Deuteronomy 25:4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
Later in his letter to the church of Corinth, Paul pulls this verse out of the book of Deuteronomy.
Paul wrote to them:
1 Corinthians 9:9–11 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
Paul takes this verse to tell them to pay their pastor.
1 Corinthians 9:14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
The man who is ministering to you in spiritual things is feeding you spiritual food. You, in turn, are to feed him with material things. We hear that and our tendency is to step back a little … perhaps we are shocked at the mention of material things in relation to the pastor. Pastors aren’t supposed to be about material things, right? But, we just read this from Paul:
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
Just like everyone else, Pastors need material things to pay bills, support their family, and eat … you know, those same things you also work for. That’s not me speaking … that’s what Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. If it were me speaking, I wouldn’t have said it … I would have avoided the subject altogether because it’s uncomfortable to me. But this is God’s Word and, as a Pastor, I cannot skip over these things and be faithful to scripture. So, here it is … very matter of fact.
Pay your Pastor.
It doesn’t matter whether you feel that the tithe is still applicable for today or not. God is not asking what you think. God is not asking whether you believe in the tithe or in giving gifts to the church or contributing off of your tax returns. God is saying Pay your Pastor (period). The bottom line is that Pastors should be paid and it’s unscriptural for a congregation to neglect their Pastor. When we skip a tithe or don’t give, the Pastor doesn’t get paid … I can testify well of that. When people move, or other shifts in attendance occur, or we are just forgetful, giving takes a hit, which means Pastors (like me) go without.
I don’t say that because I’m fishing for pity or want a better paycheck or out of frustration or any other motive you might suspect. In fact, I’m extremely uncomfortable talking about it. But, I must tell you what scripture says, and, quite simply, the Bible says we are to pay our pastors. As a pastor, when giving goes down, it means my family goes without or we have to borrow. That’s the same for Pastors all over the world, especially pastors of small churches. It’s a shame, as I see it, that Pastors who will not compromise on God’s Word go without while those who tickle ears with compromised teaching and unholy doctrine are paid well.
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul wrote, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages” (1 Timothy 5:17-18). Many Christians are so biblically illiterate today that they can’t recognize a downloaded sermon based on a movie or a television show from a sermon that was born out of the toil of a Pastor who desires to teach the full counsel of God. Thus, baby Christians stay in churches that cater to baby Christians.
So, anyway, Pastors should be paid. That is how Paul makes application of this verse, and how Paul taught others to make application of this verse … and we should make application of this verse in this way, too. Pastoring a church dedicated to studying the Bible verse by verse feels a whole lot like going around in circles, treading out what scripture says, so we can all eat. God says not to muzzle the ox that treads out the corn.
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