“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.”
(What many fail to realize about Melchizedek is that Melchizedek is not about Melchizedek but about Jesus Christ)
Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Through Melchizedek God affirmed Abraham and his line. At that time, Levi was still in the loins of Abraham. Yet He was blessed through him.
To bless means “to speak well of, to cause to prosper, to make happy, a benefit bestowed, to eulogize.” The key is that the greater person blesses the lesser. Abraham is considered one of the greatest men in the Old Testament. He is the father of the Hebrew people. And yet, according to Hebrews, Melchizedek the priest/king is greater than Abraham. Of course, this points out that Jesus is Greater than Abraham. Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Just as Melchizedek blessed Abraham, so Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, blesses us.
Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham. One does not tithe to someone lesser but to someone greater. In giving a tithe, Abraham recognized the greatness of Melchizedek. Moreover, Levi as it were, gave tithes through Abraham. Both the giving of the blessing and the receiving of the tithe, is evidence of the greatness of Melchizedek vs. Abraham.
Those that teach against tithing are in fact teaching that man is greater than Jesus Christ. Tithing is not about MONEY it is about RECOGNITION! Man recognizing the greatness of Jesus Christ—the Great High Priest! To teach against tithing is to teach against the atonement power of our Great High Priest–Jesus Christ. Tithing acknowledges Jesus’ right to all we are and all we have. The more we know Jesus, the more we long to give to him not only the tithes, but the whole of who we are and what we possess. Jesus the greater blesses the lesser. The lesser responds by giving back to the greater:
Jesus is the Blesser – Who blesses the lesser.
And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
Jesus is better than anyone according to Hebrews–He is better than the prophets, better than the angels, better than Moses, better than Joshua, better than Aaron. He is a better high priest for He is eternal. “He ever lives to intercede for us.” Jesus gives us a better hope, based on better promises. The New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant that could never save us. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is better than the sacrifices of the OT that had to be repeated constantly. Jesus’ sacrifice was “once for all.”
Tithing is not about the ME but about the HE — THIS is why men ought to pay tithes………and failure to “pay” rightful due by those that profess salvation is a contradiction and a grievous error… an eternal one,
— jlg —