Malachi 3 is a popular passage that pastors and churches use to defend the practice of the 10% tithe. But when we study the passage in context, a completely different picture emerges.

We looked yesterday at the historical context of Malachi 3, where we saw that the priest Eliashib was stealing the tithes from the temple storehouse. Let us now look at Malachi 3 in the context of the book itself.

The Audience of Malachi

When studying a book of the Bible, one of the primary things to look for is who the book is addressed to. That is, who is written to? Who is the audience? Who did the author have in mind when he wrote?

With Malachi, this question is easily answered, for Malachi refers to them directly several times. In several places, Malachi reveals that he is addressing the priests of Israel (1:6; 2:1), and the sons of Levi (3:3).

And what is it these priests are doing? They sneer at the commands of God, saying such things are “weariness” (1:13). They bring contemptible offerings to God, animals that are stolen, sick, and lame (1:13). They exploit wage earners, widows, and orphans (3:5). And they are robbing God of the tithes and offerings that belong to Him (3:8-10).

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Malachi 3:8-10 is by far the most preached-upon passage on tithing in the entire Bible. It is a popular passage because it seems to announce a curse upon those who fail to tithe the full amount to God. Using this passage, pastors and preachers tell people that if they want to be blessed financially, they must bring in the full tithe. If they fail in this, they are robbing God and will be cursed.

Malachi 3:8-10 says this

Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed me.
But you say,
“In what way have we robbed You?”
In tithes and offerings.

You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even the whole nation.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house.
And try Me now in this,
Says the Lord of hosts,
If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

The text seems pretty clear. If we do not tithe the full amount we are supposed to, and bring it to God’s house, we are robbing God and will be cursed. But if we bring the full tithe, then God will make us rich, so rich, we cannot even hold it all. And this is how the passage is usually taught. The pastor admonishes the people to give their full tithe, and bring their full offerings so that they can be blessed by God, and not cursed.

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There is no basis in the Mosaic Law for the practice of tithing 10% of our total annual income to the local church. The only commands about tithing in Scripture are for the people of Israel, and they are to tithe 10% to their own family for two years, and then in the third year, give 10% to the Levitical Priests and the community poor.

As followers of Jesus, we are not under the Law of Moses, and do not need to follow it as the people of Israel did. Nevertheless, we can look to the Law of Moses for principles and ideas on how God might want us to live our lives today.

Tithing Today

If we wanted to draw some principles from the Mosaic Law about tithing for our practice today, we could say that families should put aside a portion of their income every year to enjoy life by participating in special festivals and feasts with their family. Every third year, some funds can also go to support a ministry of our choosing, and for taking care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows in our community.

If we were going to try to follow closely the Mosaic Law about tithing, a family’s budget might look like this:

Year 1: 10% for Family Celebration
Year 2: 10% for Family Celebration
Year 3: 10% for Ministry Support and Loving Others

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Yesterday we learned that in the Mosaic law, the Israelites were instructed to tithe 10% of their income for the purpose of having a family celebration. But does this mean then that there is no such thing a tithe to the Levitical priests, or to ministries in our own day? No. Yesterday I only told two-thirds of the story.

What about the Priests?

What about giving to the Levitical Priests? Well, they also were invited to join the party and eat and drink as much as they wanted (Deut 14:27). But the tithe was not for them, but for the families who brought them, to celebrate and enjoy life together with God.

Now, this is what they were supposed to do for two years. For two years, the entire tithe went for these family celebrations. On the third year, however, things changed. On the third year, the people of Israel were supposed to forego the celebration, and on this year, give the total tithe of crops and animals to the Levitical priests and to the poor, the orphans, and the widows in the community (Deut 14:28-29; 26:12-14).

So it is true that a tithe was paid to the Levitical priests. But this tithe was only once every three years, and it was also to be distributed to the poor and needy in the community. Since this tithe was 10% every three years, it amounts to about only 3% annually, and even this amount was not for the priests only.

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When people teach about the law of the tithe, they usually go to a few passages in the Mosaic Law.

Popular Teaching on Tithing

One of the more popular Scripture passages on tithing is Deuteronomy 14:22. It says this: “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.” A similarly popular passage is Leviticus 27:30: “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord.”

These passages are often used to defend the practice of reserving 10% of a person’s income for God. These passages indicate that the tithe belongs to God; it does not belong to us.

And what should be done with the tithe? If it belongs to God, how can a person give it to God? Again, the person who defends the practice of tithing will often turn to another passage in the writings of Moses, Numbers 18:24: “For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites as an inheritance.” And since the modern equivalent of a Levitical priest is a pastor, it is often argued that the tithes should go to support the work of the pastor, or at least the ministry of the church. So in the vast majority of churches, about one-half of the tithe goes to pay the pastor’s salary, and the other half goes to pay for the church building and programs.

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