Is Tithing Biblical?

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Is Tithing Biblical?

In the beginning of our ministry when we pastored in Texas, a fellow came by our small church and showed a film that seemed to illustrate some ways of getting sentenced to hell. Failure to tithe made the list.

If memory serves me correctly, offerings picked up … for a while.

Talking about tithing is a good way to start an argument, and I don’t particularly like arguments, but this is important, so I’ll tell you what I believe. And I realize that I’m not the first or last word on the subject.

I think a serious Christian should give at least a tithe (10% of his income) to the work of the Lord. I can understand why someone sees it otherwise, but I’ll tell you why I think it’s best.

Is It Only Old Testament?

The biggest argument against the practice is that it was required under the Law of Moses and we’re no longer subject to the Law of Moses. Loving God with your whole heart, your neighbor as yourself, respecting your parents, not lying nor stealing, etc., were also required under the Law. Do we do away with those because they’re Old Testament?

Personally, I feel tithing falls under the definition of a principle than a commandment. That, in my mind, makes it universally valid, not just during a limited period. People tithed before Moses’ Law ever commanded it. Abraham, our spiritual father, gave a tithe to Melchizedek, a type of Christ, before the Law was given. I feel that set a precedent. It probably showed that the practice already existed.

Is it a commandment? We can argue about that, but I suspect we’re wasting our breath, because each one will bring out his verses and blast the other.

Scriptures

Let’s look at some of the most significant scriptures, though, and see what we think.

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 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.” (Malachi 3:8-10 ESV)

Now, these verses are “Old Testament” but let’s see if we can’t dig out some principles, at least. People who failed to honor God with the tithe at that time didn’t receive His blessing. God counted that first tenth as His and He felt people who took it for themselves were stealing from Him. It also teaches that one of the reasons for the tithe was to support the work of the Lord. God invites people to try it out and see if He won’t pour out His blessings on the giver.

A New Testament scripture that makes us think, is Luke 11:42, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

Now, we have to be careful not to think we’re something great because we tithe. The proud man bragged when he ‘prayed,’ “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” (Luke 18:12 ESV), but it wasn’t his tithing which was the problem. It was his arrogant heart.

Speaking of Melchizedek, a type of Christ, Hebrews 7:6 and 7:8 says, “But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises … 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.”

Abraham, who lived long before Moses, gave his tithe to this man who was a type of Jesus. We get to give our tithe to Jesus Himself, or at least His Body, the Church.

Tithe— A principle and not a commandment?

Now I’m not God, so realize that as you read, but I don’t think that tithing is a matter of heaven and hell, as the film I talked about seemed to say. It is a matter of an obedient heart, and I think the heart of a disciple is generous.

For me, and here again maybe this is my definition, tithing is a principle and not a commandment. A commandment would be something you give to a child, no options, no explanations. Do it or else. But a principle would be something you give and explain to an adult. This is what we do and this is why we do it. It’s as true tomorrow as it was yesterday.

I think tithing is a principle for those who love the Lord.

–>Tithing precedes the giving of the Law and continues through the time of the Law. It had a dual purpose—to provide for the ministry, to teach people to trust God and not money, and to teach people to be generous. Those needs still exist.

–>It helps us to order our lives and finances: discipline, putting God first, trusting Him.

–>It works. I hesitate to say this because some seem to have made it a way to get a raise, get a better job, etc. God blesses givers. Now, if we’re giving just to get something back from God, that’s not giving; that’s some sort of transaction. “I’ll give but you’ve got to give me something in return.”

Yes, God blesses those who give, (and I believe, who tithe), with a heart of love and faith. I wonder if there’s anything that reveals the heart of God more than one of His generous kids.

It Works

A young family began to tithe in our church in Luxembourg many years ago. I was their pastor, and I tithed, but a niggling voice in my head said, “Can they afford to do this?”

That was nearly 40 years ago and if you compare their sketchy financial situation then and see how God has blessed them over the years, I wouldn’t say tithing was a bad choice. At all.

And the blessings God pours out aren’t simply financial blessings. Sometimes money won’t respond to my biggest needs. God has blessed me over the years in so many ways.

Is tithing Biblical? I think so. I know something else, though. It works!

