"The Bible Says..." (Book Review: Scripture and the Authority of God)

I am almost done with N.T. Wright's book, Scripture and the Authority of God (HarperCollins, 2013). Some of it is a little "heady" for me, but necessarily so. I don't feel qualified to "review" the book, but I would like to share a couple of important take-aways, at the risk of oversimplifying a few points.

First, the entire lens of seeing the "authority of scripture" as shorthand for the "authority of God through scripture" is helpful. This position is one Wright uses throughout the book. To me, the Bible is not authoritative unto itself. It is what God and the church do with the Bible that demonstrates authority and divine inspiration. Without that authority, the scriptures become writings to be studied while missing out on true revelation.

N.T. Wright

Second, Wright reminds us that the glory in John 1 comes not from the idea that "the Word was written down," but the pronouncement that "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." It is important to keep in mind that the "Word of God" that brings salvation and changes lives is none other than Jesus Himself, who literally moved into our world. Again, going back to the first point, the Bible is a resource of words that the Word may use to transform people's hearts and minds only when the authority of God through His Holy Spirit is at work.

The Bible does not equal "God with us" unless we are receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ (aka. Immanuel). In fact, Bible study could indeed be one of the least spiritual acts in which some people participate, misleading us into thinking we are growing closer to God through head knowledge when we are actually distancing ourselves through self-reliance (see John 5:16-47).

I'm glad I stuck it out and will finish the whole book this morning. It was interesting to consider how believers have wrestled with approaches to Scripture throughout the centuries, which Wright summarizes succinctly. I also found the chapter devoted to a case study on the topic of the Sabbath eye-opening, especially as he compared its relationship to time with the Temple's relationship to space. Ultimately, we end up with Jesus fulfilling Sabbath rest, in my opinion, but Wright got to deeper concepts that I had not considered before. For those interested, below are more viewpoints about Sabbath and/or N.T. Wright's perspective. Note that I am merely sharing, not promoting or opposing, these:

• Rethinking the Sabbath (Frank Viola)
• Blog review (Anabaptist Redux)

Happy Easter Choco-holics!

Like me, you might be surprised to know that except for Halloween, Americans actually purchase and consume more chocolate on Easter than any other holiday, including Valentine's Day and Christmas! 

With the celebration of Easter and Passover, there will be A LOT OF EATING CHOCOLATE going on, which brings us to a tragic irony. The Passover that so many people will celebrate in remembrance of the Jewish deliverance from slavery in Egypt under an oppressive Pharaoh will be held in conjunction with more people eating candy made available to us by the hands of forced child labor.

For information and videos from the full CNN series about the relationship between chocolate and child labor, go here. To check out a recent documentary video, click on this link.

In keeping with my "baby steps" theme, next week I will post simple ways to take action to make this Easter season more about freedom and still treat your sweet tooth.

Should Christians Follow the Bible or Jesus? (part 2)

Isn't this picture so sweet? 
Could you not see this on the wall of a children's worship room in a church building? 
It has everything, doesn't it? The good old commandments of the law and friendly Jesus, together forever?
The best of both worlds, the "total package", everything we're supposed to teach our children? Isn't that how it is supposed to work?


My last post claimed that we should choose Jesus over the Old Testament (Law, covenant). Here is a little more explanation of my position.

It is hard to imagine how the New Testament could be any more explicit that followers of Jesus are not to look to the law for guidance regarding salvation. Think of Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, being able to boast in his knowledge of the law as a Jew, stating that we are dead to the law through the body of Christ (Romans 7). He also added, "What the law was powerless to do...God did by sending his own Son..." (Romans 8:3). Moreover, Paul writes to the church of Corinth about this former "ministry" that came with a fading glory that keeps a veil over hearts and dull minds and brought only condemnation, and contrasts it with Jesus who brings hope and righteousness and removes the veil (2 Corinthians 3).

