[Study adapted from the video “The Third Tithe For Our Poor“, from the series Discipleship, the Kingdom, and You.]
This is going to be a different kind of series with a lot of meat to it. Typically, we are either addressing areas of concern to the disciples or we are taking questions from the disciples. Because as disciples go through and read our studies, they have questions. So, they are coming from an advanced level of knowledge. And at this particular point in time, we want to make a teaching for the disciples. And we also want to make it accessible to those who might want to become disciples. Therefore, we have an advanced teaching for you this week.
Before we begin, we want to talk about the principles of discipleship for those who might be interested in becoming Nazarene Israel disciples.
One of the very first principles that we use in Nazarene Israel is that we always have to shema. That is the first and great commandment. And what that means is that we need to hear and submit to Elohim’s voice. To shema does not just mean hear. It means to hear and obey. And if we do not have that then we do not really have much basis for unity at all.
The second principle goes right along with the first. We are to submit first and foremost to Yeshua’s Spirit. Because it is of Elohim. That brings us together as one body. And then we have to submit one to another in His Spirit. That means that we all have to look for the place where we can be of the most utility, use, and value to Yeshua our Husband and King.
Thirdly, to be a disciple, there is a component of tithing and serving. There is an extremely limited amount of time when Yeshua was preaching, teaching, living, and walking with the 4,000 and the 5,000. They came and went. You had the myriads and the multitudes, the crowds, and the throngs of people. And He loved them. But He did not have a lot of time to spend with them. He healed them, taught them, and He loved them. But He spent His time with those who were helping Him to build His kingdom. He spent His time with those who were giving up their lives or parts of their lives in order to help Him build His kingdom. That is who He spent His time with.
Then, we also want to attempt to become like Yeshua. Including, we want to figure out His personality, we want to know why He responded the way that He did in certain circumstances, what led Him and who He is. If He is going to be our Husband and our King, then we at least ought to know who He is. We have to know His personality. And we even want to go as far as to imitate Yeshua or to attempt to become like Him. A husband and wife are supposed to become one flesh. Meaning, they are going to become the same mindset, they are going to grow together over time in love. So, we want to know who He is. He is going to be our Husband and King; we might as well at least know who He is. Why does He respond this way in this circumstance and why did you respond in a completely different way in another circumstance? Not only that, but we also want to get to know how He walked. Because he who says he believes on Him should walk even as He walked.
And this speaks to the doctrine. Because the doctrine is so important, we ask that the disciples read all of the studies at least twice. And for them to ask any questions they have or any doubts about the study, until we all come into doctrinal agreement. And the studies are living studies; we will change the study if something is wrong. But we ask the disciples to please to read all of the studies twice first. so that they can know if something they are asking has already been answered.
A lot of people think that that is too much. But it is not too much. It is what we all need to be doing. We need to study to show ourselves approved so that we can come together as one unified ministry worldwide. Because if you are preaching different things from the pulpit, that leads to confusion. And Yeshua says that any house that is divided against itself cannot stand.
Amos 3:3
3 “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?
Amos 3, verse three famously asks the question, “Can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Well, the answer is clearly “No”. Even if we start out in the same place, if you think we should go this way and I think we should go that way, we are going to end up going in different directions. The house will fall. But if we start out in separate locations, we can still come together if we both agree on what the final goals are. What we want is to be in agreement with Elohim. That is why we are studying His word. And we ask that if anyone sees an error or some better way to interpret it, please let us know. Because it is not about us being right, it is about us all learning and discovering together what is right and then coming together in doctrinal unity over what is right. Over His doctrine. That is what we are hoping to do in Nazarene Israel.
In this particular case, we had some questions about our studies on the three tithes. There were some questions about whether the three tithes are still valid today. In part one, “Why Three Tithes for Today?”, we showed that yes, we believe the three-tithe system is still valid today. In that study, we showed what the needs are. We showed that there are in fact active needs. There is a definite need and Yahweh expects us to learn to grow into this role.
As we saw in our study on Revelation and the End Times, the Babylonian system that currently rules the world (which is getting ready to impose a One-World Order) is going to fall at the end of the tribulation period, at trumpet seven. Let us imagine what that looks like. The entire government system of the world is going to fall which is going to leave a tremendous societal and governmental void. And that day as fantastic as it sounds. Because as Scripture tells us, Yahweh is going to ask us to set up a just, correct scriptural form of government that takes care of everyone, including the poor, the widows, and the orphans.
The thing about the Babylonian system is that it is a rule by the elite, for the elite, at the expense of everyone else system. It mistreats the poor, the widow, and the orphan because the goal is for the rich to keep getting richer and the poor to keep getting poorer until they all get bumped off. That is not Yahweh’s way. Yahweh wants a system in which everyone is taken care of. Especially the poor, the widow, and the orphan. And as we will see at the end of this study, He places special emphasis on this throughout the Scriptures.
