Theme: Pay Tithe
Text: Malachi 3:6-12
Greetings: The Lord is good and His love endures forever!
Introduction:
I am not going to talk about the tithe of time, tithe of your children but about your money, possession and your income.
The Old Testament closes with the breaking of the Covenant by Israelites by withholding their Tithes and offerings. God struggled with them from the days of Moses to the days of Post Exilic. Tithes and offerings are the question of integrity of Faith and Trust in God’s word and promises. The unchanged law is that the blessing and obedience are interconnected.
Command and promises are interlinked and inseparable. Paying Tithe is believing God as the Provider, Trusting God that he never tells lies, and God never changes himself at any cost or for any person or for any reason. He only changes his decrees or judgments or edicts of punishment in the instant of Repentance.
Today, I would like to meditate with you on the Topic: “PAY TITHE” This is the command-of the LORD. 1. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF HOLINESS, 2. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE, and 3. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF GRATITUDE.
1. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF HOLINESS
The word ‘Tithe’ means ‘One-Tenth’. It is derived from the word teotha, an Anglo-Saxon word for "tenth." A TITHE is a fixed sum, such as 10% of our net profit or gross income (Leviticus 27:30). This is not negotiable—neither more nor less. 90% of your revenue will either be blessed or 100% will be cursed. It is an act of thanksgiving. Tithe as per Leviticus (27:30, 32) and Numbers (18:21–32) goes to the Levites, the house of Israel.
Moses speaks out on Tithe as per the command of God given in Mount Sinai found in Leviticus 27:30-34: ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. Whoever would redeem any of their tithes must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD.”
Malachi 3:6-12 has the following emphasis: V. 6 “…Return to me by paying your Tithe”, V. 9 If you are holding it. It is equivalent to robbing God, Cheating God, and is a curse, So, Bring the whole tithe and Test me (V. 10), then I will prevent pests, losses, failures, delays (V. 11), Then everyone will call you blessed (V. 12). Prophet Malachi challenged the congregation to test the faithfulness of God by paying the Tithe (Malachi 3:8-10). Prophet Amos pronounced that holding the Tithe is a curse (Amos 4:4).
Tithe was an exclusive inheritance of the Levites (Numbers 18:26): The Levites were working in Tabernacle. Today it refers to the Pastors, Missionaries, Full time Servants of Good involved in the preaching the Gospel. God instructed on how Israel should sanctify the Tithe before they can ask for a blessing (Deuteronomy 26:12-15).
The tithe belongs to God and enjoys grace. Give your Tithe to the Church and more to the Missions and social concerns. Tithing is crucial and becomes equivalent to the acts of justice, fidelity, compassion, and righteousness (Matthew 23:23).
2. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”(Malachi 3:10).
Tithe is the sign of obedience to God: In the Old Testament agricultural economy, tithes were paid to Yahweh as an expression of obedience with thanks and dedication. The Old Testament tithes occurred two times each year and three times every third year. It was celebrated as the Thanksgiving Festival.
God instructed them on how to use the Tithe after crossing the Jordan (Deuteronomy 12:6-11). God gave instructions on how to disperse and exchange the tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). God instructed on how Israel should sanctify the tithe before they can ask for a blessing (Deuteronomy 26:12-15). The children of Israel brought Tithe to the designated place during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 31:5-12).
Deuteronomy 12:6 says that there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give, and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. The Post exilic community brought the Tithe to the storehouse as a sign of obedience (Nehemiah 10:37-38).
The Tithe was an obligatory offering from the Law of Moses. It was a reminder to Israel that all things we have are His. It was a show of thankfulness for His provision. It also provided for the Levitical priesthood, festivals, and the needy. We are capable of giving tithe. The Old Testament demands three separate forms of tithing: an annual tithe that went to the priests; a feast tithe that was used for the needs of the temple (Deuteronomy 14:22-27); and a third-year tithe that supported the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28, 29). This once in three years rotates perpetually.
The statistics around tithing indicate that less than one-quarter of any congregation tithes. And on average, Christians give around 2.5 percent of their income to churches. So in that sense, no, most Christians do not tithe. According to Newsweek magazine, ‘most church members give far less than 10%, most giving under 2 per cent. Not surprising is the fact that the poor give a far greater portion of their income than the rich. Families earning less than $10,000 give 5.5 per cent of their income to charity (not necessarily to church). Families earning between $50,000 and $60,000 give only 1.7% of their earnings.
3. PAYING TITHE IS AN ACT OF GRATITUDE
R. G. LeTourneau (1888 – 1969) was a Christian industrialist who dedicated his life to “being a businessman for God.” He was hugely successful, designing and developing his own line of earth-moving equipment. He was the maker of nearly 300 inventions, and had hundreds of patents in his lifetime. As he succeeded financially, he increased his giving to the point where he was giving 90% of his income to the Lord’s work.
Tithe is recorded in Genesis 14:20 as Abram gave a tenth of everything. After a successful battle, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of his earnings, setting the precedent for tithing (Genesis 14:19–20).
Then we find Jacob made a vow to pay tithe to the Lord in Genesis 28:20-22. Jacob: “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the LORD will be my God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Tithe was also a concern of the New Testament: Some people look for the NT attestation for paying Tithe. Some say we need not follow the commandments of the OT because we are freed from the Laws of the OT, some say there are no levites only pastors. But they would like to claim all other OT promises for their healing, safety, and blessings. They never say that they are not children of Abraham, they are not Israelites, they are not captives in Babylon. Do you believe that Old Testament promises belong to you? If yes. Then the commandments too belongs to you! What did Jesus say about the Tithe? What does the New Testament say about Tithe? Jesus condemned the Pharisees but emphasised that his disciples should Tithe in addition to that they should practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42).
Tithing shouldn’t be mindless act, out of compulsion, out of grudges, and out of fear of the curses as the people of Israelites thought and did, but it should be an intentional practice with the understanding that God is the sovereign owner of everything we have. We are stewards and custodians of his properties. Instead of being consumers of the blessings we have, we receive, we have to stop, think, count and give him with a grateful heart.
ARCHBISHOP IDAHOSA PAID UP TO 90% OF HIS INCOME AS TITHE
His son says, It’s a matter of understanding truth. And no matter how you insult truth, distort truth, bend truth, Truth is Truth. He formed a group known as “Tithe Giving Gang”.
Conclusion:
I haven’t seen God. I don’t know whether a Jew follows it or not. But I believe that the bible is the Word of God all its promises are true, and I am enjoying with them, blessed through them. So, I obey this command of God and “Pay Tithe” to the church, now I do it as AN ACT OF HOLINESS, as AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE which everyone can witness it, and AN ACT OF GRATITUDE with humility and trusting his providence. God bless you. Amen amen.
