"Out of Egypt" (Deut 11:8-12) @ Houlton UMC

"Out of Egypt" (Deut 11:8-12)

- Kingdom Stewardship III –

The Land of Egypt vs. the Land of Canaan

What comes to mind when you think of the “Promised Land”? One of the most popular images of it would be ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ But, if you see the picture on the screen, Canaan doesn’t look like the land flowing with milk and honey. It seems rather barren land. In today’s scripture Moses compares the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan. In verse 10, he says, “In the land of Egypt you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.” In other words, Egypt is fertile ground for planting crops. Yearly floods bring soil rich in nutrients to the Nile Valley. The Nile basin is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization. In this respect, the land of Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. That is why when Korah rose up against Moses, he said as follows in Numbers 16:13, “Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert?” From a human point of view surely Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. The life in Egypt is safe, predictable, and self-sufficient. Then, how about the land of Canaan? In verse 11, Moses says, “But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven.” In other words, unlike Egypt, in Canaan people must totally depend on rain to get water. They must depend on God for living. The life in Canaan is dependent and unpredictable.

Then, why is the land of Canaan called “a land flowing with milk and honey”? The answer is in verse 12. Moses says, “It (Canaan) is a land the Lord your God cares for. The eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” Canaan is the land that the Lord takes care of. It is the land that the Lord himself is a Provider. So, The Lord promises his people, “If you love me and obey my commands, I will send rain on your land in its season so that you may gather in your grain” (13-14). From a human point of view, Canaan is not a land flowing with milk and honey. But, from God’s point of view, it is the most fertile and blessed land because only when we have a right relationship with God, we are able to live a prosperous life in the land of Canaan. In the following chapters, God gives detailed instructions to the Israelites how they should live as the people of God in the Promised Land. In particular, three things are essential: “worship and feast celebration,” “tithes and offerings,” and “clean food.” This morning we will mainly focus on the tithe: What is it? Why is it important? And how shall we be a tither?

What Is Tithing?

First of all, what is tithing? The word tithe simply comes from the Hebrew word “maaser,” which means ten percent. Tithe is one-tenth. Regarding what is tithing we need to ask two following questions: (1) To whom does the tithe belong? and (2) What type of money is the tithe? Firstly, the tithe is the Lord’s. It does not belong to us. Tithing is to simply return to God that which belongs to him. It is an act of acknowledgement: “Lord, here is what belongs to you. I am your steward!” Secondly, the tithe is holy. Leviticus 27:30 says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” The tithe is dedicated to God, and it must be kept separate from that which is common. In order to understand what it means to be “dedicated to God,” we need to know the meaning of the Hebrew word, “cherem” (used in Lev 27:28). The same word “cherem” is also used in Joshua 6. Jericho was designated by God to be a “cherem” city. It was devoted to total destruction. It belonged to God. The Israelites must touch nothing. They must not take anything of it. However, there was one solider, named Achan. He violated this command and took some of cherem. This action of Achan did not affect just Achan himself and his family, but rather affected the entire community of Israel. The tithe belongs to the Lord, and it is holy and dedicated to God. We must not touch it. The tithe should not be mixed, and it cannot be replaced with other offerings. We need to do mission offerings, thank offerings, and all kinds of other offerings and donations, but they cannot substitute for the tithe because the tithe belongs to God and is dedicated to him from the beginning to the end (cf. Malachi 3:8).

Why Do We Pay Tithing?

And now, we will explore further why does the Lord emphasize on tithing? It is because through tithing we can learn to banish our fear and to trust the Lord as our “Provider.” One time I read an interesting story about a trapper in the African Congo. The natives hunt monkeys in a very creative way. They devised a monkey trap using a hollow gourd, and they pour peanuts through a small hole into the gourd. The monkey would reach in and grab the peanuts, but the hole was too small to remove his closed hand. Interestingly, once monkeys grab the peanuts, most of the time they never open their hand until they are caught. Many of us live in a mentality of “I can’t afford it.” We grasp tightly and try to keep everything under control. There is no one in this room who had an open hand to God from the beginning. We need to learn to open our hand, and in this respect tithing is a valuable spiritual discipline to open our hand to God in surrender and trust. Deuteronomy 14:22-23 says, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year… so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.” Tithing banishes the fear of losing our control and strengthens our trust towards God. It is a faith journey from self-controllable life to God-dependent life. It is the practical action we put with the faith statement, “Lord, you are my source of provision.” Tithing requires faith for anyone. If we make $1,000 per month, giving that $100 is difficult, because we need every dollar available for expenses. If we make $10,000 per month, giving the $1,000 is difficult, because it is a lot of money. The discipline of tithing is very similar to the discipline of keeping the Sabbath holy. Sunday is not a weekend. It is the first day of the week. It is the day of worship and rest in the Lord. We rest on Sunday not because we worked hard during the previous week. However, by faith we rest on Sunday first to find time to have fellowship with God, and then we work hard throughout the week. In the same way, we tithe not because we can afford it. But, by faith we tithe first before using money for anything else. As we develop this spiritual discipline of tithing, we are able to learn to live a God-centered and God-dependent life more and more.

Tithing vs. Tither

Lastly, we will explore what is the difference between someone who tithes and a tither. Many people are tithing but never become tithers. The difference between the two has to do with the attitude and motive. It is very important for us to check our own attitude as we prepare our tithe. In Gen 4 the story of Cain and Abel teaches us what it takes to become a true tither. Both of them brought offerings. The Lord accepted Abel’s gift, but he did not accept Cain’s. Why? The primary difference had to do with their attitudes. The Bible says that Cain brought some of the fruits and Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. In other words, Abel brought not just an offering, but he brought the first and the best with all his heart. God wants us to be a tither rather than just tithing. Once I heard a testimony about the tithe from one devout Christian. She said that every first day of the month the first thing she does is to write a check for tithing before using money for anything else. I think she can be a good example of a true tither. God is not after our money, but rather after our heart. Every year about this time we do a financial stewardship campaign. Probably you have received the stewardship letter and pledge commitment card from the church. I commend you to be in prayer and seek the Lord’s direction. I don’t know how much your income is. I don’t know how much you make an offering to God. But, I strongly exhort you to one thing. Pray and consider beginning to give a full tithe if you haven’t started yet. Next Sunday we will have an opportunity to lift up our pledge before the Lord.  

Out of Egypt

Before serving our church, I used to serve a half-time appointment church. During that time, several people asked me within and without the church, “How do you survive with that income?” My answer was, “I don’t know. But, I don’t just survive or exist, but I do live a rich and satisfying life.” Surely I believe tithing is the key to the prosperous life. Today God’s command in tithing is descriptive, not directive. We don’t have to abide by it. We can choose to do or not to do. But if we choose to tithe, it will greatly benefit our life. Tithing is an invitation to a life of prosperity. But, biblical prosperity should not be confused with wealth and possessions. Biblical prosperity means to have peace, to be content, and to be whole through God who is our source of provision in any and every situation. Real prosperity is Life. My prayer is that all of us in this room may not just “survive” or “exist” in the Promised Land, but we may “live” a prosperous life with God and in God. “Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:40)