Double Doubt

There are two kinds of doubt:  One is the doubt that seeks answers; the other does not. 

I have encountered both "doubters" along the path of my spiritual journey.  I encourage the doubter that seeks answers; I attempt to be graceful to the doubter that is simply being recalcitrant.

Have I doubted the writings in the Bible?  Absolutely!   I believe every serious student of Scripture will experience doubt as he or she digs deep into the Bible.   

Honestly, God has used doubt in my life to drive me deeper into His word to discover answers that both challenge and transform me --- and change the way I think (Romans 12.2/nlt).  Is it easy or comfortable?  No.  Is it life changing?  Yes. 

In the first two chapters of the gospel of Matthew, a student of the word encounters three "doubt-causers." 

The first two are in the genealogy of Jesus.  Matthew writes:

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth (1.5/niv)

 

No big deal, right?  Except that Rahab would have had to have been 250 to 400 years old when she gave birth to Boaz!  Or, if Rahab truly is Boaz's mother, then Boaz would have had to have been nearly 400 years old when he married Ruth. 

The second one is found in 1.11(niv). Josiah is listed as the father of Jeconiah.  Unfortunately, the name Jeconiah is not found in the Old Testament.  And to further complicate matters, 1 Chronicles 3.15(niv) states,  - The sons of Josiah: Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim the second son, Zedekiah the third, Shallum the fourth.

Where did Matthew get his information? 

More confusion is probable when the prophecy of Micah 5.2 is compared to Matthew's quote of it in chapter 2 verse 6 (niv) --

 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’

This is the prophecy from Micah 5.2 --. 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

Why the difference?  Is Matthew like so many preachers of today that bend Scripture to fit their agenda? 

Many individuals, believers and non-believers, have brought these apparent contradictions in Scripture to my attention over the past few decades.  And I, for one, don't simply dismiss their doubts as so-much-baloney.  I don't simply "blow them off." 

So, let me ask you:  How do you resolve these apparent contradictions?  Or, are you like a recent politician who recently said, "What difference does it make!!??" when asked about a very important issue. 

(I have resolved these and others similar "problems" in Scripture; have you?  If you want to know what I discovered and how I resolved my doubts, contact me and we'll do coffee.)

What's that "tithe" thing?

A few years back, I had a conversation with some parents whose son had made some very bad choices and was addicted to prescription drugs.  They told me about going to their pastor to ask for help and prayer.  The first question asked of them was, "Do you tithe?"  They confessed they did not.  The response from the pastor was a shock to them .. and me.  He said, and I quote what they told me, "God will not answer your prayers or help your son if you don't tithe."  Do you find that as disgusting as I did and do?!?

And we wonder why so many people are disgusted with church and its apparent "lust for money"?    

In America, there are several hundred different Christian denominations.  The one thing they have in common is that every year the denomination's main office spends thousands of dollars developing materials to help "their" churches conduct a "successful stewardship campaign."  A churchy way of saying, "GIVE US YOUR MONEY!" 

Whenever a church asks for your money through a stewardship campaign or sermon, they are quick to talk about the Old Testament principle of tithing. 

I once heard a preacher shout - yes, shout - that tithing was what God's word commands Christians to do.  Really? Where?  Paul is not referring to tithing in 2 Corinthians 9; he is writing about the offering he is collecting for the poor, starving Christians in Jerusalem.  (Guess that "selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need" in Acts 2.46 didn't work out so well!)

So, "shout-real-loud" preacher man --- I have news for you. Tithing is not found anywhere in the New Testament!  It is commanded in the Old Testament along with the Festival of Booths, the Year of Jubilee, the Year of Cancelling Debts, the Sabbath, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Sabbath Year, the gleaning principle to help the needy, and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  Why aren't those "commands" preached in the American Christian church as well?  Why is it that only the Tithe is preached?

Have you ever heard a preacher "shout-real-loud" about the Festival of Booths?  Or the Year of Cancelling Debts? 

Allow me to lead you on a journey of discovery about the tithe as it is presented in the "second giving of the Law" - known by most as Deuteronomy.  

Deuteronomy 14:22-27 states that each year a tenth (a tithe) of one's crops are to be set aside and eaten in the presence of the Lord.  If the Temple (the place where God placed His Name) is far away, one is to sell the tithe for gold or silver and purchase whatever that person desires to throw a party for one's family to celebrate what God has provided in the past year.  (Of course, this is my paraphrase, you will have to read it yourself to get the exact wording.)

Deuteronomy 14:28 goes on to state that at the end of three years, the year of the tithe, give the tithe to the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows. 

Deuteronomy 26:12 defines the third year as the "year of the tithe."  The tithe given on the third year is for the Levites, the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows. 

My question is, and has been, how is the American church doing in keeping the commandment about tithing in its entirety?  I'm not questioning an individual's giving; I'm wondering how the churches (the Levites) are doing in their responsibility to share the tithe with the poor and disadvantaged  ("the aliens, the fatherless, and the widows").

The answer I discovered in a Google search was disheartening.  An organization given the task of church financial accountability on a national level reports that 82% of the money given to churches in America goes toward buildings and staff expenses. 17% goes to "programming," which includes Outreach programs, Vacation Bible School, Sunday school materials, advertising, etc.  Simple math indicates that only 1% is shared with the poor and disadvantaged.  If these figures are accurate, why isn't the church being challenged to justify their actions.

Now, don't misunderstand what I'm stating.  Please, continue to give to the church or charity of your choice.  I think it is an honorable and God-pleasing thing to do.  And I do believe, as the apostle Paul states, that "God loves a cheerful giver."  What I'm suggesting is that perhaps the church in America needs to comply with the entire principle of the tithe by increasing the dollars given to the poor and disadvantaged in their communities.  And please notice I stated in their communities .. not "over there somewhere."

And, believe me, God will answer your prayers and strengthen you in the storms of life even if you don't tithe!