Talking about money can make us uncomfortable. Even still, money is a reality of life–even for the devoutest of churchgoers.
When it comes to money, there are a number of questions that we Christians must ask, including:
Should we tithe?
Is ten percent giving still God’s expectation?
If we don’t give enough, are we robbing God?
These are fair questions, but before we answer them, we should probably start with a different one:
What does the Bible actually say?
More Than One Tithe
Most Christians have heard the word tithe before. They know that it means “a tenth,” and that it is a common phrase in the Christian vernacular. Because of that commonality, many Christians today–and pastors, alike–teach that the Old Testament Israelites were commanded to give ten percent.
But that is not true.
By doing a detailed study of Scripture, one will discover a fact that is actually quite interesting. There wasn’t just one tithe, there were three.
The Israelites gave one tenth of their revenues to support the Levites (Numbers 18), another tenth for Israel’s feasts and festivals (Deuteronomy 14:22–27), and, every third year, another tenth for the poor and needy (Deuteronomy 14:28–29). When we put them all together, those three different, distinct commands to “tithe” add up to about twenty-three percent of their revenues.
23%.
I have never met a Christian who sticks to that number.
If we are going to appeal to the Old Testament tithe, let’s at least understand what it was in the first place.
Misquoting Malachi
The same thing happens with Malachi 3:10.
Many Christians today quote God’s invitation to “test Him” when it comes to giving the tithe. In Malachi 3:10, God says:
“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.”
That is quite the invitation!
God’s promise + Israel’s tithing = Full barns
Many modern-day Christians still cling to this promise, erroneously claiming that God is speaking to them. The problem is, very few Christians today have read the verse that comes just before it, Malachi 3:9, which plainly displays that this promise has expired. In that verse, God says:
“You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.” (Malachi 3:9 NIV)
The blessing in verse ten cannot be separated from the curse in verse nine. They belong to the same covenant, and the same nation–Israel.
That brings us to an important question: If we accept the blessing of Malachi 3:10, are we willing to accept the curse of Malachi 3:9? Said differently, if we don’t donate enough money to our local church, should we expect a famine to occur in America?
Of course not.
Malachi 3:10 is not speaking to you, me, or the American Church; it was speaking to old covenant Israel.
The New Covenant Pattern
So then, how should Christians give today? Paul answers that question with remarkable simplicity, saying:
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Notice what Paul does not mention.
No set percentage.
No required amount.
Instead, he points us to the state of our hearts. Under the New Covenant, generosity isn’t measured by a calculator or percentage, it is measured by a transformed life. God blesses His people today not so that we can accumulate wealth, but so we can gladly give it away.
Maybe you give ten percent.
Maybe you give more.
Maybe you give less in this season of life.
The question is not, “Do you give ten percent?” The question is: Are you a cheerful giver?
Blessings,