We saw in the last chapter that the government is going to be handed to us, as it says in Daniel chapter 7.
Daniel 7:26-27
26 “But the [heavenly] court shall be seated, And they shall take away his [pope’s] dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High [Nazarene Israel]. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
As fantastic as it might sound, the kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the saints of the Most High. As I understand it, that is Nazarene Israel. If we are willing to accept it, as we spoke in the last chapter, Yeshua is going to receive a rod of iron from His Father. And then He is going to hand that rod to us as His body (His bride) to rule and reign for Him. He, being our Head in the heavens and us being His hands and His feet on earth. Us, His body and His bride, being as one flesh with Him, walking out the will of heaven during the millennium period. That is our understanding. We also believe that this was the understanding of the apostles in the first century because of what the apostle Yaakov (James) is saying in Acts chapter 15. The apostle Yaakov tells us that everything he sees being set up, (the tabernacle of David, which represents global spiritual government), is being established just as it is written. And he quotes Amos 9, verse eleven.
Ma’asei (Acts) 15:15-17
15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 ‘After this I will return and rebuild the Tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;
17 “So that the rest of mankind may seek Yahweh, even all the [repentant] gentiles [Ephraimites] who are called by My Name, says Yahweh who does all these things.”[Tabernacle of David represents government.]
We know that they were starting this in the first century and we know that things went way off course during the Great Falling Away. We also know that the Great Falling Away is nearing its end. We talk about that in the Nazarene Israel study.
Please join us for this advanced discipleship-level study on the third tithe for the poor, why it is still important, and why we should all participate in it in order to please our Husband and King. If you are really interested and want to know these topics. Why does Yahweh want an ordered and structured society as He does? Why does He want order and structure in the priesthood as He does? Or if you have historical questions as to why this applied in this era and not in that epoch and these kinds of things, I can recommend for you The Torah Government study. I will cover all these materials and it will give a background so that these things basically all make sense.
Of course, the disciples are already reading it twice, but in The Torah Government, we explain that there are two different kinds of governments in Israel. One is temporal, meaning it pertains to this world. The other one is spiritual, meaning the priesthood. And as we see in that study, the two different kinds of governments can levy two different kinds of kingdom taxes. The reason they levy kingdom taxes is that Yahweh has a job for them to do for Him. Yahweh likes things ordered and regulated, not in a negative way as in a Babylonian government, but in a positive way as in a set-apart, Israelite government. In other words, these two governments have something to do for Yahweh. And obviously, they need funds with which to do those jobs.
The temporal government, also called the kingship (the government everyone thinks of) is allowed to levy up to a ten percent tax. That is according to First Samuel, chapter 8. That was what was prophesied.
Then you also have a spiritual government, or the priesthood. And this is supposed to be funded by the three tithes, which are effectively three different sets of kingdom taxes that go for three different purposes. If you want to know how these things apply in the Levitical Order, I will refer you to The Torah Government study. It can be read for free on the website, you can download a pdf copy for free, or you can also purchase a paperback copy at our cost from amazon.com. And if anyone wants to translate into another language, we would love that. May Yahweh bless you for that. Because we are all supposed to be trying to figure out how can we help grow Yeshua’s kingdom, that is the purpose here. But here we are going to talk about the application of the three tithes in the Melchizedekian Order.
How can we together grow Yeshua’s kingdom? Well, the first tithe goes to support Yeshua’s ministers. Basically, we are talking about the congregational elders, congregational deacons, and the apostles (shaliachim in Hebrew). They serve as the priests in Yeshua’s Melchizedekian Order, we show that in The Torah Government. And they have a job to do. They are supposed to build and unify. The deacons and elders are supposed to build congregations and evangelize their area and then the priesthood has basically the prophetic and apostolic job of unifying all the congregations together. That way it becomes the one unified, spiritual kingdom that Yeshua says He wants. We explain that in many places in our studies.
The first tithe is annual, we will talk about that in some other place and time. The second tithe is also an annual tithe that needs to be paid every year. It comes from Yahweh, we will talk about that in a little while.
Now, under the Levitical Order, if you live inside the land of Israel, going up to Jerusalem for the feasts is mandatory. But it is not far. The state of Israel is about the same size as the state of New Jersey. You do not have to go far, but you do have to go. And so the second tithe pays for going up to Jerusalem if we live in the land. If we do not live in the land, then there is no requirement to go up to Jerusalem for the feast. You can but you do not have to. But the point is to make the feasts a joy for the whole family so that the children are going to want to grow up teaching the feasts to their children, and so Israel then perpetuates itself. So, you get the concept of making the feasts a joy for the whole family, especially for the children.
