Tithe? Offering? Giving? Blessing!
Thank you for being here! I pray you will receive revelation about this important teaching. Eric
Many if us have heard the idiom, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.” That phrase means: “Don’t discard something valuable along with something undesirable.” (phrases.org.uk/meaning).
Wikipedia.org offers a slightly different explanation for this expression: “an unavoidable error in which something good or of value is eliminated when trying to get rid of something unwanted.”
When the topic of our money in regard to tithing, offering, or giving cheerfully comes up, it is often a touchy subject. For some, it simply comes down to an attitude of - “What I do with what I have is my own business.” or, “I can’t afford it.” Others have had bad experiences involving the manipulation of the the Word of God and thus have rejected a good and valuable spiritual principle which is revealed in the Scripture.
My heart’s desire in writing these blog posts is to present to you unbiased truth. The Word of God is absolute truth and is what I use as the standard and authority for what I write.
What does God’s Word have to say on the subject of tithing, offerings, and giving?
Our wealth, be it crops, animals, or finances is an important issue with God! The word ‘offering’ is found over 800 times in the Bible.
In the Old Testament, the Lod established the giving of a tithe. We will see later, that the requirement in the New Testament is giving generously.
Leviticus 27:30 (NKJV), “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's. It is holy to the LORD.” ‘Tithe’ means: payment of a tenth part (of our wealth). ‘Holy” to the Lord means : it is set apart, consecrated, or dedicated to the Lord.
The first Biblical account of tithing is found in Genesis 14:17-20 when Abram (Abraham) defeated the kings who had taken his nephew, Lot, captive. Abram gave Melchizedek, a priest and type of Christ, a tenth of all the spoil. This is recounted in Hebrews 7:1 and 2 where we see clearly that Melchizedek was a type of Christ. We read in verse 5 that the Levites, at that time, were commanded (not given a suggestion) to collect a tenth from the people.
In Genesis 28:20-22 we read that Jacob promises to give back a tithe of all of his earnings. “20 Then Jacob made a vow saying, “ If God will be with me and watch over me in this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear,21 so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God. 22 And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s home, then the Lord will be my God, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.” Take note of what the Lord had done for Jacob: be with, watch over, provide for, and protected him. What has the Lord done for you?
In Numbers 18:21,25,26,28 and 29 the Lord told Aaron, “21 Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting…25 And the Lord instructed Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and tell them, ”When you receive from the tithe that I have given you as your inheritance, you must present part of it as an offering to the Lord - a tithe of the tithe…28 So you are to present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites, and from there you are to give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present the offering due the Lord from all the best of every gift, the holiest part of it.”
The Lord established that the Levites were to perform the work of the tabernacle while Aaron and those of his household (the priests) would attend to everything at the altar and behind the veil (The holy of Holies).
The tithe brought in then, from the Israelites, was compensation for the Levites. The priests’ compensation came from the tithe and offering of the Levites.
Likewise, the members of the church today are to tithe or give generously to support the ministry taking place from their house of worship (the church).
Malachi 3:8-11 (NKJV), “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 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. 11 "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.” Quoting from the Kingdom Dynamics in the Spirit Filled Life Bible concerning Malachi 3:8-11, we read, “By withheld giving we rob Him of the privilege of pouring out great and overflowing blessings. He calls for renewed giving with this promise: First — There will be food or resources for God’s work. Second - Those who give will be placed in position to receive great and overflowing blessings. Thirdly - God says He will ‘rebuke the devourer’ for your sakes. (Satan himself cannot stop it.)
Tithing and giving offerings are given as an act of obedience - NOT - to get something in return. God always rewards obedience!
In Malachi 3:10, God says, “Prove Me” or “Test Me,” I will open the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. We cannot outgive God! If we are faithful to give God what is due Him, we have this promise!
Collaborating Scriptures regarding a promised reward for giving are:
Proverbs 11:25 (Amplified Bible), “The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].”
Proverbs 3:9 and 10 (ESV), “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”
Proverbs 19:17, “Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will repay the lender.”
Here is what we see in the New Testament regarding our giving. The New Testament teaching on ‘giving’ does not hold us to a tithe or 10%, however, I believe that is a good place to start. Also, I very strongly believe each one of us should ‘give’ as the Holy Spirit leads or directs! in the Old Testament, His requirement was a tithe or 10 %. We are instructed in the New Testament to give generously from a willing heart!
In verses 1-4 in 2 Corinthians 9 we read that Paul sent the ‘brothers’ to remind and encourage the Corinthians to fulfill a promised pledge made to the church in Jerusalem. Picking up with verse 6 of 2 Corinthians 9 (ESV) we read, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, "He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
Our giving reveals our hearts. Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV), “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
John Piper gave us good insight in the following quotes:
“Giving isn’t so much a matter of what you have as much as it is a matter of who has you.”
“Your giving reveals your heart.”
“Giving in a regular, disciplined, generous way - up to and beyond tithing is simply good sense in view of the promises of God.”
Let’s look at 1 Timothy 6: 6 -10 ESV), “But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Verse 10 in this passage is one of the most frequently misquoted verses in Bible. The ‘love’ of money is the cause of all kinds of evil, not the money itself.
I have counseled many with financial needs where many have told me they cannot afford to tithe. My response is, “You cannot afford not to tithe.” God tells us to test Him and we can never outgive Him.
My parents instructed me to tithe and give offerings early on in my life. Then, they taught me to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me in my giving above and beyond that. God has never failed to bless me nor my wife and I, when we have obeyed.
In the natural, we have had some ‘lean’ years and yet, we have always tithed off our gross income. We have never had a bill go unpaid and God has kept His promises. I have recommended that, in your giving journey with the Lord, you begin with a tithe. If you are not in a position to start with a true tithe (10%) of your income - start with what you can give and watch God give the increase,
In the second year of our marriage, we were pioneering a church, paying rent for a place to live, preparing to have our first son, and living on fifty dollars a week (before taxes). We tithed on our fifty dollars, or our gross pay.
We attended a Women’s Aglow meeting and when an opportunity to take our offering to the altar was given, we both felt directed by the Spirit to participate. Our dilemma, we only had five dollars left, to last for the rest of the week. My wife’s billfold was empty and I had the five dollar bill in my wallet. We felt so strongly that the Lord wanted us to give, that we walked together to the altar to give that five dollars, as a act of obedience.
Amazingly, when we got back to our table, as the friends who sat across from us were having a quiet conversation, we suddenly realized we had heard our name - “the Thompsons.” So, we focused on them and were told that one friend and her husband were moving to a new house and needed someone to live in their homestead until their son was discharged from the military. They wanted to know if we would do that!
We lived in that home (rent free) for a year, with permission to cut wood on the property for heat, through the winter!
You see, we had a choice to make at that Aglow meeting - even though the Holy Spirit was nudging us to do so, we could have justified not giving our five dollars since it was all we had. Fortunately, we responded obediently and were given an immediate demonstration of the Truth of God’s Word! His directive, as we shared earlier, is that we “Give generously and from a willing heart!” We gave our five dollars, He gave us a home to live in, and wood so that we were warm through the winter!
The most important thing we can do in our life, here on the planet, is to do the will of God.
Pray.
Seek His will and desire.
Be obedient to the Lord.
God loves a cheerful giver.
Give generously.
God blesses obedience.
He will give you everything you need.
With our motives pure, He has promised that as we give, He will bless!
Scriptures are taken from Berean Standard Bible unless noted otherwise.
NKJV New King James Version
ESV English Standard Version