Dirty Words: Tithe

Yeah, I saved the nastiest one for last...you say 'tithe' to people and they instantly know what you are talking about, and most of the time it elicits a response from one extreme or the other. It's a troublesome subject because it hits us where it hurts the most...our money. Who is God to tell us what we should do with our money? If God wanted us to give to the local church why doesn't he help make our finances better so we can (hint: He didn't make you sign up for another credit card)? Isn't tithing on Old Testament kind of thing?

The truth is that being spiritually obedient to God with our money isn't easy. It isn't pleasant to discuss and, in a society where we are in debt up to our eyeballs, it can seem intimidating to even contemplate being able to give any of it up right off the top. I myself have struggled throughout my life to give my tenth (tithe literally means a tenth, by the way) to God. I've read countless arguments both for and against tithing...some of them on either side have been awfully compelling too, to be honest. Yes, I admit it...tithing has been a dirty word for me too.

I guess where it all changes is when you realize that the act of tithing did not go away with the New Testament and that God actually invites us to test Him on this subject. That's right! God knows we're not inclined to participate in this area so He asks us to call Him on it. In Malachi chapter 3, God's message on Old Testament tithing is delivered:

6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the LORD Almighty.
12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

God flat out says that we're actually committing robbery by not tithing and then invites the test. He says the blessings will be so fast and so furious that we won't be able to keep up with them. That, of course, doesn't mean that you write a check and then wake up the next morning to find all of your bills paid off and shiny, new car in the driveway. I can tell you from experience, though, that God is serious about what He says. Every time we've been faithful to tithe it always starts out with some struggles (cars breaking down, home repair bills, etc.) and as we continue to be faithful God starts to deliver blessings. The bills are still getting paid and our needs are being met. Unexpected blessings appear...things we've been praying about get resolved. It's a process of continued faithfulness and joyful obedience that results in a renewed faith and peace that God is in control and things will be just fine.

So what about the notion that Jesus' gift of salvation somehow abolished the Law of Moses and, with it, tithing? I give you Jesus' own words in Matthew 23:

23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,[g] but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!

Jesus wasn't here to abolish the law but to fulfill it and to have us focus on other parts of the law like justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Whether you have never tithed or if you have and stopped, I encourage you to do exactly what God says and test it out for yourself. Give it a few months, being completely obedient and giving 10% of every dollar you bring home no matter what comes your way to throw you off. God will honor your faithful obedience by blessing you and seeing that your needs are met.