The second tithe is a 10 percent annual tithe. The Christians follow this concept. Something like 25 percent of all consumer spending takes place during the Christmas shopping season. That is the thing. They are trying to make Christmas a delight. Well, it is the right concept, just with the wrong application. We need to take that concept of making the feasts a delight and apply them in a correct doctrinal way to Yahweh’s feasts, and not to Satan’s converted feasts. But the concept of feast gifts is a very good one. If you need a new phone, a new computer, or a new car (if you have these kinds of things), the feast times are a good time to purchase those things. That way there is an association with the children that the feasts are a time of celebration, joy, and new clothing. Whatever your heart desires with that 10 percent. And if you do not need to spend 10 percent on yourself then you can also give gifts to the poor.
Now we come to the third tithe. We are going to talk in a little bit of detail here about the third tithe. If you want all the details, please read The Torah Government study, particularly the chapter on “How Yahweh Provides for His poor“. That way you will have the same background information as the disciples who are asking these questions.
The third tithe is given two years in seven and the goal of the third tithe is to support the poor, the widow, and the orphan in Israel. And this is a subject that is extremely important to Yahweh’s heart. It is very easy to overlook it because most of us despise those who are poor. We tend to look down on them. We tend to think poorly of the poor, we tend to think badly of the poor. Yahweh does not think badly of the poor. Yahweh expects us to support and take care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan, and it is extremely important to Him. That is one of the reasons the punishments are coming upon Babylon is because they took advantage of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. There are various theories that you can judge nations on how they take care of their disadvantaged. So, Yahweh wants us to take set-apart care of our disadvantage, and obviously, that takes funds.
Let us talk briefly about the three tithes individually. The disciples will already know this information, but we just want to review it for those who might be interested to become disciples.
The first tithe is the first ten percent of our income. A lot of people leave it for the last and then they do not know where to get the money to tithe. Where you get the money to tithe is by sitting down, praying and counting the cost, and then deciding that this matters to you. Then you give the first 10 percent of your income as a sacrifice unto Yahweh. That is how you can make 10 percent of your income. People are always like, “How can you possibly do ten percent?” Put it first. Put Yahweh first. Do not leave Yahweh till last. He does not like it. Do not just give Him an offering as Qayin (Cain) did, give Him your first and finest like Havel (Abel).
So, we give Him the first 10 percent of our income. If you are not part of the priesthood, that is an acknowledgment that, “Yes, Yahweh does establish these institutions”. “Yes, Yahweh does have a goal, a mission, and a job for these institutions to perform.” “And yes, I need to be not rebellious. I need to be a good disciple. I need to be a good faithful person and pay my tithes so that I am not robbing Elohim. So that His ministers have the funds that they need to do the job.”
No one likes taxes but it is kind of like a kingdom tax. And if you want your King to be happy with you, then we all need to pay our taxes.
When we read Scripture, we also see Yahweh talking about us wanting to give Him gifts, offerings, and firstfruits in addition to our tithes. The thing is, most people have such a hard heart against the tithe. That is perhaps because people do not really understand what it is for. Yahweh has always wanted a kingdom for His Son and the operation has gone through various stages. All of this is explained in The Torah Government. If you read The Torah Government, you can understand the big arc that Yahweh is making with all these things, why He ordered the three-tithe structure the way He did, and why the Melchizedekian Order is ordered the way that it is now, even though it fell away into the Great Falling Away. Now we are coming back and now our job is to truly re-establish the tabernacle of David as our forerunners were attempting to do in the first century.
And brothers and sisters, I believe the time is now that we are supposed to be doing it. Because it is happening inside Nazarene Israel. Yahweh is sending disciples to Nazarene Israel, and we are working at taking the true good news into all nations. There is a big job to do, and funds are never in excess. There is a requirement for anyone who loves Yeshua to help His work go forth. And my personal feeling is that Yahweh wants a bride for His Son.
What kind of bride? He does not just want any bride; He wants a Proverbs 31 bride who wants to see His kingdom established. A bride that values Him more than she values anything in the world. Including her 10 percent, her gifts, her offerings, and her firstfruits offerings. She does not value those things. She values and loves Him and wants to see His kingdom established. And that is worth it to her. She has to give up some money, but she is not doing anything else anyway. Because her whole life is about how she can help her Husband get what He wants. “I love my Husband; how can I help my Husband get His kingdom established?”
That is what Yahweh is looking for in a disciple. That is the kind of people we want to be.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 18:20-21
20 Then Yahweh said to Aharon: “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting.”
The tribes, yes, they can have an inheritance. Great, as well as they can do. Praise Yahweh. But the priests, will not have a portion. Because He says, “I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.” “I want you to focus on Me. I am a jealous Elohim. I want all your attention. I want all of your service. Behold, I am going to give the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance because I want them to have the money, they need to perform the work they are doing for Me, building My Son’s kingdom in the tabernacle of meeting”.
It is an early phase. We do not see Yeshua show up until the first century. But nonetheless, the children of Levi were laying the groundwork for the coming kingdom of Yeshua. That is what we are really doing. We are sowing into Yeshua’s kingdom; we are helping to build Yeshua’s kingdom. But it has to be a unified kingdom and it has to follow His rules. And I have not seen any other ministries that are even attempting to follow all the rules of the Renewed Covenant. Nazarene Israel is the only ministry I have even seen that is attempting to follow all the rules exactly as they are written.
