Tithing, Giving and the Grace of God

17 May 2009
Speaker: Ps Barnabas Boon
Text: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

Why talk about tithing and giving? Tithing and giving in church is very important and we should learn what the Bible says and teaches about giving and tithing.

Giving in the OT
In Genesis 14:18-20, we read of Melchizedek who received a tenth of all that Abraham gained in the battle with Kederlaomer and his allies. The reason that Abraham gladly gave of his tenth or tithe was that he was grateful that God had given him victory and that his giving to God a tenth of all that he earned was a sign that he submitted to God and his purposes. Hence giving in the Old testament right from the beginning teaches us that tithing is a voluntary action and is a sign of personal submission to God in gratitude for all his blessings

In the book of Leviticus 27:30-34 , God gave a specific command to the Israelites that they should a give a tenth of all that they owned viz: land, soil, fruit and flocks. Furthermore when they gave they could not choose which portion to give of their possessions. Hence the principle of giving in the Old Testament is clear. God was clear what he wanted. The Jews were to give him a tenth of everything and this was a command.

In Deuteronomy 14:22-23, the command to give to God a tenth of all that the Israelites owned was reinforced. But in this portion of scripture, the way that the giving was made clearer. After the tenth was given to God, they were to consume them together with the family at the temple. In this way they were to enjoy God's presence and grace even in the midst of their sacrifice. The principle taught here in this portion of scripture was that even as the Israelites gave of their tenth they were to receive back what they gave and to enjoy it in the presence of the Lord. This finds an echo in the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:33 where Jesus reminds us that we must “seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given (added) to you as well.”

In the final pages of the Old Testament in Malachi 3:8-12, the Old testament teaches us that giving a tenth would see a return of great blessing. Malachi the prophet challenged the people of God to bring the tithe into the temple and to supply God's house and he promised from the word of God that the floodgates of blessing from heaven would open and that the blessing of God will inundate them like a great torrent. The principle taught here in the Old Testament is clear. Tithing is for God’s house to be supplied, and when that happens, God promises blessings from heaven.

In the New Testament, giving is taught in many places.

In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, we are taught that giving should be a regular event with the people of God giving a portion of their income. Here the standards pertaining to giving is a higher one. There is no more stipulation of a fixed amount but that giving is a free will event. The reason why people gave to God was that they had experienced grace. Hence the principle of giving in the New Testament was this: The standard of giving is higher in the New Testament because grace always goes beyond the law

2 Corinthians 9:6, 8, 11 teaches us that we are to give give generously. And that those who put God to the test will never be disappointed.

Conclusion
In giving we can commit two extremes. One extreme is that because we are so fixated on the giving of a tenth, we never move beyond that of giving more than we can afford. The other extreme is that since scripture in the New Testament does not spell out an amount we do not give anything at all. We must not be legalistic. We must heed the teachings of the New Testament and give as grace would teach us to give. In the end we must trust God and try God and his promises