To Whom Do We Tithe?

Hebrews 7:8 KJV

And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

The context and lesson of the passage concerns the better priesthood of Jesus Christ. Many arguments are presented as to why his is better:

• His is immutable; theirs changed with each High Priest
• His is one; theirs was many over the centuries
• His is perfect: theirs was flawed because if the sins of the men called to be High Priest

In this verse,

• His is immortal and therefore eternal; theirs is mortal and therefore temporal

 The verse uses the tithe as a means to point out this contrast. I would like to point out a secondary lesson in the text. The Old Testament tithe was given to men, the New Testament tithe (I believe it us fair to equate Abraham’s tithe to Melchisedec as being a type of a New Testament tithe because it was before the Law) is not to men, but to the Lord (as Melchisedec is clearly given as a type of Christ).

Our tithe should not be viewed as an offering to the pastor or even an offering to the church. It should be viewed as an offering we give to the Lord through His church.