Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe

Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe

by | Feb 4, 2026 | Archives, Men

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…

Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe – How worship, obedience, and honouring God with substance began

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 doing so, he also started a rite of paying tithes that has endured for thousands of years.

Selah!

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Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar

Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar

by | Nov 27, 2025 | Archives, Men

Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an…

Men in the Bible: A Man of the Altar

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. – Genesis 12:7-8

In continuation of our exploration of Abraham’s personality, a unique element that stood out in his life and behavior was his disposition to worship. He was a man of the altar, as he always erected altars of worship to God at various stages of his journey.

From our reference passage today alone, which contains two verses, although many things must have happened in the life and journey of Abraham that were not mentioned in the passage. However, the chroniclers did not forget to mention the fact that he built two altars at two different places, representing different bases in his journey, which says a lot about his heart of devotion.

In fact, Abraham built more altars to God than virtually everyone else in the Bible. The only person who equaled his record in altar building was his grandson, Jacob. Even though Abraham built several altars, there were records of five distinct altars credited to him in the Bible: in Shechem (Genesis 12:6-7), Bethel (Genesis 12:8), Hebron (Genesis 13:18), Mount Moriah (Genesis 22:9) and Beersheba (Genesis 21:33). Each altar marking significant moments in his relationship and encounter with God. Little wonder that he was so blessed by God.

It is common knowledge that God craves nothing more than worship (John 4:23). This is a secret that God Himself might have revealed to Abraham or perhaps Abraham stumbled upon the secret himself in the course of their interactions. But, unlike most people who do little with the secrets they discover, Abraham made the most of his by going on to erect several monuments to God at different turns to attest to his heart of devotion and life of worship. He was the better for it.

Selah!

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