“In Las Vegas people can tithe by dropping casino chips into the offertory.
And at the end of each weekend, there is a brother that goes around to all the casinos to cash them out and make a deposit.
He’s the Chip Monk.”
Our topic this week is undoubtedly a sensitive subject. Tithing.
There are those who don’t agree with the concept of tithing. Some of the reasons given are:
- It’s all mine anyway. Why should I give?
- I don’t tithe because I give elsewhere.
- Tithing is not in the New Testament.
- God will provide through other people.
- My gifts don’t really count.
- I don’t trust preachers.
- I only give to projects I like.
- I have no control over my finances. My husband does.
- I will tithe when I can afford it.
- I’m afraid to. [i]
Chances are you’ve heard someone use one or more of these reasons for not tithing. These reasons may have been given by fellow church members or other Christians. Tithing is a personal issue and should be a matter that exists between you and God and therefore, a lot of people don’t like to discuss it or be preached to about it.
Unfortunately, the topic of tithing has gotten a bad reputation over the years. Many preachers have used the tools of fear and guilt to get people to tithe so that their own pockets might be full. People have fallen prey to greedy preachers and end up feeling robbed and taken advantage of.
Others insist that tithing isn’t relevant today and that it’s an Old Testament requirement; one under which we are not obligated.
The word “tithe” means “a tenth”. Here are some of the most frequently used Old Testament verses concerning tithing. Leviticus 27:30 HCSB ““Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”
Malachi 3:7 GNT “You, like your ancestors before you, have turned away from my laws and have not kept them. Turn back to me, and I will turn to you. But you ask, ‘What must we do to turn back to you?’ 8 I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. ‘How?’ you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings. 9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me. 10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.”
That last verse of Malachi 3 is often used by prosperity preachers. They will isolate that verse in order to shame or threaten their congregants into giving more. Some will even go so far as to tell those who aren’t living a life of abundant wealth that it’s because they aren’t giving enough to the church.
For us to understand the role and importance of tithing today, let’s look at what Jesus has to say in the New Testament.
In Matthew 23, Jesus is in His final days. He’s told multiple parables while the Pharisees and the Sadducees do all that they can to trip Him up. Jesus is quite clear with His thoughts on these leaders. Matthew 23:1 ERV “Then Jesus spoke to the people and to his followers. He said, 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the Law of Moses says. 3 So you should obey them. Do everything they tell you to do. But their lives are not good examples for you to follow. They tell you to do things, but they don’t do those things themselves. 4 They make strict rules that are hard for people to obey. They try to force others to obey all their rules. But they themselves will not try to follow any of those rules.”
Depending on the translation, you’ll see the word “hypocrite” or “hypocrisy” mentioned multiple times in this chapter. Jesus doesn’t hold back on His criticism of those who have an outward appearance of doing the right thing but with a twisted motivation. Part of what He mentions includes tithing.
Matthew 23:23 ERV “23 “It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You give God a tenth of the food you get, even your mint, dill, and cumin. But you don’t obey the really important teachings of the law—being fair, showing mercy, and being faithful. These are the things you should do.”
This is where the anti-tithers will stop. This is the Scripture used to argue that even Jesus said we aren’t to tithe. Instead, the anti-tithers will say, we are to be fair, show mercy, and be faithful. In other words, be good people. But there is more to the scripture.
“And you should also continue to do those other things. 24 You guide the people, but you are blind! Think about a man picking a little fly out of his drink and then swallowing a camel! You are like that.” (Matthew 23:23b-24)
So, how do you interpret what Jesus was saying? This is one commentary. “Their tithing was meticulous and noteworthy; but hypocritical because it served to soothe the guilt of their neglect of the weightier matters of the law. It is both possible and common to be distracted with relatively trivial matters while a lost world perishes.”[ii]
I believe that Jesus was saying that what comes from the heart is more important than adhering to rules or giving an appearance of being righteous. God knows our motives. He knows our intentions. He knows if we tithe because of compulsion or compassion. He also knows if we tithe from surplus or sparseness. For example, listen to the words in Mark 12.
Mark 12:41 HCSB “41 Sitting across from the temple treasury, He watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little.43 Summoning His disciples, He said to them, “I assure you: This poor widow has put in more than all those giving to the temple treasury. 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed—all she had to live on.”
