The Tithes Nobody Talks About

Give a tenth of your income. That is the rule. And churches talk about it constantly.

Pulits are built on it. Budgets depend on it. Churches grow or shrink based on it. And honestly, it has become one of the most weaponized verses in all of Scripture. "Bring the whole tithe" has been used to guilt people into giving, to shame them for not giving enough, to make them feel like God is withholding blessing because their check was not big enough.

But here is what we rarely mention: tithing was not just about money.

The Three Tithes

In the Old Testament, there were actually three tithes. Not one. Three.

The first tithe was for the Levites, who had no inheritance in the land. They were the ones who did the work of the temple, and they were supported by the tithe. This is the one we talk about most.

The second tithe was for the festivals. When you went to Jerusalem for the feasts, you brought a tithe to celebrate, to feast, to enjoy. This was not about obligation. It was about joy. You gave a tithe so you could throw a party with God.

The third tithe was for the poor. Every third year, you set aside a tithe for the widow, the orphan, the foreigner. This was a tithe for social justice, for caring for the vulnerable.

Where did we get the idea that tithing is ten percent and it all goes to the building? We took one tithe, turned it into the only tithe, and made it about our budget instead of about worship and justice.

The Tithe of Time

Here is the tithe nobody talks about: time.

God asked for one day in seven. That is fourteen percent of your time. Not a small thing. And yet we treat the Sabbath like an optional add-on, something we can skip when something more important comes up.

We also do not talk about the time we spend in prayer, in worship, in reading Scripture, in serving. These are tithes of time. And if we are honest, most of us give far less than fourteen percent of our time to God. We give our money faster than we give our hours.

The Tithe of Voice

Another tithe: your voice.

When you sing, that is a tithe of your voice. When you pray out loud, when you share your faith, when you speak truth into someone's life, when you use your words to build up instead of tear down, that is a tithe.

How much of your voice do you give to God? Or do you use it mostly for yourself, for arguments, for complaints, for gossip? The tongue is a world of its own, James says. It can set your whole life on fire. Tending that flame is a spiritual discipline.

The Tithe of Firstfruits

The first part of everything you get belongs to God. That is firstfruits.

The first hour of your day belongs to God. The first check you get belongs to God. The first opportunity you get belongs to God. Not the leftover. Not the scraps. The first.

This is the famous tithe verse. But notice: it is about the first of your increase, not about the last of your leftovers. It is about priority, not percentage.

The Twist

Here is what nobody expects: maybe the reason we focus so much on money tithes is because money is the easiest one.

Time is harder. Voice is harder. Firstfruits is harder. Those require real sacrifice, real surrender, real change. But money? You can write a check and feel good about yourself without actually changing anything.

What if God is more interested in the tithes we do not talk about? What if the tithe of time, the tithe of voice, the tithe of firstfruits matters more than the check you write on Sunday?

Try giving God the first of your day. The first of your week. The first of your words. And see what happens.

Tithing is not about funding a building. It is about rearranging your priorities. And the tithes nobody talks about might be the ones that change your life.