MA'ASER & MINIAN

The ancient Israelites and the post-exile people called Jews (after Babylon and Persia) have always practiced tithing. The early banking system also used Ma’aser as the powerful way of money management.

It began with Noah’s flood and continued on all the way to Abraham who met with the King of Peace, Melchizedek the king of Salem, who was the high priest of El Elyon (God Most High).

Jerusalem’s name, Ir Shalom, means the City Of Peace. Melchizedek had no recorded genealogy, no beginning and no end of days. Who was he? It is my opinion that he was one of Enoch’s students, an overcomer and a peacemaker who came to set up the City Of Peace, which would eventually play a major role in world’s history; starting with Solomon’s temple, sacrifices, and all the way to the ultimate sacrifice upon the cross.

Melchizedek’s stealth arrival and exit—from the realm of time and tangibility—speaks of people that live in a different dimension, a realm with which I am only partially familiar.

Watch Number Ten In Scripture

[Genesis 8:5] The water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Let’s begin with the understanding of numbers

0 – ETERNITY. Zero means space and also spiritual realm. To the natural mind it is as nothing. But add many zeros to any other number and you can be super and endlessly wealthy.

1 – DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY. One means God, AHAD, but also TEN. It speaks of God’s absolute sovereignty over all of His creation.

Look at the verse above and understand. All that exists came from the AHAD. Call it the original molecule or Big Bang, whatever… there was a beginning, which was in the One. God is Spirit, we read about it in John 4:22. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that salvation is from the Jews, which means more than just the English word Jew. This will be better understood when we deal with the number ten.

2 – JUSTICE. Two means justice or righteousness, which is not needed in heaven, but rather on the earth where space, locale and time play a role. Equal weights for the weighing scales speak of justice. In heaven, God’s Perfect Love casts out all fear; for in that realm any fear of punishment is nonexistent neither needed.    

3 – HARMONY. Three means harmony because there are only three tones in the entire musical scale that make perfect harmony; the fourth tone is an octave, (8) a repeat of the root tone; all other tones are called dissonant. Even diminished chords contain only three tones; the same is with augmented chords. God’s three expressions, the Holy Trinity, is the foundational tenet of faith, where three are one. God the Father did nothing without the Word, which Christ is, and Christ did nothing without the Father who works through the Word; and the Holy Spirit who does not speak from Himself but only what the Son says (Him being the Word); and the Son only says what the Father says and does. The Father in that sense is subject to the Son, just as God the Father is subject to the Spirit, without which nothing comes to be in the entire creation. The Holy Spirit - of Himself - never says or does anything, but only what the Father and the Son say, yet both the Father and the Son do everything through the birthing - the creative power of the Holy Spirit, which in Hebrew is of the feminine gender. Hence, it is okay to see the Holy Spirit as the mother of life.

After one is born of the Holy Spirit, one sins no more, and becomes like wind (John 3:8; 1 John 5:18).    

4 – QUADRINITY. A word I myself have coined because besides the Trinity we also have the angels, which serve as God’s messengers, winds and flames. God does nothing without the angels. The four Gospels, the four directions, four winds and the cross speak of crossroads, new start after a direction has been chosen. It also speaks of us: mind, soul, spirit & body. Just as it is with our Creator who made us to reflect Him on earth, we are like Him, The Father – Mind; the Son – Soul; the Holy Spirit – spirit; the angels – body, through which like God’s angels do, we execute our will, emotions and by which we act.

5 – GRACE. Five speaks of grace, of the hand, the five fingers, graciousness. The five fold ministries speak of God’s grace for us.

6 – FLESH. Six speaks of the natural man and of gold. The Hebrew letter VAV, represented by number six, speaks of anything physical. Each year 666 talents of gold were brought to Solomon’s temple. The first sentence in the Bible is this: “In the beginning God created the heavens and (VAV) the earth.” Both heaven and earth was created for man’s sake; hence, we are the connectors between these two realms.

7 – COMPLETENESS. Number seven speaks of God’s complete number; with this number God counts everything in the entire Universe. Spirit needs no rest, but physical things that move in time and space, being affected by gravity, need to rest and to regenerate. The Sabbath provides the necessary fuel for our function. Those who do not refuel often succumb to illnesses, which God did not mean for us. Number seven speaks of peace and rest. In Hebrew this number is pronounced as SHEVA, and SHEV means to sit or repose. Seven days in a week is the measure of God’s time in relation to earth only.  From Passover to Pentecost there are seven weeks. Seven months later comes the New Year, then seven days of rejoicing at the Feast of Tabernacles. The New Year, which should start at Passover is postponed by seven months and on the seventh God celebrates with us the New Year. It also speaks of the seven spirits (Isaiah 11:2). 

