Where does money come from? Money is currency. Some of the oldest currency was gold storage receipts. These were created by the owners of the storage places. These receipts were looked upon as having the same value as the gold. And as long as the "banker" was honest that was the case because there was a true balance between the amount of gold stored and the value indicated on the receipt. However, a false balance is not good (Proverbs 20:23). And extreme false balances occur when a central bank takes over the currency of a country and issues it's money as a fiat currency. Fiat currencies are those currencies (monies) that are not backed up by gold or silver. United States money is one such currency. For this reason the next great depression will be very devastating to everyone, but especially to the poor person. In the depression of the 1930's United States money was at least backed up by gold. However, that is no longer the case. The next depression will be a double punch causing low incomes or no incomes to huge populations (remember the US economy is linked to every economy on the face of the earth) and a currency collapse would add to the misery by removing the systematic exchange that would have otherwise been in existence. This is the natural consequence of a society that squeezes its consumers into a Christmas and credit cycle of spending.

On the subject of money there is often a propensity to slide into one of two extremes. On the one hand there are people who take vows of poverty and believe there is something "holy" about being poor. The other extreme is evangelists who preach a gospel of prosperity, teaching that their earthly riches are proof that they are doing the work of God. Many television evangelists take this approach even when they are, in essence, devouring widows' houses.

There is no money in heaven because there are no physical needs to be taken care of. Money came into existence on earth when humans first learned that there could be a symbolic substitution for something of value (stones in a river bed, salt, precious stones, gold receipts, etc.). Money is a convenient accounting system to replace (or co-exist with) the barter system (trading items of similar values).

The example of money you mentioned in chapter 23 of Genesis was the Hebrew "keceph", meaning silver, money, shekels or talents. Even that early in history there was a type of currency. You mentioned chapter 37 of Genesis. This is the event in which Joseph's brothers sell Joseph into slavery, the profit motive being suggested by Judah (verse 26).

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you" (James 5:1).

Many point to the above scripture to indicate that being rich is unacceptable. But James is addressing people who are both rich and corrupt. It is addressed to rich people who: defraud their employees (verse 4), live selfishly (verse 5), and condemn the just (verse 6).

Jacob was rich. Joseph became a major ruler of Egypt. Job was rich, then poor, then rich again as a reward from God. Abraham was rich. Many men of God were rich.

What about the fact that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God? (Matthew 19:24). There are scholars who believe "eye of the needle" to be a Greek construct (similar to an idiom) that refers to a passenger gate that is oval shaped (like the eye of a needle). I agree with this rendering because: 1. A camel cannot go through the eye of a literal needle (this would mean no rich men who ever lived would be in the kingdom -- this would be absurd). 2. The symbolism fits perfectly. When the main gate to a walled city was locked at night, there was often the passenger gate (the eye of the needle) still open. It was big enough for a man to easily walk through. But a camel would only go through with great difficulty. All the baggage would have to be removed. Then the camel would have to get on its knees and inch its way through the small gate. By the same token a rich man who is accustomed to privilege must get rid of his baggage (those problems that prevent him from going forward spiritually) and he has to humble himself before God. This is a difficult task for most rich men but not impossible.

On the one hand Christ shows we must count the cost (Luke 14:28). On the other hand Christ sent his primary disciples out without wealth to preach, and heal, and cast out demons and raise the dead (Matthew 10:1-10). This is in contrast to organizations whose primary job is fund-raising and building religious empires complete with chain-of-command imperatives.

"For wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom gives life to them that have it" (Ecclesiastes 7:11). Wisdom and money are a defense. The King James defense is the Hebrew "tsel", meaning shadow or shade (symbolic of the transitoriness of life). Both wisdom and money (as something of value) are left behind when we die. The knowledge (Hebrew "daath", perception, discernment, understanding) will also be left behind when we die but ultimately may insure our new life. Finally Solomon tells the reader to fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Ironically Solomon (richest man on earth) appears not to have taken his own advice.

True money or some form of currency has been around since the beginning when according to some histories, the ancient tribesmen used stone pebbles or specially hewn stones for the purpose of money or commercial exchange. But interestingly it was never commanded as a tithe. The only titheable items are listed in Deut. 12:17, and none are money.

Christ refers to money in Luke 16:11 as "unrighteous mammon," and so I would think that faith in God to provide for the needs of His church through free will offerings is more Scriptural under the New Covenant.
Why would God want us to use something that He refers to as "unrighteous" to do a work for Him?

Paul indicates that the lust for money leads us back into sin (I Tim. 6:10). And Peter calls money "filthy lucre" in I Pet. 5:2, and pronounces a curse on Simon Magus for offering to pay for "the gift of God" in Acts 8:20.
Isn't that what the ministry claims to be "giving"? (Matt. 10:8-Christ tells His ministry, ".....freely you have received, freely give")

There is a wrong use of money and a right use of money, just like there is a right use of a telephone and a wrong use of a telephone or anything else for that matter. In the past most people lived on farms and grew their own food so many times farm animals and crops were used for money or trade (barter). In our day, few people live on farms and bills require money to be paid so those who live on farms exchange farm animals and crops for money and those who don't live on farms generally work some place else, thus exchanging their labor for money. Few people barter in our day.

Tithes were to be paid on a persons increase and matters little whether that increase be farm crops, farm animals or some form of money given for a persons labor. When you receive money for your labor it is an increase. Tithe means a tenth and God has always given people a free will to offer those tithes to those who were to receive them or those in need, thus making it a free will offering.

Some people have made merchandise of people (2 Peter 2:3) and many of us have seen this in actual practice, which in turn then causes many people not to give at all. The ditch of not paying tithes (free will offerings) is just as wrong as the ditch of being made into human merchandise as regards tithing which should be a free will offering.