WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THAT OFFERING PLATE?

I read Deuteronomy 26: 1-15 today & was impressed by the significance that it puts on tithing. Whether or not you believe in giving 10% of your increase to the Lord, this passage shows how significant an act it can be if disciples of Christ will do it for the proper biblical reasons.

First, it is a recognition that God is the one who determines the way in which worship is to be conducted. He mandates what is to be offered, along with where, & how it is to be done. Verse 2 says “You shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground which you bring in from your land that the Lord your God gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish His name.^”

Second, it is a recognition of how God places spiritual leaders over His people & uses this practice to affirm His placement of them. We see in verses 3-4 that the offering is to be given to the priest who represents God to the people.

Third, in verses 5-8 the Israelite is to repeat the story of how God had redeemed them from Egyptian slavery & made them a nation for His own possession. Tithing is a testimony & tangible expression, even a joyful proclamation, that we the disciple belongs to the Lord.

Fourth, as the Israelite presents his offering, he is to acknowledge (verse 9) that God has guided him & his nation to the abundance of the Promised Land.

Fifth, verses 10-11 show that he is to consider the act of giving as an act of worship.

Sixth, in verses 12-14 the Israelite acknowledges that what he gives as the tithe is essentially different from his other increase. It is holy or set aside for the Lord; it is to be used for maintaining the Lord’s work & to provide the needs of the poor.

Finally, in verse 15 he is encouraged to invoke God’s blessing. “Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.”

Tithing, & all giving to the Lord is much more than putting a check in the offering plate or clicking the “Giving” link on a church website. It is an act of worship. It acknowledges that we are redeemed by the Living God. It is an expression of confidence in His goodness & sovereignty.