Paying Tithe on the Sabbath

The Bible indicates that our gifts to God should be done on the first day of the week, not on Sabbath. While I agree that the tithes and offerings could be laid aside on a day other than the Sabbath, the question remains as to whether it is acceptable to then bring them to God on the Sabbath.

Personally, I feel it is just fine to pay one's tithes in church on Sabbath. However, when the topic came up at church, one fellow believer objected, saying we should not pay tithe on Sabbath.

How readest thou? (Bible text follows.)



Jesus also twice cleansed the temple of its merchants and moneychangers who were making merchandise of the temple service.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

It seems your view of Scripture is producing a plethora of works-based dilemmas. I'm thankful I do not struggle with such minutia.

Also, these questions seem to reflect an early Hebrew-agrarian based economy, an environment we no longer live in. So I struggle with the legitimacy of transplanting specific rules designed for their cultural/economic/religious environment or understanding into our own 3rd millennium world.

The Cross initiated a change in salvation history. Jesus said this himself. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:20, Matt. 26:27, 1 Cor. 11:26, Mark 14:23). The Cross was the end of one covenant, and the start of another. Learn what this is, and what it means.

Hint: READ PAUL, NOT ELLEN WHITE!!!!!
Paul says the same thing, only you have been taught to interpret his meaning to agree with your ideas instead of drawing your ideas from Paul.


Reduce "salvation" to its bare essentials--to its core concepts. All Christian denominations, by the way, including SDA, will subscribe to these core beliefs. (These are nicely done for you in some of the early Christian creeds such as the Nicene Creed, but you don't have to use them.)

Find these in Scripture, not EGW. (If EGW agrees with the Bible this should not be troublesome.) Challenge everything, requiring clear statements from Scripture.

From these core concepts build (re-build) your understanding of God, salvation, and the Christian walk.

None of this should frighten one who believes their beliefs are Scriptural, unless, in the back of your mind, there's this little voice saying "Is that really the way it is??" I suspect this is true, because you are asking questions.

I'll be happy to help you with this; just PM me.

I tend to agree with you on this point.

What is, lay by him in store?
Does Paul come every Sabbath?
When Paul comes, what happens to that laid in reserve?

Non-relevant to the issue.

Consider the following passage which shows Ellen White's agreement with Paul. Key phrases are bolded.



Question: Which day, the first or the seventh, does Mrs. White intend in saying "what more appropriate time could be chosen . . . ?"

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Question: Which day, the first or the seventh, does Mrs. White intend in saying "what more appropriate time could be chosen . . . ?"

Probably Saturday night, after sundown -- since all day Sabbath "we"
"have thought upon his goodness. We have beheld his work in creation as an evidence of his power in redemption. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness for his great love. And now, before the toil of the week begins, we return to him his own."

But we miss the point if we try to make a rule as to a certain time to do our financial accounting.


Paul, in the verse quoted earlier isn't talking about "taking up the tithe" at all. He is actually telling people to start saving up some money "by them" in their homes, so they could add it to the "ADRA" fund, when he came to collect it.


I think the principle here, is that giving should be planned, and Sabbath shouldn't be our "financial accounting" day -- that should be done prior. Many don't do any "accounting" when it comes to offerings, they hear an appeal and just give what ever change they might have in their pockets, but its better to go home and after the Sabbath, do some budgeting and set apart some funds for God's work.

Actually, my personal take on the scripture in 1 Cor. 16 falls more in line with "systematic giving".
In our culture, most of us live on income that comes in the form of monthly payments. So -- at the first of each month, when that payment comes in, we figure out the tithe, go through the list of offerings we want to contribute to that month and set the full amount apart to put in the offering plate the next Sabbath.


As to taking up offerings on the Sabbath --
Doesn't scripture say we are to bring our gifts to the Sanctuary? (Ps. 96:8)

This has always concerned me, as it was my understanding that the offering by the Jews was not done on Sabbath, do you know if it was a rule or tradition?

SDA immediately disregard Paul's direction and slyly add "let each one of you lay something aside IN THEIR HOMES". They are so sensitively defensive of their sabbath that they cannot imagine that the Churches of Galatia and Corinth would meet to worship God on Sundays.

But Sunday meetings were what Paul was referring to, that when the Church met on the first day of the week, the members were to add to their charity for the saints in Jerusalem so what when he came, he'd simply pick up whatever the Church had collected over the weeks and send the same unto Jerusalem by a suitable courier.

What is wrong with worshiping God on Sundays? Or Wednesday evenings? Or Tuesday mornings, hmmmm SDA? Scared, eh? lol Oh, and as for the question, of course you may bring your offerings to God on any day of the week. They're freewill offerings of gratifude NOT PAYMENTS FOR GOODS/SERVICES DELIVERED.

///

Green, continue reading. Chosen to do what? Set aside. It does NOT say, collect the offering.

No Blessings,

KLand

What does
mean to you?

So... do you worship God on Saturdays ONLY? Is it a sin to worship God on Mondays?

///

I really don't think that's what Kland was asking,
What does it mean to you that God set apart a special day each week and rested -- He made that time holy, He blessed that time. And He made that time for "mankind".

