Chapter 3: Tithing in Malachi's Prophecy

by Hazel

We are all well aware that the following verses in the book of Malachi continue to be used as the main authority for supporting the doctrine of “Christian tithing.” In order to understand some important truths from this passage, let’s examine these verses in the context of the whole book of Malachi in order to see if we can wrest a doctrine of Christian tithing from this prophecy.

· “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, 'How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—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 you will not have enough room for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord almighty. Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:8-12).

We have already discovered that under the Old Covenant tithing was compulsory. Notice that verse 8 says the people were robbing God of “tithes” (plural). So these tithes must refer to the three different tithes required under the Old Mosaic Law. To withhold these tithes was to become a thief.

Withholding of Tithes & Offerings

Additionally, this verse also states that it was not only the withholding of tithes that God objected to, but also the withholding of offerings. These offerings were the grain offering, the fellowship or peace offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering and the burnt offering, (Leviticus 2-7). Primarily these offerings were animal sacrifices. Also the Levites food supply was provided in large part through these animal sacrifices of which they were permitted to partake of in certain instances.

An important question comes to mind at this point. Why is it that in the Body of Christ today we recognize animal sacrifices to be obsolete under the New Covenant, but tithing is not? Since God lumps them both together (tithes and animal sacrifices) and says that His people were robbing Him by withholding both of them, then if we are obligated to pay tithe today, then most certainly we are also obligated to offer animal sacrifices! Either we must offer both tithes and animal sacrifices (offerings) or both these requirements have been abolished by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

In verse 9 we are told that if Israel withheld the tithes and offerings the nation would be under a cursed. This is in keeping with the Mosaic Law (See Deuteronomy 28) that Israel had agreed to enter into with God. We are told that if Israel disobeyed God's commandments and statutes their crops would fail, the rains would not come, the harvests would be small, the locusts would consume their food, the fruit of the trees would fail, to name just a few of the curses. In this same chapter God also carefully outlines the many blessings He will pour out upon them as a nation if they were obedient to His commands.

An interesting fact to point out at this time is that if tithing were an eternal moral command for all people for all time, then the whole race of mankind would be under a curse, not just the nation of Israel. But our text says it is the whole nation of Israel who is under a curse for breaking the Mosaic Law.

Let’s take a look at some of the other verses in the book of Malachi that deal more fully with the spiritual condition of God’s people at that time that led to the pronouncement of this curse in verse 9.

. “To you priests who despise My name… You offer defiled food (KJV says “polluted bread”) on my altar…when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil” (1:6-8 NKJ)?

. “Who is there among you who would shut the doors (of the temple), so that you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you,” says the Lord of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from your hands” (1:10 NKJ).

Consider what we have just read. The priests despise God’s name, their sacrifices are blind, lame and sick, and God says He will not accept their offering. So actually the people of Malachi’s day were tithing. It was the quality of their tithes from which they selected the blemished sacrifices that were unacceptable to God.

Why were blind, lame and sick animal sacrifices not acceptable to God? Because the animal sacrifices were a Shadow that pointed forward to the Substance—to the coming Reality—to the One who would become the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world—Jesus Christ!

That is why God had given the Israelites explicit instructions as to how sacrificial animals must be without spot or blemish (Leviticus 6:6; Deuteronomy 15:21; 1 Peter 1:19 NKJ). By offering blemished and second-rate sacrifices to God, the priests misrepresented what God was trying to teach the people spiritually about the coming Messiah—the spotless Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world once and for all time.

However, in another very literal sense it wasn’t the poor quality of their sacrifices that really angered God. It was the mind-set behind their giving. The infected and contaminated animals that they chose to sacrifice were but a symptom of their impure hearts. It was their hearts God was really after! Their tithes and offerings were totally unacceptable to God because their hearts were far from Him. They offered “blind, lame and sick sacrifices” because they themselves were spiritually blind, lame and sick, and were withholding their hearts from God.

The Storehouse

Moving on to Malachi 3:10 we see that God commands the Israelites to bring the tithes into the storehouse so that there will be “meat” in His house. God challenges them to prove His faithfulness to them by opening the windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing so great that there will not be enough room to receive it.

