THE MYSTERY OF THE TENTH- PART IN COVENANT PROSPERITY

By Rev.  Michael Benson Ajayi  

Gen 8:5 KJV “And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.”

        Noah was a descendant of Seth a man who led the first ever revival after the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Gen4:26). He was the first person to institute the act of worship and this was passed on to his son Abel and down to Noah and Abraham.

        Noah lived in an era where there was no written moral code, therefore people did as they pleased under satanic influence and wickedness increased with the weak becoming easy prey. The human race became threatened as wickedness assumed a supernatural dimension with demon-induced pregnancies resulting in the birth of giants with superhuman capabilities. There was a complete breakdown of law and order (Gen 6:1-7). This led to the flood which was meant to restore law and order

             Law and order requires a symbol of authority and in this case it fell upon Noah; a man with a vision of God’s divine purpose for humanity. The need to authenticate authority brought about the institution of the principle of loyalty. Tokens or symbols of honour  are required as proof of one’s loyalty to a superior authority. This is the reason behind the acts of obeisance by subjects before a monarch and it requires the sacrifice of valuable assets which may include, time, money, provisions and energy through duty or service.

              The flood was necessary to save the human race from self annihilation and God demonstrated  grace through the provision of the ark but unfortunately, the majority rejected the message of grace and paid dearly for it through the deluge that followed except Noah and  his wife and three sons and their wives (Gen7:1-24).

                 Noah had two of each species of animal and bird with him in the ark and after a hundred and fifty days of rain there was need for the ark to be rightly positioned for easy exit . Five months in a confined space with wild beasts is enough to put a man under so much stress. Under such conditions faith and loyalty was tested. Noah ran the risk of the ark being in the high seas away from solid ground and that would have spelt doom for all the occupants. It was by faith he built the ark and required faith to land on dry ground, he demonstrated this when he gave the tenth- part of his provisions as a token of his loyalty to God. Scriptures says  in Gen 8:5 “… until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month..”   The Hebrew interlinear dictionary reads “in the tenth the tenth month “ the phrase “in the tenth “ is the Hebrew word ‘asar’  a word which means ‘ tithe’ or to give the tenth part. This was over a thousand years before Abraham whose lineage can be traced to Noah’s son Shem repeated same as a sign of being under divine authority after his encounter with Melchizedek (an antitype of Christ). Most African tribes have an ancestry traceable to the dark-skinned son of Noah (Ham); they have a common tradition of setting apart a tenth part of food to the most high God after harvest and before eating meals as an acknowledgment of his preeminence. The tenth part is symbolic of the hand of God ( Ecc.2:24) containing ten fingers (Ex8:19).

                  New Testament believers are not expected to tithe according to Moses’ laws but like Noah, Abraham (Gen14:20), Jacob (Gen28:22) who were not under the law .We are not cursed when we don’t tithe because we are not under the Mosaic law. Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of not tithing (Gal 3:13, Gal 2:16). The New Testament church did not mention tithe but it was inferred in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 and its purpose is for the needs of the poor to be catered for and proof that a person was under spiritual authority and a sign of humility (Deut14:23). This is God’s formula for the eradication of poverty among Christians. God’s kingdom’s economic principles discourages ownership but encourages commonwealth (Acts4:32,Acts 2:44-46). It was after Noah gave the tenth part out of his provisions in his heart that the mountains he sought for appeared. Faith is demonstrated through solemn vows. He was quick to demonstrate his faith as soon as he disembarked (Gen8:20) with a promise that followed which says in Gen8:22 AMP. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. “. The power to prosper is in yours hands (Joshua1:8 ,Ps 50:14)

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