Template:Tithetext
Tithe
A Hebrew word translated tithe is ma‘aser[1] It is from the root word ‘asar AyinShemReish [2] meaning ten. The word is even translated tenth but also tithe or riches[3] sometimes.
Most of the time the word tithe is composed of the Hebrew letters MemAyinShemReish which is the word for ten with the letter Mem added to the front. Understanding the meaning of the Hebrew letters MemAyinShemReish would mean the "flow of the tens".
The tithe is what came from the Tens and the tens were how the congregations gathered, ten families. All government support came to the Levites from the congregations of Tens as Freewill offerings or what the New Testament called charity.
The government or Kingdom of God was from generation to generation and composed of Free Assemblies of families in a voluntary network.
The Levites could not exercise authority and force the offerings of the people. They had to be freely given and it was given according to their service. [4]
Tithe like taxes[5] was used to support the services of government. The difference is that when the power of the State is centralized in the hands of a few they impose the tax upon the people. A tithe is a share given by, of and for a congregation, also called a free assembly, of ten families. These family groups were called Tens.
The first historical taxes were supposedly in ancient Egypt according to some.[6] Joseph imposed a 20% tax on the people an the State provided welfare services. This was a Corvee system of statutory labor and the amount owed was called Tribute.
When Moses left Egypt the people still needed the services of government. They had support it and the system of self government through a network of titular ministers who served the people rather than rule over them. since the people could not covet the goods of their neighbor the could only expect freewill offerings in the form of charity through the perfect law of liberty.
Because the families each voluntarily gave a share of what they produced the amount of ten percent from each family was a form of self imposed taxation or freewill offerings. In governments where the taxes or tithes were given regularly by the people the power of the state remained with them. If judging crimes was also left to the people in the form of juries and the leaders were only titular then the government would be considered a Republic.
There are lots of different ideas about tithing but once we understand Altars and their purpose, Temples and their function it should become painfully obvious that the purpose of tithe was essential to bind a society together naturally.[7]
- ↑ 04643 ^רשׂעמ^ ma‘aser \@mah-as-ayr’\@ or ^רשׂעמ^ ma‘asar \@mah-as-ar’\@ and (in pl.) fem. ^הרשׂעמ^ ma‘asrah \@mah-as-raw’\@ from 06240; n m; AV-tithe 27, tenth part 2, tenth 2, tithing 1; 32
- 1) tithe, tenth part
- 1a) tenth part
- 1b) tithe, payment of a tenth part
- 1) tithe, tenth part
- ↑ 06235 ^רשׂע^ ‘eser \@eh’ser\@ masc. of term ^הרשׂע^ ‘asarah \@as-aw-raw’\@ from 06237; n m/f; AV-ten 172, fifteen + 02568 1, seventeen + 07651 1, ten times 1; 175
- 1) ten
- 1a) ten
- 1b) with other numbers 06235 ^רשׂע^ ‘eser \@eh’ser\@ masc. of term ^הרשׂע^ ‘asarah \@as-aw-raw’\@ from 06237; n m/f; AV-ten 172, fifteen + 02568 1, seventeen + 07651 1, ten times 1; 175 1) ten 1a) ten 1b) with other numbers
06240 ^רשׂע^ ‘asar \@aw-sawr’\@ from 06235; n m/f; AV-eleven + 0259 9, eleven + 06249 6, eleventh + 06249 13, eleventh + 0259 4, twelve + 08147 106, twelfth + 08147 21, thirteen + 07969 13, thirteenth + 07969 11, etc to nineteen 152; 335 1) ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers) 1a) used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19 - 1) ten
- ↑ 06238 ^רשׁע^ ‘ashar \@aw-shar’\@ a primitive root; v; AV-rich 14, even enrich 3, richer 1; 17 1) to be or become rich or wealthy, enrich, pretend to be rich
- 06239 ^רשׁע^ ‘osher \@o’- sher\@ from 06238; n m; AV-riches 36, far 1; 37 1) wealth, riches
- ↑ "Take [it] of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service." Numbers 7:5
- ↑ : "A tax (from the Latin taxo; "rate") is a financial charge or other levy imposed upon a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay, or evasion of or resistance to collection, is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many administrative divisions. Taxes consist of direct or indirect taxes and may be paid in money or as its labour equivalent." [link titlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax]
- ↑ : "The first known system of taxation was in Ancient Egypt around 3000–2800 BC in the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The earliest and most widespread form of taxation was the corvée and tithe. The corvée was forced labour provided to the state by peasants too poor to pay other forms of taxation (labour in ancient Egyptian is a synonym for taxes). Records from the time document that the pharaoh would conduct a biennial tour of the kingdom, collecting tithes from the people. Other records are granary receipts on limestone flakes and papyrus. Early taxation is also described in the Bible. In Genesis (chapter 47, verse 24" [link titlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax]
- ↑
- "A tithe (/ˈtaɪð/; from Old English: teogoþa "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...."
- "In Christianity, some interpretations of Biblical teachings conclude that although tithing was practiced extensively in the Old Testament, it was never practiced or taught within the first-century Church. Instead, the New Testament scriptures are seen as teaching the concept of "freewill offerings" as a means of supporting the church: 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 9:7. Also, some of the earliest groups sold everything they had and held the proceeds in common to be used for the furtherance of the Gospel: Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:34-35. Further, Acts 5:1-20 contains the account of a man and wife (Ananias and Sapphira) who were living in one of these groups. They sold a piece of property and donated only part of the selling price to the church but claimed to have given the whole amount and immediately fell down and died when confronted by the apostle Peter over their dishonesty. "[1]