Does Numbers 18 Prove Tithing Isn't on Income?

After the discussion of tithes in Leviticus 27 in the context of redemption, tithing isn't discussed again until Numbers 18. Here, the main theme is that tithe was to be the wages and inheritance of the Levites.

Again, we find absolutely no instructions saying "you shall tithe on the following items." Rather, the only indication in this chapter that tithe was to be received in the form of food comes in verse 31:

Numbers 18:30-31
Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting.

Arguments Against Tithing Debunked - Part 7 - God's Increase, or Man's Labor?

In the previous post, I began a discussion of whether biblical tithing is restricted to agricultural products.  I acknowledged and discussed the fact that there is no scripture that plainly states to tithe on monetary income, but I also pointed out that the logic involved in executing some of the commands suggests that monetary income should be tithed on. In particular, I examined the implications of 2nd tithe to this effect. My central points were: (1) that God said that we are to rejoice at the feasts "in everything that we put our hands to that God has blessed us in" (Deuteronomy 12:7), (2) that God's blessing on our work is clearly not limited to agriculture, and (3) that because God's blessing on our work is not limited to agricultural products, neither is tithing. With that in mind, I'd now like to discuss the concept of work as it relates to tithing.

The Product of Man's Work
One criticism built into the anti-tithing argument, as I noted last time, is that tithe is limited to agricultural products because these are the product of God's miracle rather than man's work.

Arguments Against Tithing Debunked - Part 6 - Is Tithe Only on Crops And Animals?

Today I will begin to address what is probably the most interesting argument against tithing. As I have explained throughout this series, this question is only relevant if you first accept that the law (which includes tithing) is valid for Christians and that ministers of God's Church are eligible to receive tithes (see parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the series.) If you fail to accept these, for whatever reason, then the topic at hand is a moot point.

Allow me to first state the argument that I will be refuting:

God commanded that the Israelites tithe on crops grown in the Holy Land and on herds and flocks raised in the Holy Land. The law required the tithe to come only from God's increase - not man's; therefore, it is wrong to tithe on any form of income other than crops or livestock that were raised in Israel.

Last time, I addressed the part of this argument which claims that tithing was geographically restricted to the land of Israel, and I will now be addressing the claim that tithing was restricted only to agricultural products (thereby not applying to monetary income today).