So, we are attempting to build Yeshua’s kingdom. But let us see what the apostle says in Second Corinthians.
Qorintim Bet (2 Corinthians) 9:6-8
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for Elohim loves a cheerful giver.
8 And Elohim is able to make all favor abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
He is speaking to those here who have the right heart. Because under the Levitical Order, it was very possible to tithe out of necessity or out of fear, but not from a heart of love. And here Yahweh is turning the tables. Under the Levitical Order, yes, you would get stoned. Under the Melchizedekian Order, we are not going to stone you, but we cannot afford to spend time with you if you are not one of the twelve helping. If you are not dedicated to Elohim, then sorry. But the harvest is enormous, and the workers are extremely few.
The apostle Shaul says that he who sows sparingly (like most of the Messianic movement) will also reap sparingly. We are talking in spiritual terms. You might have more money to invest in the material world so you might have more material wealth. But what does it gain a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul or displeases his Elohim? What is it worth? Where is our treasure? What do we care about? Are we trying to please Elohim or are we trying to live our lives in the world under the disguise of serving Elohim?
“But he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart.”
Do we love Yeshua? Do we want to see Him get His kingdom built, not grudgingly or of necessity? Because that was under the Levitical Order. But Elohim loves a cheerful giver. He loves the Proverbs 31 bride who cannot wait to help build Yeshua’s kingdom. That is what He wants to see. And if we truly believe that Elohim is who He says He is and that He truly has the power to save from the dead, we ought to see that Elohim is also able to make all favor abound toward us that we always have sufficiency in all things and an abundance for every good work. If we put our focus in the right place and He is our treasure and what we desire, there is always an abundance and always all sufficiency in all things. This is why the apostle Shaul says the following about the first tithe.
Qorintim Aleph (1 Corinthians) 9:11
11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
We are doing a job here and it is definitely a full-time job. 85 to 90-hour weeks just going, going, going, from the time you wake up to the time your head hits the pillow. If you are doing the job right, then you are going to be busy. And this is what is needed. The harvest is enormous, the workers are doing the best that they know how. Is it such a hard thing if we need some financial support? Shaul is talking about the first tithe concern here.
Now Yeshua is going to talk about the first and third tithe concerns. Yeshua talks more about money than He talks about love. And maybe that is because He sees that giving to His Father’s kingdom is the fruit of a correct spirit, the fruit of love for Him. Because if we love Him, we will be doing things for Him. If we love Him, we will be doing all we can to set up and establish His coming kingdom. It is here. But it is going to be even more here after the tribulation and Armageddon.
So what did Yeshua say?
Mattityahu (Matthew) 6:19-21
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
You can tell how a person loves Yeshua by taking a look at their calendar and their checkbook. Where they spend their time and what they spend their money on, that will tell you. One of the things about the tithe is, yes, you are giving away 10 percent or more. But you also begin to lose the lusts and desires for the things of this world. And you learn how to become blessed with spiritual riches. It is a great blessing. When we talk about focusing on the real things, we talk about focusing on the right things.
Luqa (Luke) 14:33
33 “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
Yeshua wants His priests to forsake all, for the privilege of helping Him build His unified kingdom worldwide. I take room and board and I am happy. I have food and clothing and I am satisfied. I have the equipment to work for Him. I am helping to establish His kingdom and that is all I want, that is all I need. But we need help doing it. There is more work presently than there are workers. We need the help, but I do not spend it on myself. I am spending it on Yeshua and His kingdom. That is the difference. Because Yeshua says He wants His priests to forsake the world. So we are renouncing the world, so to speak, and basically donating the rest of our lives, working as hard as we can to help Him build His unified kingdom worldwide. And He works His servants hard, but He always gives enough and an abundance in all things so that you have enough, plus a little to make it nice. I do not know what more a person wants.
Notice how the structure was beginning to be set up in the early parts of the book of Ma’asei as we begin to see both first and third tithe ministries.
Ma’asei (Acts) 4:34-35
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of [extra] lands or [extra] houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
I believe those described in Ma’asei chapter sold their extra lands or houses because you have to live somewhere. But the point is that they had a big job of financing the kingdom to do. In the first century, they were attempting to stand the tabernacle of David back up because it serves as a global spiritual government. Then everything went off course into the Great Falling Away. And now it has been coming back from the Great Falling Away ever since the Protestant Reformation in 1517. The timing is now, and He is beginning to call people to the work. But the people He calls to the work are those who say, “What can I bring?”, “How can I help serve my Husband?”, “How can I bring my ‘A-game’?”, What can I bring to the fight?”. Those are who the disciples are. And we begin with tithing and serving. That is one of the principles that we have in Nazarene Israel to be a disciple. We need to be tithing and we need to be serving somehow. We need to be helping the Kingdom go forth in some fashion.