Could we consider the multiple times Jesus says, "You have heard..., but I tell you...", or how many times Jesus publicly, deliberately violated the Sabbath rules just to make a theological point? Think about Jesus asking the people what Moses taught about divorce just to turn around and tell them that Moses only did that because of their hard hearts. In fact, Jesus clarified that what Moses wrote is not how we are to view divorce at all. (Mark 10)

Perhaps, nowhere is the Bible more direct about this point than in the book of Hebrews. The old covenant is labeled "inferior", "outdated", "obsolete" (depending on translations), and there are entire sections of this letter devoted to illustrating how it did nothing but find fault in people and could do nothing to cleanse or redeem anyone! Hebrews is equally as clear that Jesus is the new priest over a "new covenant established on better promises" (Hebrews 8:6).

These are only a few examples. So, what do we tell our kids about the Bible? Marc, would you really tell your children to ignore the Old Testament? Well, I've already addressed that in my previous post. However, here is what I will tell my daughters. If something you read in the Old Testament (or anywhere for that matter) points you to Jesus, then embrace it. If what you read points you to a rule or law, which will either condemn you or fill you with pride because law-keeping is a human effort that compares one person's "works" with another's, then disregard it. Our standard is never the law, but always Christ. Because of that, we are always dependent upon God's awesome grace.

The value in the Old Testament is that it does indeed point us to Christ and reveal Him over and over, so be on the lookout for Jesus at all times.

Should Christians Follow the Bible or Jesus?

I used to think that the whole Bible was put together to be a complete guide for us. I taught this same view to many others over the years. Sure, I still highly value all Scripture. In particular, the Old Testament has significant insights into God and human nature, tremendous and rich history, a huge volume of examples and "non-examples" of what to say and do, and foundational context to understand the New Testament. But I simply don't think I can support seeing it as a source of direction and authority for how Christians are to live.

With some simple church friends, we recently took a journey through the Old Testament, tracing the story of the Hebrews throughout the centuries. My daughter is working on a website that chronicles some of the lessons from this time that we all spent together. To say that the Old Testament is not important to me or my family would be grossly mischaracterizing what I am saying about Scripture. It is an essential narrative to His-story.

But...it is not essential for salvation. It is not essential to know how to follow Jesus. It is not essential for obedience to Christ, nor is it a pathway for life for the believer. The genuine follower today needs only to be obsessed with one thing - Jesus of Nazareth!

If I had to choose between my daughter knowing all the laws and commands of Moses and Israelite history inside and out, or knowing nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified, it would be a no-brainer! (1 Corinthians 2)

My Christmas Story Poem

The Christmas Story – Forever on God’s Mind

 

I am sure through all your years of life, a story about Christmas you have heard,

But today I tell you the true Christmas story starts even before these words:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Earlier than He made any of this, God thought up a plan for Jesus’ birth.

 

He hadn’t yet formed the water, built up mountains or planted the first tree,

But He already knew how good and holy He wanted each one of us to be.

With His perfect plan in His mind, He had the wonderful idea of you and me,

So He began molding His design, knitting us together, wanting to set us free.

 

God showed off His creativity – He painted flowers and butterflies to color the world so bright,

He made lions and tigers and bears (Oh my!), and stuck a moon in the sky to reflect sunlight.

He was an Artist, whose imagination filled the air with birds and the seas with fish.

He was Eden’s Gardener, the Master and Friend who could fulfill our every wish.

 

As far as people go, Adam was the first one into whom He breathed life,

Then, it wasn’t long until God made another in His image to be Adam’s wife.

This first mom and dad have more to do with Christmas than many might believe,

Because the very first promise of our Savior as a child had to do with mother Eve.

 

Unfortunately, though, our story has a dark and scary part,

As any tale does when evil puts doubt in a good person’s heart.

Adam and Eve were fooled into thinking they could outsmart God, and they lied,

Suddenly, they were doing wrong and spreading blame, and eventually they died.

