TITHING: AN OBEDIENT RESPONSE TO A GRACIOUS GOD

The Accusation; we are robbing from God!

Mal 3:7-10

Malachi 3:7–10 ESV

7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

“

God is the possessor of all; what you have was given to you by God

God is asking us to return the tenth

We return because it was God’s to begin with

He allows us to be stewards

Tithe: Hb; ma-aser (mah-zair) “a tenth part”

THREE TYPES OF TITHE

1. The Original Tithe

We want to find the first reference to a tithe being returned.

Sn

Abram and Lot have separated because the land was not enough to sustain both of their families - they were both very rich

Lot was in the eastern area that was being plundered by Chedorlaomer King of Elam and his cohort of other kings.

Abram goes to rescue Lot and Abram defeats Chedolaomer and Abram has returned with all of the spoils and Lot.

Genesis 14:20 ESV

and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 14:17–21 ESV

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

Gen 14:17-2

Abram gave this tithe with a grateful heart

2. The Levitical Tithe

The original tithe now becomes part of the Levitical Law of the Israelites

The tithe was brought to the temple one time a year and it was presented in worship and to provide for the Levitical Priests.

Malachi is referring to this tithe when he says bring it into the storehouse.

Leviticus 27:30 ESV

30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Leviticus 27:34 ESV

34 These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

The lack of tithing that Malachi is referring to is making it difficult to do the work of God bc the needs of the priests are not being met.

This was law for the Israelites (Jews). NOT VOLUNTARY

This tithe funded the government which began as a Theocracy but tuned into a Monarchy with the appointment of King Saul.

This is similar to the income tax we pay today

Christ will explain to the Pharisees how this works.

This takes us to the Christian Tithe

3. Christian Tithe

Jesus is being questioned by the Pharisees about Levitical law

This is due to what Jesus has been preaching; that the Levitical Law does not lead to salvation

There were many that were not wanting to pay taxes to Cesar

They wanted to give to God

Matthew 22:17 ESV

17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”

,

Matthew 22:19–22 ESV

19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

What if they had ask Jesus “what is God’s?”

He would have answered “Who’s image is on you?”

Romans 13:1 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Romans 13:6 ESV

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

We see how it would be possible to confuse Tithing and Taxing

In the 7th chapter of Hebrews we come full circle when Melchisadek and the tithe that Abraham offered is exampled for Christians.

Hebrews 7:1–10 ESV

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. 4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Heb 7:

Vs. 2,4, and 5 tie the Original Tithe to the Levitical Tithe to the Christian Tithe

Vs. 2 and 3 show us that Melchizedek is a “Christophany”

Just as Abraham gave a tenth to God we now have that example to do the same.

WHY DO WE GIVE, TITHE?

Paul drives the point home for us in when he is talking about the collection for Christians in Jerusalem

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 ESV

6 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.

2Cor 9:6-

This brings us back to our original question are we robbing from God?

“Return to me, and I will return to you”

God is the possessor of all; what you have was given to you by God

God is asking us to return the tenth

We return because it was God’s to begin with

He allows us to be stewards

The Lord will provide

Luke 6:38 ESV

38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Lk 6:

When we tithe from our gratitude for what God has blessed us with we will fully understand the joy of giving.

As Luke tells us in

Acts 20:35 ESV

35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Just as we see in vs. 10 of the reference scripture

Malachi 3:10 ESV

10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

“Put Me to the test says the LORD”

We don’t usually test God, in fact warns against testing the Lord

However God invites us to test Him when it comes to giving.

This is the only instance in scripture where God tells us to test him.

In most instances the Israelites tested God bc they lacked faith.

Here the Israelites are invited to put their faith in God and test Him.

What is the difference between a tithe and an offering?

Offering is above and beyond a tithe

Tithe means a tenth

What is your motivation for giving?

Is giving important to spiritual growth?