Return to Index.

Why is the World so Messed Up?
November 30, 2019

We recently considered the Biblical concept of thanksgiving and why thanksgiving is important in our life and how an attitude of thanksgiving will lead us to this future time of happiness which we think of as the Kingdom of God. Today's Bible study is joined by a companion sermon and sermon transcript. As we look at thanksgiving and look around the world in which we live, it’s easy to ask the question, “Why is the world so messed up?” It seems no matter wherever we look the world is in difficulty. We look at people not satisfied with the government that is ruling over them

My belief that the world is so messed up is, as a society, we have rejected God. We tend to think of ourselves as a very God-fearing society and so when the suggestion is made that have rejected God, that’s often met with skepticism. There are many areas in which we have rejected the teachings of the Bible that directly relate to the kinds of issues we see today.

Let’s begin by taking a look at the economic concerns we have today, where the richer seem to be getting richer, and the poor seem to be getting poorer. There is a Biblical basis for that, and one of the areas we are going to take a look at is a concept that is taught in the Bible called the Jubilee Year.

The concept of the Jubilee was that no one would permanently own property, it was the great equalizer of wealth, understanding that some people would better manage wealth than other families. The Jubilee restores wealth in a controlled and predictable manner, and these verses talk about returning previously owned property to the original property owner. In verses fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, we talk about the equity of how property is traded, and that is an easy way to think of the Jubilee principal, that property is not permanently sold, it’s more like it is traded on a short-term basis of fifty years, and for most of us fifty years would be most of our lifetime. People are lucky if they come to one Jubilee in their lifetime, they would be exceptionally lucky to see two Jubilees in their lifetime, that would be highly unlikely just depending upon the circumstances of their birth. The further away from the Jubilee year you sold property, the higher asking price would be expected because the person who bought the property would be able to harvest from the land many more years. The closer we came to the Jubilee Year, the lower the price would be because there would be less opportunities to harvest.

Leviticus 25:8-17
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession. And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another: According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee: According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee. Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

Tithing is a Biblical principle based on an agrarian model. How do we use an agrarian model and apply it in the world today that is mostly not based on agriculture and still reflect the intent of the Bible? An agrarian model, tithing was required on the increase of “thy seed”. The farmer would take seed, sow the seed into the ground, and on the increase, they would tithe. There was also a requirement to tithe on the increase in the herds and the flocks as well. Aside from the agrarian requirement for tithing, there is no mention of the need to tithe on the making of items, say taking pieces of wood, and turning them into furniture, no requirement on that increase, something we would call “value-added” today. The tithe was on the base item, the agricultural crop, the animal. It did not factor increasing the value of something through manufacturing and selling it.

Deuteronomy 14:22-29
Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

We can look to the example of Abraham who tithed to Melchizedek, king of Salem for guidance on how to tithe today. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, giving him a tenth part of the spoils of the plunder, and based on the teaching of tithing later to the children of Israel, he likely tithed on the tenth part of the increase of the agricultural items. We think of the term spoils as proceeds. I’m on the board of a non-profit organization and what’s important to us is the proceeds we get after we have an event. Not all we get for an event is proceeds. Even though we are a non-profit organization, we have our expenses, too, and the proceeds are what is left after the expenses. And when Abraham tithed on the spoils, the spoils were what was left after the expenses were met. Abraham had people who went with him to go to war with these kings; these people had to be compensated for their service. Not everything we get is profit, and that is a big concept that is overlooked. When people think about tithing, they wonder what they should tithe on. Should they tithe on their gross paycheck, should they tithe on their net paycheck? The Biblical requirement for tithing is increase, and I don’t know if somebody’s gross paycheck is increase, if somebody’s net paycheck is increase, or if some other measure needs to be used for increase. I think it’s more important for each individual to take a look at their circumstances to determine what their increase is and to be faithful in the application of whatever that increase may be. For instance, many people need a vehicle to commute to and from work. Without that vehicle they have no job, they have no source of income. Other people may have uniforms they are required to maintain for work. If they do not wear those uniforms, there is no job for them. Yet others may be required to maintain professional credentials beyond the work to maintain their work. To say that gross income or net income is your increase is an arbitrary decision that may not apply in each individual situation.