 

It was a tragedy to know God was mad at man, and we might lose His love,

There was nothing we could do on our own. Help would have to come from above.

Adam brought sin to us, which taught us to be bad. How could we ever cope?

Thank God! He planned ahead of time a way to provide freedom and a hope!

 

God allowed folks to have prophets and laws to guide them until the timing was just right,

But everyone needed a better Gift that would be revealed on Christmas night.

Sin is so bad; it can’t be fixed with just another rule.

It would take a miracle to heal the human race.

The law alone would be a useless tool.

The answer was to send, once for all, an overflow of God’s grace!

Against his enemy, Satan, God would deal a fatal blow when He struck this nerve,

He did the unthinkable and sent His own Son, an offering that none of us deserve.

There would be no need for Santa to double check a list of who is naughty or nice,

No, all sins would be forgiven and salvation would come only through Jesus Christ!

 

The perfect plan from before time that God had had along was now made known,

2000 years ago, a young woman learned that she would have a child of her own.

It took some time to set the stage for His dramatic arrival here,

But God wanted to provide all the clues so when it happened, it would be clear!

 

Clue number one was given so long ago in a promise to help us avoid a scam,

It was kept when Jesus was born to bless all people through the line of Abraham.

More impressive is how we were told of many more branches on His family tree,

And it all came to pass about Isaac, Jacob, and others in His genealogy.

 

But God would not leave it at that or some could call it coincidence,

So He gave us predictions of the time and place of these incidents.

Think, for instance, of what we heard when we read Hosea 11, verse one.

Just as it stated, centuries later, God called out of Egypt His very own Son.

 

And if the exact small town could be foretold, well, that would be nice,

So, Jesus being born in Bethlehem mentioned by Micah makes one think twice.

What about Malachi’s mention of the Temple, which in A.D. 70 they will destroy?

So it is truly amazing when the Lord Jesus enters it as a boy!

 

Yes, all of these proofs help strengthen our faith in the Christmas story,

Yet I’ve saved the best for last, the most famous of all, a feat of God’s glory!

Never before and never since has there been such a mystery in all the world,

The magic of Christmas is the birth of the Christ child to Mary, a virgin girl.

 

Now, with all the prophecies fulfilled and the main event finally here,

Let’s put things in order and celebrate His coming this year.

With all that’s been said, we know God’s idea was always on His mind.

On to the details of this turning point in history that is oh so divine.

 

This Christmas season, see it afresh as the scene has been set with all the clues,

Follow the action as the characters are ready for their cues.

God’s angel, Gabriel, gets us started by telling Zechariah what is going on,

His wife, Elizabeth, will be having a son that they are to give the name John.

 

Zechariah was speechless for a while because his wife was well along in years,

But Gabriel went on to pronounce a blessing to Mary and alleviate her fears.

Finding favor with God, she received the report, “You will give birth to a son!”

Since nothing is impossible with God, his name will be Jesus, Savior to everyone.

 

 

Mary was soon to be married to Joseph who was upset by this course.

He was a good man in confusion, and thought it best to quietly divorce.

Till God directly intervened to help Joe out and show him there is no need to fuss,

“For Mary’s Son is of the Spirit. He is Immanuel, which means, ‘God with us.’!”

 

Joseph was glad he could wed and help Mary with this situation she was in,

And more rejoicing came their way when she went to visit her cousin.

Still, though, this story being real life, includes taxes and a decree,

So, in due time, the young couple would have to travel from the region of Galilee.

 

Farewell to Nazareth, they made their way to crowded Bethlehem,

Where they found no rooms available to welcome the world’s greatest Gem!

It is good to know God’s eternal plan did not depend on enough space at the inn,

The Almighty, full of grace and truth, walked among us to save us from our sin!

 

Meanwhile, back in the field, some sheepish folks tended their flock at night,

Only to be taken aback by a heavenly guest with a dramatic flair surrounded by glorious light.

The angel declared, “I bring great news of a baby boy, which is Christ the Lord!”