So here, in Ma’asei chapter 4, we see the disciples taking a look and deciding, “I do not need this. I do not need that. We can sell this and that because we are going to be dispersed out of Jerusalem in 70 CE anyway. Let us get rid of the stuff we do not need. Let us start downsizing now and put our treasure in the Kingdom.” Giving your worldly riches for the spiritual riches.
It is a very real thing. It just depends on whether people have faith and actually believe. You have to believe in order to give your money away to Yeshua’s cause. You have to believe. And perhaps one reason Yeshua talks more about money than He does about love is that it is a tangible indicator of where our heart is. Because where our heart is, that is where we put our treasure also.
Ma’asei (Acts) 6:1-2
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of Elohim and serve tables.”
We continue to see the structure be set up. Now we have a Melchizedekian manifestation of the three tithes. We see that they are taking care of whoever has a need, that is the third tithe consideration. But we also know that the twelve were set apart as basically the original Melchizedekian priesthood.
When you are small, you do not necessarily need differentiation. But just like a literal body, as the body grows then you start to need cell division. You start to need organ differentiation. The body starts to get big, and you just have organization. So, now the number of disciples was multiplying and there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists. Meaning, the less devout Jews are complaining against the more devout more Jewish believers who are paying more attention to the commandments. They are paying more attention to Yeshua’s personality. They are paying more attention to Yeshua’s walk. They are trying to imitate Yeshua and walk exactly as He walked. The Hellenists (Greek) are more like reformed Jews today. You have the Orthodox who are very devout and then you have reformed Jews who are not so devout. They feel free to take on non-Hebrew ways, but they would still minister to them in the first century.
Now, speaking of the widows, which is a third tithe concern. The poor, the widow, and the orphan. So, what are you going to do when you have to take care of the widows that are near and dear to Yahweh’s heart? You have a whole tithe for the poor, the widow, and the orphan. But here they are not getting the daily distribution, so what are you going to do? You have to fix that. But you cannot take time away from the first tithe ministry because now you are starting to grow. Now you need organ differentiation. You need first tithe ministers to handle first tithe matters and you need third tithe ministers to handle third tithe matters. And then the people are in charge of the second tithe.
Ma’asei (Acts) 6:3-4
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Set-apart Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The twelve summoned the multitude of disciples and said that they had a big job to do and that Elohim expects us to do it. So it was not good for them to leave the first tithe work of Elohim, the ministry and prayer, in order to go serve tables, which is a third tithe concern. They needed more help and more workers. Therefore, they instructed the brethren to seek out from among them seven men of good reputation, full of the Set-apart Spirit and wisdom to appoint over the third tithe business. Well, to be realistic, you have to have some kind of funding for that. At the same time, the apostles would continue to give themselves continually to the first tithe matters of the ministry, to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. Now we have organ differentiation. We have cell division going on as the body is growing.
Well, the people are in charge of their own second tithe. The thing to bear in mind is that the second tithe still belongs to Yahweh. It does not belong to us. And if we are disciples, we will be glad to pay the second tithe just like we are glad to pay the first and the third. And again, for further details please see The Torah Government study.
But in the land of Israel, we use the second tithe to bring our families up to Jerusalem. Because that is where Yahweh has chosen to place His name. That does not apply to us outside the land of Israel. But at least you have the funding to travel, with the purpose to get together with other like-minded families in the body. That way your children can meet other children in the faith. And as they make friends in the faith with feast gifts, making the feasts a delight for our families, they will want to grow up around others of the faith. If you have children and you are concerned that they are going to grow up in the faith, then you need to get active. That is one of the things second tithe is all about. Because we want to do whatever it takes so that our children are going to grow up with fond memories of the feasts and want their children (heirloom) to inherit the same love for Yeshua.
The other thing we need to remember is that it is Yahweh’s tithe, not our tithe. It is only up to us to administer it within the family. I have met rich people. The rich man thinks, “I am not going to spend 10 percent on myself.” (Because he made a lot of money.) Well, if you do not need to spend it on yourself then there are a lot of families that could really use some help. And if we are truly the assembly of Philadelphia that is protected through the end times, then we need to care about these other families as if they were our own children or as if they were our own family. Because if you are not willing to put your money where your mouth is then your love is not for real. That is hypocrisy and that is the one thing we do not want to be is hypocrites.
So, if you love Yeshua, if you love Elohim, if you value the inheritance, you have been given, and you do not need the whole 10 percent for yourself, then you can give it to a poor family in the faith. We will be happy to pass it along for you. Or if you prefer, you can also donate it to the kingdom work. Because again, the harvest is great, and the workers are few. And the help is never in excess. But that is the second tithe that is administered ourselves. And again, it needs to come off the top.
That is also where they get the concept of 25 percent of all consumer spending taking place around Christmas. Yahweh is just asking for 10 percent to take place around the feasts. As long as you are paying first tithe and second tithe, why not third tithes?
