By Hazel Holland
The Background
Although ancient Rome was a metropolis where all the wealth and luxury of the world was concentrated, I discovered, much to my surprise, it was kept in perfect darkness at night! Apparently a public system of city lighting was not yet envisioned at that time. As a result of this state of things merchants were obliged for safety reasons to lock up their premises at sunset. Thus the streets, plunged in total darkness, wore a sinister look making them dangerous for the passer-by.[1]
So a police force for the city of Rome was established in order to protect it from internal predators. They were called Roman Vigiles[2]—“cohorts of the watchmen"—the firefighters and police of Ancient Rome. They were considered a military unit—the nighttime police force of Rome. These “watchmen” of the city primarily dealt with petty crimes such as apprehending thieves and robbers, and capturing runaway slaves, whereas the Roman Cohort handled the more violent crimes.[3]
The Watchmen
The Watchmen
God is using the vivid imagery of an “army” of night “watchmen” guarding a city, dressed in full Roman armor, but behaving like grasshoppers to portray the condition of many “watchmen” in the church today. Let’ take a further look at the symbolism in order to see what God seems to be saying to us in the church at this time.
Just as one of the functions of Roman Vigiles (watchmen) was to patrol the city of Rome at night, so one of the duties of Christian soldiers (watchmen) in the body of Christ is to stand guard at our position on the “wall” and watch for any sign of the enemy. We are called to sound an alarm (a trumpet) at the first indication that the enemy is approaching in order to prepare the rest of the army (body of Christ) to resist his attack. But if no one is standing as a “watchmen” (Isaiah 62:6) the church—the corporate body of Christ (that is us) is left open to attack by the enemy who is a roaring lion seeking to devour us.
Unfortunately, many of us in the church today fail to see the spiritual application of Isaiah’s message because of our traditional understanding of the word, “church“. For most of us when we say “church” we mentally see a building that we go to in order to worship God. But that is not the New Testament understanding of “church”. The body of Christ is the church, not a building that we assemble in for worship. We don’t go to church. We are the church… and we gather together regularly, usually in a building, for corporate worship.
Although we know that God no longer dwells in a temple made with human hands because He has chosen to come and live in us by His Spirit, I believe many of us continue to follow the man-made rules of the institutionalized church as we continue to build man-made temples according to the obsolete old covenant tithing laws. We continue to try to “Christianize” tithing in order to support the financial needs of the new covenant church instead of trusting that the Spirit of the Lord will impress believers how much and where and when to give . The burden of “law-based” giving continues to be promoted, and as a result is causing many in the body of Christ to be weighed down with a burden that is not there’s to bear.
The Armor
The “watchmen” in the vision represent many of us who are wearing “armor”, but it is not the armor of the Lord, but rather the armor of our flesh. We are weighed down by wearing Saul’s heavy “armor” so that we cannot stand on our feet. The weight of Saul’s “armor” is too burdensome and oppressive for us to wear, because it represents us trusting in what we do (paying tithe) in order to receive protection and blessing from God.
Although we are buckling under its weight, making us unable to stand up and face our real enemy using the spiritual weapons God has already given us, many of us refuse to remove it, because we erroneously believe that if we get rid of our “tithe armor” we will fall out of favor with God, and come under a curse. But the truth is when Jesus said, "It is finished", the "it" included tithing! Our debt is paid in full. Our flesh need not be given, because His flesh has fulfilled the requirements of the Law once and for all!"
Let us become like David who, instead of placing his faith in Saul’s armor that he had never proved worthy of his trust (1 Samuel 17:38-39), chose to place His faith in the God of Israel whom he had proved to be worthy of his trust! God has given us His armor—a symbol of His love! It will equip us to stand up against all the devil’s schemes, so that when the day of evil comes we may be able to stand firm as we are clothed in God’s armor—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-17).
The Covering of Darkness
In this scene the darkness of night covers many “watchmen” dressed in Roman armor, slowly moving around over the ground like grasshoppers! In fact the vivid imagery resembles a plague of crawling locusts in search of green vegetation!
