Numbers 18 - Church Finances

As I was reading this chapter that talks about the provision given to the priests and the Levites, I was thinking about church finances today. At that time, the best was given to the priests and the tithes were shared with all the Levites who were taking care of the tabernacle and its sacred objects.

¹⁴ “Everything in Israel that is specially set apart for the Lord^[c] also belongs to you.

²⁰ And the Lord said to Aaron, “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. ²¹ As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.

These offerings were to be the allotment of the Levites and to support them while they were in service to the Lord. Now I found this interesting because it made me start to think about church finances and how the tithes and offerings we give to the church  are similar to those given back then at the Lord's direction. I was noticing that the tithes were not also set aside to help the poor or to spread the news of who God is to others, which is something that occurs today. At first I was thinking, maybe their shouldn't be objections when those are not the major focus of a church budget...but then as I thought about it more, I realize that Jesus has given us some new instructions:

 ²² When Jesus heard his answer, he said, “There is still one thing you haven’t done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

With these new instructions comes a new way for the church to operate and an outward focus that wasn't given as much focus earlier. So therefore, when we consider our church finances, we do need to consider this new emphasis.

The true question becomes what is the balance between caring for our spiritual leaders and buildings and following the commission that Jesus gave. Paul also weighs in on this topic and states that the people should support those who are serving the Lord and teaching them, but Paul also supports himself by working as a tent maker as he spreads the word of God.

I have heard so many discussions of this over the years, but I think there are many questions left for us to wrestle with as a church and while I firmly believe that a greater portion should go to the work of the Lord, I can't actually see where it says that in the Bible and certainly God did intend for those caring for the holy places of God and serving God in the temple to be supported by the community.

Maybe you have some insight to share. Feel free to comment.