The shepherds were astonished by the sight and the sound as more angels joined in one accord.

 

At once, the shepherds decided there is no need for this saving babe to still be a stranger,

So, they went to find the two new parents with Jesus wrapped, lying in a manger.

They could not hold it in as they shared with Joseph and Mary their joy.

And they praised God for all they had seen and heard concerning the baby boy!

 

It had been eight days since the shepherds took their short, adventurous trip,

Which meant it was time to be brought before the Lord for a holy “snip, snip.”

One thing was for certain, Jesus passed the test.

Sacrifices were made and by Simeon, Jesus was blessed.

 

Word had reached some wise men that the king of the Jews had been born.

They followed a star in the East, but King Herod, they inadvertently warned.

This Herod was mean and did not want the newborn child to live very long,

But Joseph and Mary received the wise men’s gifts, and Jesus proved too strong.

 

God’s plan was amazing and a huge success.

It would change everything forever and clean up our mess.

Jesus had brought God’s full love to the whole world, then and now!

It was always on God’s mind from before creation to save us somehow.

The “somehow” is the reason for this season. It is the baby Jesus who grew into the God-man.

But don’t be mistaken to think it started there because the Christmas story was written before time even began.

 

Scripture References
Genesis 1-3
Ephesians 1:4-14
Psalm 139:13-16
Romans 5:12-21
Romans 8:3
(Romans 2-8)
Galatians 3
Hebrews 8-10

John 3:16-21

John 14:5-7
Acts 2:22-36
Acts 4:12
Matthew 1-2
Luke 1-2
Genesis 12, 17:19, 49:10
Numbers 24:17
Jeremiah 23:5-6
Luke 3:33
Hosea 11:1
Micah 5:2
Malachi 3:1
Isaiah 7:14
John 1

For further reading: Genesis 1, John 1, Ephesians 1:3-14, Col. 1:15-23, Hebrews 1, 1 Peter 1:3-21

When is it Better to Be in the Minority?

It is strange, but I often wrestle with how much of my writing is for myself or for others. I would like to think that I write and teach and blog to help inform, educate, and guide others. However, there are many lessons I teach and posts I write that I can't help but admit are more about "self-therapy." Today's post is one such case. It is a reminder of how important it is to remember that God's kingdom operates by different values than our world. Seeking popularity and approval and comfort could take me on a course away from God's will rather than toward it.

Specifically, the myth I want to confront is the thinking that if something is right, then there will be consensus among the masses indicating so. Spiritually, I find it necessary to proceed with caution like a tightrope walker. On the one side, rebellious, individualistic renegades find their demise when they separate from God's ordained faith community and stand alone in pride. On the other side, though, is the much more common and subtle trap often cloaked in this positive twist: "If this is God's will, then surely the Spirit will bring agreement among the people (congregation, staff, family, etc.)." There are times to be on either side, and times to be on neither.

What prompts all this cogitation is Frank Viola's account of a part of Old Testament history that I had not considered before reading From Eternity to Here (2009). Let's go back in time to the 6th century B.C. era. Israel is taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Two million Israelites are displaced to Babylon for 70 years.

The critical piece to remember is that God's purpose and plan for Israel was to worship in one temple in Jerusalem back in the Promised Land of his people. Seventy years pass and the captivity is brought to an end. The people of Israel are allowed to return to Jerusalem where God intended for them to be. And about 50,000 of them do just that.

Look at the bold numbers again.

2,000,000 leave.
50,000 go back.

Admitting that there may be a slight change in overall numbers over seven decades, we still see that only 2-3% of the Israelites return to their homeland! A small remnant! Overwhelmingly, most decide to stay in a foreign land where they had grown comfortable, and in some cases, even prosperous. Despite confusion and mixed religious practices that profaned the worship of God, the price to pull themselves away was more than they would pay.

Sometimes doing the right thing is not backed by the majority. It is often rationalized away. And the lesson 2500 years later hasn't changed, following through with what is right in the midst of a comfortable society usually comes at a cost.