Judging by the behavior of many of the “watchmen” it appears that they have begun their hunt to “devour” one another instead of love one another. It is interesting to consider the irony in this vision. Remember that in the book of Malachi, one of the promises that God gave Israel under the old covenant was that if they were obedient to the covenant He would prevent locusts from devouring their crops. In this vision we have “watchmen” who are behaving like crawling locusts as they begin to slowly “devour” one another! By holding on to the old covenant tithing law that has become like heavy armor—like a millstone around our neck, many of us have become the “curse” that we were trying to avoid.
I am reminded of the Scriptures where Paul warns the church in Galatia about the Judahizers who were infiltrating the church insisting that new believers in Christ still needed to be circumcised. They still wanted to hold on to circumcision—the old covenant teaching that was the entrance sign into the old covenant community. Many of us are like these Judahizers because we still want to hold on to the old covenant tithing laws—at least the ones we have tried to Christianize, because we claim that they are our “fire” insurance protection even in the new covenant.
Paul spoke against circumcision by telling the Galatians that by letting themselves be circumcised they were obligated to obey the whole law! He said, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ” (Galatians 5:4). I think Paul would say a similar thing to many of us who insist on requiring members of the body of Christ to pay tithe.
The Scriptures make it very clear that Jesus fulfilled all of the law and the prophets. Therefore Jesus was the “Whole Tithe” that Malachi spoke of (Malachi 3:10). Jesus gave it all! That was why the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. Everything we receive in Christ is through faith in His finished work—not ours!
Paul reminds us, “You, my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:13-15).
Of course we know that people are not our enemy. Flesh and blood is not the enemy, but spiritual powers of wickedness that have taken up residence in people’s hearts. Paul is telling us quite bluntly that if we pander to the sinful nature, and do not let the Spirit be in control we will give place to the enemy in our lives and end up destroying one another.
Peter cautions us in a similar way when he says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1Peter 5:8-9).
Unfortunately, many of us in the church today fail to see the spiritual application of Isaiah’s message because of our traditional understanding of the word, “church“. For most of us when we say “church” we mentally see a building that we go to in order to worship God. But that is not the New Testament understanding of “church”. The body of Christ is the church, not a building that we assemble in for worship. We don’t go to church. We are the church… and we gather together regularly, usually in a building, for corporate worship.
Although we know that God no longer dwells in a temple made with human hands because He has chosen to come and live in us by His Spirit, I believe many of us continue to follow the man-made rules of the institutionalized church as we continue to build man-made temples according to the obsolete old covenant tithing laws. We continue to try to “Christianize” tithing in order to support the financial needs of the new covenant church instead of trusting that the Spirit of the Lord will impress believers how much and where and when to give . The burden of “law-based” giving continues to be promoted, and as a result is causing many in the body of Christ to be weighed down with a burden that is not there’s to bear.
The Armor
The “watchmen” in the vision represent many of us who are wearing “armor”, but it is not the armor of the Lord, but rather the armor of our flesh. We are weighed down by wearing Saul’s heavy “armor” so that we cannot stand on our feet. The weight of Saul’s “armor” is too burdensome and oppressive for us to wear, because it represents us trusting in what we do (paying tithe) in order to receive protection and blessing from God.
Although we are buckling under its weight, making us unable to stand up and face our real enemy using the spiritual weapons God has already given us, many of us refuse to remove it, because we erroneously believe that if we get rid of our “tithe armor” we will fall out of favor with God, and come under a curse. But the truth is when Jesus said, "It is finished", the "it" included tithing! Our debt is paid in full. Our flesh need not be given, because His flesh has fulfilled the requirements of the Law once and for all!"
Let us become like David who, instead of placing his faith in Saul’s armor that he had never proved worthy of his trust (1 Samuel 17:38-39), chose to place His faith in the God of Israel whom he had proved to be worthy of his trust! God has given us His armor—a symbol of His love! It will equip us to stand up against all the devil’s schemes, so that when the day of evil comes we may be able to stand firm as we are clothed in God’s armor—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:10-17).
