Discussions about money elicit various, and often negative responses. When a preacher talks about money, he doubtless “treads where angels fear to tread.” An internet article entitled, “How many times did Jesus talk about money?” gives some interesting facts, claiming,
Jesus talked about money more than He did Heaven and Hell combined.
Jesus talked about money more than anything else except the Kingdom of God.
11 of 39 parables talk about money.
1 of every 7 verses in the Gospel of Luke talk about money.
Even about Bible believers there seems to be no uniform belief concerning money. The question of tithing will arouse multiple answers. Some are convinced it is Biblical. Others view it as an Old Testament teaching of the “law,” that is not valid now that we are under “grace.” Some even consider it “cultish.” What is really important, though, is not what I think, or have been taught, but what the Bible says.
Jon Courson answers the argument that tithing belongs to the law, saying,
The tithe is the Lord’s (Lev. 27:30). “Legalism!” some object. “As New Testament believers, we are free from the Law.” Yes, we are. But tithing began before the Law was ever given. In Gen. 14, Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, a picture or type of Jesus Christ, well before the Law was given.
God claims, in Malachi 3:8-12, that withholding the tithe is robbing Him. He also promises to bless our obedience and faithfulness in tithing. In the New Testament, Jesus condemns the Pharisees, not for tithing, but for passing over judgment and the love of God. Concerning their tithing, He says, “these ought ye to have done” (Luke 11:42).
Courson explains the importance of giving the tithe, saying,
The word tithe simply means “tenth.” The first ten percent of every dollar I receive is the Lord’s. Therefore, if I don’t tithe, I’m actually robbing God. In giving my tithe, on the other hand, I’m sanctifying the remaining ninety percent. Tithing acknowledges in a very real way that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).
Does God really need our money? John Benton answers, pointing out that it really isn’t “our” money. He says,
Since all creation belongs to God, whether money remains in your pocket or goes into the offertory box in one sense is irrelevant; it all still belongs to God. Although the money which remains in your pocket ultimately still belongs to God, it cannot be used for his worship or to further the cause of God and truth in the world. To that extent you are robbing his work of the support which you ought to be giving it. Now in his sovereignty God is no doubt able to make up for what you have not given, but nevertheless you are robbing him of your support for his worship and the work of the gospel.
Warren Wiersbe states, “Since God made and owns everything, He doesn’t need anything that we can bring Him (Acts 17:25). But when we obey His Word and bring our gifts as an act of worship with grateful hearts, it pleases him.”
David Sorenson thinks our obedience in this area is an indication of our heart, saying,
There is a profound implication herein. Clearly implied is that when a person will not tithe, he or she has departed from God, is not right with God, and is not in fellowship with God. It clearly is sin. It is likened unto robbery, embezzlement, or fraud. Moreover, when a man is foolish enough and spiritually hardened enough to rob God, he is in a sorry state spiritually.
Another question raised about tithing is where does the tithe go. The passage quoted earlier in Malachi says to “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10). The tithe is the Lord’s (Lev. 27:30). This would seem to indicate that it is not my prerogative to decide where the tithe goes – it goes to the storehouse. The church is the storehouse. Sorenson says,
The storehouse mentioned was the treasury/warehouse adjacent to the Temple. The economy of the day was not only largely agriculture, trade was commonly done by barter. It was the practice of the Israelites to bring their tithe to the Temple in the form of the actual commodity (grain, figs, wine, etc.) These then were stored in a warehouse-type of building called the storehouse which was a part of the treasury of the Temple. (Interestingly, Paul used the equivalent Greek word translated as store in I Corinthians 16:2, referring to the local church.)
Jon Courson agrees, saying,
The tithe is to be brought into the storehouse. That is, we are to tithe to the place where we are being shepherded and fed. The tithe should not be given randomly to this cause, that group, or the other individual. You won’t find an example of that anywhere in the Word. You can do that with offerings. But the tithe needs to be consistently brought to the storehouse.
I believe the ministry of the local church has been restricted because people have been giving to all sorts of causes rather than to the church. In the Book of Acts, we see the church helping the poor, the church sending out missionaries, the church planting other outreaches. Those who were sent out from the church were submitted and accountable to the church. We see this even in Paul’s ministry concerning the issue of circumcision. As seen in Acts 15, Paul didn’t say, “I don’t care what you guys think. I have my own ministry.” No, there was a linkage and a mutual covering as the church met together to discern the Lord’s mind.
In my understanding of Scripture, the tithe needs to go into the storehouse where the leadership dispenses the funds.
One lady explained to me that she divided her tithe between the church, the fire department, the United Way, and various other organizations. While a person is free to give money to whomever they choose, the tithe is to go to the storehouse. It is almost humorous that many who argue in favor of sharing the tithe with other organizations are often involved in “parachurch organizations.” Years ago I heard of the leader of one ministry who was sent a large check, which would have met a pressing need his ministry had at the time. On the memo line was a note designating the check as the person’s tithe. That leader gained my respect – he returned the check, with a grateful note saying the tithe should go to the local church, and that he could only accept donations.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible points out the oft overlooked fact that while not tithing is robbing God, we are to be good stewards in other areas as well. They state,
Many of us today fail to realize that we are robbing God when we fail to tithe, give too little, or give any less than what He lays on our hearts to give. We also need to keep in mind that God asks for more than our money. The Lord requires us to use our time and talents to further His kingdom. We are guilty of disobedience when we fail to tithe our time and talents. Failure to seek, discover, and use our spiritual gifts is a waste of our God-given blessings.
Stephen R. Miller, in the Holman Old Testament Commentary says,
Tithing can be a frightening commitment. “How will we ever survive financially if we give so much to God? Our children will starve!” To allay such fears, God challenged Judah (and us) to test him in this matter. In other words, God says, “Give tithing a try and see what happens.”
From personal experience, I’ve learned that once we “step out by faith” and obey God in this area, and “prove Him” (Malachi 3:10), we will find you cannot outgive God. God has provided miraculously for our family over the years, but I wouldn’t have the nerve to ask God to provide if I were not obedient with the tithe.
John Benton wonderfully illustrates what our giving reveals about us, stating,
What we give of our money is a true indication of our genuine heart devotion to God, and God is interested in our hearts. The way we use our money tells us so much about ourselves. I read recently of someone who was writing a biography of the Duke of Wellington, the great victor at Waterloo. The biographer discovered some old cheque stubs belonging to the Duke. ‘When I saw how he spent his money,’ he said, ‘I knew the man.’ That’s true, isn’t it? Our hobbies, our personal pleasures, our needs, the kind of things we really value—it’s all there to be read in the cheque book. Do our cheque stubs speak of Jesus and our love to him? It is the heart God is most interested in, and failure to use our money for God speaks of a cold heart towards God. It speaks of God robbed of devotion.
REFERENCES
Benton, John, Welwyn Commentary Series – Losing Touch with the Living God: The message of Malachi, (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press, 1985), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Courson, Jon, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary – Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Old Testament Volume 2, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2006), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
“How many times did Jesus talk about money?” Answers. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_times_did_Jesus_talk_about_money>
Miller, Stephen, Holman Old Testament Commentary – Nahum-Malachi, ed. Max Anders (Nashville, TN: Broadman Holman, 2004), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible, The – Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, (Chattanooga: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2009), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Sorenson, David, Understanding the Bible: An Independent Baptist Commentary, (Duluth, MN: Northstar Ministries, 2007)
Wiersbe, Warren, The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2002), WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