Viola's warning echoes in my head like sounds in a haunted house: "You can never satisfy the dream of God while living in Babylon" (p. 183-184).

Lord, where am I living now?

The Bible is Not God's Word?

Let me pose a provocative question:  What if the Bible wasn't really God's Word? 
Would you think me a heretic for even asking the question?

Well, when it comes to Divine Truth as a foundational part of what Christ's Church should be built upon, we have to take a close look at what the source of that truth is.  In reality, when there is a reference to "the Word" (as in John 1), it is indeed a reference to Jesus Himself.  So, to be precise, the Word of God is Jesus.  This has to be the starting point of any discussion about church or ministry or mission.  We are first and foremost guided by our relationship to the supernatural Savior.

Beyond this, we have more inspired writings, the holy Scriptures, that reveal that supernatural Savior to us.  More than anything else, this is what the Bible is.  It is a revelation, an unveiling, of a divine being in a format that mere mortals can begin to comprehend.  One of my new definitions of the Bible is "God taking a risk."  It is a risky endeavor to let your personality, divinity, power, holiness, judgment, etc. be expressed through the pen of man.  It is brave to allow the words of our limited language and the thoughts of our limited minds to offer us the most important snapshots of the holy and divine.  Honestly, as we all know, this method can lead to confusion and conflict about the most important thing in the world - understanding our God - who He is, what He does, when/where/how He exists.

Yet, this is what the Bible is for us - a means of revelation - a means to an end.  The end is the relationship itself, the interplay between the holy and human, between Spirit and flesh, between God and man.  It is in the intimacy of knowing and being known.  The Bible is not the prize; it is the lens by which we view and magnify the Prize!  The Bible is not the end.  It is not the goal to know the Bible.  It is the goal to know the Christ revealed through the Bible.  And often, no one misses this most basic and fundamental truth more than the religious folks!  Let's never forget Jesus' words in John 5:39-40.

Christian Leadership

I usually like to do more than just share another person's blog post, but this one by Frank Viola entitled "The Myth of Christian Leadership" is so good at explaining such a valuable truth in a succinct, yet thorough, manner. So, you might consider checking it out.

What Would the Bible be Rated?

(Most of this post is an old one that I never published.)


Today, I have been challenged to include a "call to action" at the end of my blog post. (Well, technically, I was given this challenge almost two weeks ago. I'm a little behind...)

I am really starting to be somewhat dismayed by my own cynical, sarcastic side. Sometimes, even I am thinking, Gosh Marc, that's a pretty ugly part of who you are!

At this point, I could ask for forgiveness and seek to cleanse that negative characteristic from my personality or I could pass on the ugliness to others and further perpetuate the problem.

Today, this blog post is my attempt to do the latter. Just think of it as my contribution to world restoration.

So, my recent thought was in response to a discussion a few people were having about what children are exposed to in the media. Specifically, they were complaining that parents had brought their children to see a particular movie. (Here comes my mischievous thought.)

I thought about interjecting, "It's okay. They can go home afterward and comfort them with peaceful and wholesome images while reading the Bible together. Maybe parts of Genesis, like when God floods the whole world and all people of all ages drown or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. There are many tame parts to choose from that merely involve minor, unobjectionable events like rape, murder, kidnapping, or war. And plagues are always good.
There's a little something for the whole family." (See what I mean! Why am I being like this?)
Seriously, this question came up recently for me anyway because my 10-year old daughter has been reading through the Bible from the beginning. Now, she is leading our simple church group through a study and discussion of Genesis. We raise a lot of questions together.

But I can't help but wonder if I should be "covering her eyes" for the "scary parts" of this movie we call Scripture. Then, I doubt myself for even considering such an action. Who am I to deprive her of divine revelation? So, is the good parenting move to expose her to it all no holds barred or to shield her from all that evil deeds recorded for who knows what reason?