The Covering of Darkness
In this scene the darkness of night covers many “watchmen” dressed in Roman armor, slowly moving around over the ground like grasshoppers! In fact the vivid imagery resembles a plague of crawling locusts in search of green vegetation!
Judging by the behavior of many of the “watchmen” it appears that they have begun their hunt to “devour” one another instead of love one another. It is interesting to consider the irony in this vision. Remember that in the book of Malachi, one of the promises that God gave Israel under the old covenant was that if they were obedient to the covenant He would prevent locusts from devouring their crops. In this vision we have “watchmen” who are behaving like crawling locusts as they begin to slowly “devour” one another! By holding on to the old covenant tithing law that has become like heavy armor—like a millstone around our neck, many of us have become the “curse” that we were trying to avoid.
I am reminded of the Scriptures where Paul warns the church in Galatia about the Judahizers who were infiltrating the church insisting that new believers in Christ still needed to be circumcised. They still wanted to hold on to circumcision—the old covenant teaching that was the entrance sign into the old covenant community. Many of us are like these Judahizers because we still want to hold on to the old covenant tithing laws—at least the ones we have tried to Christianize, because we claim that they are our “fire” insurance protection even in the new covenant.
Paul spoke against circumcision by telling the Galatians that by letting themselves be circumcised they were obligated to obey the whole law! He said, “You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ” (Galatians 5:4). I think Paul would say a similar thing to many of us who insist on requiring members of the body of Christ to pay tithe.
The Scriptures make it very clear that Jesus fulfilled all of the law and the prophets. Therefore Jesus was the “Whole Tithe” that Malachi spoke of (Malachi 3:10). Jesus gave it all! That was why the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. Everything we receive in Christ is through faith in His finished work—not ours!
Paul reminds us, “You, my brothers were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring one another, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Galatians 5:13-15).
Of course we know that people are not our enemy. Flesh and blood is not the enemy, but spiritual powers of wickedness that have taken up residence in people’s hearts. Paul is telling us quite bluntly that if we pander to the sinful nature, and do not let the Spirit be in control we will give place to the enemy in our lives and end up destroying one another.
Peter cautions us in a similar way when he says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1Peter 5:8-9).
Through the imagery in this vision God is showing us that many of us have lost our zeal and passion for serving Him because we have allowed the enemy to use our flesh to sow seeds of jealousy, hatred, envy and strife (to name a few of the works of the flesh) within the church. As a result all we have left is a lifeless and powerless religion.
This was shown in the behavior of the “watchmen” who were more concerned with achieving their own goals that helping others to achieve theirs. Is that true of many of us also in the church? Like the “watchmen” in the vision have we also lost sight of the real goal of being “of one accord” and of being “of one mind” as we “devour” one another instead? This vision shows how the enemy has successfully obstructed our real goal—to become one mouth—one united voice in praising the God who has led us out of darkness into His marvelous light!
Enemy Steals from God’s People
I received an email from my friend, Ramone, today that brought further clarity to what the Lord is saying in this vision. The enemy has successfully hindered us (“watchmen”) from sharing the Good News of the gospel by holding us down in order that he may rob and steal from us! We are the “church”, and just as the Roman police force were called to protect the City of Rome from thieves, today's tithing system is protecting the “thieves” instead of protecting the church! It is stealing from God's people! It is allowing the thief to steal not only the finances of God's people, but more importantly their joy in God's provision.
As long as we are controlled by law in giving we cannot understand the joy of knowing the Spirit as the guide to ALL our giving. By holding on to law-based giving we are allowing the enemy to steal our blessings that come as a result of Spirit-led giving. It is truly a blessing to realize the greater blessings that come as a result of finding fullness in Him instead of in our finances—of seeing His power and hearing His Spirit for ourselves!
Furthermore, Spirit-led giving is giving from God's heart. God's heart always blesses us in order that we may bless others. Abraham is an example of how God blessed him in order to make him a blessing to the nations. But it was not Abraham’s material blessings that blessed the nations, it was Abraham’s offspring. Through Isaac, the seed, Jesus Christ, would come and He would be a blessing to the nations!