What was Jesus watching? Let me read a portion of that scripture from several translations.
He was watching how the crowd cast money into the treasury; (BLB)
and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: (KJV)
and saw how the people put money into the treasury.(NKJV)
and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; (NASB 1995)
He observed how the people were dropping money into the Treasury, (WNT)
he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. (MSG)
Jesus was concerned more with how they gave and then He saw what they gave. 2 Corinthians tells us that God loves a cheerful giver. He wants us to tithe not out of obligation but rather out of gratitude. When we tithe, it should be done with a thankful heart, recognizing God as our Provider of all that we have.
Does God need our money? Certainly not. But God knows that money – either the excess of it or the lack of it – can be distracting to us. Some will misquote 1 Timothy 6:10 and say that “money is the root of all evil.” That’s not what Scripture says. It’s the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil. Matthew 6:24 NLT “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” It’s clear we can place so much value on money that we become enslaved to it. We cannot serve God and still be a slave to the love of money. Satan uses the tool of money to entrap us time and time again.
We spend it on things we shouldn’t. We hoard it instead of trusting God with our future. We become embittered when others have more than we do. We boast when we have more than others. We are stingy and judgmental about it. We are careless with it. God provides and yet, we are not good stewards.
“God doesn’t want to take your money. He just doesn’t want your money to take you.”
Andy Stanley
Do you think it’s important to tithe first before spending your money elsewhere? This is what Dave Ramsey’s website has to say about that. “And firstfruits is just a biblical way of saying that you should give first—before you do anything else with your money.
The Bible explains that tithing is an important part of faith for those who follow God and that your tithe should be money you set aside first. That’s why “giving” is the first category you’ll see when you open your EveryDollar budget—because when you tithe before making a plan with the rest of your money, you’re making it a priority instead of an afterthought. You’re giving your firstfruits instead of your leftovers.”[iii]
Paul Harvey shared a true story of a woman and her frozen Thanksgiving turkey.
The Butterball Turkey Company set up a telephone hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to inquire about cooking a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. That’s right—23 years. The Butterball representative told her the turkey would probably be safe to eat if the freezer had been kept below zero for the entire 23 years. But the Butterball representative warned her that even if the turkey was safe to eat, the flavor would probably have deteriorated to such a degree that she would not recommend eating it.
The caller replied, “That’s what I thought. We’ll give the turkey to our church.”[iv]
I get one check at the beginning of the month and pay all the bills for the month on the same day. For about an hour each month, our bank account is relatively healthy-looking. I symbolically pay my tithe first. Even though the mortgage, the power bill and the water bill all get paid back-to-back, it’s for my own benefit that I first return to God a small portion of what He has provided to me. It’s a symbolic reminder that all that I have is because of Him.
I haven’t always done that. I spent a few years paying the bills, buying groceries, putting gas in the car, and maybe splurging on a Saturday matinee at the movies, then, and only then, if it was convenient and I thought I could spare it, I’d tithe. I had all sorts of excuses that seemed completely reasonable to me. I couldn’t afford it. I was a young newlywed and we barely had enough to survive. My parents and my in-laws both contributed greatly so surely that was enough to cover me as well. I was a single mom who received no child support. But I was once challenged to change my way of tithing. Make God a priority. Invest in His kingdom. Tithe faithfully. Enjoy His blessings. M.I.T.E.
It took little time before that same amount of money stretched further than it ever had before. I did receive unexpected funds from time to time but God provided in unexpected ways. I had a ritual of going out to eat with two of my co-workers every Friday. I enjoyed these luncheons and it was a way of treating myself. But this one particular week, my funds were nearly depleted. I had tithed and paid my bills and some unexpected expenses had popped up and I found myself knowing I couldn’t afford to go out for lunch on Friday. I fretted over it because I knew if I told either of my co-workers why I couldn’t go, they would certainly offer to buy my lunch. I didn’t want that. I prayed that God would somehow provide my lunch money that week. I had bargained that I would get the cheapest thing on the menu and just drink water. If only God would send a few extra dollars my way. By Thursday night, there had been no monetary blessing. I was sad. I was disappointed. I wasn’t asking for a million dollars. I just needed $5.00 to buy lunch. Friday morning I woke up, dreading the day far more than I should have (yes, I do recognize the sinfulness of pride in this story), turned on the news, and learned that our area had been hit with a major snowstorm overnight. As I read the ticker at the bottom of the television screen, I saw that our offices were closed for the day. There was to be no lunch with my co-workers and no more need for lunch money. God provided by taking away the need. I so enjoyed that day – the snow and the blessing that God had poured on me.
