Before we get to the verse most frequently used to teach tithing as a requirement for Christians, let’s make sure we have a firm foundation for understanding the context of Malachi. If you haven’t read my discussion on 2 Chronicles 31 and Nehemiah 10, 12, and 13, please take the time to go back and study those articles. This post will still be here for you to read later. It’s important to have the right historical context for Malachi before reading and interpreting it. (Nehemiah and Malachi probably lived in the same place at the same time, so studying Nehemiah will help you better understand Malachi.)

Robbing God’s Tithes and Offerings

       Malachi 3:8-12 begins by accusing the sons of Jacob of robbing God in tithes and offerings.

       ⁶ “For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed. ⁷ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.”

Malachi 3:6-8 (WEB)

       As we’ve studied already, these tithes and offerings are the things God specifically commanded to the Israelites. Although tithing advocates use these verses to support a single 10% tithe to the church, they do not discuss the other tithes God required of the Israelites or the various offerings (sin, peace, wave, etc.) He required of them as well. God was calling the people and the priests to return to keeping all of His commandments, statutes, and ordinances – not just those concerning a single 10% tithe. Using this passage of Scripture to teach a requirement of tithing to a church without including the requirement to follow all of the Law is abusing the Scriptures and twisting it for man’s purposes.

Cursed with the Curse

       God makes it clear that He is specifically speaking to the nation of Israel (and not to Christians) by cursing them with “the curse”.

       You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation.

Malachi 3:9 (WEB)

       The nation of Israel had bound themselves to follow all of the commandments, statutes, and ordinances found in the Law under penalty of the curse (see my discussion on Nehemiah). What is “the curse” if not the curse that applied to those who did not keep the whole Law?

       Those who use these verses in Malachi to teach Christians that they will be cursed if they do not tithe are seriously misusing the Scriptures. You must understand that the curse God is referring to here is the same curse found in Deuteronomy 27 and 28, which applies to the Israelites who do not keep the Law of Moses.

       So if you want to teach Christians that they must tithe or else be cursed by God, then you must also teach them to keep every single commandment in the Law or else be cursed. And if you want to do that, you might as well ignore the fact that Jesus came to die for our sins and take away the curse of the Law. But we know that we (Christians) no longer live by the Law but by faith because Christ redeemed us from the curse.

       ¹⁰ For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
       
       ¹¹ Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.” ¹² The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”
       
       ¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” ¹⁴ that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:10-14 (WEB)

       So we should not be teaching that Christians must tithe under penalty of a curse from God, or else we completely ignore all that Jesus did for us. We cannot place ourselves under the yoke of the Law with regards to tithing and choose to ignore all of the other commandments, statutes, and ordinances that are found in the Law.

The Tithe in the Storehouse

       Verse 10 then says to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in God’s house.

       “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for.”

Malachi 3:10 (WEB)

       As we learned in our study of Nehemiah and 2 Chronicles 31, the Temple storehouse was not designed to hold the entire tithe of Israel. Only the Levites received the tithe, and they received it in their Levitical cities (not at the Temple). It was then the duty of the Levites to bring the tithe of the tithes to the Temple so there would be food available for the Levites and priests serving at the Temple during their shifts. Nehemiah specifically notes that the priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe of the tithes and the Levites went home so they could eat. (And remember that Nehemiah and Malachi address the same time period in Israel.)

       Tithing advocates stretch the meaning of this verse to include the full tithe that went to the Levites and say that the storehouse is the local church. However, the clear context of these verses and the Bible’s teaching on the tithe do not support these ideas. Furthermore, placing Christians under the burden and curse of the Law entirely ignores Christ’s sacrifice for us.

The Tithe Was Still Food and Only Food

       Finally, these verses continue to make it evident that God’s tithing statutes for the Israelites only included food and never money.

       ¹⁰ “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for. ¹¹ I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. ¹² “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.

Malachi 3:10-12 (WEB)
emphasis mine

       Every single instance of tithing in the Bible, including this one, refers to the tithe containing only food and never money. The entire description of how God would bless the Israelites in this passage relates to the production of food. It’s all about how God would send them rain (open the windows of heaven means to send rain) and protect their crops. It says nothing about money or income – only food because that’s all the tithe ever contained. It was not that the Israelites did not have money – there are plenty of Biblical examples that show the use of money before, during, and after tithing was enacted among the Israelites. God never intended for the Israelites’ tithes to contain money.