If you’re really interested in God’s principles of giving, check out 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. While Paul isn’t talking about tithing in this instance, but about a special offering for needy brothers and sisters, he lays down some powerful giving principles.

See what you can see in these verses.

Toothless Doctrine

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Does good doctrine excuse goofing off?

That Sunday morning, old Davie really got into the worship service, raising his hands and trying to sing as loud as the worship team. To be exact his singing sounded more like braying, and he was slightly off key. But hey, ‘make a joyful noise’ and all that. 

He is “amens !”rattled, the rafters. 

After the service, though, when he and his wife were on the way to the restaurant, his smiles gave way to a critical appraisal of the morning’s service: pastor’s message was too long, a bit off theologically, and not relevant to what they needed. He needed to be livelier, etc.  

At the restaurant he was curt with the waitress because she was a bit slow, and didn’t smile enough. He made sure his comment about the poor service to his wife was loud enough so the poor lady could hear it. 

(He didn’t know that she was about as discouraged as she had ever been. Her husband had abandoned her, and she couldn’t pay the rent that month. How in the world was she going to buy her growing kids clothes for the new school year. And the kids had been super unruly since their father took off.)  

Old Davy didn’t know that though. He just knew he was hungry and she wasn’t on the ball.  

Now, if you had given Davy a doctrine test, he would have scored the highest in the church. He knew his Bible. Well, he knew what it said. He wasn’t nearly as good in doing what it said. 

His doctrine didn’t make him sweeter, just smarter. And what good is knowing when it’s not put into practice? When God’s truth encounters an obedient heart, it shouts God’s glory. Unpracticed doctrine, which only knows how to criticize and look down on others, is pitiful. 

Poor Doctrine, Bad Follow Through 

That truth hit me hard when I was thinking about one of the most famous stories in the Bible—the Good Samaritan. 

You know how it goes. A man is robbed, beaten up, and half dead, lying on the side of the road. A priest comes along, sees him, and passes by on the other side. A Levite, another spiritual leader, tiptoes past also. 

Then one of those despised Samaritans happens by, sees him, bandages his wounds and makes sure he’s cared for. It cost him good money and time. This was probably a businessman and money is time you know. 

What gave me a gut punch is when I realized that among the three who saw the half-dead traveler, the Samaritan had the funkiest doctrine. Now, these folks believed in our God, Israel’s God, but they also had some questionable ideas. 

Their theologians hated the Jews and the Jews hated them. Yet, they weren’t that far away from each other’s beliefs. 

I would have loved to see the priest or the Levite respond to the hurting fellow, because they definitely won the doctrinal contest. Even Jesus said so. He told the Samaritan woman at the well, “You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:22-24, NLT) 

Yet, the little that the Samaritan businessman knew helped the wounded man more than the dead doctrine of the other two. I don’t say this to justify poor doctrine but to challenge each of us to examine our lives to see if we’re living out what we believe. 

“Lord, please make my doctrine inspire a difference in the way I live my life. Help me to glorify You by living out what I believe.” 

Pain’s Fork in the Road — Does your struggle drive you to God or away from Him? 

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When my boys were little — Steve and Charles — they loved nothing more than heading out to the Davis farm. The Davises were one of our church families, and those two couldn’t wait to get out of town and “help” Brother Davis with his cows. I use the word “help” loosely, of course, seeing as they were about five and six at the time.

And Sis Davis’ country breakfasts would put any nearby Cracker Barrel out of business. I must confess that I looked forward to opportunities to go out early in the morning and pick them up so that Sis Davis would invite me to breakfast.

This simple couple became substitute grandparents for our boys (just like Sis Edwards did for our daughter Christi). Bro and Sis Davis would ask the boys, “Whose boy are you?” Steve was Sis Davis’ boy and Charles was Bro Davis’ boy. Each of the boys milked his preferred position to the hilt.

Charles took it a step further when Bro Davis wasn’t around and declared that he was my boy. “Daddy, help your boy. Daddy, get this for your boy.” And on and on.

The youngster played his “golden child” status to the hilt until the day I was talking with Bro Davis and Charles was there. “Whose boy are you now?” the old farmer asked him, knowing full well that Charles had tried to work both of us with his “your boy” theme.

The little guy was speechless because he didn’t want to lose his perceived inside track with either of us.

Are You God’s Boy or Girl?

