Tithing Series:

#1: Tithing shouldn’t divide us!
#2: What I don’t believe about tithing.
#3: Why we can’t dismiss Abraham’s tithe.
#4: Six pictures of New Covenant tithing from Abraham.
#5: New Covenant scriptures on tithing.

Here are 6 amazing pictures of New Covenant tithing from Abraham:

1) Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, who is Christ!

The only time Melchizedek appears in the Old Testament is in this account where he encounters Abraham. This Melchizedek is so great that Abraham instinctively and voluntarily gives him a tithe (a tenth) of all. Listen to how Hebrews 7:1-4  describes this Melchizedek:

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.”

This is not describing an ordinary man but someone who is exceedingly great. Who do you know that exists without a father or mother or any trace of descent, that doesn’t have a beginning of days nor end of life, but lives forever? Only Christ fits this description. If this Melchizedek isn’t Christ then there is most certainly a fourth person in the trinity! However the book of Hebrews does reveal that Christ is a high priest in the order of Melchizedek. This is the high priestly order of the New Covenant of whom there is only one high priest, Christ. It is clear that this Melchizedek whom Abraham encountered was in fact the pre-incarnation of Christ.

This most certainly is a significant event that we cannot simply glance over or ignore. It is profound! Do you realise what it means? It means that Abraham tithed to Christ!

I think it’s amazing that Abraham, the father of our faith, tithed to Christ and yet people say there is no biblical evidence to show tithing belongs in the New Covenant.

Christ is the only one who is truly worthy to receive the tithe. He doesn’t demand it, but when we, like Abraham, realise how great Melchizedek is, we instinctively and voluntarily give Him the tithe.

2) Abraham tithed AFTER the bread and wine.

It’s very interesting the Melchizedek ministers bread and wine to Abraham.

Genesis 14:18-20

“Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him…And he (Abram) gave him a tithe of all.”

What is the bread and wine represent?

1 Corinthians 11:23-25

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

The bread and wine is clearly a picture of the New Covenant. So here Melchizedek, the high priest of the New Covenant, appears to Abraham and ministers bread and wine to him. Surely Melchizedek here is figuratively bringing Abraham into the New Covenant. Abraham then gives him a tenth of all. The sequence here is important. The bread and wine came first, then the tithe. I believe this is a picture showing us that even once the New Covenant has come, tithing continues. In other words, tithing continues after the body was broken and the blood was shed.

3) Abraham was blessed BEFORE he tithed.

Under the law you must do in order to be blessed, but under grace we are blessed before we do. In Christ we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms, therefore anything we do for God is not to get a blessing but from a place of blessing. Abraham’s tithe is a picture of grace. He was blessed by Melchizedek first, and then he tithed. He didn’t tithe to be blessed, he tithed from a place of blessing when he saw how great Melchizedek was. Likewise, as New Covenant people, we are fully blessed because of the body and blood of Christ. Giving our tithe to Christ now is simply a response to who He is. It’s not a command. There’s no threat of curse if we don’t tithe. There’s no incentive of blessing if we do tithe. We simply tithe from a place of already being blessed and because we see Jesus, the one who is worthy of the tithe. This is pure grace tithing.

4) Levi tithed to Melchizedek through Abraham.

Hebrews 7:9-10 (NKJV)

“Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him…”

Levi represents the Levitical priesthood under the Old Covenant who received tithes from Israel for their work in the temple (Numbers 18:21). Levi was an inferior priesthood in comparison to Melchizedek’s superior priesthood. The fact that Levi mysterious transcended the Old Covenant to pay tithes to Melchizedek/Christ, shows us that tithing is outside of the Law and that Christ is the rightful recipient of the tithe. This picture is showing us more than just Christ being greater than Levi. It has many important implications which are:

  • That Abraham’s tithe was in fact considered tithing and not something else.
  • That tithing preceded the Law.
  • That the tithe didn’t truly belong to Levi under the Law, but always belonged to Melchizedek under grace.
  • That tithing to Melchizedek under grace is greater than tithing to Levi under Law.
  • That true tithing isn’t fulfilled by giving to Levi, but only by giving to Melchizedek, who is the high priest of the grace covenant.
  • That God transcended Levi out of an inferior form of tithing and into the superior form of tithing by causing him to tithe through Abraham his forefather.
  • That Christ didn’t fulfill the tithe by fulfilling the Law, because the tithe is outside of the Law and actually belongs to God regardless of the Law.
  • That neither Abraham, Levi or Christ ended tithing.

5) Abraham instinctively knew the tithe belongs to God.

Why did Abraham give the amount of 10% and not more or less? How did he know to give Melchizedek the exact same amount that God commanded Israel to tithe to Levi under the Law? (See Malachi 3:8-9 and Deuteronomy 26:12-13).

I believe Israel knew simply because they were commanded to, but Abraham knew because of an encounter with God. Later we see Jacob has an all night encounter with God and in the morning he voluntarily pledges to give God 10% of all that God gives him. (Genesis 28:10-22).

This is a picture of New Covenant tithing. We are not commanded to tithe in the New Covenant. In fact there are no scriptures that explicitly say that we are to tithe. But like Abraham and Jacob, those who have had an encounter with God, instinctively know that the tithe belongs to Him and have a desire to give it.

6) Abraham gave tithes, Levi paid tithes.

Hebrews 7:9

“Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham.”

(Also see 2 Chronicles 31:5 and Matthew 23:23.)

Hebrews 7:4

“Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.”

This shows the difference between tithing under law and tithing in grace. One is commanded and forced and the other is given up voluntarily because your heart is captivated by God. Tithing in the New Covenant is not forced, manipulated, commanded, compulsory or an obligation. It is a decision in your own heart, a desire, an instinctive and voluntary act of your own will to give God what you have come to believe belongs to Him, the tithe. You won’t be blessed or cursed if you do or don’t tithe, and blessing and curse is never our reasons for why we tithe anyway. Our reason for tithing is simply because we believe the tithe belongs to God and if God is first in our life then it is very easy to give it.

By Ryan Rufus.

P.S. Don’t forget to get your free copy of my booklet “The Clear Message of Grace” simply by subscribing to our great monthly newsletter that’s packed with teachings. (SUBSCRIBE HERE)

Tithing Series:

#1: Tithing shouldn’t divide us!
#2: What I don’t believe about tithing.
#3: Why we can’t dismiss Abraham’s tithe.
#4: Six pictures of New Covenant tithing from Abraham.
#5: New Covenant scriptures on tithing.

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