Perspective: Four Practical Reasons to Tithe

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Four Practical Reasons to Tithe

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What will we eat?" or "What will we drink?" or "What will we wear?"  But strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:31,33 (NRSV)

I wanna love because You loved

I wanna give because You gave

I wanna reach my hand out to the lost

'Cause I know Your hand can save

From "Only You Can Save" by Chris Sligh

Many of the Hebrew prophets were sent by God to call the people of Israel and Judah to repentance and to warn them of the disaster that would befall them if they did not change their ways.  Others were sent to minister to the Jewish after they returned to their homeland after years of exile in a foreign land.  Their purpose was to encourage the people as they rebuilt their lives and to exhort the people to not return to the path of decay that led to their exile.  One such prophet was known as Malachi, meaning "messenger of the Lord."¹  One day, Malachi brought the people a message from God, saying, "Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!  But you say, 'How are we robbing You?'  In your tithes and offerings!"²

Tithing is the discipline of regularly dedicating ten percent of one's income to God.  The practice originated with the patriarchs of the Hebrew people.  When Abraham met the priest and king of Salem, he gave him a tenth of all he had.  Years later, his grandson Jacob promised God a tenth of everything God gave him, in return for God's providence.  Eventually, the practice would be incorporated into the Jewish Law.³  So often when the subject of tithing comes up, we think to ourselves, "Uggh...  Do I really have to do this?"  That said, I thought I would offer you four practical reasons to tithe.

First of all, tithing reminds us that everything good is a gift from God.

King David once took up an offering to help fund the temple his son Solomon would someday build.  After the offering was collected, David prayed to God, saying, "Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly?  Since everything comes from You, we have given You that which comes from Your own hand."⁴

The ancient Israelites lived in an agricultural society, and they made it a practice to bring the first of their harvest to the center of worship as an offering to God.  This firstfruits offering was both an act of gratitude for God's provision thus far and an act of faith that God would continue to provide.

Second, tithing reminds us that our trust is in God.

Through Malachi, God said to the people,
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and thus put Me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.⁵
This message is often misused by proponents of prosperity theology who claim that if a person is obedient to God, then God will make him or her wealthy.  I think that maybe this message is meant for people who think that their survival depends on hoarding and stretching every penny.  I wonder if maybe God is saying, "Trust in My providence enough to give Me ten percent of your income, and see if I don't come through for you."

As people of faith, our trust is in God and not in our income, our careers, or our ability to make money.  Jesus encourages His followers not to worry about basic needs like food, water, and clothing, but rather to trust in the God who already knows our needs.  If God provides for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, then God will surely provide for us human beings as well.⁶

Third, tithing helps us to become good stewards of what God has given us.

The fourth of the Ten Commandments calls us to set aside a single day for rest.  We typically focus on the part of the commandment that states, "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy," while glossing over the part that states, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work."⁷  If we are serious about dedicating an entire day to rest, then we must be intentional about how we use the other six days.  We must budget our time wisely to get all of our work done in six days, so that we may rest on the seventh.

The same principle can be applied to money.  If we dedicate ten percent of our income to God, then we must be intentional about how we use the other ninety percent.  When we budget our income, we have to evaluate all of our wants and needs, taking into consideration the funds at hand.  Creating a budget and sticking to it forces us to make better use of our money.  I have heard it said, "One hundred percent is never enough, but ninety percent is more than enough."

Lastly, tithing helps people in need.

Through Malachi, God called the people to tithe "so that there may be food in [God's] house."  Typically we view tithing as an obligation, but, in ancient Israel, tithing was a cause for celebration.  Every year, Jewish families presented a tenth of their harvest, livestock, or income to God at the temple.  They would then then use what they've presented to throw a banquet for their family, their friends, and even the poor.⁸  I wonder if it was such a feast Jesus had in mind when He said,
When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.⁹

When we support missions, we help to meet people's physical needs, and when we support the local church, we help to meet people's spiritual needs.  A congregation that has it's priorities straight will be concerned about both physical needs and spiritual needs.  Churches do not exist for their own self-preservation, but rather to do the work of Christ in a world of hungry and thirsty people.

If you don't already make it a practice to dedicate at least a tenth of your income to God, then I encourage you to give it a shot.  I will not tell you how to tithe: that's for you to figure out.  Remember that God is the Giver of all good gifts and that we are blessed that we may be a blessing to others.


Notes:

1. Wikipedia: Malachi
2. Malachi 3:8 (NRSV)
3. Wikipedia: Tithe (Section: Hebrew Bible)
4. 1 Chronicles 29:14 (CEB)
5. Malachi 3:10 (NRSV)
6. Matthew 6:25-30
7. Exodus 20:8-11 (NRSV)
8. Glen Carpenter.  Sacrifices and Offerings: A Study Guide in Bible Symbolism.  2012.
9. Luke 14:12-14 (NRSV)

The photograph featured in this perspective was taken by Bill Nicholls and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.  The photographer is in no way affiliated with this blog.