SERIES N --- THE EXILE --- LESSON 09

WORSHIP REFORMS

TITHES FOR ADONAI

From 2 Chronicles 31

When the great Passover feast was over, the people who had attended it went into the cities of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh and tore down the pillars and idols and destroyed the high places and their altars. Then the people from the northern tribes of Israel returned home. King Hezekiah called the priests back into their original divisions and the Levites into their groups so they might serve Adonai by offering burnt offerings and peace offerings and by giving thanks and praise in the gates of Adonai’s camp. The king himself gave animals for the burnt offerings which were presented every morning and evening, the weekly Shabbat offerings, the monthly new moon festivals and the feasts required annually by the Law of Adonai. The king also ordered the people of Jerusalem to contribute their tithes to the priests and Levites so that these men could devote their full time to Adonai’s work, as specified in the Law of Adonai. The people were generous in their gifts of the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey and other crops. They brought a tithe of everything they had. The people of Judah and those who had moved into Judah from Israel brought their tithes of cattle and sheep, as well as the things which had been dedicated to Adonai. So much was brought that the goods were piled into great heaps. The tithes kept piling up from June till October. When King Hezekiah and his officials saw how much the people had given, they praised Adonai and His people. Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about all these gifts. Azariah the high priest told the king, [We have been eating well from these tithes during all the weeks since they began to come in, but we still have all this left. Adonai has blessed His people abundantly, so there is plenty left over.] King Hezekiah then gave orders for storerooms to be built in the temple. When these were ready, the people brought the tithes of their goods into them. Conaniah the Levite was in charge of these storerooms, with his brother Shimei assisting him, as king Hezekiah and the high priest Azariah had ordered. Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath and Benaiah were also appointed to help them. Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, gatekeeper of the East Gate, was placed in charge of the tithes and gifts and of distributing them to the priests. He was assisted by Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah and Shecaniah and these distributed to all the priests in their cities, young and old alike. The priests who served in the temple received their supplies there, for they served in the temple according to their divisions. The priests were listed in the genealogical register according to their clans. The Levites twenty years or older were listed according to their divisions. Since the priests had to devote full time to Adonai’s work in the temple, they received a regular supply of food for themselves and their families. Each city had one priest who was in charge of distributing this food to all the registered priests and Levites in that city. King Hezekiah tried to distribute the gifts in a fair manner throughout Judah, doing what seemed right in Adonai’s sight. He did all he could to build the work of Adonai in the temple and to promote YHVH’s Law and Commandments. King Hezekiah prospered, for he sought Adonai with all his heart.

COMMENTARY

THE SAMARITANS

The history of the Samaritans is confused by time, the lack of ancient records and differing ideas of their origin. The Israelites believed the Samaritan people began with the Assyrian conquest of Samaria. As was their custom, the conquerors deported thousands of the population to distant regions of Assyria. Samaria was repopulated with Assyrians and captives from Syria, Babylonia and other defeated countries. The descendants of these colonists were the Samaritans. They intermarried with the Israelites still in Samaria, but the exiled Hebrews never accepted them as true Israelites. Some centuries after the exile, many Israelites returned and wanted to rebuild the temple. But the Samaritans insisted that Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem, was the true centre of worship. Furthermore, they had an entirely different view of their history. Samaritans claimed to be descendants of the Israelites who either stayed in Samaria or returned after the Exile. They traced their origins back to when Joshua assembled the twelve tribes on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. They believed that Moses intended the Israelites to build the sanctuary on Mount Gerizim. The tabernacle at Shiloh and the temple at Jerusalem were little better than paganism in their eyes. The antagonism that began in this dispute lasted for centuries and still continues to the present day. A small sect of Samaritans still lives in Israel, following the religious traditions of their ancestors and worshiping on Mount Gerizim.