As an act of worship, returning tithe renews our constant willingness to submit our lives to the Source of all blessings, reaffirming our unconditional surrender to God. In this sense, the tithe is a concrete representation of the covenant.
Angel M. Rodriguez
Jacob’s Commitment to God
The Lord appeared to Jacob in a dream (Genesis 28:10-22)4, revealing Himself as a loving God willing to bless, guide and protect the patriarch. In response to this divine revelation, Jacob made a vow promising to return a tithe of everything God gave him.
Just before promising to tithe, Jacob said “then the Lord will be my God” (Genesis 28:21). During the dream, the Lord promised to give Jacob a number of things for his gracious love. The Lord revealed himself as the God of Abraham and Isaac, but the real goal was to also become the God of Jacob.
Giving one’s life to God in a relationship of love precedes the act of tithing, because the tithe is inseparably linked to the Lord, it belongs to him. Tithing is based on the recognition of God’s providential intervention in a person’s life. Without this prior delivery experience, tithing loses its purpose and becomes irrelevant or meaningless.
God’s care for Jacob5
In the dream, God presents Himself as someone who will provide for Jacob’s needs. The specific promises revealed in a particular way what the Lord was willing to give the patriarch. (…)
Descendants
See Genesis 28:14 – Jacob was traveling alone, but this would change in the future. His descendants, said the Lord, “will be as the dust of the earth.” Through him, the promises made to Abraham would be fulfilled. The implication was that human procreation is in the hands of the Lord, not under the control of the law of human reproduction.
Protection
See Genesis 28:15 – The promise of protection indicated that Jacob lived in a hostile environment and that he could not preserve himself on his own. He was promised what he needed: divine guidance. This emphasizes the limits of human power and the need to rely on superhuman power. The preservation of life is ultimately in the hands of the Lord.
Lands
See Genesis 8:13 – Land was one of the most important gifts the Lord gave to His people. It provided them with an identity and, to a large extent, a source of wealth and financial security. This promise implied that the land belonged to the Lord, not the people, and it was God who provided them with financial security.
Assets
See Genesis 28:20 – God promised Jacob that he would provide bread and clothing for him. This brought peace of mind to the lonely traveler.
Through this promise, the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob as the One who is the center of human security, the supreme and only source of true blessings. He is possessor of everything and gives each person what they need according to His loving desire. God is the owner, but He has a natural willingness to share His possessions with others. Note the idea presented in the way the promises are placed in the sentence: The Lord is always the subject:
“I will give you the land.”
“I am with you.”
“I will take care of you.”
“I will bring you back to this land.”
“I will not abandon you.”
“I will do what I promised.”
God presents himself here as the One who has the power that Jacob needed to fulfill himself, to become what he should be. That was the power of God’s loving presence in his life. Then Jacob said, “…and of everything you give me, I will certainly give you a tenth” (Genesis 28:22). He understood that whatever he obtained in the future would always be a gift from God. He would have nothing that was not given to him by the Lord. For him, tithing would be an expression of gratitude, the recognition that he had nothing.
Jacob makes a vow6
A vow was a very solemn act, so someone was determined to take God seriously, trusting His Word. It was a way of expressing faith in the Lord. In his vow, Jacob did not negotiate with God or try to bribe Him. “The Lord had already promised him prosperity, and this vow was an outpouring of a heart full of gratitude for the promise of God’s mercy and love.” Through the vote, Jacob took possession of God’s promises. In fact, his “vote was in line with his promises.” Everything that the patriarch had mentioned in his vow – divine protection, food and clothing, return to his land in safety – God had promised him. We are right to conclude that, through his vow, Jacob was taking God seriously and accepting generous offerings from Him. The tithe is part of the vow, but if the tithe belongs to the Lord, then why make a vow promising to return it to Him? Several reasons can be given:
• By making the vow, Jacob recognized that the tithe was the Lord’s. Otherwise, he might have been tempted to simply consider the tithe as part of his income and return it to God whenever he desired. In reality, this vow was a testimony to the sanctity of the tithe.
• By making the vow, Jacob expressed his free decision to return his tithe to the Lord. God didn’t force him to do it. Vows in the Bible are always voluntary acts based on the action of the Spirit in the individual’s heart. Jacob’s vow meant that he had voluntarily chosen to give back to the Lord what belonged to Him.
• By making the vow Jacob accepted God’s challenge to trust Him or try Him (Malachi 3:10). God had made promises to Jacob, hoping that he would accept them and believe them. This required Jacob to enter into a trusting relationship with the Lord.
A vow is the most solemn act by which a person expresses trust in the Lord. It is faith reaching maturity. In Jacob’s case, tithing was a part of his faith giving to the Lord. His vote makes it clear that God’s blessings precede tithing and that it is therefore not a means of achieving God’s favor.
Jacob loved it7
Tithing is mentioned in this story in a worship context. Jacob confronted the glorious presence of God and worshiped Him. That is what worship is – a reverent response to the presence of God. The place where he had the dream became a place of worship, the house of the Lord. Tithing is an integral part of the act of worship. Reading verses 21 and 22 of chapter 28 indicates that Jacob’s vow includes three basic components:
• commitment to the Lord (“The Lord will be my God.”);
• worship (the place became a “center of worship”);
• tithe (according to what God gave you).
Tithing only has meaning within this theological scenario. The most important element of this story is the fact that tithing is preceded by the revelation of God as a caring and loving Person, always willing to bless and preserve the life of His servant. Jacob discovered that every material and spiritual blessing is found in the Lord and that He has a natural disposition to bless abundantly. (…)
If there is a vow it is because the relationship with the Lord is formal and the surrender is permanent. As an act of worship, returning tithe renews our constant willingness to submit our lives to the Source of all blessings, reaffirming our unconditional surrender to God. In this sense, the tithe is a concrete representation of the covenant.
Biblia.com.br Team
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4 Angel M. Rodriguez, Theology of Tithes and Offerings, p.49.
5 Idem, p. 50.
6 Ibidem, p. 51-52.
7 Ibidem, p. 52-53.