Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him. Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. – Genesis 14:16-20
Our exploration of biblical figures continues today with a focus on Abraham, the first man to tithe in the Bible and arguably recorded history.
We had earlier considered how devout Abraham was in his disposition to God and how he alone built several altars of worship to God at different turns in his evolution as a person. He was indeed a man of the altar. And as we can see from today’s passage, he was not just a man of the altar alone; he also worshipped God with his resources, as evidenced in his setting aside ten per cent from the spoil he took from war and giving that portion to Melchizedek, a priest of God.
What Abraham did was remarkable because in his days, paganism was the order of the day. People freely worshipped idols and other tokens. However, it did not take Abraham much time to recognize that Melchizedek was a priest of God. He did not just note this fact alone; he also backed his reverence with action by giving the priest of God ten per cent of the spoils he and his men gained from war.
Just like maintaining an altar of fellowship, giving is another form of worship. Abraham demonstrated what a true believer he was by doing what no one before him had done: He gave a tenth of his gains to God. By so doing, he also started a rite of paying tithes that has survived thousands of years.
Selah!
Also read:
- Bosses in the Bible: A Boss that Empowers
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Preservation and Safekeeping (2)
- Kids in Church
- Open, Shut
- Jesus Saved My Dad And Delivered My Family from Financial Debts
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