How God Sees Tithing
The Lord God Almighty established tithing. Tithing is not the invention of man, nor is it his property. Leviticus 27:30 says, "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain form the soil or fruit form the tree, belongs to the Lord: it is holy to the Lord." The reason God established tithing is to bless everything the tither puts his hands to, and to have that tither take God's tithe and give it to the man of God. God uses His tithe to finance His work on earth. Men have taught that tithing ended with the writing of the New Testament. This has led many believers into the false notion that God has changed. The Greco-Roman church, in its attempt to de-Judaize itself, has thrown away God's blessing which comes when God's people tithe. God has not changed. A passage quoted by pastors attempting to raise their budgets is Malachi 3. Almost without exception, these pastors fail to notice the context of verse number l0 (their favorite).
Sowing and Reaping - God instituted the concept of "sowing and reaping." In Genesis 1:9-13 God created all plants and their reproductive process. In Genesis 8:22 He confirms that seedtime and harvest will continue as long as the earth endures. Solomon affirms God's plan in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 when he says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot . . . " The Apostle Paul told the Church at Galatia: "A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). He told the Church at Corinth, "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (II Corinthians 9:6). As in farming, a thither "reaps" what he "sows." A tither's heart is as important to God as the act of tithing itself. The two must be in harmony. One should never think that God does not notice the heart during the act of giving. The heart should be totally free to participate in God's divine plan of reaping in direct proportion to what has been sown. God's main purpose in tithing is to bless everything the tither puts his hands to. His blessing results from witnessing the obedience of the tither as affirmed by the act of tithing. Deuteronomy 12:7 says of the tither, "There in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you." This is affirmed in Deuteronomy 14:29 where it again says, " . . . so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." God instructs His people to give to the poor in Deuteronomy 15:10 and affirms again, "Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." Without a doubt, God desires to bless all who tithe. Tithing is an affirmation to Him that He has done all things well. To the Biblical Jew, the tithe (10%) represents the whole (l00%). When one gives l0% of his increase back to God, he is actually giving all God has given him back to God! This is why tithing is such a great revealer of man's heart.
Importance of the Number Ten - Ten represents one hundred. When giving God one tenth, man actually gives God all. This way of giving reveals man's heart to God. A correct heart says, 'God, you have given me all that I have, I now give it all back represented by this one tenth. Freely I have received, freely I now give. By my act of tithing, I declare you are my God, and you declare that I am your treasured possession.' In Israel, as in other peoples, the importance of the number ten is linked with original reckoning of the fingers. Thus, ten is the basis of the 'dekadic' system which arose in antiquity. In the Old Testament, for example, ten is an important and recurring number. The Law of God is given in 'Ten' commandments (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5).
Receiving and Handling the Tithe Properly - It is equally important to God that the man of God properly receive the tithe. How the man of God receives tithe is critical to God. There must be a "face to face" encounter between tither and man of God to keep the integrity in the act. In Numbers l8:32 God lets all men of God know that they must "not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites." There are two aspects of tithing rarely discussed in a local congregation. They are: l) What is the proper way to receive the tithe? and, 2) How should the tithe be handled after it is received? Since there is little instruction on these two critical points, believers tend to follow their own "organizational guidelines." Unfortunately, tithers in this condition are left without knowledge of how God looks at tithing, the affirmation of the tither's covenant with Him. They do not experience the blessing of God "to bless everything they put their hands to." Most congregations collect the tithes in an impersonal manner and then ask God to bless the offering. Tithing should be intimately personal with the man of God who should then bless the tither, not the offering. Tithing is done to obey God, to invoke His blessing upon the tither, and to cooperate with God as He finances His work on earth. Tithing is the affirmation God looks for to see if you intend to obey all His commands. It is the revealer of the heart. That is how God sees tithing.
