| Key
Teachings: Finances
The
first mention of anyone paying tithes is in Genesis,
chapter 14 when Abraham is recorded as paying “tithes”
to the Priest Melchizedek - 430 years before the “Law”
ever was.
The word “tithe” literally means a tenth.
The concept of giving a tenth of all your increase to
God is one that is found throughout the bible. After
Abraham, who is called the “Father of our faith”,
we see Jacob declare to 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.”
(Genesis
28:22)
As Abraham, Jacob and others gave tithes unto the Priests
of the Lord, the Law of Moses also included this as
a commanded practice. “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.”
(Leviticus
27:30)
“I
the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob,
are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your forefathers
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?’ Will a man rob God? Yet you
rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the
whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 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 you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent
pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your
fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD
Almighty. Then all the nations will call you blessed,
for yours will be a delightful land, says the LORD Almighty.
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits
of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to
overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
(Malachi
3:6-12)
In this passage we see the whole story on tithing. First
of all, for those who think tithing was just for the
Old Testament saints, God starts out with, “I
the LORD do not change.” And it is God Himself
who states that we “rob” him when we don’t
give our tithes to Him. He says that we are cursed when
we don’t tithe. Our finances are cursed.
We
are to bring the tithe into the “storehouse”.
The storehouse in this time was the temple. Today the
storehouse is where ever you receive your spiritual
help. “That there might be meat in my house…”
means that your tithes support the priesthood and the
work of God in general. And then, one of the most awesome
promises in the Bible, God says, “Test me (prove
me), says God...” Here God challenges men to prove
Him regarding the rewards of tithing. Not only does
he promise to pour out of His blessings on your lives,
He also promises to “prevent pests from devouring
your crops...”
The Bible tells us that Satan comes to “steal,
kill and destroy.” But here, God says that
if you will believe Him for your financial blessings,
He will also begin to rebuke the devil on your behalf
in other areas of your life. And the fruits of your
life that you have been hoping for will begin to spring
forth. And others will begin to take notice of your
blessing and they will call you “Blessed.”
“Honor
the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits (tithes)
of all your crops: then your barns be filled to overflowing
and your vats will brim over with new wine.” (Proverbs
3:9-10)
One of the things about the Bible you don’t hear
preached very often is that God is a very conditional
God. What I mean by that is, you’ll find a lot
of awesome promises named in the Bible, but there are
almost always “IF’s” listed. This
means, “If you do this... then you get the blessings...”
Yes, the main thing, God’s Love, is unconditional.
But, even salvation is conditional. The Bible teaches
us that Jesus died for the sins of all men. But do all
men have their sins forgiven? No. Why? Because you have
to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that
He died for our sins and on the third day rose again.
When you believe, repent, ask forgiveness and accept
Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you become born
again and receive salvation.
Jesus said, “I would that none should perish...”
But alas, He wept for those whom He said would reject
Him and be lost for eternity. So, it should be no surprise
that financial blessing by the hand of God is a conditional
thing.
Do you have to tithe? No. You can try it on your own.
But most people fail miserably without the blessing
of God on their finances. You don’t have to do
anything—you get to. God doesn’t need your
money. You need the hand of God’s blessing on
your finances and on your life.
“Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!
You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin
(their crops). But you have neglected the more important
matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness.
You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting
the former.” (Matthew
23:23)
Jesus wanted them to focus on the “more important”
things of the law, such as mercy and faith, but He clearly
states here that they should pay their tithes as well.
While I understand that there is some controversy concerning
tithing in the church today—whether or not God
requires it—I will say this. The Book of Hebrews
goes into great detail describing the relationship between
Abraham and the Priest Melchizedek and how they represented
the church and God. The principle is clear: The members
of God’s church are to give tithes of all their
increase. In doing so, God promises to bless them in
all areas of their life. There are no scriptures in
the entire New Testament that give a substitute program
to God’s system of tithing.
“Anyone
who receives instruction in the word must share all
good things with his instructor” (Galatians
6:6)
“The
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles
by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham:
“All nations will be blessed through you.”
So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham,
the man of faith.” (Galatians
3:8-9)
God knew that Abraham would be an example to those who
would live by faith—forever. Who wants to be the
one to determine that God only meant for Abraham to
exemplify our faith in certain ways or areas but not
others?
Malachi
3:10 clearly teaches us that only after faithful
tithing begins do the windows of heaven open. With only
about 18 percent of active church members in America
tithing, it is no wonder the church is so deeply in
debt or restricted in its outreach and effectiveness
in the community. Rampant debt is a common occurrence
under a closed heaven. If you are not a regular tither,
it is important for you to start tithing at the very
next opportunity. If you choose to continue as a non-tither,
there is little hope for change or victory financially.
You may be asking yourself how you can possibly afford
to give 10% of your pre-tax income to God when you are
already stretched too thin financially. The answer to
that question is best answered with this question: How
will you ever get out of debt and free from financial
struggles until you get rid of the devourer? God promised
to rebuke the devourer for those who have the faith
to tithe (Mal.
3:10-11). Remember, disobedience is what gets people
into trouble financially in the first place, so it stands
to reason that obedience will get them out. The real
question should be – how can you afford not to
pay tithes?
Do not let human reasoning or distorted teaching to
confuse you. God does not move based on “need”
alone. If this were true, there would be no starving
children in Africa and other third world countries.
If God were moved by need alone, wouldn’t He be
obligated to step in and save all those who were under
oppression by evil dictators who were starving and killing
them? The truth is, your need will not open the windows
of heaven. The Bible clearly states how those windows
of blessing are opened and man cannot change it.
Take God at His Word and “test” Him or “prove”
Him and see if God will not open up the windows of heaven
and pour out a blessing on your life that will be more
than you can contain. This type of blessing allows you
to become the one who blesses others – instead
of always being in need.
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