reaction that concerns tithing yet this is the first instance of tithing in the Bible.  It may also be the most important. (Gen 14:14-20 NIV)  When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Any Christian scholar would know one thing about Melchizedek:  He is a picture of Christ, as shown in the New Testament. The author of Hebrews argues for the superiority of Christ over Abraham in this sense. But here we can see some of the symbolic aspects of tithing.
Melchizedek as a picture of Christ as priest receives tithes.  This is the clear indication that God is to receive our tithes, and that (somehow) Christ, as our high priest, is receiving them.  The matter is mystical in a high degree and therefore extremely important.

Melchizedek brings out bread and wine - which can be nothing but a picture of the Lord's Supper to come, i.e., the sacrifice on the Cross.  Therefore, our tithing is somehow bound up in Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, for without that sacrifice our tithes would not be acceptable to God.
Melchizedek blesses Abraham (Abram in this text).  As the author of Hebrews points out, the lesser is blessed by the greater among men.  But it also shows that tithing comes after being blessed by God.
Melchizedek also blesses God, praising his name. So then tithes are in some way associated with our praise.
Only after all this is done does Abraham present a tithe.  So there is a past tense nature to tithes - they are a reflection of what God has done.  (Offerings reflect the present joy or future benefit).
So, in our time, we should see tithing as a way of acknowledging that Christ, our High Priest, has already made the sacrifice that brings us the blessing of eternal life.  To tithe is to say to the world, "God has already blessed me - I am saved!"
Importance of Tithing in the Old Testament - Jacob's Ladder: Many of us are familiar with the story of Jacob's ladder: (Gen 28:10-22 NIV) Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." In the story of Abraham and Melchizedek there is a hint of the importance of the place in which the tithe is given: Here Jacob is sure of it.  God promises to bless him:  So he calls the place Bethel - the Hill of God.  So we see that simply giving the tithe is not sufficient, there must be a place for it. It is also the sign of something else:  a covenant relationship.  One who tithes to God is in a particular relationship to Him, acknowledging Him as the source of blessing....>>>>Article Continues>>>>