Your question kind of misses the point --
of course we are to be in a vital worshipful connection with our God all week long as we do all our work and everything that we need to do.
But like in every relationship -- just because a person loves and communicates and does things with their spouse every day of the week , doesn't mean they shouldn't set all their duties aside and just spend special designated time together. In fact the daily walk and experience is what makes the special set apart time something they really look forward to.

God set special time --
Do your work during the six days, but put all that daily work aside on the seventh day, it is set apart for holy purposes.

And yes -- we need a vital relationship with our God all week long -- without it we won't be in condition to suddenly give him all our time and worship on the 7th.

When I look at the giving patterns in the old Testament it can be a bit confusing. They had several different types of "tithe". Being an agricultural society, much of the "tithe" was not in money, but in livestock and produce. They had various laws as to where and who received those different "tithes". Some for the Levites, some for the poor, and a "second tithe" that they would eat and share with other pilgrims at the feasts. For some situations it was permissible to render the "tithe" into money and bring that to give, or buy whatever the tithe was meant to provide -- I've never really studied into all this, just read some and it sounded pretty complicated. The rabbis argue over the details now that the whole temple system is not functioning.
It was obviously a different system from ours -- it wasn't simply bringing money to church.
For many it was literally storing up the "tithe" at home, till they could go to the designated place at the designated time to give it.
There was even a third year program, when they would bring all that was "designated to Lord" out of their places and give it. (See Deut 26:12-13)
It's probably true that most of this was not done on a Sabbath.

But what are the principles that do concern us in our day?

My personal opinion on this matter is that we should do all our accounting before the Sabbath. Know what is to be given to the Lord and have it ready before the Sabbath.
I don't see anything wrong in bringing our gifts to the Sanctuary on the Sabbath and slipping it into the offering plate,

But probably, "due certain types of offering appeals" and lack of planning, many people don't have their "gifts" ready, and do their "accounting" right there in the church.
There are things done concerning money that seem out of place in God's sanctuary -- things that involve buying and selling. So I can understand your concern.

I did not make comment nor statement on the passage.
I asked, what does it mean to you?

I JUST PASSED THE THOUSAND POST MILESTONE.

I can't imagine I've spoken a thousand times on this forum.
Wow! I give myself a pat on the back for talking that much.
Maybe I should write a book.
Note to self: write a book!
It's easy when it's done one day at a time.

To all those who've read every single one of my words and thought good things and are hungry for more:

My paperback will be available soon in twelve EASY payments.
But wait! There is more! At no extra cost to you, I'll throw in FREE shipping! ***


----------------------------------
*** Certain conditions apply. Destinations outside my house are not eligible for the free offer.

///

How many steak knives?


...since I can't get an answer of what your opinion on the passage is....

Deut 14:28 "At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates.

1Cor 16:2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Neither one says "give". It says "store". Giving in both cases comes at a later time.

Do you live in an agrarian village? Why are you using Deut. 14 as a guide so exactly? And 1 Cor. 16 was about charity. not tithing. You are dealing with a matter that is proving to be too difficult for you to understand, let alone provide any guidance.

///

Yes, talk to Green.

The seventh day is the last day of the week, whatever one's span of seven days. Since the week is cyclical, the Sabbath is not A PARTICULAR 24-hour period as in, "Excuse me, these hours are holy but the second before the first hour is not, neither are the ones after the last!" There is no such thing as an inherently holy minute. A period is deemed holy by one who treats it as such. Hence, for many Christians, Sunday is holy and sacred. And for a few, Saturday is the same. Muslims like to think that Friday ought to be instead. See Romans 14:5.

///

Well that seems logical and reasonable.

But then what does
mean to you?

Do you think God had a specific and PARTICULAR 24-hour period in mind when He did that?

This is beginning to veer off topic, but God did NOT bless July 13, 2019 nor did He sanctify tomorrow the 20th. He blessed and sanctified the last day of the first week, for sure! And made it a pattern for us: six days labour, seventh day rest; hence the cyclical week.

///

He blessed and sanctified the last day of the first week.
And made it a pattern for us:
hence the cyclical week.

Would that cyclical week have started with the first week?

Not necessary and irrelevant. God merely said, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day [of the week] is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work ..." Exod. 20:9 It was called the Sabbath of the Lord because the Lord rested after working six days as well. THE seventh day is the seventh day of the week, and not some universal and particular 24-hour holy period.

So for instance, you may go forth and conquer a little village and say to the poor, frightened and trembling folk gathered about before you, "Hear ye now, ye little people, I am now prime minister and ye are all my subjects. Today is the first day of the year. Ye shall worketh diligently for me six days but on the seventh day, ye may rest. I am generous; I hope ye see that! Ye rest just as I rest, so we shall rest together like one big happy family whether ye like it or not. Harken unto that, lest ye die promptly."

///

Sounds like you are saying the Sabbath is the Lord's Sabbath, He instituted the 7th day being His cycle, and rests on the 7th day of each and every week. By giving your example, you are saying that since we are the Lord's subjects, and that all the more so as we are not some little village being conquered, but being the result of His own creation, then we are obligated to keep the same weekly cycle which the Lord keeps.

Am I missing something?