The Great Commandment
The Great Commandment & the Three Tithes
The word of The Most High God declares "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. (See the SHEMA)'{Deuteronomy 6:5} This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' {Leviticus 19:18} The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments." The whole Law and Prophets depend, or hang upon, these two commandments! A strong statement indeed!
Looking at the three tithes we see this truth:
- Our first responsibility is to God, with the first tithe. It is His tithe, and we must obey by leaving it with Him. In doing so, we bless His servants, and keep His House full.
- Our second responsibility is to ourselves, with the second tithe. With it we guarantee a time of communion with Yahweh tri-annually, bringing great joy to our souls and to those with whom we have traveled, with whom we worship and fellowship, including the servants of God (the Levites).
- Our third responsibility is to those who cannot provide for themselves, whom are our neighbors. The orphans, the widows, the foreigners—those who normally are cast out of mainstream society. We show our love for God by showing love to His children. This we do, only after we have first given Him a portion of all (the first tithe), and edified ourselves and close family (the second tithe). We are then able to "love others," just as we have "loved ourselves."
The Two Great Commandments are thus contained in the three tithes of the Law. What a blessed God we serve whom has hid in His Holy Law the truths which He has revealed in fullness