“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.”
Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV
I know it is popular to say that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, and that’s true, but which law? The law of sin that leads to separation from God and produces death. Tithing was not one of the Ten Commandments. Those commandments Jesus kept perfectly. So perfect indeed, that He was qualified to be our substitute for sin, bringing about our reconciliation to God the Father. Another misconception is the percentage of the tithe. A tithe is a tenth of the first or the top the absolute best of the increase or wages you have received from God, not your employer. If you believe God has blessed you with your career and has given you the health to perform your duties, then from that increase you give His tithe.
God wasn’t making a request or a suggestion, He commanded it. Offerings do not replace the tithe, they are freewill in nature and can be large or small amounts, but the tithe remains a tenth. Pastors who teach otherwise are in error and are robbing God’s people of their opportunity to trust the Lord in their giving.
There is nothing in scripture though, that says Christ has redeemed us from the tithe. Tithing is necessary for the furtherance of the gospel, as well as for the daily function and administration of the Church. Through studying I’ve learned that tithing is one of the ways in which we demonstrate reverential fear of God. Deuteronomy 14:22. That blew me away. Giving a tenth of what the Lord blesses us with, shows our trust in Him. That’s awesome!! This is the only scripture where God not only rebukes His children for withholding His tithes but also their offerings. It is also the only scripture where He offers a challenge. Prove Me!
No matter how well you may think you’re doing, you can always do better with Him. He would never ask us to prove Him if He didn’t have something to prove. For those of us who have benefited from reverently fearing Him in this way, we can say an enthusiastic AMEN! A few years ago our then pastor David issued a challenge to the church. He dared us to go to TD Bank (they were doing a promotion at the church) and open an account called a favor account. The bank gave everyone $25 to start. As I prepared to take him up on his challenge, the Lord gave me a dream and in the dream He challenged me to give the favor account to Him as an offering. A few months into my obedience, I asked the Lord what would’ve happened had I not obeyed? He responded with this very familiar verse of scripture. Matthew 6:19-21. He continued, you would’ve laid up for yourself treasures on earth that would’ve been eaten, but now, you have treasures in heaven. Wow!
That heavenly account has grown tremendously, as I have continued to increase it over time, but only He knows the real value. We cannot out give the One who offered the challenge. Trusting Him with what is His to begin with, shows Him that we believe His Word, but most importantly, that we believe Him. Someone said this about tithing: we’re not inspired to tithe, we’re expected to tithe. No, you’re not going to drop dead from a curse if you don’t, but you can’t make a withdrawal where you haven’t deposited. That’s called credit. God doesn’t have credit cards, but He does have debit accounts or treasure accounts. Everything is better when God is involved.
It’s a shame to know that God’s people are still robbing Him. It doesn’t matter if all you have is a welfare or unemployment check. The Tithe still belongs to God. If He can trust you with a little, He’ll bless you with a lot. It’s about knowing and trusting the One who gave the challenge to prove Him. You’ll never know what He can do if you never put Him to the test. My heavenly bank account keeps giving and supplying my need and the need of others. Yours will too, just take Him at His Word. He gives the power to get wealth. Deuteronomy 8:18, not our employer or savings account, they give pennies in interest while making themselves rich. God has an inexhaustible supply. But, you can’t reap where you haven’t sown.
If you’re on the fence about tithing, forget everything you’ve heard and trust His Word. He has a proven track record of measuring up against anyone else’s word. Get your own personal testimony through obedience. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve made it my life’s aim to never invite someone to go where I haven’t been. My desire is to live authentically, vulnerable and honest when it comes to God’s Word. Join me in becoming one of those who have stepped up to His challenge. Prove Me NOW, says the Lord.
To everything there is a season. What better time to prove God, but now, in this season of uncertainty. It’s a proven fact that no matter how little or much we have, we cannot take it with us.
Father in the Name of Jesus,
What a privilege we have to cooperate with You in this remarkable way. Proving our reverence for You. You have blessed us in Christ with all spiritual blessings. We lack no good thing. You’ve seen to that. We willing give back what was already Yours. Now show the skeptics what the true treasure looks like. In Jesus Name. Amen
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant