What are we to make of the tithe?

Text for discussion: Numbers 18.  

The Levites in Israel had no inheritance, no land that was allotted for them in the Promised Land.  God was to be their inheritance.  The gifts of the rest of Israel provide for them.  In our modern context, offerings provide for the needs and workers of the parish.  What is the meaning of our giving today, and what does God give us? 

 

The painting: Moses and Aaron Speak to the People (painted by James Tissot c. 1896-1902, public domain). 

The hymn: Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us (public domain).