The
worst offense of how people treated God as reported by Malachi was that they
were robbing God (3:6-12). How? By withholding their tithes, by giving
the worst instead of the best, by giving the least and not the most. Their
attitude was, "How little can I give and still keep God happy?"
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. 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.
The tithe is the minimum - it is what is expected from God's
people. In Hebrew tithe means 10%. The Bible talks of
not one but 3 tithes. One for the priests, one for the Temple, and one every
three years for the poor. That works out to 23+% annually if you're counting.
You see God's tithe (that's what it is) is the floor not the ceiling of giving
to the Lord's work. God’s tithe not "my tithe" is in recognition that
everything belongs to Him. Anything less than 10% is not to be called a tithe
but rather a donation or offering. It all starts from the heart.
Who do you trust in?
Prepare your heart and
engage in an honest conversation with God today about your giving. Amen?