Furthermore, Spirit-led giving is giving from God's heart. God's heart always blesses us in order that we may bless others. Abraham is an example of how God blessed him in order to make him a blessing to the nations. But it was not Abraham’s material blessings that blessed the nations, it was Abraham’s offspring. Through Isaac, the seed, Jesus Christ, would come and He would be a blessing to the nations!
In a similar way, God's Spirit will lead us to the same kind of giving—blessing others who do not know Him with the truth of the gospel. But the "tithing system” keeps finances directed inward instead of outward—it keeps the blessings inside the church instead of going out to the people for whom the Spirit intends them to go.
The enemy has taken us captive by his lies, and is stealing the blessings that are meant to be going out to those who do not know God. As is his usual mode of operation, He is doing this under the cover of darkness. By this stealing (tithing), the enemy is causing God’s people to be weighed down, thus hindering the spreading of the gospel and the salvation of nations. The church is being plundered instead of plundering the enemy!
Grasshoppers
The enemy has succeeded in convincing many of us in the body of Christ, like he did the men who went with Caleb and Joshua to spy out the land of Canaan, that we that we are nothing more than mere “grasshoppers” who are incapable of going up against the “giants” in the land. “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:33).
The enemy has succeeded in convincing many of us in the body of Christ, like he did the men who went with Caleb and Joshua to spy out the land of Canaan, that we that we are nothing more than mere “grasshoppers” who are incapable of going up against the “giants” in the land. “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:33).
The enemy is able to do this because many of us have chosen to put our trust in man instead of in God. Consequently we feel insignificant and powerless and unable to face the strongholds of “Jericho”. Instead of plundering the enemy’s stronghold (Jericho), we, the body of Christ, continue to allow him to steal from us! The “giants” appear to be so huge, and we know that we are no match for them.
However, God doesn’t want us to see ourselves as mere grasshoppers that are just waiting to be squashed by some “giant’s” foot. But as long as we believe the enemy’s lies we will continue to wander in the wilderness and behave like “grasshoppers”, incapable of facing the “giants” in the land with the truth of who we really are in Christ—an army dressed for battle—and the battle belongs to the Lord!
"Father, when our flesh demands this weighty man-made armor, God give us the faith to shed it in favor of armor that hides us in You, and brings glory to Your name. Lord, we want to wear Your armor alone as we lift up the shield of faith and wield the sword of the Spirit. Continue to try us and test us so that we may continually learn to choose your ways instead of our own. Lord, may we become giants of faith through Your name.”
However, God doesn’t want us to see ourselves as mere grasshoppers that are just waiting to be squashed by some “giant’s” foot. But as long as we believe the enemy’s lies we will continue to wander in the wilderness and behave like “grasshoppers”, incapable of facing the “giants” in the land with the truth of who we really are in Christ—an army dressed for battle—and the battle belongs to the Lord!
"Father, when our flesh demands this weighty man-made armor, God give us the faith to shed it in favor of armor that hides us in You, and brings glory to Your name. Lord, we want to wear Your armor alone as we lift up the shield of faith and wield the sword of the Spirit. Continue to try us and test us so that we may continually learn to choose your ways instead of our own. Lord, may we become giants of faith through Your name.”
Armor seen as a “Covering”
The “armor” that the “watchmen” are wearing in the vision reminds me of the teaching in the church at large that every believer and every local church needs a “covering”. I have searched the Scriptures and can find absolutely no biblical support for this notion that every believer and every local church needs a “covering.” I believe the current usage of the church phrase “covering” is a misnomer—one of the church’s most “sacred cows.”
The whole idea in the new covenant gospel is for people to become uncovered—unveiled! “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers (kaluma) their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil (kaluma, covering) is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (legitimate liberty, no longer a slave. Hence no need for a covering). And we, who with unveiled (anaklupto, uncovered) faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”(2 Corinthians 3:15-18).
The “armor” that the “watchmen” are wearing in the vision reminds me of the teaching in the church at large that every believer and every local church needs a “covering”. I have searched the Scriptures and can find absolutely no biblical support for this notion that every believer and every local church needs a “covering.” I believe the current usage of the church phrase “covering” is a misnomer—one of the church’s most “sacred cows.”
