Read it: Proverbs 3:9-10 & Proverbs 11:24-25 & Malachi 3:8-10 & Matthew 23:23
Live it:
Tithe means tenth. From a biblical perspective, the tithe had its beginning in the book of Genesis. Abraham and his armed household servants went after and defeated those who had taken his nephew Lot captive. After defeating the kidnappers in battle, Abraham and his servants took the spoils of war. Abraham gave a tithe of the spoils to a priest by the name of Melchizedek.
There is a very interesting passage at the end of the book of Leviticus that makes clear God’s expectation concerning the tithe. Leviticus 27:30-33, “One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy. You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back“ (NLT).
When you read the assigned passages for today, I think you will see a pattern. If you are faithful in the tithe, God will bless you. It is never appropriate to give to get, but if you do give, God will give you a great blessing in return. In the Matthew passage, Jesus talks about our motive for tithing. If we are meticulous about our tithing but ignore justice, mercy and faith, we forego God’s blessing.
The first tenth of your personal gain belongs to God. Have you learned to be a faithful tither? I challenge you to try it. In the Malachi passage, God challenges you to try it.
Ps. Rod