Deu 12:17-19 | KingComments | STEP | Not every animal needs to be slaughtered in Jerusalem, as is the case with the tabernacle in the wilderness ( ). The Israelites cannot always go to Jerusalem when they have slaughtered an animal. Yet they may not bring their burnt offerings home, for they belong in the place where the LORD dwells. Worship is something that happens together where the Lord Jesus dwells and the church meets as a church. Nevertheless, meat can be eaten at home. This, for us, means to be busy with the sacrifice and have fellowship with each other in enjoying the Lord Jesus together. Thus we may meet apart from the place where the Lord Jesus is in the midst. There also those unclean are permitted to receive a blessing there. The uncleanness in question is not such that requires removal from among the people of God. A person who is unclean in such a way is not allowed to eat of the holy things, but may eat of the general food. While the meat may be eaten at home, the tithes may not be eaten at home. Bringing forth the tithes is the recognition of God’s title to the land. It is the land He has given them. He is its Lord, and they owe Him “rent”. When we come together as a church, it is to remember the death of the Lord, the offering He has brought, and to worship God for it with our sacrifices of praise and thanks. But not only that. We also come together to eat the collected tithes. Eating the tithes means that together we enjoy before God’s face all the blessings He has given us. We thank Him for it and share with each other what we have received from Him. This can be expressed nicely during a Bible discussion, for example.

‏ Deuteronomy 12:17-19

Eating in the Own Dwelling Place

Not every animal needs to be slaughtered in Jerusalem, as is the case with the tabernacle in the wilderness (Lev 17:1-6). The Israelites cannot always go to Jerusalem when they have slaughtered an animal. Yet they may not bring their burnt offerings home, for they belong in the place where the LORD dwells. Worship is something that happens together where the Lord Jesus dwells and the church meets as a church. Nevertheless, meat can be eaten at home. This, for us, means to be busy with the sacrifice and have fellowship with each other in enjoying the Lord Jesus together. Thus we may meet apart from the place where the Lord Jesus is in the midst.

There also those unclean are permitted to receive a blessing there. The uncleanness in question is not such that requires removal from among the people of God. A person who is unclean in such a way is not allowed to eat of the holy things, but may eat of the general food.

While the meat may be eaten at home, the tithes may not be eaten at home. Bringing forth the tithes is the recognition of God’s title to the land. It is the land He has given them. He is its Lord, and they owe Him “rent”.

When we come together as a church, it is to remember the death of the Lord, the offering He has brought, and to worship God for it with our sacrifices of praise and thanks. But not only that. We also come together to eat the collected tithes. Eating the tithes means that together we enjoy before God’s face all the blessings He has given us. We thank Him for it and share with each other what we have received from Him. This can be expressed nicely during a Bible discussion, for example.

Caring for the Levite

The Levite has no inheritance (Deu 12:12; Deu 10:9) and therefore no yield of the land itself to give the tithes thereof. But God has determined that the Levite will live of the tithes brought by the people (Num 18:21-24). And of the tithes thus given to the Levite, he may again give the tithes to the LORD, and enjoy them himself with others before God.

The people are not instructed to give the Levite tithes as a one-off, but as long as they live in the land. Whoever is aware of his spiritual blessings will also be aware of his responsibilities and will want to fulfil them. If we do not live in the land, that is to say, if the awareness that our citizenship is in heaven disappears, so does our care for the Lord’s servants.