“Will a man rob God? But you say, ‘How Have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings”
I believe this verse is still true today, but not in the way that we might think. Tithing is robbing God of the sacrifice, willingness, and cheerfulness of our hearts. The check or money that you are handing God each week in God’s eyes may be as valuable as the paper itself.
Many who practice tithing are giving 11%. I know because I gave this way for many years and also because someone told me to give this way. I gave the 10% requirement and an extra 1% calculation above the tithe to cover anything I missed or to show my willingness to go above and beyond. I just heard my own local church talk about how 11% of what comes into the church goes out. 11% is such a joke that it’s just a cliche. There have been spoofs about the 11% giver. I’m sure there are some who don’t see a problem with this, but now looking back, I am disappointed in my philosophy at that time.
If you are tithing today, you are robbing God. God does not want a mechanical heart that can mimic the statutes of the Old Testament. Any person, Christian or not, can offer a tenth to their supreme being. It does not take a revived heart to do so. Many religions require some sort of giving. Some pagan religions even require a tenth as Christians do.
Israel had Abraham, Jacob, and Moses as their examples of giving. We have Jesus as our example, and we keep our focus on the fathers and think that somehow their relevance is more superior than our savior’s. We look at Abraham and say, ‘but oh, look. Abraham gave a tithe before the law’; as if our guide to giving was fully settled before the cross, before Christ, and before Spiritual Baptism.
Malachi 3 goes on to say, “You are cursed with a curse because you are robbing me”. Additionally, the New Testament is clear that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). So if tithing and the law both had curses why would Christ have redeemed us from the law but not of tithing?
God desires our willing hearts. He does not want an obligated giver. An obligated giver is worthless value to him. We are robbing God of something more precious than a tithe or offering. Our tithes are robbing God of the pleasure of our free sacrifice. Jesus’ sacrifice would not have worked if he were not first willing and also willing to give it all; so why would our sacrifice work if it was obligated and only demanded 10%?
I stopped robbing God years ago when I gave up tithing. Are you ready to stop robbing God?
I have been struggling with the tithe for a long time. I struggled when I tithed and I at least got my bills paid when I didn’t. I want to know this. Can/Will God still bless me if I don’t? Can I just ask him to show me where to “give” and it not always total 10%, and I also have a question. I have a daughter in another state who really needs some help, can I “give” to help her, is it the same as giving to others? I am confused. Thanks!
Barbara, giving is a blessing. but this won’t mean to transgress the law. because it takes for the spirit to obey the spiritual law.
it’s alright to provide help first who are in need of your help like your daughter.
Get this example from Paul’s word.
1 Timothy 5:8 [Full Chapter]
Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
that’s one case of obedience and still holy to God.
but another case is proven correct such as giving to the church like what Abraham did to his son. would this be considered as Holiest?
Tithe is also synonymous to sacrifice. we sacrifice everything from the heart. because withholding tithe is idolatry and this falls to Paul’s love of money.
1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil
so it’s either you choose the first or the last, it doesn’t matter.
as long you are doing it in faith.
Jared, you only captured a small portion of Malachi 3. Starting with verse 1, what jumps out at me is: And the Lord, whom you seek will SUDDENLY COME to His temple even the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Now, Malachi was written some 300-400 years before Jesus was born. When He was born, was it sudden? No! And verse 2 goes on: But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiners fire…..He will purify the sons of Levi (the priests) and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. Verse 4 says: Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in the former years.
Now we jump down to verse 6: For I am the Lord, I do not change, therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob (Israel). (7) Yet from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from My ordinances (Torah) and have not kept them. Return to Me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.
Mind you, He is not taking to the Jews here, they, for the most part, keep the commandments, it’s us who say we are not under the Law. It’s us who claim the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as our God and the Messiah as our Savior and yet, we don’t keep, guard or protect Torah. Because we don’t keep Torah, we rob God in tithes and offerings as prescribed in Torah. (Deuteronomy 16:16) To keep Torah is an issue of the heart, obedience comes from the heart. Jesus said: If you love Me, keep My Commandments. (John 14:15)
Most Christians think that if they are saved they will go to Paradise but Jesus said in His Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who DO His commandments that they may ha
Have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. Back to Malachi, the curse with a curse in verse 9 had to do with not bringing the tithes and offerings at the appointed times prescribed in Torah. Verse 13: Your words have been harsh against Me, (14) You have said it is useless to serve God, what profit is it that we have kept His commandments (ordinance). Verse 16: talks about a book of remembrance. That very same book is also found in Ex. 32:31,part of Torah. This book is a record of names of people that the Lord chooses to bless in the near future. This is at the time of the feast of Tabernacles. The names of those born again, that would be in the book of life.