The whole idea in the new covenant gospel is for people to become uncovered—unveiled! “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers (kaluma) their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil (kaluma, covering) is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (legitimate liberty, no longer a slave. Hence no need for a covering). And we, who with unveiled (anaklupto, uncovered) faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”(2 Corinthians 3:15-18).
Yes, there is governmental authority in the church. But accurate governmental authority doesn’t mean to “cover.” It is not a “covering” from the top. It is an upholding—an under-girding of support from beneath. It is our safety net built on the foundation of the apostles…and particularly the chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ (See 2 Timothy 2:9; 1 Corinthians 3:10).
The governmental authority structure in the New Testament church should not represent another hierarchical “covering.” It should not be another multi-level marketing plan where “I’m under your covering and “I’m the covering for these people over there...”
In the church we have the freedom to yield by preference to those who are veterans in the truth. We see this demonstrated in the New Testament by the apostles who didn’t isolate themselves or consider themselves as spiritual coverings “over” the churches. They had no secret need to control or dominate the churches they supported. Instead they passionately cared for their disciples and considered them as their sons. They served, they helped and they lifted them up. Among many other things, the apostles rightfully set things in order, corrected doctrine, recognized incorrect behavior and called for accountability in the body they served.
From this example in Scripture we have a clear picture of the leadership of the early church being the “support”—not the “covering.” That is righteous governing—not exploitation. Just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, so the Apostles who were part of the five-fold ministry of the early church were not chosen to lord it over fellow believers, but to nurture them and lend assistance to them in order to help them mature in their Christian walk.
Unfortunately, over the years we have seen excessive abuse in the misunderstanding of the position of leadership in the church. Instead of trying to control, dominate, and intimidate the body into submission, true five-fold ministry today should be the battle-axe that exposes the traditions of men, and frees people’s minds that have been held captive by unscriptural teachings.
Unfortunately, over the years we have seen excessive abuse in the misunderstanding of the position of leadership in the church. Instead of trying to control, dominate, and intimidate the body into submission, true five-fold ministry today should be the battle-axe that exposes the traditions of men, and frees people’s minds that have been held captive by unscriptural teachings.
One of these unscriptural teachings that many leaders in the church have insisted on passing on has kept the body of Christ in spiritual darkness for centuries. This false teaching keeps the body they shepherd in bondage to law, specifically in bondage to old covenant tithing laws. The body of Christ is usually expected to come under their “covering” in spite of the fact that they are not being good shepherds and feeding the Father’s sheep. If the sheep (body of Christ) is not vigilant these false shepherds will attempt to place their “armor” upon us. They will attempt to do what King Saul did to David by placing his armor upon the young boy. They will try to bind us to themselves. But David through the power of agape love was able to loose himself from this ungodly “covering”.
I believe many leaders in the church today who are walking in a fleshly anointing like Saul are espousing false teachings based on old covenant laws that have now become obsolete in Jesus Christ. Tithing is one of these old covenant laws that they continue to promote and advance in the body of Christ as though it were God’s answer to the lack of funds in the church budget. Because they are walking after the flesh they are afraid to trust God and rely on His Spirit to impress people how, when and where to give according to God’s timetable, not theirs. Although many in the church today do not pay tithe that does not mean they are free in Christ. They are still burdened down by guilt and condemnation because they put on Saul’s armor and come under his covering!
Shylock
Contrary to what some people have been taught, God is NOT like Shylock, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in “The Merchant of Venice” who focused all of his energy on revenge, by demanding that Antonio pay him his pound of flesh for not paying his debt. God is also not like the Christian Antonio and his friends who refused to show Shylock mercy when the situation was reversed…
The irony in this literary character is that he resembles many of us in the church today. Many of us in the body of Christ fail to recognize the blessing of mercy that we have already been given in Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, "It is finished", the "it" included tithing! Our debt is paid in full! Our flesh need not be given because His flesh has fulfilled the requirements of the Law once and for all!
