THE WIDOW’S
MITE WAS NOT A TITHE
The widow was not tithing!
Notice that NONE of the 13 treasury chests were for collecting tithes.
From: The Temple, Its Ministry and Services As They Were At the Time of Christ, Alfred Edersheim, D. D., Ph. D. died
1889, p48-49.
13TREASURY CHESTS CALLED
TRUMPETS
#1 thru #8 Mandatory
Giving
#1 and #2 were for the
half shekel Temple tribute.
#3: For women who had
to bring doves [after their issues of blood and childbirth]. They dropped the equivalent in money and that many doves were
offered daily. Mary used this when she met Simeon.
#4: Also received the
value of the offerings of young pigeons.
#5: To buy the wood
used in the Temple.
#6: To buy incense used
in the Temple.
#7: To buy golden vessels
for Temple ministry.
#8: For excess money
after buying sin offerings.
--------------
#9 thru #13 Voluntary
Giving
#9, #10, #11, #12, #13:
For excess money after buying trespass offerings, offerings of birds, the offering of the Nazarite, of the cleansed leper
and voluntary offerings.
(p379) “And it
is remarkable that the law seemed to regard Israel as intended to be only an agricultural people --- no contribution being
provided for [tithes] from trade or merchandise.”
......................................................................
The Temple only had two small storerooms for
holding the tithes for those priests who served one week at a time in rotation. It is completely absurd to teach that the
Temple
storerooms were large enough to hold the tithe from the entire nation. Hezekiah made that mistake in 2nd Chronicles 31:1-14
and was forced to re-ship the tithes back to the Levitical cities in 31:15-19.
Neh 13:5 [He] had prepared
a large room for him, where formerly they put the grain offerings, the frankincense, the utensils and the tithes
of grain, wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, the singers and the gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests.
Neh 13:8 It was very
displeasing to me, so I threw all of Tobiah's household goods out of the room.
Neh 13:9 Then I gave
an order and they cleansed the rooms; and I returned there the utensils of the house of God with the grain offerings
and the frankincense. NASU
All of the first whole
Levitical tithes NEVER were brought to the Temple! They were brought to the 48/13 Levitical cities where
98% of the Levites and priests lived and needed them for food per Joshua 20-21, Numbers 35, 1 Chron 6 and many other texts.
Neh 10:35 and that they
might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the LORD annually,
FIRSTFRUITS
---- TO THE TEMPLE – FOR PRIESTS
Num 10:36 and bring
to the house of our God the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, and the firstborn of our herds and our flocks as it is
written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God.
FIRSTBORN – TO TEMPLE – FOR PRIESTS
Neh 10:37 We will also
bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers
of the house of our God
FIRST DOUGH/WINE – TO TEMPLE – FOR PRIESTS
Neh 10:37b ... and the
tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns. NASU
TITHES – TO LEVITES – IN LEVITICAL
CITIES
This is hard to believe,
but true. Only a very small part of the Levitical tithe ended up at the Temple. When the Levites and priests went up from the Levitical
cities to minister for one week at a time they brought only what they needed for that week with them.
Neh 10:38 The priest,
the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes [IN THE LEVITCAL CITIES], and the Levites shall
bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse.
Neh 10:39 For the sons
of Israel and the sons of Levi shall bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine and the oil to the chambers; there
are the utensils of the sanctuary, the priests who are ministering, the gatekeepers and the singers. Thus we will not
neglect the house of our God.
In other words the people
were never commanded to bring all of the tithes to the Temple, therefore Malachi 3:10 must only refer to the priests who had removed the tithe as seen in Nehemiah 13:5-10. Only the Levites
went home to get something to eat.
Mal 3:10 Bring ye all
the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house ...
Neh 13:10 And I perceived
that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every
one to his field.
