It’s Not about Money

Tithing
is a controversial topic in churches nationwide today. For some, tithing has
always been a natural part of their church membership and spiritual life. For
those who are considering (or reconsidering) this practice, however, it’s not
always so simple.

There’s
the question of what the church will do with your money; there’s the question
of if letting go of ten percent of your income each month is feasible; there’s
the question of if this is simply an Old Testament law, or if it pertains to
the church today. Many times, people want to give, but they’re simply unsure of
whether or not they’re truly called to do so. The purpose for giving can seem
vague or mysterious.

I
believe that tithing isn’t about money at all.

Let
me explain: God doesn’t need our money. The Creator of the universe can do
anything He wants, with or without our finances. So why did He institute the
giving of the tithe? Because it’s a heart issue. Tithing isn’t about our money;
it’s about the state of our heart. God wants to cultivate a heart of trust in
Him.

You
see, tithing isn’t just giving one tenth of what we have; it’s giving the first
tenth. Exodus 34:26 commands the Israelites, “As you harvest your crops, bring
the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.” To
tithe the first ten percent of our income requires that we live by faith that
He will provide, stretch, and bring abundance through the other ninety percent.
We have to trust that God is worth our best, and take the obedient step of
giving it to Him.

Here’s
another fundamental reason God requires the first tenth: by nature, God is
first. He is pre-eminent, which means before the beginning, He was there.
Genesis 1:1, says, “In the beginning, God…” You see, God cannot be second,
because He’s inherently first. It’s who He is. For Him to accept less than
first tenth would send the message that God isn’t who He says He is. When we
give Him our best, we’re affirming the eternal truth that He is First, and that
He is worthy of our worship and our faith.

In
Malachi 3, God gives a challenge to the Israelites who have been cheating Him
of the tithes and offerings due Him. He says in Malachi 3:8-12,

“You have cheated me of the tithes and
offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been
cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be
enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing
so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the
test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and
disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you
blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies.”

There
is a string between our hearts and what we do with our wallets. The reason God
asks for a tenth of our money isn’t because He needs it; it’s because He’s
giving us a chance to demonstrate that He is first in our hearts.

It
goes even deeper than that, however: in the Old Testament, firstborn animals
were either sacrificed, if they were clean, or redeemed, if they were unclean
(Number 18:15-17). This was a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice and
redemption story. John 3:16 says that God gave His only Son, Jesus, so that we
could have eternal life. Jesus was the clean Firstborn, that brought redemption
to an unclean people. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. For this reason,
you can say that Jesus is God’s “tithe”—an example for us to follow.

God
gave first; out of gratitude and love for Him, we are to give our best, our
first, our tithe. It’s a matter of the heart—is God first in our lives? Then
we’ll tithe gladly and with confidence in His provision!