In Malachi's day, Israel was far from God. Their worship was insincere, their morality was lacking and the downward spiral that they'd embarked upon had them in a spiritual mess.

Their question to God: How can we return to You?

The Lord's Answer: Through faithful obedience, particularly in the area of stewardship.

God had commanded a tithe (or tenth) of everything they earned to be given back to Him and they were rebelliously withholding it.

It much the same way, we're commanded to be generous with what the Lord has provided for us all throughout the New Testament.

BUT WHY? He doesn’t need our money. It’s all His anyway.

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the earth and everything therein.”

If that 10th was so important to God, why not cut out the middleman, blessing His people with 90% and withhold the 10% from the get-go?

Answer is two fold –

· Because God Desires For Us To KNOW Where All We Have Comes From

Acts 17:25 “He is not served by human hands, as though He needed anything since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things”

Do we really believe that everything I have is a gift from God? That He owns it all?. Most would say yes….but the true answer is revealed in our obedience in this area

· Because He Desires To Bless Him People

Giving in general, and the tithe specifically, is an act of faith and without that, Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith, it’s impossible to please God”

The Israelites in the OT were commanded by the Law of God to offer a tithe (10%) to God through His church and promised blessing if they walked by faith in this area.

Here’s The Pushback:

As a Christian, under the new coveneat, in Christ, we’re no longer bound by the Law and it’s requirements - Romans 6:14“You are no longer under the law, but under grace”

Romans 7:4 “My brothers, you also have become dead to the law through Christ”

It's important that we first understand that there are some distinctions in the Law that we must understand

- CEREMONIAL LAW – (hukkim- which literally means “custom of the nation”) These are often translated as “statutes.”

These laws were specific to the Israelites and dealt primarily with celebrations and rituals regarding the temple and worship
These laws included ceremonies regarding “cleanliness” and “purification”, remembrances of God’s work in Israel (feasts and festivals), specific regulations meant to distinguish Israelites from their pagan neighbors (such as diets and clothing restrictions)
Ceremonial law governed how the Israelites were to approach God in worship, instituted remembrance of God's prior actions, and pointed ahead to the Messiah.

- CIVIL LAW (Also known as Judicial Law)

Judicial law is mixed throughout Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. These concerned things like property ownership and borders and included everything from restitution for a man gored by an ox to the responsibility of the man who dug a pit to rescue his neighbor’s trapped donkey
These civil laws, again, were specific to Israel. Their purpose was to regulate the society and to help those in positions of mediation to settle disputes, determine crimes, and guide those in authority in how to hand out punishment.

- MORAL LAW (mishphatim)

The moral laws, or mishpatim, relate to justice and judgment and are often translated as "ordinances.". These laws are based on God’s holy nature. As such, the ordinances are holy, just, and unchanging. Their purpose is to promote the welfare of those who obey.

They encompass regulations on justice, respect, and conduct, and include the Ten Commandments.

Gods moral law addressed behavior and relationships between creation and the creator, as well as between one another.

Unlike ceremonial and civic law, these moral laws weren’t specific to Israel but are universal.

Romans 2 tells us that these moral laws apply even to Gentiles because God has written them on their hearts and their conscience bears witness.

We should understand a couple of things about the Law of God, no matter it's distinctions. First, It is God breathed and therefore, it is useful, profitable for correction, instruction, rebuke, reproof and doctrine (2nd Timothy 3)
Secondly, the law serves as a mirror (Hebrews 10) showing us our inability to keep it perfectly and therefore, our need for a Savior.

THAT SAID: As we read Scripture, we clearly see that there are some parts of the law that no longer apply to new covenant believers, at least not in the same way that they did to old covenant believers.

In fact, there’s a certain sense in which practicing some of the laws from the Old Testament as Christians would actually be sinful. Paul stresses this in his letter to the Galatians.
Because of the influence of Judaizers who’d gained prominence in the church, they were reverting back to the Law in matters of salvation, insisting that Ceremonial laws such as circumcision, diets and festival going were required in order to be redeemed
Galatians 3:1-3 “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

What about the tithe?

It the tithe ceremonial or civil law that was given specifically to Israel or moral law that applies to all?

Though the tithe is mentioned in the list of ceremonial laws, as it was required to support the work of the priesthood (Numbers 18) and used to provide for the needs of widows, orphans and foreigners (Duet 14)
It actually pre-dates ceremonial law as evidenced by Abram’s tithe to Melchizedek as well as when Jacob vows to tithe at Bethel (Genesis 28)

JESUS HIMSELF – makes two specific and direct references to tithing in the gospels.

The first is when he condemns the Pharisees for neglecting the weightier matters of the law while tithing precisely (Matt. 23). and then again(Luke 18) when Jesus describes the Pharisee boasting about his practice of fasting and tithing.

In both cases, we should be careful to note that He doesn’t condemn the practice of tithing or suggest they abandon it. In fact, he speaks of it in such a way that assumes it to be an ongoing thing.

The practice of tithing was certainly connected to the ceremonial law given specifically to Israel, but because it was practiced before that law was even given and because, like all moral law, it speaks to man’s relationship with God and contributes to the needs of society as a whole, there is a good argument to be made that it fits best into that category.

To be clear, though I don’t arrive at the same conclusion, a great case can also made that tithing should be viewed as ceremonial law.

No matter what category of the law you put tithing in, we need to notice something interesting that Jesus also said about the Law in the Sermon on the Mount

Matt 5:17 – “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the law or the prophets, I didn’t come to destroy but to fulfill”

In His death, burial and resurrection – Fulfilled the requirements of the Law on our behalf.

SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE TITHE?

After Jesus explains that He fulfills the law – he goes on. He references other moral laws such as "Thou shall not kill" and says, "You remember That Law – Thou shall not kill? Well, I say take that a law step further. If you hate, you've murdered in your heart". How about the law concerning adultery? I'm telling you to go the extra mile and remove lust from your heart because it's the same in My eyes. You've heard the law, "Love your neighbor" but that's not enough. If you're going to follow me, you need to love your enemies too"

Look what He goes on to say about the law concerning generosity:

Matt 6:1-4“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”

Notice that Jesus doesnt condemn the law concerning giving BUT VALIDATES IT. He doesn’t tell us to abandon generosity as a New Testament believers but to make sure that the heart is in the right place when doing so

Freedom in Christ We Have in Christ – provides ability to go over and beyond what the law requires.

Jesus always raised the bar from the law. Grace raises the bar in everything.

As New Testament Christians: When We ask – “I commanded to tithe?”

WE’RE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION

For the redeemed – It’s no longer “How much do I have to give?” BUT “How much do I dare keep?”

Three Things To Keep In Mind About Generosity:

* WHEN WE GIVE IN OBEDIENCE, GOD RESUPPLIES OUR NEEDS

Philippians 4:19 “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

* ANYTHING LESS THAN OUR BEST IS NOT AN OFFERING THAT PLEASES GOD

2nd Sam 24:24 “I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing”

* THE LORD IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEART OF THE GIVER THAN THE AMOUNT OF THE GIFT

Luke 21:3 " “I tell you the truth, This poor widow has put more in than all of them. For these people have put in gifts out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on”

It's not the size of the gift that matters but size of the faith required to give it