What I stated in another blog on this website holds true to this one.
I have recently come to believe our societies, particularly in the west have become so self centered and uncaring of those less fortunate than themselves. People walk past those begging with judgmental minds …. they deserved it, they will misuse the money if I give them something ……..to justify not giving.
If everyone who can and is able to, gave 1/10th of their income to those in need and/or gave 1/10th of their time (36 days in a year) to help those in need rather than sitting in their recliner watching sports or playing video games i.e. participating in helping in their own community (locally or globally), what a better more Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist etc world we would be in.
Jesus showed us how by helping – not with money – but by physically helping those in need. THAT was his message, but the majority of Christians and others think that they do not have to do anything but give money to the church to be blessed. That is a lazy, convenient cop-out and denial of Jesus’s message.
How many people really follow this?? To me, Tithing is not just about giving money, but giving my time and effort to help others. That is what makes a better community and brings people together, and really follows Jesus’s teachings and examples, and I would think be pleasing to God..
Rob,
i agree with you about our attitude towards the poor and the greed we have in our hearts in the western culture. I think because we live in a free country that allows someone to rise from nothing and create something that can make millions, we tend to think that the poor haven’t tried, or are in their situation due to some fault of their own. Although, i do believe that a majority of the poor have more economic opportunities (through gov’t benefits) than even the middle class.
Another issue i agree on is the giving of time. Once can always earn more & work more; but the one thing we can’t earn is time. For me, that’s the hardest to give up. I can give money and not feel as much anxiety about it as opposed to when i give my time.
One thing i disagree on is a requirement to give a minimum amount. Requirements are not healthy, nor biblical for the Church. Another issue to address is ‘how’, ‘who’, & ‘what’ we give our money to. Currently church organizations absorb about 84% of what is taken in. If Christians doubled their contribution amounts, would church organizations then be willing to absorb a smaller percentage? Would it change anything? I think that is up for debate, but i am sure if we doubled our efforts to give more of our time, a lot would change.
Jared,
I agree with your statement about churches in the past and many in the present that gobble up the donations, particularly those with huge ornate gold encrusted temples, churches and lavish furnishings and the like. AND unfortunately, so many preachers, pastors and ‘religious’ persons of all faiths are so corrupt that people are turning away from Christianity and other religions. I am very careful where I give money and make sure the majority of it gets to the people who need it. Giving to have and maintain a place of worship is fine and makes US feel good, but is that what Jesus taught us.
I look at Jesus’s work, which was directed ‘physically’ to helping others, and his teachings simply tell us to do the same. He despised money lenders in the synagogues. So, I think he saw the corruption in the religious leaders of his time, also. So many people (then and now) are trying to buy their way into heaven by giving to the church without caring what becomes of it.
As you stated, giving of our time is extremely hard, which I also find. But never-the-less, giving of our time, and our souls freely and happily to help others is what I believe Jesus directed us to do. There are unfortunately very few who do this. Mother Teresa spent her life doing this. We sadly hear of those who have died in he middle east recently, giving their time, body and soul helping those in need. It is only because of their deaths that I know their ARE people who do this.
There are many others but the majority of people neither give to the poor or needy, either monetarily or physically. I believe that a tithing or 10% is a goal, and if a person can, that is what they should aim at giving, particularly with their time, body and soul.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if ALL those who have and can, gave of their time to help others, rather than sitting in their house of worship, then going for a huge family lunch, feeling satisfied that the donation they gave to their house of worship, will get them into Heaven.
That is why I looked for your website out of the blue to put forward this very simple message.
Jared,
Interesting point of view. Most of us give to something, someone, or an organization. Jesus was not against giving. In fact He was for it. He praised the old lady for giving. He overturned the money changers in the temple not because He was against money. He overturned the money changers because the temple administrators were defrauding the people of their money and sacrifices. Tithing was God’s idea and it still is today. I don’t believe the bible teaches us to pay our tithe with time. Time does not pay for bills incurred in a church or ministry. Money pays for structures, equipment, heating and cooling, etc,. Imagine your boss paying you with time. Good luck with your mortgage. If you have a problem with 10%, then give 20% and we will live happier.