What the Bible Actually Says About Tithes

If you have ever been to church for any length of time, you have heard about tithes. You have probably heard that you should give 10% of your income to the church. You have probably heard that it is a command. You have probably heard that God will bless you if you do, and maybe curse you if you do not.

Here is what I want to do today. I want to actually read what the Bible says about tithes. Not what we have been told it says. Not what our parents told us. Not what that flyer in the foyer implied. I want to look at the actual text and see what is really there.

Because what I have found might surprise you.

The First Mention of Tithes

The first time tithes appear in the Bible is in Genesis 14, when Abraham returns from battle and meets Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything. It is an act of worship. It is an acknowledgment that God had given him the victory. It is not a command. It is an offering.

Then, hundreds of years later, in the Law of Moses, tithes become part of the religious system. But here is what gets lost in translation: the tithe in the Old Testament was not 10% of your income. It was 10% of your increase, and it was complicated. There were tithes for the Levites, tithes for the poor, tithes for the feasts. It was not a simple check every month.

And critically, the tithe was for the benefit of others. The Levites were given the tithe because they had no inheritance in the land. The poor were given tithes because they had to be included in the celebration. The system was designed to take care of those who could not take care of themselves.

That matters. The tithe was not primarily about supporting the institution. It was about caring for the vulnerable.

The Storehouse Verse

Ah, Malachi 3:10. The most quoted verse about tithes in the entire Bible. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse." Used in churches around the world to guilt people into giving.

But let me ask you something. What was the storehouse? It was not a building fund. It was not a pastor's salary. The storehouse was the temple treasury, and its primary purpose was to feed the poor. To provide for the widows. To care for the strangers.

When Malachi tells the people to bring their tithe to the storehouse, he is telling them to care for the poor. And then he says something remarkable. He says test God in this. Put Him to the test. See if He will not pour out blessings.

That is not a prosperity promise. That is a promise that God will take care of His people when they take care of each other. The blessing is not a new car. The blessing is the community being what it is supposed to be.

We have turned this into a transaction. Give money, get stuff. That is not what the text is saying. The text is saying when you take care of the poor, God will take care of you. It is about community. It is about care. It is about the Kingdom economy.

What Jesus Said

Now here is where it gets really interesting. Jesus never commanded tithes. Not once. He mentioned them, but always in the context of warning against them.

Listen to what He said in Matthew 23:23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices, mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Jesus is saying that tithing is not enough. That the religious leaders were so focused on the tithe that they missed the point. Justice, mercy, faithfulness. These matter more.

And in Luke 21, when the widow gives her two small coins, Jesus does not commend her for tithing. He commends her for giving everything she had. He points to the heart behind the gift, not the percentage.

What does this mean for us? It means that the tithe is not the standard. Grace is the standard. Generosity is the goal. And generosity is not measured by percentage. It is measured by the condition of the heart and the needs of the community.

The New Covenant Approach

In the New Testament, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the conversation about money changes. It shifts. Listen to what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7: "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."

Not what you have been told to give. Not what the percentage says. What you have decided in your heart. That is the new covenant approach. It is about the heart. It is about joy. It is about giving because you want to, not because you have to.

Does this mean tithes are wrong? No. Does it means 10% is a bad guideline? Not necessarily. What it means is that the Kingdom standard is higher than a percentage. It is about radical, cheerful, sacrificial generosity. It is about giving until it costs you something. It is about looking at what you have and asking how you can use it to build the Kingdom.

Tomorrow, we are going to talk about the elephant in the room. Pastors' salaries. Transparency. Why we struggle to talk about compensation. It is a conversation that needs to happen, and we are going to have it.

See you tomorrow.