Genesis Chapter Fourteen The First Tithe

In verses 18-24 we read about a man named Melchizedek who was the priest of God Most High, who came and blessed Abraham as he returned from a great victory. In verse 20 we are told that Abraham gave him ‘a tithe of all.” There are many ideas as to who this Melchizedek actually was, but what I am interested in, is the fact that Abraham gave him a tithe. How did he know to do this? Why would he give him 10%, instead of 1% or 2%? We don’t find any teaching about this in previous chapters. I believe this is because the concept of giving 10% did not originate with the Law of Moses; it was something that was around from the beginning. I believe this is an eternal principle that men of God have followed from the beginning. Those who try to say that tithing is OT usually say that because they don’t have the revelation that tithing is an eternal principle, like the need for forgiveness of our sins, or the importance of only worshipping the one true God. These are not to be divided into OT and NT principles, they are principles that we should live our lives by. Tithing is based on the principle of ‘first fruits.” God always asks for the ‘first fruits” and in Romans 11:16 we are told, “For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.” If the first fruit is holy then all that follows after will be holy. Giving ten per cent to God, through His church, is an important truth to live by, which if we do, I believe all of our finances and possessions would be blessed by God.