Read this
“And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”
Genesis 14:18–20
Say it in one line
The tithe didn't start as a rule. It started as a response. Abram gave a tenth because he recognized that the victory wasn't his to take credit for — and giving was the most honest way to say so.
Points to make
- 01The very first tithe in the Bible happens roughly 400 years before there's a law about tithing.
- 02Abram gave a tenth of the spoils of war — the part he was fully entitled to keep.
- 03Melchizedek blessed first; Abram gave second. Grace goes ahead of our giving.
- 04Giving isn't paying God back. It's admitting who the victory belonged to in the first place.
End with a question
Abram gave before anyone told him to. What does that say about where giving actually begins?