Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.I never argue with anyone about tithing. Whether you tithe, or not, is strictly between you and the Lord. But I must write this down at this time (December 11, 2008) as our country, and the world, seem to be in the midst of one of the greatest financial crisis's in recent history.
The world has developed an economic system that demands our obedience to it. Ask yourself how you would survive if all of the grocery stores in your state or country were to close down. How would you find food after a month or two? In case you have never considered it, your local grocery dealership is there for his financial gain - not to meet your physical needs. And, if you haven't noticed, the cost of fuel to transport those physical needs greatly affects how easy it is for you to obtain them.
Because our daily needs are tied so closely to this world's economic system it is only natural that our first priority is to do all we can make sure we remain soundly attached to it. We know that the local grocery dealership is NOT going to provide for our physical needs out of the generosity of their heart. By doing so it would not be long until they would be begging from someone else further up in the Food Chain. So, as it turns out, many fine Christian folks have placed their trust in this financial system and either forgotten, or have never learned what our Lord has promised to us.
Please let me tell you how good God has been to me since I learned about tithing and decided to try it. In Malachi 3 the Lord says, “. . . prove me. . .” That is a bold, out-right dare from the God of the universe. God is saying, “I dare you to try this!” When I first noticed this set of verses I was working as a school teacher, just recently remarried, paying nearly prohibitive child support from a previous marriage, and returning to the Lord from a period of about fifteen years of backsliding. I was broke in more ways than one! But - I knew I needed financial help so I took the Lord up on His promise.
After tithing for nearly a year I had the opportunity to leave school teaching and become the chief engineer of a Christian radio station ( for a salary much less than what I earned as a teacher). How could I do this and still be faithful to my child support payments? Well, by that time my ex-wife had found a relatively high-paying professional job and had also remarried. The Lord must have spoken to her heart because when I discussed reducing my support payments in order to serve the Lord full-time she was not in disagreement about it. And that was a miracle in itself alone!
Now, up until that time my life had been in turmoil as I, like many folks, was living from pay-check to pay-check. But after I began tithing things really began to turn around. I'm not saying I became wealthy and never needed to watch my spending. But, over the years, while living on a very limited salary , I have managed to own several Harley-Davidson motorcycles (I currently own two), two airplanes, and many other enjoyable material possessions. None of these material objects would have been imaginable prior to my decision to tithe.
Please do not mistake my testimony to be saying “Tithe and you will get rich!” All I know is that - I TITHED AND GOD BLESSED!
All of us are attached to this world's economic system. We cannot get away from it. It can be said that each of us is like a dog on a leash. We have limited economic freedom, constrained by the length of our leash. But our freedom also depends upon the master at the other end of the leash. In Luke 16:13 Jesus said no man can serve two masters. As Christians we have a choice as to which master we will serve. Is the master at the other end of your leash Jesus or this world's economic system. I hope yours is Jesus because the world's economic system is not going to lengthen your leash and give you more freedom. But, on the other hand, Jesus loves you and knows your daily needs. He wants to care for you and give you as much freedom as you can safely handle. He promises that in Luke 12:27-28.
As I said when I began, I do not argue with anyone about whether they tithe or not. But when I mention tithing to some folks they often want to bring up the argument which falls into the category of “The age of grace.” So, let me address that issue briefly, just in case you have been wanting to hear what I have to say about that:
In the first place, that term is not found in God's word. It is man's word. I once took the time to look up the word GRACE as it is used in the New Testament. I found that it refers to FORGIVENESS OF SIN in nearly every instance. In Hebrews 4:16 we read: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” In the Old Testament forgiveness was based only upon mercy. Forgiveness came about by the blood being sprinkled upon the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies.
When Jesus fulfilled the law through His death upon the cross and we accept Him as our Savior, our bodies become His temple. Our forgiveness of sin now takes place within our heart (not our brain, by the way). Jesus is our Grace. We now have forgiveness through both mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus!
Grace has absolutely nothing to do with God changing His mind about anything He may have said in the Old Testament. It has nothing to do with our ability to go arrogantly about our lives deciding on our own what is right and wrong.
Finally, if you would have been part of the early church mentioned in Acts 4-5 you would most likely have been asked to give more than ten percent (tithe). Take time to read the account of what the Lord did to a couple named Ananias and his wife Sapphira (He killed them both) just because they held back a part of their offering to their local church.
Tithing is something God still expects of those who love Him. It is a way of proving your love to Him. You might say something like, “I'm trusting Him to take me to heaven some day.” That's great! But why wait until then to trust Him?
Many times in the Old Testament He reminds His followers that He is a Jealous God. Look up: Ex 34:14. There He points out that His name is even “Jealous.”
I will end on a couple of important points to remember:
- Your TITHE should be placed into the storehouse. You ask, “What is the storehouse?” In the Old Testament it referred to the temple, where the priests tended to the matters of the Lord. In our church age it refers to the same thing: The house where you worship. If you want to send an extra offering to your favorite TV preacher be sure not to take it out of your tithe. Your tithe belongs in your local church. Try going into a Perkin's Restaurant, eating a delicious meal and then going down the street to Denny's to pay for it. That is a picture of what you do when you send your tithe to somewhere other than where you get spiritually fed.
- I guess the thing that got me started thinking about this was when I mentioned tithing to a man from our church who I care about dearly. His comment was, “How can I afford to tithe when my bills add up to $3000 and I only have $2000.” It broke my heart to hear him say that because he just doesn't understand the God we serve. Right now! In his situation, is the best time to begin tithing. It is as if my good friend is leashed by a cruel, un-loving master. How sad that he is fearful of trusting a God who cannot lie.
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