Contrary to what some people have been taught, God is NOT like Shylock, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in “The Merchant of Venice” who focused all of his energy on revenge, by demanding that Antonio pay him his pound of flesh for not paying his debt. God is also not like the Christian Antonio and his friends who refused to show Shylock mercy when the situation was reversed…
The irony in this literary character is that he resembles many of us in the church today. Many of us in the body of Christ fail to recognize the blessing of mercy that we have already been given in Jesus Christ. When Jesus said, "It is finished", the "it" included tithing! Our debt is paid in full! Our flesh need not be given because His flesh has fulfilled the requirements of the Law once and for all!
And yet many church leaders fail to recognize the enormity of what Christ’s finished work accomplished for us by continuing to use and abuse the old covenant laws regarding tithing in order to generate income within the church. Although God is NOT the hard taskmaster who “exacts His pound of flesh” from His children if they fail to observe the old covenant tithing laws, often spiritual shepherds are. They behave like “Shylock” towards the people in their congregations who fail to pay tithe. At times ministers of the gospel behave like “Shylock” by refusing to let people serve in leadership positions within the church unless they pay tithe. Sometimes church leadership bans people from membership or even from employment within certain denominations if they fail to pay tithe. People who do not “pass” the tithing test are often seen as second-class members of the Christian community, whereas people who do pay tithe are frequently commended and publicly praised. But Jesus warned us:
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
No. This is a picture of how the enemy has successfully hijacked the old covenant tithing laws in order to ignite fear and guilt among members of the body of Christ today, thereby forcing them to believe that God is exacting his pound of flesh in the form of tithe money. Furthermore, he continues to keep us in bondage to law by exacting a heavy toll on our freedom in Christ if we believe these lies.
God is NOT a hard taskmaster who “exacts His pound of flesh” from His children if they fail to pay tithe. For the truth is that the Law of Moses—the law of sin and death—which includes the tithing laws—ALL became obsolete in Jesus Christ. We desperately need to come to grips with Truth and tear down these ancient strongholds that loom up in front of us like the impregnable walls of Jericho. But eventually the walls of Jericho fell. As the people blew their trumpets, God brought down the walls!
But what keeps these ancient strongholds alive and well is the way many church leaders are shylocking with the gospel in Christianity today! Christ has paid the debt, and the gospel belongs to us freely. But fleshly leaders have stepped in between Christ and the church, between the Shepherd and His sheep, and have said, "No, you are still cursed with a curse if you do not give this much!" Just as the priests in Luther's day gave indulgences, today many leaders are proclaiming divine favors for those who indulge the letter of the old covenant law by paying tithe. Actually by insisting on teaching this error they are proclaiming that our blessings in the gospel are not complete unless we pay tithe.
God is NOT a hard taskmaster who “exacts His pound of flesh” from His children if they fail to pay tithe. For the truth is that the Law of Moses—the law of sin and death—which includes the tithing laws—ALL became obsolete in Jesus Christ. We desperately need to come to grips with Truth and tear down these ancient strongholds that loom up in front of us like the impregnable walls of Jericho. But eventually the walls of Jericho fell. As the people blew their trumpets, God brought down the walls!
But what keeps these ancient strongholds alive and well is the way many church leaders are shylocking with the gospel in Christianity today! Christ has paid the debt, and the gospel belongs to us freely. But fleshly leaders have stepped in between Christ and the church, between the Shepherd and His sheep, and have said, "No, you are still cursed with a curse if you do not give this much!" Just as the priests in Luther's day gave indulgences, today many leaders are proclaiming divine favors for those who indulge the letter of the old covenant law by paying tithe. Actually by insisting on teaching this error they are proclaiming that our blessings in the gospel are not complete unless we pay tithe.
Peddling for Profit
I have heard it spoken from the pulpit many times over the years that the root cause of lack of funds in the church today is because a large percentage of the body of Christ fails to pay tithe. We are also aware of the insincere merchandizing of the word of God that comes over international television telling people that in order to get out of debt and be blessed by God they need to send a certain amount of money—even if they have to pay it off in smaller monthly increments. This teaching is totally unscriptural even under the old covenant system! This manipulation of people’s minds and emotions is an example of soulish leaders in the church “peddling the word of God for profit.”