I think we’re all thrilled to learn from God’s Word that we’re “His boy” (or “His girl”): “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are!” (1 John 3:1)

Hey, that’s a favored spot, isn’t it? But what do you do on the day when God doesn’t show up and help “his boy” or “his girl” when you thought He should have?

Where Are You, Lord?

Life being what it is, we sometimes end up in situations we don’t like, or we have dreams that aren’t fulfilled. We hurt.

Sickness, lost jobs, lies, failure, broken relationships, personal goof-ups and on and on punch hurt deep into us. What’s up with that when it seems God doesn’t show up for His child? You’d show up for your little one, wouldn’t you?

If God could do something, why didn’t He? “Lord, you could have kept this from happening. Lord, you can get me out of this. Hurry up! Have you lost your girl? Am I still your child?”

Some days “God’s boy” finds himself whimpering, “Why me?”

What To Do?

The question isn’t: are we going to have days like this? The question is: what are we going to do when it happens?

Some turn away. What advantage is it to serve God if He’s not there when you need Him? Maybe you’re like Adam and Eve when they sinned — you run away and hide. How silly to think we can hide from the One who sees and knows everything.

We may be hurting, we may be pouting, or we may be mad at God, but a good place to go when those questions tear at our gut is into the presence of God.

Tough To Spank

I heard a pastor tell the story of trying to spank his son. When the little one realized that Judgment Day had sounded, instead of running from his dad, he ran to him and latched onto his leg with all his strength.

The father confessed that it was awkward to spank the little guy as long as he held his leg, but more than that, his heart went out to the child, and the spanking was probably much milder than if the kid had run away.

Questions come, and I wish I could spare you the pain — wish I could spare myself the pain. Recently, I struggled as I prayed for someone I love going through a tough trial. And God gave a good conclusion to our prayers. I was joyful, but in my heart I still would have loved and trusted the Lord even if the result had been different.

He promised to make ALL things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. My faith is not based on my understanding of the situation but on my knowledge of God. My trust in Him is based on relationship, not on feeling.

The result?

For those who turn away from God because of pain — spiritual shipwreck.

For those who go to Him, even though the pain weighs them down for a while — strength. And we usually end up seeing God’s deliverance or receiving God’s strength and assurance.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Ps. 30:4–5, ESV)

Wait for it. Look for it.

Seriously? Another Sermon On That?

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You ever have one of those rebellious thoughts followed by a “Get thee behind me” moment? Maybe it’s God posing the question and not Satan.

Once I was in church, singing a song I’ve warbled a ton of times, then listening to a sermon which sounded like a Summer repeat. And the thought came, “Is this all?”

I think the message that morning was about Joseph. I have heard the text preached scores of times, why I’ve preached that text myself. I may have read it 100 times.

What’s the point of listening to another sermon on Joseph? Did I have to repeat first grade in school five times when I already knew that 2 + 2 usually equals 4? Didn’t I already know all this?

But as I listened to what the pastor said, I compared my life to the story once again. Was I living up to that? How should I change? My interior “gyro system” began to check to see if I was still on course.

Though I knew the Word, and sometimes I could finish the preacher’s sentence for him, listening and applying that Word … once again … helps me make corrections to stay on course.

Otherwise I could miss my destination.

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 

Several years ago Korean Air Lines flight 007 took off after refueling in Alaska carrying 269 passengers and crew, headed to Seoul, Korea. It never arrived.
Authorities speculated the plane’s autopilot wasn’t set correctly and it caused the plane to deviate slightly from it’s intended course.

It was just a small error but the further it flew, the further it inched off course. The unfortunate airplane ended up in Soviet airspace. The year was 1983 and Cold War burned between the Soviet Union and the West. Suddenly this civilian airliner was tracked then targeted by deadly warplanes. Soviet fighter jets shot it down, killing all 269 people aboard. Many were children under twelve.

Modern autopilot and flight-management systems show the pilots where the airplane is, where it’s supposed to be, and how far it’s drifting from the planned route. When it gets off course the automatic systems prod it back onto the right course.

Little corrections for an airplane only a tiny bit off course at the start would have saved a lot of lives on flight 007.

Course Corrections

So back to the Joseph story. Though I had read it many times, as the young pastor spoke, I tried to connect it to my life and see if I needed to make corrections. I constantly do that when I hear a message, when I read the Bible and when I pray.

