I learned something new today.

I came across an interesting passage in Deuteronomy this morning:

You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. 

That was no surprise.  I knew God commanded a tithe, but I'd missed the next part.

And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

They ate their tithe?  I thought it was a gift, an offering to the Lord, but this seemed like it was for their own enjoyment.

And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses and spend the money for whatever you desire--oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves.  And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household (Deuteronomy 14:22-26).

I knew that trusting God was a by-product of tithing, but I never realized that it was the whole point of the tithe.  God commanded them to use up a tenth of what He blessed them with for enjoyment and pleasure and rejoicing before Him, to "learn to fear the LORD," to trust that the remaining 90% was sufficient to meet their needs.  The note in the ESV Study Bible says, "Tithing does not mean the giving of the surplus.  Tithing would teach Israel to fear or trust God that the remaining 90 percent was sufficient and that God would provide each year.  Israel should have learned this fear through the provision of manna in the wilderness."

This is revolutionary to my heart, that God would command His people to use a portion of what He'd blessed them with for pure enjoyment and thankfulness without fear that He would fail to provide for their needs in the future.  I suppose it means a lot to me this morning because we're using a portion of what God gave us this year for pure enjoyment.  There is freedom from guilt here, freedom from worry, freedom to be "before the LORD [our] God and rejoice."  I like those feelings.