For some reason, many people think that whenever the word “storehouse” is mentioned it always refers to the temple in Jerusalem or to the rooms that were built on to the temple in Jerusalem to store the tithe (food). But that is not so. Since Jerusalem was not a Levitical city it makes no sense to teach that 100% of the tithe was brought to the Temple when most Levites and priests, along with their families did not live in Jerusalem, but in Levitical cities. Furthermore, since the general practice was for one family to serve in the Temple for only one week at a time, there was absolutely no reason to send the entire tithe to the Temple when 98% of those it was designed to feed were living in the Levitical cities.13

· “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals” (Numbers 35:2-3; Joshua 21:1-8; 1 Chronicles 6).

· “Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers” (1 Chronicles 27:25).

· “…Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house…” (Malachi 3:10).

Offering “Polluted Bread”
The word “meat” in this verse comes from the Hebrew word “taraph” and means, “to pluck off or pull to pieces; to supply with food as in morsels.” Interestingly enough, from this plucking off, pulling to pieces, and morsels, comes the familiar phrase “breaking bread.”14

We know that the only food in God’s house was a dozen loaves of bread (shewbread) that were placed upon the shewbread table in the Holy Place. We also know that the tithes and offerings were not brought into the Holy Place of the tabernacle. I’m sure the nation of Israel brought enough grain into the storehouses to make twelve loaves of bread on a regular basis for the Holy Place. Therefore, the “meat” (bread) God is addressing in verse 10 must be referring to something other than a lack of shewbread in His house that the priests were permitted to eatis houseHisHis.

We know that all of the offerings, feasts, ceremonies and holy days associated with the temple worship and services were a type—a shadow that pointed forward to the future Substance—the future Reality—Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:16). Therefore, the “bread” in the Holy Place must foreshadow the true “Bread of Life—Jesus Christ.”

Let’s consider for a moment what Jesus had to say to the Jews about the “bread from heaven” which they said their fathers ate in the wilderness.

. “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:32-33).

We know that under the leadership of the prophet Moses God did feed the nation of Israel bread (manna) in the wilderness.

. “Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat” (John 6:31).

But the “bread from heaven” (manna) in the desert was not the true “bread from heaven”. Although the “bread from heaven” that the Israelites ate in the wilderness was of sufficient quantity it lacked quality because it was only a type of the “true bread from heaven.” It pointed forward to Jesus Christ—the true “bread from heaven.” That’s why Jesus told the Jews that Moses did not give their fathers bread from heaven. That’s why Jesus said; “He who comes down from heaven and gives His life to the world is the true bread of God.”

Just as the bread in the desert that fed the children of Israel was a type (shadow) of the true bread from heaven (Jesus Christ), so the “polluted bread” on the altar in Malachi’s day was a type (shadow) of the unpolluted, fresh, pure, “true bread from heaven”—Jesus Christ!

In order to receive this “blessing from heaven” that God promised the priests and people of Malachi’s day they were urged to turn away from their evil ways and practices that misrepresented God’s name. If they repented of their ways and returned to God He promised to rebuke the devourer for them, so that it would not destroy the fruits of the ground (verse 11). Undoubtedly, the “devourer” refers to locusts that God warns will come upon their crops if they fail to bring the tithe (Deuteronomy 28:38).

Furthermore, if Israel was obedient in the giving of tithes and offerings, all the nations will call her blessed (verse 12) because the promises of blessing included abundant crops, copious rains, and large increases in herds and flocks (Deuteronomy 28).

Although the blessings and cursings spoken of in Malachi 3:8-12 refer to the material blessings God promised Israel if she would obey His commandments and statutes, there is a deeper spiritual meaning that God wants His children in every generation to understand.

I believe the prophetic message of Malachi not only spoke to the hearts of God’s people in that generation who lived under the Old Covenant, but it also speaks to the hearts of people today who live under the New Covenant. We know from the author of Hebrews that God never wanted animal sacrifices in the first place. He wanted our hearts. He wants us.

. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body you have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure” (Hebrews 10:5-6).

David also knew that His heart needed cleansing by God after His sin with Bathsheba. Animal sacrifices couldn’t do that. He knew that God delivers those who have a broken heart.

. “For you do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm51:16-17).

. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Isaiah knew that God could heal the backslider’s heart.

. “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” (Isaiah 57:15).

Samuel knew that obedience to God was more important that worship—offering sacrifices. Do we?

. “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (I Sam. 15:22).

If God has our hearts we will not be offering “polluted bread” upon His altar, and there would be plenty of fresh “unpolluted bread” in His house. In essence, Malachi’s prophecy not only exposed the polluted hearts of the priests and people of His day, it also causes us to humbly examine our own hearts and see if there be any wicked way within us that needs to be repented of before God.

Summary:

1. Tithe was 10% of the increase taken from agricultural products grown in the fields, along with grains, fruits, herds and flocks.

2. Tithe was food, not the giving of money.

3. Only landowners tithed.

4. The First Tithe (Levitical Tithe) was used to support the Levite priests and their families because they had no land inheritance

5. The Second Tithe (Festival Tithe) was used to provide for the religious feasts and festivals.

6. The Third Tithe (Poor Tithe) was used to take care of the poor in their towns and provide for the alien, orphan and widow.

7. Tithe under the Old Covenant was similar to our government taxation today. Since Israel was ruled by a theocracy the people were responsible to support the priests, religious festivals and the poor and needy.

8. The people never tithed from their poverty, but only on their increase.

9. Storerooms were built on to the temple in Jerusalem to hold the overflow of tithe.

10. Tithing was mandatory, never voluntary. The Law of Moses required it.

11. If Israel failed to bring the tithe into God’s house and failed to offer acceptable sacrifices the nation would be under a curse so that the devourer (locusts) would eat their crops and destroy the fruits on their trees.

12. If Israel tithed on her increase and offered acceptable sacrifices required by the Law of Moses the nation would be materially blessed by abundant crops, plentiful rains and large increase in herds and flocks.

13. God did not require the best of the cattle and flocks for tithe, but He did require the best for sacrifices because they were a type (shadow) that pointed forward to the coming Reality—Jesus Christ.

14. If the people of Israel brought blind, lame and sick animals to the priests to offer as sacrifices the nation was under a curse.

15. Tithing was not an eternal moral command for people for all time, but a requirement of the Law of Moses for the nation of Israel.

16. God lumped both tithes and offerings (animal sacrifices) that were required by the Law of Moses, together when He objected to the way the nation of Israel was robbing Him of tithes and offerings.

17. If the Law of Moses (Old Covenant) became obsolete after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, then tithing, along with animal sacrifices required under that Law have also been abolished.

Notes:
4.Verses that describe the contents of tithe: Leviticus 27:30, 32; Numbers 18:27, 28; Deuteronomy 12:17; 14:22, 23; 26 12; 2 Chronicles 31:5, 6; Nehemiah 10:37; 13:5; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 11: 42.
5.Russell Earl Kelly, Ph. D, “Should the church Teach Tithing?” A Theologians Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, p. 3. (http://www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com/).
6.Levi-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
7.Russell Earl Kelly, Ph. D, “Should the church Teach Tithing?” A Theologians Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine.
8.Levi-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
9.See Numbers 18:20-26; Deuteronomy 12:12; 14:27, 29; 18:1, 2; Joshua 13:14, 33; 14:3; 18:7; Ezekiel 44:28.
10.Brian Anderson, “Are Christians Supposed to Tithe?” (www.evangelizeamerica.org/apologetics/apologeticssub/tithing1.html). 11. The Truth about Tithing: http://www.biblebb.com/files/tithing.htm.
Should the Church Teach Tithing: http://www.inplainsite.org/html/the_church_and_tithing.html.
12. http://www.inplainsite.org/html/the_church_and_tithing.html
13.The American Heritage College Dictionary, p. 1444
14.Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary, p. 105, #2963.