Regarding the question of tithing in the New Testament, I heard a preacher cite Hebrews 7:8 as an alleged direct reference to tithing as a New Testament practice.
While it certainly might be worth considering that the practice of tithing under the New Covenant might be there by inference in these verses, it's not abundantly clear to me that it's there as a direct reference.
HEBREWS 7:8
8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
I heard the preacher assert that the verse means that although men physically receive our tithes here on earth, it is in reality Jesus in heaven who is receiving them.
But I've always thought the verse was mainly a comparison between the Levitical order of priesthood and the Melchizedek order of priesthood.
I thought the meaning was that mortal Levites were receiving tithes "here" (i.e., in Israel under the Mosaic covenant up until the destruction of the Temple in AD70) but "there" (i.e., in the Book of Psalms) it was said that "he" (i.e., Melchizedek, who received Abraham's tithes) liveth (the Book of Genesis provides no genealogy for him, and therefore his priesthood became a symbol of Christ's eternal priesthood).
Even if the inference is there in this passage in Hebrews that the Church is to continue the practice of TITHING to Jesus, I didn't hear the preacher prove to my satisfaction that that is the focus of what the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was purposefully attempting to get-at directly.
I thought the author of the Epistle wasn't trying to make a point about tithing - he was just trying to explain that the Levitical priesthood was always meant to be superseded by another eternal High Priest under the Order of Melchizedek.
Levi paid tithes in Abraham to Melchizedek. That illustrates that the Law and the Levitical Order would be superseded by another Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek - but it doesn't directly state that the Church should continue tithing. The meaning might be inferred, but if it is, Hebrews 7:8 doesn't seem to be a direct reference to it.
This doesn't necessarily mean though that New Testament believers won't give a tenth or more of their income to the Lord. In this Post I'm merely asking whether the "here" in this verse means planet earth or Israel; whether the "he" refers to Jesus or to Melchizedek; and whether the "there" is a reference to heaven or a reference to the incident between Melchizedek and Abraham as recorded in the books of Genesis and Psalms.
Your interpretation is correct.
ReplyDeleteIn Hebrews 7:5 we are told that Levi (the Levites) took the tithes under the law. In Hebrews 7:12 we are told that when the priesthood changes, the law will change. Hebrews 7:18 is telling us that Numbers 18 was disannulled. Numbers 18 established the Levitical priesthood, and part of that establishing included tithing. When the Levitical priesthood ended (at Calvary, or at least in the year 70AD when the temple was destroyed), all laws that established that priesthood were canceled. If Numbers 18 wasn't canceled, we would still be under the Levitical priesthood.