When we look at tithing from the Old Testament, it was an agricultural model, one that focused squarely on the increase of crops of the land and the increase among the flocks and the herds of the animals. In the Old Testament, tithing is based on agriculture, an increase of the crops of the field, an increase among your herds and your flocks. What about the farmer who sold real estate before the Jubilee? Was there a tithe on that transaction? There’s no record of that in the Old Testament. What about an artisan living in a city who made a clay pot and sold a clay pot? Was there a need to tithe on that? There is no record of that in the Old Testament. The Old Testament, when it talks about tithing, it’s simply a book about agricultural tithing, the increase of the crops of the field, the increase of the animals in our flocks. There is no record of financial records as a basis of tithing.

There are many who call themselves, Church of God who will give a directive of how to tithe. Tithe on your gross pay, tithe on your net pay. What I will share with you is tithe on your increase. I can’t tell you what your increase is. I can tell you that would be the expectation. It’s important for each of us to prayerfully take it to God to see what increase is in our life and in our financial circumstances, and then we need to tithe on that increase.

What is the tithe used for? If we look at Deuteronomy fourteen, there are some people within the Churches of God that would look at Deuteronomy fourteen as solely a second tithe and also introducing a third tithe, so twenty percent and thirty percent. I’m not sure that is what Deuteronomy is talking about. I believe part of the basis for that is looking at verse twenty-three, the reference to “Thou shall eat before the LORD thy God in the place that he shall choose to place his name there,” from the practice of having big Feast of Tabernacles sites and people would travel to those locations. Verse twenty-three is simply a reference and reminder we are to worship God wherever God would have us worship Him. There was a requirement on the Children of Israel when they went into the promised land that they were not to put a temple at any old location, but just the location where God wanted Him to be worshipped. That’s what verse twenty-three is talking about. So when I look at this, I see one tithe, and I see one tithe used to handle many different concepts. Let’s take a look at verse twenty-seven. It’s to take care of the Levite within thy gates. We know the Levitical priesthood is no longer in effect, so we know that tithes can be used to handle people doing priestly duties. We know that tithes can also be used to take care of the stranger, the fatherless, the widows, that’s how we use tithes. And we also use it if we take a look at verse twenty-six for the family’s need to worship God.

Hebrews 7:1-12
For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Today we began answering the question, “Why is the world so messed up?” We considered the financial causes of our problems and looked at the Jubilee Year. One of the reasons why the world is so messed up is because we ignore the requirement for the Jubilee Year that every fifty years, essentially all debts are cancelled, property is reverted back to its original owner in most cases. We also took a look at tithing, and that in the Old Testament, tithing was an agricultural model, and there remains a need for us to tithe on our increase, and we also examined that exactly what our increase is not something that can be clearly defined by somebody else who doesn’t know our financial circumstances. The world is messed up for many different reasons. When we take a look at the financial injustices of the world, where we have the super-rich, the one percent, and just about everyone else controlling a very tiny sliver of the world’s economy, it’s because this world a long time ago chose to ignore God, chose to rebel against God, chose not to follow God’s way of life. The economy that we have and the financial consequences that we have are a result of that decision. The way to begin restoring economic prosperity so that all can benefit from economic prosperity is not through some government form of socialism, it’s not through some government form of capitalism, or communism. No ism is going to help us get to that point from a political or economic standpoint. We have to return to God’s way of life that revolves financially around recognizing the Jubilee Year and recognizing the need to tithe on our increase.

All verses are from the King James Version.
This site provided by Tom Laign. To all who may believe differently, I also extend peace and love.
Copyright and Legal Information
Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information