Gunter Wittenberg puts into perspective the role of tithing in Israelite society. For Wittenberg, the tithe had a close link to Israel’s worship while at the same time served as a “safety net” for society.[1] “Joy and care for the brother and sister on account of a deep gratitude for all the blessings received from Yahweh form the two basic elements of worship as Deuteronomy conceives it.”[2] God’s command to tithe provides for the giver a place in which they become the hands and feet for God. Our giving makes visible God’s justice in our world.
The tithing commands found in Deuteronomy remind us that our worship of God has moral and ethical implications. Wittenberg writes, “Deuteronomy firmly links the tithe with worship. True worship is not possible as a private affair. Worship has both elements, the joyous celebration of Yahweh’s great acts of redemption and gratitude for his blessings, and the enabling of others to participate in this celebration.”[3] Those that we would include in our celebration of God’s blessings would be members of our household along with the poor and marginalized.
If we never include or gather with others for times of devotion to God, then we fail to worship God. Living in the United States in 2011 it seems that, as a society, we forget that we are connected to one another as a community. The concept of a social contract, providing a social safety net for those on the margins, seems to be a foreign concept. Individualism is favored over any sense of communal process these days. We are taught to rely on ourselves and whatever we earn, we have, in fact, earned. God seems to be taken out of the equation when it comes to all that we have received. Some believe that what we earn has been achieved by the individual and with that logic, what reason is there to return anything to the Lord? Ralph W. Klein writes, “self-reliance is a kind of idolatry – one fears, loves, and trusts in one’s own ability, one’s own efforts.” [4] Then failure to return to the Lord risks our violating the first commandment.
Our return to the Lord then links together for individuals and congregations social outreach and worship. There is a difference to what we stand for as a faith community, which is our obedience to a gracious God in comparison to a social service agency. Sometimes congregations share what God has given to them with others. Soup kitchens and food pantries, for example, serve the marginalized in the community. Giving, but failing to share and celebrate disconnects our giving from our faith. Also, a congregation that gathers to worship but fail to reach out beyond the church walls in order to invite and share in the graciousness of God has in a sense failed to worship God. They in a sense are worshiping themselves or have turned the past into an idol, failing to come to grips with a community that has changed around them.
Perhaps these prescriptions in Deuteronomy make a distinction between stewardship and charity. I understand charity to imply that there is a giver and a receiver and isn’t an act of worship. Charity makes the individual the giver as opposed to God, and giving is often based on emotion as opposed to justice. The Old Testament reminds us that Stewardship is a constant response to God’s generosity. Stewardship is not an inconsistent knee jerk response to one time pet causes. Robert R. Ellis writes, “Gratitude gives birth to a desire to serve God’s purposes rather than human ends. Finally, because gratitude is celebrative in nature, it creates an environment in which all stewardship is an act of worship.”[5]
The tithing instruction in Deuteronomy forms the individual and faith community to be counter cultural. The reason it is counter cultural is because it is clear that when one gives a tithe, God is at the center. Whether we are following these teachings in Old Testament times or the 21st century, we are called to turn from the ways of an unjust world and worship a just God.
As Lutheran Christians, we always want to caution against a teaching being turned into some sort of legalism or mandate that could affect one’s salvation. I don’t believe this to be the case. The tithe as described in Deuteronomy is a command to discipleship and faithfulness. Fear of legalism and the reality of failure should not stop us from continual practice at being faithful stewards. God is gracious not only in what God has given to us but even in our falling short of what we are expected to give. Many times in worship when it is time for the offering I have sung the words “Accept O Lord the gifts we bring, we place upon your table, we do not worship as we ought but only as we are able.” What we return to the Lord is an act of worship that has ethical implications pointing to God’s justice in the world. Knowing the connections between stewardship, worship and justice have forever changed how I look at all three because I can no longer separate them.
[1] (Wittenberg 2009) p.94
[2] Ibid., p.97
[3] Ibid., p.101
[4] (Klien 2009) p.331
[5] (Ellis 1995) p.14
Bibliography
Ellis, Robert R. "Divine Gift and Human Response: An Old Testament Model for Stewardship ." Southwestern Journal of Theology , 1995: 4-14.
Klien, Ralph W. "Stewardship in the Old Testament ." Currents in Theology and Mission , 2009: 330-334.
Wittenberg, Gunther. "The Tithe-An Obligation for Christians? Perspectives from Deuteronomy ." Journal of Theology for South Africa , 2009: 82-101.
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