One of the important secrets to obtaining the blessing of God is giving! When Moses was giving his final instructions and farewell address to the Israelites, he gave specific instructions about something called “the third-year tithe.” Unlike the regular tithe, or ten percent annual offering, the third-year tithe was reserved for a different purpose.
“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).
It is important to see what God was doing here. Every third year, the towns of Israel became huge storage centers for the tithes of this agricultural nation. Because the priests from the tribe of Levi were not allowed to own land, God insisted that the people provide for them in a special way. But that was not all. This tithe was also earmarked for the vulnerable and underprivileged among them.
What a marvelous, compassionate God we serve. He always has a special place in his heart for the weak, brokenhearted and rejected among his people. Compassion and concern for the downtrodden is rooted in the very heart of our Creator.
However, there was even more to the third-year tithe than supplying for the priests and the needy. Israel was to give generously “so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” It seems that the act of joyfully giving to others actually opened up the windows of heaven so that the people themselves could be blessed.
God still wants to do extraordinary things for his followers who imitate him in compassionate giving. This is a profound truth that we would do well to apply to our daily living.
Jim Cymbala began the Brooklyn Tabernacle with less than twenty members in a small, rundown building in a difficult part of the city. A native of Brooklyn, he is a longtime friend of both David and Gary Wilkerson.