Tithing is an Act of Worship
ICS Daily Devotions
Philippians 4:17-19 (NKJV) Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God has designed two ways for individual believers and churches to be well-provided for: tithing and freewill offerings. God has promised that He would supply all our needs according to the glory of Christ Jesus. Therefore, we need to apply this biblical financial principle and trust that when we give in these two ways, God will provide for us because it is written in the Word. When we know the Word and anchor our faith in it, it allows us to respond in obedience.
Malachi 3:8 (NKJV) “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
God rebuked the people in the book of Malachi for robbing Him because they weren’t paying their tithes and offerings to Him. In fact, the priests were corrupt and offered a blemished lamb even though God had specifically instructed them to offer an unblemished lamb. Likewise, we need to check our hearts to see whether we are robbing God by withholding our tithes. It is important to tithe correctly so that the tithe fulfils God’s intent.
Tithe literally means one-tenth of a payment. It represents 10% of a person’s income. In the books of Hebrews and Genesis, it is recorded that Abraham gave a tenth of the spoil to Melchizedek, who is a type of Christ. This incident occurred during the time of the Patriarch, about 400 years before the Mosaic Covenant. However, tithing as a practice of worship, specifically commanded by God in Scripture, did not come into its own until the law of Moses was given. Therefore, tithing is a financial principle established way before the law was given.
God is concerned about our tithe because it serves two purposes. First, tithing was legally instituted to provide food for the Levites and servants of God in the temple and the church. The tribe of Levi was not given land like the other tribes, so they lived on the tithe. Second, it served more than just their needs but offered the people an opportunity to express their worship and dependence on God. Thus, tithing had a dual purpose: practical and spiritual. The same is true today. God is concerned for His servants, the full-time workers in the temple and the church, because He wants them to be adequately provided for, but tithing is also an act of worship to God, who has called us and blessed us.
Sermon Series: Christian Generosity
