Wednesday: The Tithe Contract
There is a close spiritual connection between the practice of tithing and our relationship to God. The Israelites prospered when they obeyed God and were faithful in tithing. In contrast, they fell on hard times when they didn’t. They seemed to follow a cycle of obedience and prosperity, and then disobedience and problems. It was during one of these periods of unfaithfulness that God, through the prophet Malachi, proposed a bilateral contract with His people.
Read Malachi 3:7-11. What are the promises and the obligations found in these verses?
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God promised the people that if they would return to Him, He would return to them. When they asked what He meant by returning to Him, He explicitly said, “Stop robbing Me of tithe and offerings.” Their robbery was the reason they were being cursed. Here is God’s solution to the problem of the curse: “Bring all the tithes [the whole tithe] into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10, NKJV). And if you do this, then “I will … open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (NKJV). If we don’t have room enough to receive it, we have a surplus with which we can help others and help to advance the cause of God.
“He who gave His only-begotten Son to die for you, has made a covenant with you. He gives you His blessings, and in return He requires you to bring Him your tithes and offerings. No one will ever dare to say that there was no way in which he could understand in regard to this matter. God’s plan regarding tithes and offerings is definitely stated in the third chapter of Malachi. God calls upon His human agents to be true to the contract He has made with them.” — Ellen G. White, Counsels on Stewardship, p. 75.
One of the positive cycles of obedience is recorded during the reign of good King Hezekiah of Judah. There was a genuine revival in Judah, and the people started faithfully returning their tithes and offerings to the temple storehouse. So much came in that it was piled in heaps at the temple. Second Chronicles 31:5 tells what happened when the people “brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything” (NKJV).
| What does your tithing (or lack thereof) say about your own spirituality and relationship to God? |
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The Israelite tithing system was quite complicated and getting a handle on it takes quite a bit of effort. Before next week which focuses on tithing in particular, I plan to republish my 2018 research into the tithing system. I am currently reviewing it and adding some information that I think I understand more than in 2018.
I will give you a spoiler though, because I think it is relevant today. A key feature of the tithing package was the notion of caring for one another. If you recall the prophetic denunciations of the Hebrews, one of the main criticisms was that they had abandoned the widows and orphans and were in fact exploiting them. Seventh-day Adventists have developed a compelling theology around tithing that comes across as legalistic. However, when you study the whole package of tithing as intended for the Israelites, you find that compassion and support are its two key elements. We ignore that part of the covenant at our peril.
Maurice,
Thanks for this insight. I should wish to hear more and more about your research. Thanks
Same here. Will love to learn more about the Israelites tithing.
Hey!
Hope you will share your research with us.
God bless you, brother.
Please Maurice
I want learn about your research. May God bless you.
Thanks.
Thanks
Following to see "the spoiler"
God in his own wisdom designed the tithing system fundamentally with spirituality of individuals in view. It tests the motive, the heart, in the area of loyalty. Backsliding is closely associated with unfaithfulness to tithing. According to Malachi 3, God speaks to his people of their weakness in the area of relationship. If they are unfaithful, the symptom is their unfaithful return of tithe. The solution is to return to God by reviving the faithful return of tithe, which is the indicator of a revived person. Thus, loyalty is the real test; the tithing system tests God's people's loyalty.
(Funny, when it comes to money, sometimes things just blink, a long blink).
Do I live my life to store up something that does not fulfil? Why do I work so much? Is it for my own benefit only, or for the benefit of others also? Does my life have a purpose other than just to make money? Is money a consequence or the objective of my labors? Do I know how to value it for real, or do I just spend it as I wish? As in everything in life, God wants me to be happy, including the sense of dealing with money. Money doesn't have to be a curse; instead it must be the result of God's blessing in my life, along with everything else. God knows how much I value money, so He delivered to me a mechanism to balance my relationship with it. "Taste and see..." (Psalm 34:8)
So, from what Sinias Ray us saying, for a fully converted soul, faithfulness in tithing just comes naturally due to the relationship that will be there between the person and God. It only becomes a burden when we are not fully converted.
I am happy to return the Lord's Tithe and my offering. Giving brings a relief. The blessings that God has promised us when we return what is rightfully His is still appropriate for all of us today.
Today’s lesson is about tithing, but Malachi also speaks about robbing God in offerings. Yet, he declares to bring all the tithe into the storehouse —- I wonder why offerings are not mentioned here? Is this significant?
I’ve heard a few brethren in the church say that they are only obligated to bring the tithe into the storehouse (church), but because they don’t like the way they see the church managing money, they prefer to send their offering to some other charity that they deem is doing the work of caring for people. I don’t see a pattern for this choice in the Bible.
I’m curious to know, how would you respond?
Hi, Sarah. It occurs to me that the answer might be more simple than anyone supposes. God points out that their problem involves the wrongful withholding of both tithes and offerings. However, when it comes to asking them to take immediate action, He encourages them to walk before they run, so to speak. If they will just begin by returning a faithful tithe, they can start to experience the blessings that will encourage them to "take it to the next level" with offerings.
Any thoughts?
Sarah I agree - I have always felt that it is not mine to judge how the finances are spent; mine is to return to God what He has so abundantly given to me and to pray that those in charge will make decisions with prayer and God’s leading. My husband sold Loma Linda foods for many years, and he has shared that one afternoon before the scheduled sales meeting, other salesmen were discussing tithing -- whether to return on the gross or the net of their pay. A newer Christian in the group listened to the discussion and finished the discussion with this: “How do you want your blessing -- on the gross or the net?”
What are the signs of a hardened heart? Does it share its ‘wealth’; does it care about the plight of others? Does it show compassion; does it notice the needs of others? I think God is pointing out that He sees the signs of the hardened heart when pointing out that His ‘storehouse is empty’.
Israel needed to open their heart that “there may be food in My house” – Malachi 3:10. Because they yet had to learn how to love God from their heart, they did not yet honor Him by showing compassion for their fellow man, resulting in God’s empty ‘storehouse’.
The spirit of the law of God is exemplified when we share and give generously from the heart. Loving our Creator God with all our heart is expressed in the context of ‘giving, sharing, and receiving’. Our God will prove to us this truth by gladdening our heart as we genuinely experience that we are “our brother’s keeper” – Rom.13:8; 1John 3:16-18; Gal.6:1-2.
I like Brigitte's emphasis. As Maurice mentioned, tithing as a doctrine comes off as legalistic. And it seems to me this week's lesson starts off with a contractual attitude towards God and His blessings. Do X and get stuff.
Thursday's and Friday's lessons have more of an emphasis on the relationship between us and our Father. And Friday's lesson includes the question about avoiding legalism, so I have confidence the lesson writer does understand the one overarching covenant of God with humankind - He is our Creator. He loves us. He gave Himself for our salvation and wants only the best for us. His ultimate plan of reconciliation will be accomplished by His great grace, love, mercy, and power. As His children and as stewards, we trust our Father and obey (however imperfectly). But salvation is His gift, fully paid.
PS. Everyone should read all of Malachi 3 to see it's not all about money.