8 – NEW BEGINNING. Eight is a new start in life. On the eight day a male child is being circumcised and on that particular day a boy’s blood coagulates the best; sealing the wound much faster than on any other day. Sunday is the first day of the week, YOM RISHON in Hebrew (head or start day). All firstborns, from humans to animals are presented to the Lord on the eighth day (Exodus 22:29-30). If seven is complete then the eight must be the new beginning.

9 – POWER. Nine speaks of power (Hebrew KOACH) - human strength, promulgation and productivity. It also speaks of the power of the Holy Spirit, by which God created all things. The nine months of gestation in a mother’s womb speaks of that power, as well as of the nine fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The nine gifts are the miraculous works of the (feminine gender) Holy Spirit; and fruitfulness speaks of the Godly character. A human being is born after 9 months. After we have brought forth the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit the Law has little or nothing to do with us anymore (Galatians 5:22). Being born of the Spirit and becoming like wind also speaks of number nine, which brings us to number ten.

10 – DIVINITY. Ten is the number of God, represented by the Hebrew letter YUD. Judah (Hebrew) YEHUDAH carries the divine element; hence Jesus said in John 4:22 that salvation is from the YEHUDEEM.

We have come to understand that on the tenth day (Genesis 8:5, which happens to be the new start [chapter 8] and [verse 5] with new grace) the water decreased and the land mass became visible.

[Genesis 14:18-20] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He (Melchizedek) 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.” He (Abram) gave him (to Melchizedek) a tenth of all (the spoils).

Later, three angels/men visited Abraham and Sarah. One angel carried God’s name YHVH whom Abraham addresses as the Lord (YHVH) and the other two men (Genesis 19:1) went to rescue Lot and his family from Sodom and Gomorrah.

Why is it important to understand that an angel can carry God’s holy name YHVH? It comes from this verse:

[Exodus 23:20-23] Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place, which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of ...

Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name (YHVH) is in him.

All sins can be forgiven, but a sin against the Holy Spirit is a deadly sin, which is not forgiven in either age (Matthew 12:32-33). Those who die—as it was the case with Ananias and Sapphira who had died at once having no time allotted for repentance—shall be burned up with the eternal fire, which is instant, and they are no more.

Rooted in this understanding the three angels/men conversed with Abraham (Genesis 18), but with only one Abraham bargained over the destruction of the twin cities. I see this one angel as being Gabriel whom Abraham called the LORD (the NAME) the messenger, while the other men were rescuers—overcomers. I used to call them angels, because I did not pay attention to the context. Genesis 19:1, which starts with TWO ANGELS. I assumed that they might be angels like Satan and Abandon, but now I know better. They were God’s messengers (overcomers). “Now the two angels (MALACH, messenger, representative) came to Sodom…”  

[16] Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off.

[22] Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the LORD.

[Genesis 18:23-33] Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 “Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” 26 So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. 28 “Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31And he said, “Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once;

“Suppose TEN are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.”

33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

Abraham stopped at ten, in Hebrew spoken as ESER. ASARAH means TENTH and MA’ASER means a TITHE. Ten righteous praying men constitute a MINIAN, for upon them God’s presence SHEKINAH rests. To this day no service in any synagogue, worldwide, can start without at least ten men. Had there been ten men calling on God’s name in Sodom and Gomorrah the twin cities would have stood perhaps to this very day.

We understand that the tithe is holy to God.  On the tenth alights God’s favor or double grace, 5+5=10. The Passover Lamb was sacrificed on the tenth of that month (Nissan), which for the Israelites, God said, was the beginning of the months (Exodus 12:2-3).

In Leviticus 23:27 God says, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement.” God was careful to emphasize EXACTLY the TENTH day, which is the most holy day in the entire year.

Malachi speaks very strong words against the house of Israel.

[Malachi 3:8-11] “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts.

In those days the house of ministry (the temple) was also a distribution center for the less fortunate, the destitute and those in need of assistance; that’s what the tithe is all about; it is about sharing.

Being wholly committed to the giving of the tenth—not playing or romancing it as if checking whether I get yet the promised increase—is rooted in fidelity. God speaks of loyalty (Hosea 6:4) and faithfulness, steadfastness and commitment.

Today we feed on God’s word. We have so many blind spots in our minds and these hold out those empty bowls to be filled like those of the starving children in parts of Africa. Religion made us spiritually famished, and those uneducated areas in our mind prevent us from getting the proper nourishment. God had appointed the five-fold ministries to fill those areas with knowledge.

