The tithe is one tenth of a person’s income, given to God as an act of worship. The first time the Bible speaks of a tithe is in Genesis 14. When Abraham was returning from his defeat of the kings led by Kedorlaomer, who had attacked Sodom, he gave a tithe to Melchizedek, king of Salem, of whom it is said that he was “priest of God Most High” (Genesis 14:17-20).
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Genesis 14:17-20)
There are several crucial things in this account. First, Abraham gave his offering to Melchizedek not under compulsion, but freely — with pleasure, willingness, and joy. This giving was an acknowledgment that the victory Abraham won over Kedorlaomer and the rescue of his nephew Lot from captivity were owed to God. This is what we too are doing when we give a tithe — we thank God for the strength and wisdom He gives us to work, and so we confess Him as the Source of every good thing in our lives.
Second, this offering was a precise proportion — ten percent — “a tenth of everything.” Notice, Abraham lived before the Law of Moses was given. He was not obligated to give a tithe, and neither are we. Yet he sensed in his heart that giving one tenth of everything was the most fitting proportion for his giving. This is also my own understanding of the tithe. For me it is not a “law,” but a natural spiritual principle.
Third, this offering was given to a higher authority that represented God on the earth. Melchizedek was “priest of God Most High.” Moreover, he was greater than Abraham, even though Abraham was a patriarch and “God’s friend” (James 2:23). Hebrews 7:4-7 says:
4 Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! 5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people — that is, from their fellow Israelites — even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. (Hebrews 7:4-7)
In the same way our giving to God should be — it should be voluntary, proportional, and given to the church, as God’s representative and the body of Christ on the earth.
Furthermore, in the letter to the Hebrews we read that Jesus, though He was not a Levite but came from the tribe of Judah, was nevertheless a priest — not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek.
14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. 15 And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 7:14-17)
According to the author of Hebrews, unlike the priesthood of Aaron, which is temporary, the priesthood of Melchizedek is eternal. Therefore Jesus, as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, besides everything else He has done and does for us, still today continues to receive our tithe and to bless us.
GIVE WILLINGLY AND WITH JOY!
Our giving is a reflection of our devotion. God is not pleased when we give out of obligation, or because we have felt forced or compelled to give. No — if we are going to give to God, then that giving must be an expression of our appreciation and gratitude toward Him. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 the apostle Paul says:
7 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)
The tithe is not a tax. It is a voluntary act!
GIVE TO GOD FIRST OF ALL!
In Proverbs 3:9-10 we read:
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)
These verses teach us to honor the Lord with our “firstfruits.” This means that God must be the first to receive something from our income. If He is our Lord, and yet we give Him what is left over, if we give Him something cheap and worthless, something we do not value — that shows that we do not honor Him. So when you receive your wages, or your pension, or your unemployment benefit, or your maternity support, go into your secret room, place the money before the Lord, ask for God’s blessing over it, and set aside one tenth for Him. Then you will sense God’s grace and blessing over you and your household.
Which comes first? Repaying the loan or giving the tithe? If you begin with repaying your loans, you will go on relying on loans, and not on God, for the blessing in your life.
GIVING PLACES US WITHIN THE REACH OF GOD’S BLESSING
Proverbs 3:9-10 says that when we honor the Lord with our wealth, then He will bless us — our barns will be filled to overflowing, and our vineyards will yield abundant fruit. Something similar is said in Malachi 3:10-12:
10 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. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:10-12)
The first belongs to the Lord. Do you remember the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in Sidon (1 Kings 17:8-16)?
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” (1 Kings 17:8-9)
Notice that God did not send the prophet to the “rich man of Sidon,” but to the “widow of Sidon.”
10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.” 12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread — only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it — and die.” (1 Kings 17:10-12)
This woman’s situation was truly desperate. She did not have enough for herself, let alone for a stranger, even one who was God’s prophet. Notice, however, what Elijah answered her:
13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’” (1 Kings 17:13-14)
Why did Elijah tell her to make bread for him first? Because by giving to him, the widow would be giving first to God. And this was also an expression of worship, gratitude, and faith in Him.
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:15-16)
GIVE IN PROPORTION TO YOUR INCOME!
Deuteronomy 16:17 says:
Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. (Deuteronomy 16:17)
As the Lord blesses us, so we too must respond. A tithe is a tithe everywhere in the world. The tithe is not ten leva. If your salary is a thousand leva, then your tithe will be a hundred leva. If your salary is a hundred leva, your tithe will be ten leva. It is proportional to our income. If the giving is less than ten percent of what a person earns, then what kind of giving is that? What kind of sacrifice? If you have 1000 leva, with 10 leva or without 10 leva it makes no difference. But 100 — that already has some significance.