       But modern tithing teachers tell you that you must give 10% from any and all sources of income – not just agricultural produce. At the same time they claim to be holding to the Bible’s teaching about tithing. It should be very clear by now that the Bible never taught anyone to tithe money, but men today want your money and teach false doctrines in an effort to get as much as they can. When will we open our eyes to this truth?

No More Lies

       I challenge you to study the truth of what I am saying and to read what God has to say about this issue. Stop listening to men long enough to hear God and then you will find His truth. We have seen that Malachi 3:8-12 plainly does not apply to Christians, but it is constantly used to force Christians to tithe out of fear of a curse from God. Do not let these lies infest your church any longer! Stand up for the truth and follow God’s principles for New Covenant giving.

Stay Tuned!

       With this we’ve looked at all the Old Testament examples of tithing. (I didn’t look at Amos 4:4-5, but it barely mentions tithing and hardly applies to our study.) I’ll begin looking at New Testament verses on tithing next week. Make sure you sign up for free updates to Provident Planning if you don’t want to miss anything!

       Nehemiah 10, 12, and 13 provide some of the clearest verses on how tithing worked in the Old Testament. Having a solid understanding of tithing in Nehemiah is critical if you want to correctly understand Malachi 3:8-10. Too many people look at those verses in Malachi without correctly understanding the meaning behind those verses. Then they take those verses and apply them to Christians – saying that those who tithe will be blessed and those who do not will be cursed.

       When we get to Malachi, we’ll see why understanding how tithing worked is important and why many modern applications of the verses in Malachi miss the mark in the meaning of those verses. Let’s take some time now to prepare for our study of Malachi by looking at the context that Nehemiah gives us.

An Oath to Do All of God’s Commandments

       An important factor to consider as we study Nehemiah and Malachi is that these Israelites were under the Law of Moses including the blessings and curses that came with it. Jesus’ sacrifice paid the full price for the punishment that is due to us under the Law of Moses, which means the curses of the Law do not apply to us any more. Malachi was written specifically to the Israelites – and more specifically to a group of Israelites that had entered into a curse and taken an oath to keep all of God’s commandments, ordinances, and statutes.

       ²⁸ The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, everyone who had knowledge, and understanding— ²⁹ they joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes;

Nehemiah 10:28-29 (WEB)

       What I find interesting is that tithing advocates today choose to bind themselves and others to the statute of tithing but neglect all the other commandments, ordinances, and statutes God gave the Israelites. Even following these two verses in Nehemiah are several things that no one teaches Christians to do like refusing to buy or sell on the Sabbath (Saturday), not charging interest to fellow Christians, and observing the Sabbatical Year every seventh year. But God’s Word tells us that if we try to keep the whole Law and fail in even one point then we’re guilty of failing in all of it.

       ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. ¹¹ For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

James 2:10-12 (WEB)

       By His blood, Jesus has paid for the condemnation we are under because of our sin – taking away that condemnation from us and along with it the curses of the Law. So when someone tells you that God will curse you if you do not tithe, they are failing to realize that we are under a law of freedom in Christ and they ignore the value and purpose of His shed blood. (Note that this is not a freedom to do whatever we wish. We are free from the punishment of the Law because Christ paid what was due on our behalf.)

       This understanding is key to knowing why the curses of Malachi 3:8-10 do not apply to Christians. God still calls us to give, but it is no longer under the statutes of tithing. We are called to give because of His love living in us as His Spirit leads us.

The Tithe Went to the Levites – Not the Temple

       Although we already learned this in Numbers 18, the tithes went to the Levites in the cities where they lived. It was the Levites’ responsibility to bring the tithe of the tithes to the Temple for the support of the priests and the Levites while they were serving in their shifts. This is made clear by these verses in Nehemiah:

       ³⁴ We cast lots, the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers’ houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law; ³⁵ and to bring the first fruits of our ground, and the first fruits of all fruit of all kinds of trees, year by year, to the house of Yahweh; ³⁶ also the firstborn of our sons, and of our livestock, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God; ³⁷ and that we should bring the first fruits of our dough, and our wave offerings, and the fruit of all kinds of trees, the new wine and the oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

       ³⁸The priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms, into the treasure house.

