Deuteronomy 14:22-29: a reflection

22You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year. 23You shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. 24If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it because the place which the LORD your God shall choose to set his name there is too far from you, when the LORD your God blesses you, 25then you shall turn it into money, bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose. 26You shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires: for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you. You shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. 27You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you. 28At the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates. 29The Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

God commands the people to tithe their produce, and he states the purpose of it plainly: that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. The tithe was not merely a tax or a duty; it was a means of forming the heart, teaching the people, through the regular practice of giving back to God a portion of what they had, to reverence and depend on him. Giving was to shape their hearts, teaching them to fear the LORD.

Notice the purpose God gives for the tithe: that you may learn to fear the LORD always. Giving back to God a portion of what they had was not only about the provision it made, though it did provide for the Levites and the poor; it was about what it did in the giver's heart. The regular practice of giving to God taught the people to reverence him, to acknowledge that all they had came from him, to hold their possessions with open hands. Giving formed the heart, teaching the fear of the LORD.

That purpose of giving, to form the heart in reverence and dependence, is worth remembering in our own giving. We can think of giving to God merely as a duty, or in terms of what it accomplishes for others; and it does provide for real needs. But giving also forms our own hearts, teaching us to reverence God, to acknowledge that all we have is his gift, to hold our possessions with open hands rather than clutching them. When you give to God, remember that it is not only for what it provides, but for what it forms in you: reverence, dependence, an open-handed acknowledgment that all you have is God's gift. Let your giving teach you, as the tithe was to teach Israel, to fear the LORD, holding your possessions loosely and reverencing the God from whom they come. Giving forms the heart; let yours form in you the reverence and dependence God intends.

Lord, you commanded the people to tithe their produce, and stated the purpose plainly: that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always; the tithe was a means of forming the heart, teaching them to reverence and depend on you. Help me remember that purpose in my own giving. I can think of giving to you merely as a duty, or in terms of what it accomplishes for others; and it does provide for real needs. But giving also forms my own heart, teaching me to reverence you, to acknowledge that all I have is your gift, to hold my possessions with open hands rather than clutching them. When I give to you, help me remember that it is not only for what it provides, but for what it forms in me: reverence, dependence, an open-handed acknowledgment that all I have is your gift. Let my giving teach me, as the tithe was to teach Israel, to fear you, holding my possessions loosely and reverencing you, from whom they come. Giving forms the heart; let mine form in me the reverence and dependence you intend, Lord. Teach me to fear you through my giving.