Now this is where we start to get into the information where the original question and the original reason for this micro-series came from. In The Torah Government study, we explain that in the third and the sixth years of the seven-year time period (the Shemittah cycle) we are supposed to give a third ten percent tithe for the poor, the widow, and the orphan. Because Yahweh cares about that. We are supposed to be a family. We are a nation. We are a religious body where we are His body and His bride. We are all of those things all at the same time. We are a temple for a living tabernacle made with people. We have to take care of each other.
The promise in Revelation is that the assembly of Philadelphia (of true brotherly love) are the only ones that are protected in the end times. And the point is that there are rules to love. If you are not willing to take care of your neighbor and do not see yourself as your brother’s keeper, at least inside of Nazarene Israel, then is your heart the same as Yeshua’s? And if your heart is different from Yeshua’s, do you have Yeshua’s Spirit? Because if we have the same Spirit as Him, should not we have the same love as He does? Should not we have the same behavior?
Yeshua gave all. We are not asked to give all unless we are joining the priesthood. If you are going to join the priesthood, you need to give all. If you are not going to give all then at least 10 percent is required. We need to give the first and second tithe each year. Then we give the third tithe for the poor in the third and sixth years. (These are called the “years of tithing”). They come twice in the 7-year Shemitta cycle.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:12
12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe[s] of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled…
Yahweh calls the third year “the year of tithing” because that is how much emphasis He places on taking care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. He says that we first tithe to Levite, and then give the third tithe to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. We talk about this in The Torah Government study. It is actually the priesthood that ministers the third tithe so that the people do not go around handing it out. It is given to the priesthood and then the priesthood ministers that to the faithful within the body.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:13
13 “…then you shall say before Yahweh your Elohim: ‘I have removed the set-apart tithe[s] from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them…”
We see several places where there is a need, not just for the first tithe, but also for the third tithe.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 26:14-15
14 “I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of Yahweh my Elohim, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.
15 Look down from Your set-apart habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
The point is, we are able to ask Yahweh’s blessings because we have obeyed His voice and we have done according to all that He has commanded us. That is why we are able to ask these things. So, we need to obey Him in this. We see that there was a need for this in the first century and we see this three-tithe system being set up in Melchizedekian fashion, in the early chapters of Ma’asei.
Ma’asei (Acts) 6:1-2
1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of Elohim and serve tables.”
Clearly, if there is a daily distribution, there is a collection. What is that collection? That collection is the third tithe. That is what it is all about. Plus, gifts, offerings, and firstfruits offerings so that we can take care of Yeshua’s people, Nazarene Israel. The need existed in the first century before things went off track. And now, we are told to bring things back on track. Because the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven is going to be dropped into our laps at the end of the tribulation period. It is going to be up to us to minister justice and righteousness in His name with Yeshua’s rod of iron, which He Himself received from His Father and then will hand to us.
I do not know about you. But when I take a look around, I think that we have a long way to go before we are ready and capable to administer world government. And for those who have ears to hear, I believe that the commandment is to begin getting ready now.
Obviously, there is a need for collection if there is going to be a distribution. The twelve said that they had to remain focused on the first-tithe work. Take me, for example. I am running 85 to 90 hours a week. Basically, from the time I wake up to the time my head hits the mattress, I am going. There is a lot of work to do. Serving tables is important work that has to be done. But if you are going to have me serve tables then I do not have time for everything else. And then the ministry of the word will be neglected and that is not going to work. We have to perform the ministry of the word. So, again, what are we going to do?
Ma’asei (Acts) 6:3-4
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Set-apart Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this [third tithe] business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Same answer as before. We are going to seek out seven men of good reputation, full of Set-apart Spirit and wisdom, to appoint over the third tithe resources. Whatever third tithe resources come in, they are in charge of it. They are in charge of taking care of the people. That is the first century. Obviously, in the dispersion, we have different financial mechanisms and these kinds of things. But nonetheless, the apostles (priesthood) would continue to give themselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And there are a lot of people that really do not understand just how important prayer and the ministry of the word is. If we do not have the ministry of the word, then how do we have the doctrine to come together in unity? How do we know what His belief is so we can come together in unity with Him? How do we preach it? How do we teach it? How does the word go forth? That is a big job. There is a lot more work in ministry than you would think, that is for sure.
Okay. We said earlier that the third tithe is given twice in a seven-year period of time. It is given in the third year and then it is also given in the sixth year of the seven-year Shemittah cycle.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 25:3-4
3 “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit;
4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to Yahweh. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.”
Just as we are going to count to six and then rest on the seventh day Sabbath, we are going to count to six in sowing and harvesting our crops and then we are going to let the land rest on a seventh year Sabbath, the Shemittah. And then we are also going to see that seven Shemittah, plus one year, is called a Yovel (a Jubilee). Just like you count to seven, seven times, and then add one day to get to your Shavuot (Pentecost), we also have a count for the Jubilee with the same pattern.
