@ birdie1971 -
The tithe was given to the Levites as their inheritance, instead of inheriting any land. The Levites were servants to the priests. They were the singers, musicians, carpenters working at the Temple, etc. etc. Then the Levites gave a tenth of the tithe they received to the priests.
Are you aware that the priests and Levites only worked at the Temple about two weeks per year, on a rotational basis? NOT FULL TIME. The priests and Levites were divided into 24 "courses". See First Chronicles 24 for the priests and chapters 25 and 26 for the Levites. Each course only ministered in the Temple one week out of twenty four (1 in 24), and, depending on how many families were in each course, each family only ministered in the Temple two or three days during its courses’ week of ministry. The rest of the time the Levites and priests HAD REGULAR JOBS.
Teaching tithing today is what I consider distasteful. It's a scam that started in 1870. Before 1870, no Christian Church ever taught anyone to tithe from their income. None. Just do a research of tithing in the Christian Church.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was a tenth. The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of a tenth. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving a tenth.
Might do some church goers to study their Bibles instead of believing either ignorant or dishonest pastors who continue to teach a man-made doctrine of tithing from one's income.