Listen to what Paul tells the church at Corinth. “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Corinthians 2:17).
Notice that in this Scripture Paul says that the apostles are not like “the majority, who are peddling the word of God… (Concordant Version). The word translated “peddling” in the Concordant New Testament comes from the Greek word "kapeleuo" which means, “to sell at retail, with the insinuation of improper profit, either by overcharging or adulterating.”[4]
Listen to what Paul tells the church at Corinth. “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God” (2 Corinthians 2:17).
Notice that in this Scripture Paul says that the apostles are not like “the majority, who are peddling the word of God… (Concordant Version). The word translated “peddling” in the Concordant New Testament comes from the Greek word "kapeleuo" which means, “to sell at retail, with the insinuation of improper profit, either by overcharging or adulterating.”[4]
From God’s perspective, anyone using the old covenant law to try and coerce people into guilt-based giving is totally out of line with the new covenant gospel of Jesus Christ. The old covenant required simple percentages so that everyone knew how much was required. But under the new covenant there are no such percentages, because we have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us in our giving so that we might become hilarious givers. How that translates monetarily is to be left with us. We decide in our heart as the Spirit leads us, because Love is the motivating power behind our giving now—not Law.
Personal Reflections
My friend, Ramone, pointed out to me that in the original posting of this chapter I had not only misspelled “Shylock” by writing “Sherlock”, but I had also inadvertently given him the last name of “Holmes”. So the original post stated, “God is NOT like Sherlock Holmes, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in The Merchant of Venice…” I corrected the first name, but still failed to “see” the error of the second name. So the “corrected” post then read, “God is not like Shylock Holmes, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in The Merchant of Venice…” It was still wrong, and I still needed to be lovingly corrected again.
Truthfully, I know there is only one “Shylock” in the “Merchant of Venice”, and he doesn’t have the last name of “Holmes”. But Sherlock Holmes is the brilliant London-based fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famous for his intellectual prowess,and his skilful use of "deductive reasoning" and astute observation to solve difficult crimes.
Of course I was embarrassed by my oversight. How could I have not recognized this glaring error, especially since I am English and grew up being very familiar with these famous literary personalities? As I thought about my blunder I began to recognize that perhaps there is a connection between Shylock and Sherlock after all... Perhaps these fictionalized characters behaved more like us than we want to admit… Both men used and abused the “law” to justify their own actions in given situations. Perhaps we have also painted God in their image, giving Him the same fictional kind of "character" that they had, and the same power to abuse us by the law that has now become obsolete in Jesus Christ.
My friend, Ramone, pointed out to me that in the original posting of this chapter I had not only misspelled “Shylock” by writing “Sherlock”, but I had also inadvertently given him the last name of “Holmes”. So the original post stated, “God is NOT like Sherlock Holmes, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in The Merchant of Venice…” I corrected the first name, but still failed to “see” the error of the second name. So the “corrected” post then read, “God is not like Shylock Holmes, the 400-year-old Shakespearean character in The Merchant of Venice…” It was still wrong, and I still needed to be lovingly corrected again.
Truthfully, I know there is only one “Shylock” in the “Merchant of Venice”, and he doesn’t have the last name of “Holmes”. But Sherlock Holmes is the brilliant London-based fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famous for his intellectual prowess,and his skilful use of "deductive reasoning" and astute observation to solve difficult crimes.
Of course I was embarrassed by my oversight. How could I have not recognized this glaring error, especially since I am English and grew up being very familiar with these famous literary personalities? As I thought about my blunder I began to recognize that perhaps there is a connection between Shylock and Sherlock after all... Perhaps these fictionalized characters behaved more like us than we want to admit… Both men used and abused the “law” to justify their own actions in given situations. Perhaps we have also painted God in their image, giving Him the same fictional kind of "character" that they had, and the same power to abuse us by the law that has now become obsolete in Jesus Christ.