Yahweh gives us this jubilee count in Leviticus chapter 25, starting in verse eight.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 25:8-9
8 “And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.
9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Yovel [Jubilee] to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on Yom Kippur [the Day of Atonement] you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.”[50-day count to Shavuot (Pentecost) is the pattern for the 50-year count to the Jubilee.]
He says, “And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Yovel (Jubilee) to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.”
And that begins the 50th year. That begins the year of the Jubilee. So, there is a relationship between the Shemittah and the Jubilee cycles. If you do not get what you need on that in The Torah Government, there is also The Torah Calendar study in which we have a separate chapter on that.
What we are saying here is that the third tithe is going to be given twice in this seven-year period. It is going to be given in the third year and then it is going to be given again in the sixth year.
Now, here are the specific questions that the disciples asked. As disciples, they want to know because they want to do it. They want to be imitators of Yeshua because that is their understanding.
1. Does the third tithe still apply today?
2. How do we work that with the Shemittah land rest? How does that work outside the land of Israel?
3. Is it possible to pro-rata the third tithe?
For many of them, it would be very difficult. They know that they have to give a first tithe and that we all have to give a second tithe (which is only in our best interest). And to give a little more in a third time, that is something people can schedule in every month. But if they have to take a whole third tithe two times in seven years, that seems to represent a lot.
| Year | Third Tithe? |
| 1st | 1st and 2nd |
| 2nd | 1st and 2nd |
| 3rd | 1st,2nd, and 3rd |
| 4th | 1st and 2nd |
| 5th | 1st and 2nd |
| 6th | 1st,2nd, and 3rd |
| 7th | Land rest (Shemittah) |
So, there are different feelings about this. But basically, our answer is that if you pray and Yahweh leads you to give your third tithe in a pro-rata, we are happy to receive it that way. We are not here to enforce that anyone does anything. We are here basically as a bridal service. If anyone wants to be Yeshua’s bride, then we are here to help orchestrate the efforts to help Yeshua get what He wants. Meaning, an organized body and an organized bride that works together to build Him a literal, spiritual kingdom that will rule and reign instead of the current Babylonian government we have now. Because that is going to fall at trumpet seven. In that day it will be so important for us to have a system for taking care of our poor, our widows, and our orphans. And this is it. It is right here; this is what Yahweh commands.
Now, there is an argument for only a first tithe. And if you believe that way then we will try to help you and serve your needs. But I have been studying this for a lot of years. And Yahweh recently showed me that no, it is the three tithe system. Because taking care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan, is what He calls the Year of Tithing. So, if you do not tithe the three tithes that year, it is as if you did not tithe. That is one of the markers of a righteous society is that they take care of their disadvantaged.
But yes, we are under the Melchizedekian Order right now, not the Levitical Order. So, if you feel that you want to pay your three tithes in a pro-rata fashion, we are happy to assist you with that and we will do what we can. In the Levitical system, you have three tithes paid annually. And then in the Melchizedekian system, Shaul recommends setting something aside weekly. It is a different schedule, but it is the same principle, and it is the same precepts of taking care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan.
People ask, “Well, how can we know how much?” This is what Yahweh says. Here we do the math.
| Year | Third Tithe? |
| 1st | 1st and 2nd |
| 2nd | 1st and 2nd |
| 3rd | 1st,2nd, and 3rd |
| 4th | 1st and 2nd |
| 5th | 1st and 2nd |
| 6th | 1st,2nd, and 3rd |
| 7th | Land rest (Shemittah) |
But if you feel led to do things in a pro-rata basis, that is a way you can pay your three tithes. Because you are already paying 10 percent for the priesthood, this is an additional 2.9 percent for the poor, the widow, and the orphan, and you are already paying yourself for the second tithe, or you should be. We all should be paying the second tithe so that we can make the feast a delight for ourselves and our families, especially for our children. Because we want the children to grow up in the way that they should go, so that when they are older, they shall not depart from it. And you can give it to any purpose with which the ministry can serve Yeshua. The third and the sixth years of the seven-year Shemittah are the third tithe years. That is two years in seven. So we take two divided by seven and that equals 0.2858. Let us be safe and let us round that up to 0.29 of an extra tithe each year. If you pray and Yahweh tells you this would be pleasing to Him (I cannot imagine why it would not be), you can tithe 12.9 percent to Nazarene Israel to cover both the first and third tithes and then 10 percent to yourself for your second tithe. That is a total of 22.9 percent, or you could round it to 23 percent if you prefer.
Again, the second tithe is still Yahweh’s tithe. And we can give it in a third tithe way, there is nothing wrong with that. What Yahweh wants to see is that we love Him. And because He cares about His people who are poor, we also should care about His people who are poor. I believe that is why Yeshua speaks about love less than He speaks about money. Because anyone can say they love the poor. But when was the last time they actually helped one advance in the faith? When was the last time they said, “I love Yeshua, I love Yahweh”?