[Jeremiah 3:15] Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.

He continues saying (verses 13-18) that rituals and observances are not what we need, nor are they in God’s interest anymore; for these had been the formational things, which have already completed their mission. The new is what He is after, but religion’s wheels are stuck in the mud of yesterday’s traditions. Only religion keeps on looking back.

Jesus said in Luke 9:62 “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”      

Where your food comes from there is your storehouse

[Romans 15:26-27] Apostle Paul said,

“I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things.”—Why are they indebted?

Apostle Paul summarized it all this way,

[1 Corinthians 9:11-14] If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

The sowing is extremely important. No one indiscriminately throws seed wherever it may fall, but sows it in a fertile soil. One also expects a harvest from the place where one had sown his or her seed. The returns are in many forms. One form stands out most prominently; and that is an ability to grasp and understand, which then in turn absorbs knowledge, which eventually makes one wise. Wisdom then brings us to the next level of our journey. There are noticeable signs of blessings. Whatever your hand touches begins to prosper.

A beggar on the street touches nothing, but keeps his opened hand only to receive, which is eventually squandered. A beggar is always sure of one thing, “I need more.” There is no overflowing voice of thanksgiving in him; and there, most certainly, is no thought for those in greater need. The beggar himself is sure of his own needs and dreams of more.

If you have sown, and harvested more seed from which you plan to make bread, and you give that seed to a beggar and he eats it up, then there will be no more bread… but perhaps only if the beggar did not fully digested the grain and then eliminated it on the ground; (pardon the expression) and then went on his way, and forgot where he left his "potent" excrement. But from that kind of sowing no one ever reaps any harvest; from neither realm, physical or spiritual.  

Once you have discovered the nourishment and are blessed, then you must not forget to offer thanksgiving with your material blessings to those God sent to you. Once you start practicing MA’ASER then you must never stop, for it is not like courting and break-up. There’s never romancing God’s laws of prosperity. One is fully in, or fully out, but never the borderline.

But the cream on the cake is this: your tithe sanctifies the 90% that remains. The tenth-extract, given to those that feed you, preserves the 90% thus making it holy and protected.

For this very reason the LORD said,

“Test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts.

Obviously, He said, “Test Me and test your faith in Me. Are you only religious or my child?”

When we dedicate the tenth to Him all that remains is holy and God’s watchful eyes rest on all of our goods, property, health and the increase. He speaks of overflowing with blessings in every area of our life.

THE COUNTING OF THE TITHE

A tithe is usually deducted from one’s inheritance, stocks, bonds and cash. Real Estate usually is not subject to a tithe but only after a sale. From the proceeds one gives a tithe.

1.     A tithe is deducted from weekly or monthly wages before taxes. God is the number One, not Caesar. Jesus said, [Matthew 22:21] “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” But one ought not make flesh number one, for flesh only takes and is not able to bless the way our Heavenly Father can bless us; hence, God and His word are first. Once this is straight in our lives, and is well established; then we will harvest overall blessings, which are not in segments. God works in the entirety of our lives. We do not transact with God for in Him we live and move and have our being.

2.     A tithe is deducted from an offering or a gift. Levites (God’s ministers) receive tithes, but also tithe off of each offering and off of each tithe.

3.     One can also earmark a tithe for a special (accumulated and larger) gift, which might help God’s minister by easing any burdens he carries. Ministers, especially those that bring new things and change things are usually disliked, and rejected because the flesh hates changes. Yet, the power of God comes only to change anything old into something new, like sickness into health or poverty into wealth.   

[Deuteronomy 12:19] “Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite (god’s minister) as long as you live...”

So it is very important to keep God’s watchful eye of grace on you by showing gratitude, for He comes to you through His prophets, teachers and messengers (angels).

[Deuteronomy 14:24-27] If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the LORD your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the LORD your God blesses you, then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is in your town, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

Earmarking money for a celebration before the Lord is also wonderful and powerful. One does not always need sheep or oxen so it is not something regular, but the support of the Levite is regular and it is mixed with celebration of God’s goodness.

[Deuteronomy 26:12] When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

Setting aside a tithe for investment is also part of God’s blessing, but above all His wisdom for your life. But that wisdom also encompasses widows, orphans and the poor.

It is so clear. God is after the holy principle of Ma’aser for He is YUD # 10. By tithing we bring divinity into our daily affairs. The tenth is our account with God and He sees to it that you can draw from this account in time of distress or in time of need. Don’t try it and then cease doing Ma’aser, practice it and see Him when you meet together, for in every ten (a number of people you fellowship with or in money) you see God.

Amen.