Sherlock Holmes
In Victorian England, vices such as bending the truth and breaking the law (lying to the police, concealing evidence and burglaries), were not necessarily considered vices as long as they were done by a gentleman for noble purposes such as preserving a woman's honor or a family's reputation. When it suited his purposes, the detective Sherlock Holmes had a strong sense of honor and of "doing the right thing". He became known for his ability to outwit and outsmart police inspectors (who represent the “law”) in solving crimes. He also had an ego that bordered on arrogance because he enjoyed baffling them with his superior deductions… For the most part, Holmes’s actions would in general be out of character for a "law-abiding" detective living by the standards of our day [5]
In Victorian England, vices such as bending the truth and breaking the law (lying to the police, concealing evidence and burglaries), were not necessarily considered vices as long as they were done by a gentleman for noble purposes such as preserving a woman's honor or a family's reputation. When it suited his purposes, the detective Sherlock Holmes had a strong sense of honor and of "doing the right thing". He became known for his ability to outwit and outsmart police inspectors (who represent the “law”) in solving crimes. He also had an ego that bordered on arrogance because he enjoyed baffling them with his superior deductions… For the most part, Holmes’s actions would in general be out of character for a "law-abiding" detective living by the standards of our day [5]
In a similar way haven’t we sometimes seen God as if He is Sherlock Holmes—carefully searching us out and scrutinizing us, looking for any hidden sign of guilt, just waiting to accuse us and expose our sins before everyone? Hasn’t this erroneous belief about God misrepresented His character of agape love? In truth, the enemy is the accuser of the brethren, not God! The enemy is always looking for ways to accuse us and to bring us down to his level, and he does this by using the law to try and produce good works in us. When we cannot measure up (and we never can), he blames us and shames us until we can barely lift our heads up off the ground—just like the scene in the vision. We are no better than grasshoppers!
So in order to survive the condemnation of the law many of us in the church have been bending the “truth” about our “gross” income by calling it our “net” income so that we wouldn’t have to pay as much tithe as we thought was required? Haven’t we been concealing evidence, and lying so as to make ourselves appear more generous than we actually are? Don’t we sometimes feel proud that we have out-witted the old tithing law system by manipulating numbers with our superior deductions? Honestly, we have been forced to resort to all kinds of creative ways of trying to preserve our sense of honor, and our family’s reputation in the church by justifying why we have not paid a tenth of our income to the church.
Although the modern tithing law promises blessing and protection (removal of the Malachi curse if I do thus and thus…) it is based on old covenant principles that keep us bound to trusting in what we must do in order to please God and get His blessings and approval. Since God Himself is the Tithe, there’s nothing more that we can give in order to get God’s attention and bend His ear to hear our cry. It has already been done in Jesus Christ
.
I pray that as the Holy Spirit shines His Light of Truth into the darkness within each of our hearts we will be healed by the One who has already paid the debt of all the “Shylock’s” and all the “Sherlock’s”, for all the Saul’s and all the David’s—in full! Yes, Jesus Christ is the One who willingly gave His flesh to pay our debt! The verdict has already been decided in Him! There is no debt left to pay except the ongoing debt to love one another as He has loved us! We, as the body of Christ, are being called into the emancipation of God’s liberty as we humble ourselves before one another and consider the interests of others before ourselves.
Notes:
[1]THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT OF ANCIENT ROME. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Roma/Rome/_Texts/Lanciani/LANARD/8*.html
[2] The word “vigilante” is of Spanish origin and means “watchman” or “guard”, but its Latin root is vigil, which means, “awake” or “observant”. When it is said that someone is taking the law into their own hands, this means that they are engaging in vigilante activity, or vigilantism. (http://faculty.ncwc.edu/tconner/300/300lect10.htm).
[2] The word “vigilante” is of Spanish origin and means “watchman” or “guard”, but its Latin root is vigil, which means, “awake” or “observant”. When it is said that someone is taking the law into their own hands, this means that they are engaging in vigilante activity, or vigilantism. (http://faculty.ncwc.edu/tconner/300/300lect10.htm).
[4] Greek-English Keyword Concordance, page 220
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes.[5]
