Tithing Under the Law

.....As we have seen, tithing began with Abraham and not with the law! And this I say, that the law, which was 430 years later, could not change the true intention of tithing as confirmed in our father Abraham on that first occasion: that we should honor the Lord Himself in our giving (See Galatians 3:17). So the law of Moses would expound on this meaning without changing it. Let’s return to the law books themselves to explain this:

.
.....Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve tribes, who went to Egypt in the time of famine and were saved. But in the generations that followed, their relationship with God decayed.

.
.....Abraham was called God’s friend because he believed Him, honored Him, and walked before Him blamelessly (Isaiah 41:8; Genesis 17:1). But the children of Israel had no such relationship. They had fallen very far, and were now in bondage to the Egyptians. Neither did they know the Lord any more, as it was written: "It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways." (Psalm 95:10).

.
.....Under Moses, God freed the children of Israel and made them His chosen people; but the fledgling nation was like a young child in need of schooling during its formative years. Therefore, the law was given as their tutor to guide them into a mature relationship, which would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:17-24). Let’s use an analogy to explain this further:

.....Tom and Susan were a generous couple who tithed from an attitude of worship. As they approached mid-life they adopted Brandon, who was already five years old. From his own background he had no experience in tithing or with many other things, but some basic rules were made to help guide him.
.....Brandon was given daily chores for which he received an allowance each Saturday. His parents made sure he deducted a tithe first of all, for his Children’s Church class the next morning. When he became a teenager and found his first job, they reminded him to honor the Lord with the first ten percent of his earnings, which he did.
.....Finally, Brandon grew old enough to move out on his own. He attended college, married soon after, and became the master of his own home. He was no longer bound by the rules of his youth. But it was no surprise to Tom and Susan that he kept all of their customs, including tithing.
.....""Why do you tithe like that?" asked one of his friends. Brandon explained that tithing was an act of worship; a respectful part of his own relationship with God. But if pressed on how it began he would readily admit, "I was raised that way," and that he had grown into that understanding later:

.... "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

(Proverbs 22:6)

.... In a similar way, tithing was an act of worship that began with our father Abraham. The law of Moses codified it for younger generations to help instill its value in their hearts. As they matured it helped shape their identity and the circle was complete. Eventually the whole nation would tithe very naturally, without the mentality of ‘following the rules’. By the time Jesus came it was so readily accepted that there was no evidence of any doubt or reluctance remaining (Luke 11:42).