Why Should I Tithe
Why Should I Tithe?
Pastor Keith Hassell
1. The tithe belongs to the Lord.
a. Leviticus 27:30 "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.”
2. God requires of us the tithe.
a. Malachi 3:10 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house."
3. Tithing brings honor to God
a. Proverbs 3:9 "Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase."
4. Tithing is an act of worship.
a. Deuteronomy 26:10 "Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God."
5. Tithing is a sign of covenant with God.
a. Genesis 14:18-20 "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he gave him a tithe of all. "
b. Genesis 28:20-22 "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
6. Tithing teaches us the fear of the Lord.
a. Deuteronomy 14:22-23 "You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make -His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always."
7. The tithe supports the work of God through His house.
a. Genesis 28:22 "And this stone which I have set as pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You."
b. Nehemiah 13:10-12 "I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and the singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, 'Why is the house of God forsaken?' And I gathered them together and set them in their place. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the storehouse.''
c. Malachi 3:10 "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house."
8. The tithe frees God’s ministers to devote themselves to undistracted service to God and to His people.
a. Numbers 18:24 "For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites."
b. Numbers 18:31 "You (Levites) may eat it (tithe) in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting."
c. Deuteronomy 12:19 "Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land."
d. 2 Chronicles 31:4 "Moreover he commanded the people who dwelt in Jerusalem to contribute support for the priests and the Levites, that they might devote themselves to the Law of the Lord."
e. Nehemiah 13:10-11 "I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them; for each of the Levites and singers who did the work had gone back to his field. So I contended with the rulers, and said, 'Why is the house of God forsaken?"'
f. 1 Timothy 5:17-18 "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain,' and, 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'"
g. Acts 6:2-4 "Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, 'it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
h. 1 Corinthians 9:7-11 "Who ever goes to war at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk of the flock? Do I say these things as a mere man? Or does not the law say the same also? For it is written in the law of 14oses, 'You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?"
i. 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 "Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of I the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live' from the gospel."
9. The tithe helps care for the stranger, widow, and orphan.
a. Deuteronomy 14:29 "And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do."
b. Deuteronomy 26:13 "Then you shall say before the Lord your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them."
c. Acts 6:1 "Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution."
10. The tithe is a visible proclamation that the Lord is our God.
a. Deuteronomy 26:17 "Today (after giving the tithe) you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God."
11. The tithe is a visible proclamation that we will obey the Lord.
a. Deuteronomy 26:17 "Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice."
b. Deuteronomy 26:14 "I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me.”
12. The tithe causes the Lord to proclaim us as His special people and His holy people.
a. Deuteronomy 26:18-19 "Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken."
13. Tithing removes a curse from our lives.
a. Malachi 3:8-9 "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 whose nation."
b. Psalm 37:22 "For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off."
14. Tithing activates God’s blessings in our lives.
a. Malachi 3:10 "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 a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."
b. Deuteronomy 26:13-15 "Then you shall say before the Lord your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them . . . Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers."'
15. Tithing is good business.
a. Deuteronomy 14:29 "That the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do."
b. Malachi 3:10 "'And try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will now open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it."'
c. Proverbs 10:22 "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it."
16. Tithing brings the Lord’s rebuke against the devourer’s strategies in our lives.
a. Malachi 3:11 "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, l says the Lord."
17. Tithing sustains a walk of faith.
a. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him . . .”
b. Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."
18. Tithing helps remove us from the love of money.
a. 1 Timothy 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
19. Tithing is a reminder that God is our Source.
a. Deuteronomy 8:18 "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers."
20. Tithing keeps our heart in the work of God through His church.
a. Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
21. Tithing is a witness to the world that Jesus, our High Priest, is alive and still receives tithes.
a. Hebrews 7:8 "Here mortal man receives tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives."