are familiar, and it might be a way of wooing them into the community of God’s people – none of these are good reasons to compromise the worship of God.

Here are words of warning we would do well to reflect on in our day, when so many contemporary forms and elements have found their way into the worship of God in virtually every church.

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