I wonder what today's MPAA rating system would rate the Bible if it were turned into a feature film in 2012.

So, back to the "call to action" challenge. My call to action for you is very simple. Give me your opinion. What do you think the Bible would be rated? If you want to go above and beyond, then link to some related information or justification for your answer. This is call to participate in what is, ultimately, a fruitless conversation, I know.

In the Beginning...God Created

Last Sunday, our simple church group met at our house. The person facilitating our discussion and study was my 9 year-old daughter. She created a PowerPoint about creation. She asked us to read Scripture, showed pictures that she felt were good images to correspond with Genesis, and asked what questions we had. Her presentation led into much further conversation.

Sometimes, we mistakenly think that things in the church need to be so complicated that children can't understand them for them to be right. I think it must make us feel more "spiritual" or something. (I confess that we had that moment on Sunday as the adults immediately got into a discussion about creation versus evolution, as adults usually do. It wasn't until I realized that my daughter had left the room that it dawned on me that we had gotten off track. She wanted to remember and celebrate the awesomeness of God, but we wanted to debate "academic matters." More on that in another post??)

The truth found in Scripture, though, paints a vividly different picture. It is the children that hold the wisdom of God. It is the children who give praise to the Father even from infancy. On occasion, we are blessed when we simply let children lead the way to our Savior. After all, His kingdom belongs to them.

Developmentally, there are age-appropriate considerations to factor in when serving aside children in God's church. Spiritually, they might be light years ahead of us, but humanly speaking, they do have limitations in understanding and ability to communicate. However, even while taking this fact into account, it is still worth asking what the children can do to impact the world now. I have a hard time believing Jesus would have ever used the phrase, "church of tomorrow."

Keep in mind that the measure for us in the simple church is reproducibility. We know something is simple if it is easily reproducible. It is an essential part of spreading the gospel. A way to determine if a practice is reproducible is by asking, "Who else could do this?" If our answer leaves out children every time, then we might need to re-think our theology and mission. It could be a sign that we have missed it on both counts. If our kingdom only delegates the "cute" or "juvenile" things to young people, then maybe it is a substitute kingdom made by our intellect rather than God's power.

Having the Tithe of My Life (4)

The Law of Moses
One thing is for sure - tithing is definitely a subject brought up multiple times in the Mosaic Law.  In the Old Testament, we see a system set in place full with sacrifices, rituals, ceremonies, offerings, and priests.  There was much discussion about ceremonial cleansing and holiness.  It was clear that God introduced the concept of certain individuals mediating between him and everyday people, and at some level, we can attribute all of this to the simple reality that he was perfect and they were not.  And there is one other enormous reality of their day and time that warranted such a ritualistic, disciplined system of worship...Jesus had not yet come!

One practice that was in full effect for the Israelites under the old covenant was the tithe.  So what can we observe about this component of their religious life and community?

1.  Before, and upon, entering the Promised Land, Moses sets out clear responsibilities for one of the tribes known as the Levites.  They are the priestly tribe, responsible for the work at the Tent of Meeting.  "The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony" (Numbers 1:52-54).  Because the Levites were set apart for special duties, they were not to receive an inheritance of land as they moved in to Canaan.  All other tribes were given a specific allotment of land.  Rather than being in charge of their own dwelling like everyone else, the Levites had to be concerned, in a very serious manner, with "the Lord's dwelling" so to speak.  Thus, one of the tithes instituted helped serve the purpose of providing food for the Levites, and giving them something to sacrifice to the Lord in offerings.  It was a tithe given by the other Israelites and received by the Levites.

