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;
Deuteronomy 14 closes with an unusual rule: every third year the tithe stayed home instead of going up to the place of worship. Why the change, what does "within your towns" mean, and why does God tie a blessing to a meal for the poor?
One reference work sums up what this year was called and what changed in it:
Every third year was called 'the year of tithing.' Josephus says a third tenth was given. More probably, the second tenth was handled differently that year: it was not carried to Jerusalem, but laid up 'within the gates,' and shared there with "the Levites . . . and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow." Deut. 14:28-29; Amos 4:4.
Commentators differ on whether this was a separate third tenth or the same tenth handled another way. They agree on the place. The tithe stayed in the towns where people lived — older translations say "within your gates" — and never went up to Jerusalem.
The tenth was not the farmer's charity fund. It was rent, paid to the Owner of the land:
The year of tithing showed that Jehovah owned the land. It also showed the lovely way He wanted His rents spent: meeting the need of His workmen and of His poor.
The food stayed at home, so this was a family scene. Family is where generosity is hardest:
They were not compelled to take this to the one place that God had consecrated. It had more of the family character. But a beautiful feature goes with it. The Levite (because he has no part or inheritance with them), the stranger, the fatherless and the widow within their gates were to come, and eat, and be satisfied, so that Jehovah their God would bless them in all the work of their hand. Even in the witness of blessing at home there must be the largeness of heart that goes out to those who have no friends to care for them... We know well how the family tends to crowd out generous feeling, and how it tends to shut itself up in nothing better than a refined selfishness.
Note why the Levite is on the list. He has no share in the land — the one man in Israel with no field of his own eats from everyone else's.
No trip to the sanctuary was needed here. A household simply passed on to the poor what God had given it:
The tithe of the third year is not the family joy of the people with God. It is the grace that brought enjoyment to strangers, to those in want, and to the servants of God who had no inheritance. All this took place within their gates. They had the privilege of acting in grace from Jehovah, passing on to His poor what He had given them. They did not go to the house of Jehovah. They invited the widow, the orphan, and the Levite to their house to rejoice, and Jehovah blessed them.
The food was not dropped at the door and left. People ate it together, and one writer sees Christ's own way in that:
Every third year we find this tithe used at home, shared with the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Not simply given to them, but shared with them — a deeper thing. Christ does not give merely, so that we may carry it away from Him; He shares. This is fellowship.
Three words carry the promise: come, eat, be satisfied. That is how God Himself acts, and He gives His people the same work:
There is a special sweetness in the words, "shall come" — "shall eat" — "and be satisfied." So like our own ever gracious God! He delights to meet the need of all. He opens His hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing. And more than that, it is His joy to make His people the channel through which His grace, His kindness and the sympathy of His heart flow out to all. How precious is this! What a privilege to be the dispensers of His bounty, the exponents of His goodness!
- Owner. The tenth was God's rent on land He owned, and the third year showed how He wanted His rent spent — on His workmen and His poor.
- Address. That year the tithe stayed in the town instead of going to the sanctuary. The giving took on a family character.
- Guests. The Levite came because he had no inheritance. The stranger, orphan and widow came because they had no one. A home blessed by God had to open its doors.
- Manner. They shared the food; they did not just hand it over. That is fellowship — Christ shares, He does not give at arm's length.
- Result. Come, eat, be satisfied. God meets need, and He makes His people the channel of His kindness.
and the Levite -- for he hath no portion nor inheritance with thee -- and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.