Nehemiah 10:34-38 (WEB)
emphasis mine

       It’s very important you understand those parts I emphasized before reading Malachi 3:8-10. The people of Israel only brought the first fruits and the firstborn to the Temple for the priests. These first fruits would have been quite small compared to the tithe that came from all of Israel. First fruits were small enough to fit into a basket.

       The tithe went to the Levites, who lived in the Levitical cities (not at the Temple). Then the Levites were charged with bringing the tithe of the tithes to the Temple. Only the Levites – not the people of Israel – took the tithes into the Temple storehouse. Further evidence is given in Nehemiah 12 that the Levites gathered the whole tithe (10%) in their cities and brought a tenth of that (1% of all Israel’s increase) to the Temple storehouse.

       On that day were men appointed over the rooms for the treasures, for the wave offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who waited.

Nehemiah 12:44 (WEB)
emphasis mine

       This is important to understand because those who use Malachi 3:8-10 to teach tithing to Christians hold that those verses are speaking to the entire nation of Israel to bring their tithes into the Temple storehouse – which they then use to say that Christians should bring their tithes into the church. However, such an application of those verses is wrong because:

1. Christians are not under the curses of the Law.

       

2. The New Testament temple is not a building – the bodies of those who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them are the temple.

       

3. Only the Levites – not all of Israel – took tithes into the Temple storehouse – and even then it was only a tithe of the tithes (a tenth of the 10% all of Israel gave to the Levites).

Priests Who Steal

       The final part of Nehemiah that we’ll study gives us a clear context for Malachi. Both books were written around the same time, and both books show how the priests failed to follow God’s statutes concerning the use of the tithe of the tithes.

       In Nehemiah 13:4-12, we see how the priests had failed to give the Levites their portion of the tithe of the tithes while they were serving in the Temple. It appears that the priests even stole the Levites’ portion of the tithe of the tithes.

       ⁴ Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the rooms of the house of our God, being allied to Tobiah, ⁵ had prepared for him a great room, where before they laid the meal offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the wave offerings for the priests.

       ⁶ But in all this, I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went to the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king, ⁷ and I came to Jerusalem, and understood the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah, in preparing him a room in the courts of God’s house. ⁸ It grieved me severely: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the room. ⁹ Then I commanded, and they cleansed the rooms: and there brought I again the vessels of God’s house, with the meal offerings and the frankincense.

       ¹⁰ I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled everyone to his field. ¹¹ Then I contended with the rulers, and said, “Why is God’s house forsaken?” I gathered them together, and set them in their place. ¹² Then brought all Judah the tithe of the grain and the new wine and the oil to the treasuries.

Nehemiah 13:4-12 (WEB)

       Due to Eliashib’s actions the Levites who were serving at the Temple were not receiving the portion due to them. So the Levites went back home and started working in their fields (like they normally did when they weren’t serving in the Temple) so they’d have something to eat. After Nehemiah got the Levites to come back, he needed to replenish the food the priests had stolen. That’s why we see all of Judah bringing the tithe to the treasuries of the Temple rather than to the Levitical cities. This was a special exemption to the normal practice because of the circumstances. If Nehemiah had not done this, there would still have been no food for the Levites while they were serving at the temple.

       This passage shows us three things:

1. The tithe that belonged in the storehouse of the Temple was meant to provide food in God’s house for those who were serving at the Temple. However, this is the tithe of the tithes – not the full tithe that was given to the Levites. This is key to understanding Malachi 3:8-10.

       

2. The Levites did not serve at the Temple full time. They had fields they farmed when they weren’t serving their shift at the Temple.

       

3. The tithe was still only food items and never money. This aspect of tithing never changed in the Bible. Modern tithing supporters have changed it to include money.

Stay Tuned!

       We still have several verses to examine concerning tithing. However, the last few Scriptures won’t need nearly as much background information to understand. Thanks for sticking with me as we look at these Old Testament examples of tithing. After we look at Malachi, we’ll be looking at New Testament verses on tithing. If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, make sure you sign up for free updates to Provident Planning.