First Fruit Offerings and Tithes

(Deuteronomy 26:1 - 26:19)
“When you have entered the land Jehovah your god is giving you as an inheritance, when you have taken possession of it and settled in it, then you should take the first fruits of the crops you harvest from the land Jehovah your god is giving, put them in a basket, and take them to the place that Jehovah your god has designated as a place of worship.  Present yourself to the officiating priest and tell him, ‘I proclaim to Jehovah your god that I have now entered the land he has swore to our ancestors that he would give us.’  The priest will then accept the basket from you and place it upon the altar of Jehovah.

“You must then declare before Jehovah your god, ‘My ancestor was an Aramean nomad who went to live as an alien resident in Egypt.  When he arrived, his family was small, but it would become a large and mighty nation.  The Egyptians, though, maltreated us and made our lives miserable, subjecting us to hard labor.  We appealed to Jehovah, the god of our ancestors.  He heard our cries and saw our toil, our misery and oppression.  With his might and power Jehovah produced horrendous acts of terror, miracles and wonders and brought us out of Egypt.  He led us to this place and presented us with this country, a land flowing with milk and honey.  Now I bring to you the first fruits of the land that you, Jehovah, has given us!’  Set down the basket on the altar of Jehovah your god and prostrate yourself before it.  Afterwards you, along with the Levites and the foreigners living among you, may make merry and celebrate the bounty Jehovah your god has bestowed upon you and your household.

“When you have finished paying the tithe on all your produce in the third year (the year of the tithe) and giving it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans, and widows so that they may eat their fill in your towns, then you shall declare before the altar of Jehovah your god, ‘I have removed the sacred portion from my house and according to the instructions of your commandments, I have given it to the Levites, the resident aliens, the orphans and widows.  I have not deviated from any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten any of them.  I have not eaten any of the tithe while I was in mourning, or removed any of it while I was ritually impure, nor have I made an offering of it to the dead.  I have obeyed Jehovah my god.  I have done all you have commanded of me.  Look down from Heaven, your holy habitation, and bless your people Israel and the country you have given us as you promised our ancestors you would do, a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Jehovah your god commands you this day to follow these decrees and regulations and to obey them faithfully with all your heart and soul.  You have declared here today that Jehovah is your god, that you will follow his ways, keep his commandments and statutes, and heed what he tells you.  And Jehovah has declared to you that you are his people and will be his treasured possession as he has promised and that you must obey all his commandments.  If you do, he will set you above all the other nations he has created.  He will grant you praise, honor, and fame.  You will be a nation that is sacred to Jehovah your god, as he has promised you.”

Notes
1. Here Moses reiterates briefly the story of the Israelite people.  That Jehovah freed the people from bondage is always the rationale for the necessity of the Israelites obeying everything Jehovah tells them.  They have, in fact, traded one master for another.  Instead of being a servant of the Egyptians, they are servants of Jehovah.  It is moot question which was the more demanding taskmaster.

2. The tithe (always a tenth of the harvest) was given every third year to the Levite priests, with some to go to the indigent, widows and orphans and foreign residents.  One wonders what happened to the needy on non-tithe years, did they starve?

3. The quid pro quo of Jehovah’s relationship with the Israelites is restated -- follow all my laws, do what I tell you to do, worship me as a god, and I will shower all manner of benefits upon your nation.  Jehovah is in many respects like the lord of the manor and Israelites, serfs.

4. This concludes Moses sermon/speech to the Israelites.  It is amazing a dying man was capable of delivering such a long speech, especially since he was so oratorically challenged that he needed someone else (Aaron) to speak for him.  The speech, as has been noted many times, included anachronistic references and advice that the Israelites would not need for hundreds of years.

Tithes

(Deuteronomy 14:22 - 14:29)
“Each year you must set aside as a tithe a tenth of the crops you harvest.  So that you may learn to always revere Jehovah your god, bring your tithes, the grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the first born of your flocks and herds, to the place designated by Jehovah your god as the habitation where his name is honored and eat there before the altar of Jehovah your god.  When you are blessed with a good harvest, but the designated place of worship is too far away for you to bring your tithe, then you may exchange your crops and livestock for silver, and carry the silver with you to place of worship that has been chosen by Jehovah your god.  There you may exchange the silver for whatever food and drink you may desire, beef or mutton, wine or liquor.  You and your household should eat and drink before the altar of Jehovah your god and rejoice.  (And don't neglect the Levites that live in your towns, for they have no allotment of land among you.)

"Every third year bring all of your produce constituting your tithe for that year to the nearest town where it can be stored, so that the Levites (who have no land or inheritance of their own), resident aliens, orphans and widows who live in the towns may eat their fill  -- for which Jehovah your god will bless you in all you may undertake."

Notes
1. The tithe, the one-tenth of produce, is not a tax to support the "church" as is the modern tithe. The tithe, though, is Jehovah's share, but his worshipers are the ones who consume it.  The impression here is that of people bringing food to the place of Jehovan worship and having a picnic.  It would seem, though, that one tenth of one's produce would furnish far more than a good family meal.  What happens to the rest of the tithe?  Every third year the tithe goes to the local Levites and to the poor, widows and orphans -- who every three years can have a good meal!

2. If one lives too far away from the nearest place of worship to transport the produce meant for the tithe, it can be exchanged for silver and the silver brought to the place of worship to buy food there.  One gets the impression the authors are speaking about silver coins used as currency.  This is highly anachronistic.  Coins would not be invented for more than a half a millennium after Moses and were only commonly used by the 6th Century BC, about the time when most of the Bible was actually written. Moses/Jehovah is way ahead of his time.