Okay. Great! Do you put your money where your mouth is? What are you doing to help advance His kingdom? Is the love of His people who are poor important to you? How is it important to you? How do we know? How does Yahweh know? There are a lot of people who think that they are going to walk arm-in-arm with the apostle Shaul just because they read some of his epistles. But the judgment is not going to be like that. The judgment is going to be whether we are doing everything that He says to do or we are not doing everything that He says to do. That is the difference between sheep and goats.
Now, I just want to give anecdotal support for this. This was several years ago, I cannot remember exactly what year we did this. But sometime around 2010 or so we took a visit to Azure Standard farms in Oregon. They are an organic and natural farm. You can have them deliver bags of organic grains and things at a big discount. I am not related to them in any sense, but just to share the story. They said that when they began to let the land rest, they experienced a 51 percent general increase in their harvest. I spoke with the grandfather and asked him if he knew why. He said they believe it has something to do with disrupting the bacteria cycle in the soil. Maybe it makes more of the nutrients and minerals available to the plants as opposed to the bacteria. But he said there is a 51 percent general increase in the harvest. I just thought I would pass that praise report along. But first and third tithe matters are important to Yahweh.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 23:23
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe[s] of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”
Yeshua told the Scribes and Pharisees that they should have paid their tithes of mint, anise, cumin, barley, and all of their crops without leaving the justice, mercy, and the faith undone. They were doing it, but not doing it right. That is what He is saying. That is the problem. A lot of what the church believes is that if I am doing it right, I do not actually need to do it. And that is a big sham.
Notice what Yeshua says in the beatitudes, His very opening sermon.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:20
20 “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness [Torah obedience] exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”[Obey the commandments out of love.]
In Hebrew idiom, righteousness means a commandment keeper. They will say tzaddik, meaning, righteous man. And you may say, “who, me?” And to them, it means that you are keeping the commandments. That to them is a righteous man.
In other words, here we have the Scribes and the Pharisees paying their tithes of mint, anise, and cumin, they are doing so in a hypocritical fashion. They have a checklist mentality. And once they have paid their tithes, rather than have mercy, compassion, justice, and faith, they can make up their own variations of His Father’s Torah. They can make up all kinds of fence laws and things that effectively negate His Father’s Torah. They can void the Torah. Because they do not have the right hearts.
I believe a similar warning is due to us. Because how many of us do not pay tithes? We do not care. “What!? Build Yeshua kingdom!? What is that all about?”
You know, brothers. We need to understand that Yahweh wants a kingdom for His Son. He wants a queen for His Son. But not just any kind of a queen. He wants a Proverbs 31 bride who loves Him and is trying to help Him get what He wants out of love. That is her motivation, which is what makes her tick.
How many of us are like, “No, no. It is my money. We do not need to build a kingdom with it. We do not need those poor people.”? I take room and board and I have the equipment to serve Elohim with. There are a lot of people, I think. When we have the Scribes and the Pharisees tithing, and our Torah obedience needs to exceed theirs or else we are not going to by any means enter the kingdom of heaven, do we believe what Yeshua says? Do we take it to heart? Or do we not really have faith? Do we not really believe what it says? Do we not really shema (hear and obey)? Because we are hearing Him. We read what He writes. What He says is written right there, anyone can understand it. Are we doing it? Are we keeping it? Are we obeying the commandments out of love? That is the question.
How does a society treat its poor?
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 15:11
11 “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’”
Devarim chapter 15, verse eleven says that the poor will never cease from the land. You always have poor to help. You will always have poor, widows, and orphans. We are not in the land. But same precept, same concept. He wants us to take care of His people.
Also, in Psalms, they believed that David was prophesying and speaking in the Spirit. That means it is the Spirit speaking in Psalm 41, verse one.
Tehillim (Psalms) 41:1
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Blessed is he who considers the poor; Yahweh will deliver him in time of trouble.
There should be plenty of times of trouble coming ahead. So, are we considering the poor?
Mishle (Proverbs) 21:13
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.
Mishle chapter 21, verse thirteen tells us that whoever shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard. That is how seriously Yahweh takes the cries of the poor, these despised people.
Mishle (Proverbs) 22:9
9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor.
Mishle chapter 22, verse nine says that he who has a generous eye will be blessed. for he gives of his bread to the poor. The opposite of an evil eye is to have a good eye or a generous eye. Someone who wants to give it indicates that the Spirit within them is light and not in darkness. What a great promise for those of us with light in our eyes who give generously to the poor. We will be blessed and will be safeguarded in the end times. What a wonderful blessing. Do we want that? Do we truly believe?
This has been our study on the third tithe for the poor at the discipleship level. And if anyone wants to be a disciple, then we need to read the words of Elohim and do everything they say, so that we might help build, further, and establish His kingdom here on this earth. And if that is your goal and if that is your desire, then welcome home to Nazareth Israel, the original faith of the apostles.