Whenever you talk about money, people tend to get a little tense and defensive ... especially when it comes to giving your hard earned money to the church. Perhaps people don’t understand the entire story regarding giving a 10th of all you have to the Lord. Here I will attempt to lay it all out so that we may all have a better understanding of what is meant by tithing in the modern world that we live in.
Malachi is the main OT book that specifically speaks on the topic, although examples of tithing are given throughout the OT scriptures. It says in Malachi the following: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” [Malachi 3:10-11]
Solomon speaks of tithing in Proverbs 3:9-10 when he says: “Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine”
The idea that a person HAS to give one tenth of what he has to the Lord in church each week is a mistaken idea. We, as believers, don’t HAVE to do anything, including tithing, but once Christ enters our heart by his Holy Spirit a change of heart should be taking place. We now should WANT to give to God’s work.
We no longer deal in tithing goods, such as cattle, or grain (etc.), but the one commodity we DO have is money. Some have a lot, some very little. Luke 21:1-4 speaks of a widow who had virtually nothing to give yet gave what she had: “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small (copper) coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
We get from this accounting that we aren’t necessarily to give out of our excess but large or small, we are to give with a joyful heart as unto the Lord. It’s never a matter of volume, but rather of the proper attitude. Some folks casually toss several dollar bills or perhaps even a $5 bill in the offering plate thinking they had done their duty, but it’s never about that. We should always give whatever we give with a joyful heart.
Everything belongs to God, for he created all things. Just as the OT tithe was used to provide for the priests and those in need, so we tithe to enable our church to continue doing the Lord’s work. Again, we are not REQUIRED to tithe, but should from a grateful heart have the desire to assist in the sustaining of the church.
So you can see that tithing, while initiated in the OT, isn’t just an OT teaching and command. It spills over into the NT as well. It wasn’t just a Jewish practice to their God, but a universal concept that was practiced in many of the existing nations back then. Giving to God a portion of that which we have with a seriously grateful heart is both a blessing to the recipient and also to the giver. We do because we can. We do because we must, to facilitate the ministries of the church and the expansion of God’s Kingdom.
“God promises blessings for those who faithfully tithe, and he says that refusing to tithe is like robbing him.”[TLASB - P. 1973] In Malachi 3:8, it is speaking of those who have reaped the benefits of knowing God yet refuse to tithe a 10th. Instead, they have chosen to enjoy 100% of God’s blessing, refusing to give back a portion of what he had given to them. It’s a matter of the heart. We also shouldn’t give just to get a blessing from God. He knows our heart’s motivation and responds positively to a humble, grateful heart. Ask God what you should give and do so with a grateful heart ... not as a requirement, but as an exercise of joy. Then rejoice, for God is so good to us all.
Up next I will address the 400 years of silence between the OT and NT. Until then, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In his name & for his glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/topics/tithing, The Life Application Study Bible.
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