God is clearly making a distinction not of the type of sacrifice but rather of the condition of the heart of the one making the offering. Cain was evil and Abel was righteous. Either way, to take the expression "firstborn of the flock" and create doctrine out of it is not only poor theology - it is false theology. And Noble goes farther than that! He claims that this establishes a principle! Well, if by principle he meant that God honors righteousness and abhors evil then yes. That is not what Noble is preaching here though. He is claiming that this one expression lasting all of four words establishes a bedrock principle that says you have to give him 10% of your income. That is absurd to the point of criminal. Next up Noble claims that tithing was established in Genesis 14 when Abraham tithed. Once again, let us look at Scripture:
After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And the king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself." But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich.' I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share." - Genesis 14: 17-24 (ESV)
Because hustlers and charlatans like Perry Noble strip mine the Bible they never truly understand it in context. He just sees the word "tenth" and jumps off the theological cliff to pretend that it confirms tithing. The context however debunks such nonsense. First of all, the King came out to give to Abram - not the other way around. Yes, Abram is so touched apparently that he gives a tenth of the plunder of war. But it is not a tithe beloved. How do we know? Because he only gave from the plunder, not from his own personal wealth! Later in these verses we see that he actually gives all of it away! He doesn't want the glory for his prosperity to go to anyone but God! Lastly on this example - if this is a model for tithing, why did Abram only do it once? Because it was not tithing. It was a tribute or tax for the king of the land. That's all. No foundation for tithing. No principle. Just Perry Noble showing he does not know how to read his Bible. Next up, Noble flips to the 28th chapter of Genesis and claims that Jacob tithed. Really?
So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." - Genesis 28: 18-22 (ESV)
This is not God saying that the firstfruits belong to Him. This is Jacob making a conditional vow. IF God does this and that THEN I will give you ten percent. That is certainly not the model of tithing. Perry says that it is a principle God has set up yet he provides an example of Jacob demanding something before releasing his tenth. Sorry, that is not doctrine. The next reference from Noble is from the most abused chapter in the Bible, Malachi Chapter Three. Rather than rehash this here, I will simply provide a link to my exposition on that chapter, which clearly shows that this is NOT what tithing preachers purport it to be.
http://www.828ministries.com/articles/Malachi-Chapter-Three--Ti-by-Anthony-Wade-130825-597.html
Now Perry Noble transitions from the ridiculous to the disgusting. He brings up Matthew 6:33 and claims that this verse is actually about money. No Perry it most certainly is not. Not one commentary believes that. Not any good steward of the Word believes that. The "context" Perry speaks so passionately about just happens to contain the admonition about not being able to serve two masters! It is certainly not affirming tithing, nor is it hearkening back to Genesis 4, the fake principle Perry thinks he has fooled us with. Only in the greedy and twisted world of Perry Noble can verses which implore believers to seek God be translated into giving the preacher 10% of their revenue. We seek the kingdom through prayer and staying in His Word, trusting that we do not have to pursue nor worry about the more carnal things of this world, such as money, because God will always take care of us. To pervert that into a direct admonition to tithe is simply revolting. Now on a roll, Noble starts randomly spouting off any Scripture he thinks he can get away with. First up is Matthew 23:23.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. - Matthew 23: 23 (ESV)