And I don’t always agree with 100% of what others think. I constantly compare it with what God’s Word says. If I simply swallow everything a leader says, at the least I’m being lazy and at the worst I might get brainwashed.

My spiritual gyro is active when I’m with someone else who knows the Lord. Just seeing him live right helps me see if I’m on course. And I learn to avoid other obstacles if I see him stub his toe somewhere.

I learned from listening to “at home church” during COVID that I really need my brothers and sisters who love the Lord. TV is helpful but I need personal interaction with others who love the Lord.

I need church. It helps me stay on course. I do believe God manifests Himself in a unique and necessary way when His people get together in His name.

There really is a point to listening to another message on Joseph, or David, or John 3:16. Something good does happen as I’m singing that worship song again and praying with my brothers and sisters for the umpteen time. 

It’s easier to stay on course when I constantly make the needed corrections in my life. 

“How to Scramble Out of the Pit”

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Confessions of a fellow who has spent some time teetering on the rim of that pit (and yes, sometimes had to climb out after a painful fall.)

Some years ago a period of depression followed me like a gray winter day that just wouldn’t end. Maybe it wasn’t depression, but it was at least a hard “recession” of the soul. I was full of my hurt, stuck in a bad place. I’ve never shared this, but I was even fantasizing about crashing my car and ending my confusion.

I didn’t because suicide is one of the most painful things I could have inflicted on those I loved the most. And deep inside, I loved God and I knew this wasn’t the end, this wasn’t His plan for my life.

I kept going. And somehow, slowly, the light came back. I would have missed a ton of blessings if I had quit and, perhaps most tragically, I would have missed much of the reason God put me on earth.

During that tough time, and over the years, counseling with tons of hurting people, I’ve noticed some keys to crawling out of the pit of despair.

Lessons For Climbers

Cry Out!

When a hopeless heart paralyzes you, call on God and hang in there. An active friend told me about a period of his life when darkness so gripped him that he couldn’t get off the couch.

“Before, if I had seen someone like that, I would have said, ‘Get off that couch and get going.’ But I couldn’t do it.” Sometimes all we can do is cry out to God over and over. That’s okay. Don’t quit. Speak to God.

Wait Patiently

Wait for Him to answer. That doesn’t mean you’re jumping with joy and dancing in circles. You may be gritting your teeth and holding on for dear life. But, hold on and do what you know to do even if you don’t feel like it. Someone remarked that it’s easier to act yourself into feeling than to feel yourself into acting.

Remind Yourself

Remind yourself that He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. Read the Word to draw life as you see what God says about your situation. Remind Him what He said. God hasn’t forgotten. You’re really reminding yourself, but that Word puts life and power in your backbone.

These “down” times usually resolve themselves after a while. Either the problem will end, or we’ll adjust to deal with it with the Lord’s help as God strengthens us and shows us the direction to go.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:1-3, ESV)

Ask For Help

Count on God to rally help. The friend I mentioned earlier told me about the patience his pastor and another mature Christian in the church had for him. Sometimes he called in the middle of the night because he was desperate to talk to someone, and these two patiently listened and urged him through until he came out into the light of healing.

I know that when I was in this “dark night of the soul,” one day a friend, John, said to me, “David, what is it? When I pray I never have tears, but this morning when I was praying for you I was crying.” 

My uncle Donnie was someone I really admired and he called me from the United States (I was in Europe) and encouraged me in the Lord.

Don’t keep your deadly pain to yourself. Ask for help. Maybe it’s not for everyone to know, but you need a few faithful friends to carry you in prayer and encouragement when you can’t walk by yourself.

If you’re hurting, call on God, even if all you can do is whisper and your feelings weigh you down as if a dinosaur sits upon you.

Praise Him!

Praise and worship the Lord, even if you have no desire. The one who praises God enters a special place of intimacy with Him. You’re going to have times in life when you are full of good feelings and times when you feel nothing. I think our relationship with God is determined by our praise more than our feelings.

A disobedient prophet called out to God from the belly of a huge fish (his “pit”). Here’s what God did for him. “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice… When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you… Salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:1-10)

Patiently scramble out of that pit!

Illustration: ChatGpt