In today’s posting we will resolve the question I left you with last time: If you want to refer back to the Mosaic Law for guidance today, can you “pick and choose” what you want to follow? The answer will become apparent as we now get into one of the most cited passages used to support tithing as a requirement for us today.
Recall that we just finished talking about not one required tithe, not two required tithes, but three required tithes in the Old Testament. Did the Israelites follow these requirements? As we delve into the book of Malachi and chapter 3:8-11 in particular, you’ll see that it was unlikely, and this will be the last major mention of the tithe in the Old Testament. As you’ll also see, we have to be very careful of the context in determining how to interpret it – but you should be used to that by now!
First, a bit of context about the book of Malachi as a whole. The Israelites have recently been allowed to return from exile and rebuild the temple. But as chapter 4, verse 4, very clearly reminds the Israelites, they were still subject to the requirements of the Mosaic Law:
Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
This is important because the very first verse of the book begins with the word “oracle”—the Hebrew word literally means burden—instilling the listeners with an immediate sense of anxiety and foreboding. And rightfully so, as both the priests and the people had been violating the stipulations of the Law regarding sacrifices, tithes, and offerings. Moreover, the people were intermarrying with pagans as well as practicing divorce. As proof, it says this in Malachi 3:7:
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.
There is also evidence that life had not been easy for them since returning: 1) they were under the political domination of Persia and 2) harvests had been poor, subject to locust damage. As a result, they were discouraged in a lot of ways, especially that God had not yet returned to the temple to display his majesty and power and exalt His kingdom in sight of the nations (3:1).
So, with all of that as the context, let’s now read the passage about tithing in Mal 3:8-11:
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—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 there will not be room enough to store it. 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.
A pretty amazing passage, don’t you think? Here’s God telling Israel straight out that they are robbing Him. Like other instances in Malachi, the Isrealites respond with a sarcastic question: “How are we robbing you?” Their question is reminiscent of a classic confrontation between Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise in the movie “A Few Good Men”—if you’ve seen the movie, you likely remember it:
Nicholson: You want answers?
Cruise: I want the truth!
Nicholson: You can’t handle the truth!
In Malachi, God gives the truth to the Israelites, whether they can handle it or not. First, He tells them that they are not following His Law by bringing the required tithes and offerings—and the answer to my earlier question. Since some of these items went to support the priests, and they were part of the temple system, and the temple was God’s house, failure to bring in what the law required was equivalent to robbing God Himself. Second, He tells them that, as a result, the whole nation is under a curse—the very curse specified in the Mosaic Law in Deut 28:38-40:
You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. 40 You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off.
But then, an amazing thing happens. After sternly telling the Israelites how they have failed and the righteous judgment they have received as a result, God demonstrates His unending and ever-forgiving love for them by making the same offer to them as He does to anyone truly seeking to return to Him, saying in verses 7 and 10-11 (paraphrased just a bit):
“return to Me … honor Me by doing what I ask … even test Me in this … and see that I will not only reverse the curse but bless you mightily again.”
Did the Israelites rise up to God’s challenge of “test me in this” AND return to following Him? We don’t know, for soon thereafter the 400-year silence between the Old and New Testaments begins. But given their history, what do you think?
And ponder this: This is the only occasion in the entire Bible where God says, “test me in this.” Hopefully now understanding the context of Malachi 3:8-11 and God’s ultimate hope for the disobedient Israelites, does it even seem appropriate to use this passage to support tithing—whether it is 10%, or 20%, or whatever—in the New Testament? Realize that some churches will even go so far as to suggest that not following this guidance will result in the believer being under a curse. As you think about that, let me mention something else before we consider another facet of this issue: When you refer back to the Old Testament for guidance during New Testament times – especially when referring to the Law, you cannot “pick and choose” what you want to follow. If you are going to draw things from the Law, you must then follow the whole Law: Temple worship, the sacrificial system, circumcision – in essence, all that is laid out in the book of Deuteronomy. Are you willing to do that? As one of my friends has put it, do you want to become Jewish?
Not only that - there’s even more. Let’s re-read Malachi 3:8 a little more carefully to see the second facet I alluded to. This verse reads:
"But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' "In tithes … and offerings.”
Beyond the three tithes we talked about, there was also a host of offerings specified under the Law, many required and some completely freewill. As you can see from this table, all of the required tithes and offerings added up to somewhere between 30-45% of their income. Add to that all of the freewill offerings and … well, I think you get the picture. If you want to suggest that tithing is the requirement for us today, then it’s a whole lot more than simply 10%.
TYPE AMOUNT FREQUENCY
1. Levitical Tithe – Lev. 27:30, 32 10% (12% if paid cash) Annual
2. Festival Tithe - Deut. 14:22-23 10% Annual
3. Welfare Tithe - Deut. 14:28-29 3 1/3%? Every 3rd year
4. Gleanings - Lev. 19:9 ? Every harvest
5. Temple Tax – Ex. 30:13-16, Matt 17:24-27 1% Annual
6. Land Sabbath Rest - Lev. 25:4 14%* Every 7th year
7. Debts set aside - Deut. 15:1 __?__ Every 7th year
Total 30-45%
* 1 year out of 7 = 14% for landowners
So, if you have been reading this seriously, I would venture to say that some are probably feeling a tad uncomfortable right now because your long-held views on giving, if not shattered then are at least shaken – am I right?
A reasonable question at this point would be the following: Well, doesn’t the New Testament talk about tithing? And, yes, it does. Come back in a couple of days where we will cover that base and be able to confidently answer the question, “Does God’s Word teach that New Testament believers should tithe?”