Something similar about proportional giving is said in the New Testament as well (2 Corinthians 8:12):
12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. (2 Corinthians 8:12)
God does not expect the pensioner and the unemployed person to give as much as the one who is working gives. Nor does He expect the working person to give as much as the pensioner gives. The tithe is a proportional offering. It is an equal privilege for all.
GIVE WITH GOD’S WORK IN MIND!
In the book of the prophet Haggai we read about the attitude of that generation toward God’s work. They did not honor the Lord as they should have. Because of this, God “honored” them with drought and famine.
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest: 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’” 3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” 5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” (Haggai 1:1-11)
Do you see? When we give first to God, then He will care for us and bless us; but if we hold back what belongs to Him, then He will withdraw from us. According to the prophet Malachi, if we do not give the Lord the best of our possessions, we not only fail to honor Him, but we even “rob” Him. In Malachi 3:6-9 he conveys God’s words to His people this way:
6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors 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?’ 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse — your whole nation — because you are robbing me. (Malachi 3:6-9)
Why were those who did not give a tithe in Old Testament times cursed? Because they were breaking the covenant. According to that covenant, every failure to keep God’s command led to a curse. In the New Testament, things do not rest on laws but on promises. But does a similar principle operate in the New Testament as well? Without a doubt, it does: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
From Leviticus 27:30 we learn that the tithe is holy. It is set apart for and belongs to God.
30 “‘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)
Theft is not only taking something that belongs to another, but also withholding something that belongs to another. According to the Law, the tithe did not belong to the people, but to the Lord. Of course, today we are not under Law, but under grace. And yet, if we stop giving our tithe and leave the church without means for its work, will that be robbing God? Without a doubt, yes!
When the Israelites held back what they were supposed to give to the Lord, then He too held back what He could have given to them. When they repented and began to build God’s House, God promised them that from that very day He would bless them.
15 “‘Now give careful thought to this from this day on — consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the Lord’s temple. 16 When anyone came to a heap of twenty measures, there were only ten. When anyone went to a wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were only twenty. 17 I struck all the work of your hands with blight, mildew and hail, yet you did not return to me,’ declares the Lord. 18 ‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19 Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “‘From this day on I will bless you.’” (Haggai 2:15-19)
My prayer for you today is that, if you have stopped honoring the Lord with your possessions, if there is no blessing in your life, you would come to your senses and from this day decide to change. Think of God’s work. Stand within the reach of His blessing, and He will bless you!
GIVE TO GOD SYSTEMATICALLY!
What we see in God’s Word — both in the Old and the New Testament — is that our giving to God should not be random or occasional. It should be systematic and regular. In 1 Corinthians 16:2 the apostle Paul says to the Corinthians:
2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
Our giving to God is a function of (or depends on) how often we are paid. If we receive wages every week, then we should give a tithe every week; if once a month, then our tithe-giving too will be once a month. The point is not to skip it.
GIVE REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES!
Giving is a matter of trust and faith. Do we trust in God’s goodness? He is the One who has provided for everything we have, no matter how much or how little it is. In response to His giving, we give Him a portion of what He has given us. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 it says:
1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)
Notice the contrast in this verse: extreme poverty — rich generosity. Such should be our attitude too. Poverty could never be a reason for not giving a tithe. Because for the poor as well as for the rich, ten percent is ten percent, and it could never be the decisive factor in one’s financial situation.
The question is not whether you are rich or poor, but whether you are righteous or wicked. Because according to the Word, “the righteous give without sparing.” Proverbs 21:25-26 says:
25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. 26 All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. (Proverbs 21:25-26)
GIVE FOR ETERNITY!
In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 the apostle Paul gives the following exhortation to well-off Christians:
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
Notice that it says here that those who do not calculate every penny, nor set their hope on their money, but instead do good, and are generous and compassionate, by their giving lay up for themselves a “firm foundation” for the future, eternal life. It may seem incredible to you, but what we give to God here on earth accumulates in our bank account in heaven. Did not Jesus say the same thing (Matthew 6:19-21)?
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
Not only is our giving an eternal investment, but it is also an indicator of where we will spend eternity. If your money is invested in this world, then there your heart will be also; if it is invested in God’s kingdom, then there you too will be after your death.