8. (O.T.) The tithe under King Hezekiah

The Tithe?

8.  Old Testament
The Tithe under King Hezekiah
(2 Chron 31:2-12)
(Please read previous  articles on tithing first)

King Hezekiah, son of wicked King Ahaz of Judah, did what was right in the sight of God. He became king over Judah when he 25 years of age and reigned for 29 years. With the encouragement of the prophet Isaiah, Hezekiah undertook a religious reform by removing idolatrous elements from worship, cleansing and sanctifying the temple and restoring the Levites to their temple duties. He then had letters sent across the land to have the people attend a Passover celebration. It was a huge success. Hezekiah again imposed the tithe on his subjects, but this time it was to to be an honor to the LORD. The people brought their tithes in abundance for the use of the Levites and offerings and thanksgivings to the LORD. Large storage units were built within the temple to house all of the grain. Worship to the LORD had been restored. The time was approximately 700 B.C. [i] Manassah, his son, however, reigned after him and was considered the most wicked king in Judah of all times. All that his father did to restore worship unto the LORD was undone by his son.

Since the time of King David, and the split of Israel into two nations, there were only four who were good kings and did what was right in the sight of God. In Israel, however, there were none. This means that during the reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel, the practice of godly worship, including the tithe from the land to the LORD was almost nonexistent.

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[i] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=227&letter=T