We all have our own Jehovah Jireh stories of God providing when we have placed our trust in Him and Him alone. Tithing demonstrates our faith in God – little or much. God demonstrates His pleasure with us based on our faith – little or much.
2 Corinthians 9:6 ERV “6 Remember this: The one who plants few seeds will have a small harvest. But the one who plants a lot will have a big harvest. 7 Each one of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. You should not give if it makes you unhappy or if you feel forced to give. God loves those who are happy to give. 8 And God can give you more blessings than you need, and you will always have plenty of everything. You will have enough to give to every good work. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“He gives generously to the poor;
his goodness will continue forever.”
What does verse 7 say about our attitude towards giving? We shouldn’t be unhappy about it or feel forced to do it.
“10 God is the one who gives seed to those who plant, and he gives bread for food. And God will give you spiritual seed and make that seed grow. He will produce a great harvest from your goodness. 11 God will make you rich in every way so that you can always give freely. And your giving through us will make people give thanks to God. “
These verses reiterate what we know – all that we have which is good comes from God. “This is not a promise of money or wealth. It is a promise of *spiritual *fruitfulness and the help of Christians who care.”[v]
12 The service you are offering helps God’s people with their needs, but that is not all it does. It is also bringing more and more thanks to God. 13 This service is a proof of your faith, and people will praise God because of it. They will praise God that you freely share what you have with them and with all people. They will praise him to see you following the Good News about Christ that you openly accepted. They will praise God because you freely share with them and with all people. 14 And when they pray, they will wish they could be with you. They will feel this way because of the great grace that God gave you. 15 Thanks be to God for his gift that is too wonderful to describe.”
Do you see the cause and effect there? God gives to us. We bless others. God blesses us. The others praise God for what we shared with Him. We cannot give more than God can bless us. God’s blessings are multiplied when we share.
Acts 20:35 NIV “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
“The Tony Evans Bible Commentary tells us, “Indeed, in God’s economy you will be more blessed if you’re a spiritual conduit rather than a spiritual cul-de-sac. God wants to work through you so that you will be a blessing to others. If you have the capacity to address a need (with your money, your time, or your encouragement), be used by God to give to and meet that need. God will return the favor.”[vi]
Here is the bottom line of tithing. Whether you tithe or don’t tithe, that’s between you and God. If you do tithe, the amount you give is, again, between you and God. God knows your circumstances far more than anyone else ever could. He also knows your priorities. He knows if He is first in your life or if He is delegated to get your leftovers. We should consider it a privilege to tithe and to take part in His kingdom work. If we don’t see it that way, then we aren’t being a cheerful giver. Remember, God doesn’t want your money. God wants your faith.
John D. Rockefeller, Sr. is “has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history.”[vii] He was the country’s first billionaire. Before he died in 1937 at the old age of 97, he shared his thoughts on tithing. “Yes, I tithe, and I would like to tell you how it all came about. I had to begin work as a small boy to help support my mother. My first wages amounted to $1.50 per week. The first week after I went to work, I took the $1.50 home to my mother and she held the money in her lap and explained to me that she would be happy if I would give a tenth of it to the Lord.
I did, and from that week until this day I have tithed every dollar God has entrusted to me. And I want to say,if I had not tithed the first dollar I made I would not have tithed the first million dollars I made. Tell your readers to train the children to tithe, and they will grow up to be faithful stewards of the Lord.“
— John D. Rockefeller, Sr.
[i] Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Tithe (churchleaders.com)
[ii] Enduring Word Bible Commentary Matthew Chapter 23
[iii] Tithes and Offerings: Your Questions Answered – Ramsey (ramseysolutions.com)
[iv] Giving the Worst to Church | Preaching Today
[v] 2 Corinthians – Free Bible Commentary in easy English
[vi] 10 Reasons It Is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive (Acts 20:35) (christianity.com)
Beacons of Light 