Abraham

Abraham
Exemplar of Obedience

After the sin of Adam and Eve, God desired to create a new people who would obey Him and walk with Him. He chose Abraham to be the father, or patriarch of a new people. God asked Abraham and his family to make a journey to a new land to begin a new people. Abraham did not know where he was going, yet he obeyed God. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, Abraham was ready to obey. God stayed his hand and Isaac was spared.  When Abraham returned from the battle against Chedorlaomer, he was met by the King of Salem, who was also a priest of the God Most High. His name was Melchizedek. He blessed Abraham and offered him bread and wine. In return, Abraham offered the priest-king of the God Most High a tenth of all that he had. (Genesis 14:17-20)

We, too, offer a tenth, or tithe of what we earn and receive to God at church. It has been the tradition since the time of Abraham, the ancestor of Jesus. It is our tradition.