2.  Another important aspect of Israelite worship was that of national festivals and celebrations.  God instituted events such as Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks or Firstfruits, the Feast of Trumpets (which was their version of a New Year's party), and more.  Remembering how God had intervened in their lives was a crucial part of Israelite worship, so these festivals became an instrumental way of shaping the attitude of repentance and gratitude to solidify the bond that God desired to have with his children.  The Bible tells us that one of the tithes required of Israel was intended to be use to provide for these corporate events.3.  Another significant and repeated word of instruction in the Law of Moses is that a tithe should be received so that, in addition to the Levites, the aliens, fatherless, widows, and poor would be sufficiently taken care of.  People facing these hard circumstances were to be comforted and looked after appropriately.  Not doing so seemed to elicit God's anger with his own people.

**Some Scriptures you might want to look up include Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18 (verses 21 & 24 specify Levitical roles), Deuteronomy 14:22-29, and Deuteronomy 26:12-15.
To conclude, if you read through the referenced passages above, then you may begin to make some additional observations without having to read anything into the text.  For instance, it will probably stand out to you (from the Bible text itself and the notes above) that more than one tithe is commanded.  There were annual tithes and triennial tithes, and you may also note that they went to different "causes."  Many scholars agree that this certainly puts our "ten percent" rule under scrutiny.  In fact, some argue that with the combined tithes, the Israelites were required to give more like 23% of their produce or income!  I am not personally familiar with any church teaching this kind of tithing.

Finally, I will end on something that should be easy for us all to agree on.  Whatever, or however, the tithe was given and received, there was a clear emphasis on giving the best, or first, of what you had.  Regardless of where we fall on this debate, I think this should be a point we all walk away with firmly in mind and heart.

Having the Tithe of My Life (3)

Hebrews 7, Genesis 14 - Abraham's Tithe
One of the more often used passages to "prove" the universal, long-lasting ordinance of tithing is taken from Genesis 14 (and Hebrews 7).  Basically, Hebrews 7 gives us the lens at which to view the events of Genesis 14:18-20.  To summarize, Abraham presents a tithe to Melchizidek, and thus, the argument is that this demonstrates that the practice of tithing occurs centuries before it is mandated for the Israelites in the Law of Moses.  Therefore, tithing is meant to be practiced, it is said, by everyone following God, not just the Israelites bound by the laws found in the Old Testament.

(Before continuing, I recommend that you click on the links above and read the text of these passages for yourself.  In fact, while linked to the Bible Gateway site, you can even read them in a few different translations.)

Some observations and questions about these passages:

1.  As with most verses taken out of context, the mistake is usually taking what is a description of what happened there and then, and turning it into a prescription of what should happen here and now.  Genesis 14 describes what Abraham did.  There is no dogmatic commandment to tithe or not to tithe in these passages.

2.  Abraham does indeed give a tithe.  Let's not pretend that is up for debate.  The nature of his tithe is that it was a voluntary gift/offering of the plunder from battle.  In other words, it was the stuff he had just taken from other people, not his own belongings.  This is the only record of Abraham ever tithing, so the only evidence we have is of a one-time act, but admittedly, the "absence of evidence" doesn't necessarily equate to "evidence of absence."

3.  What is the point of Hebrews 7?  Is it telling the reader to model behavior after Abraham?  It clearly emphasizes that Jesus is in the "order of Melchizedek."  Melchizedek is described as an extraordinary priest with extraordinary authority that supercedes the role and position of the Levites.  The 16th verse explains that he was a priest of a different sort to say the least, "not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancenstry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life."  He blessed Abraham, not the other way around.  That makes him the greater figure, according to Hebrews.  What kind of man/king/being was this Melchizedek?  We're left wondering to some extent, but Hebrews paints him as a type of Christ, a foreshadowing of the Messiah!  In fact, I would encourage anyone to enjoy the blessing of reading through the rest of chapter 7 and even on in to chapters 8 and 9 of Hebrews.  There is tremendous theological content here that helps make clear just how special, powerful, and sufficient Jesus is as our High Priest.  There is also much said that highlights the "new covenant" over the "old covenant."  In short, the question needs to be asked, "Is the point of the passage what a great example Abraham is because he gave a tithe, or is the point what a profound example Melchizedek is because of his authority to receive a tithe?"