Gratitude and Tithing
This, I know is a touchy subject for a lot of the Christian population. There are many who view tithing as the Church’s way of grabbing money from the people to use for their own pleasure. Though I do not speak for all churches, there are some out there that are not faithful with the tithe and offerings, but this should not deter God’s people from following His commands to pay our tithes to His house. The tithe has many important roles in God’s Kingdom on Earth beyond supplying the necessary funds to run the Church, it’s also an incredibly important portion of our blessing and treasure in Heaven. But why do we tithe in the first place? Why is it a tenth, and not less? What’s the difference between a tithe and an offering? There are many questions about this, and I want to study scripture to answer all of these, but I also want to know one more thing; what does tithing have to do with gratitude and thanksgiving?
There are many places in Scripture where tithing is mentioned, and many places where it’s either demanded or practiced. The first sons of Adam and Eve gave a portion of their works, and God was pleased with Abel’s portion, an unblemished lamb. In many places, God demanded a tenth of everything His people had, and not only a tenth, but a tenth of the first fruits. The first of their crops, their herds, and their money. What was the reason for this? In many ways, it was to store up food and provisions in the house of God to feed those whose sole employment was to God’s house. Without this, they would have either had nothing or had to work in other ways and neglect God’s house in one way or another for provisions. The purpose of tithing is fairly straight forward and carries an important responsibility.
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,
21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.
22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Genesis 28:20-22 (NKJV)
Here, Jacob made a vow with God to give a tenth of everything He gave him in return for his provisions, and this carries down to the laws of Moses, as he speaks about the tithes in Leviticus. The tithes in the book of Leviticus are far more than just ten percent of a person’s money, it’s ten percent of many different things, including of all the crops. God often commands the tithe be either from all a person’s wealth or all their works and from all their increases.
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NKJV)
God has always commanded a tithe from his people for the sake of His house, even if many chose not to pay their tithes. But as many as there are blessings for giving the tithe, there are also warnings for not giving the tithe. God will not bless those who do not bless the house with their tithe, but in Scripture, He has gone so far as to curse many who robbed God of His tithe. The tenth is holy to the Lord and not to be taken for ourselves.
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
Malachi 3:8-9 (NKJV)
So, why is it a tenth? That answer is also straightforward, tithe in and of itself means tenth or ten percent. The tithe is in fact one-tenth. When paying the tithe, it should always be ten percent, never less. But in many cases, an offering is also given. This is an offering of more than the tithe to the Church. In the Old Testament, a burned offering or others were given on top of the tithe, but today, an offering is a different kind of sacrifice. It’s giving more, in sacrifice, than the initial tithe itself, but the tithe is always ten percent. Giving less than ten percent is taking from the tenth that God has already declared as His own, and this is a warning that should be taken very seriously. I personally have seen the effects of withholding part of the tithe, even for financial reasons. The Lord withholding His blessings from you is never worth keeping the tenth that is His. On the other hand, the blessings that God pours out for being faithful with the tithe are far greater than anything we could ever accomplish by keeping the small amount that we are commanded to give to the Lord.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
What does tithing have to do with gratefulness? Well, everything. Tithing isn’t just a responsibility and a commandment, it’s an act of thanksgiving to God. Look at Jacob in Genesis 28, why did he decide to give God a tenth of everything? As gratitude for His provision. The tithe should not be given begrudgingly, which says in your heart that you wish you didn’t have to, but it should be given cheerfully and gratefully. A heart full of thanksgiving toward God will be followed with thankfulness toward his provision in your life, which in turn will be followed by giving back to God His portion of your blessing, gratefully.