Tithing - Malachi 3

Understanding that Malachi 1 was written to the nation of Israel, and that Malachi 2 was written to Israel’s priesthood is key to properly comprehending Malachi 3. To this point, Israel was worshipping, but not according to the Law. The priesthood, those who were entrusted to maintain the Law, was corrupt. A redeemer was needed, one who was pure and holy, one who would straighten the crooked paths, and Malachi 3 prophecies of His coming.

3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

3:2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

3:3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

3:4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

3:5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

These first five verses of Malachi 3 are rather clear. They prophesy Christ’s coming, and what He will do when He arrives. This is second coming in context, because the judging, purifying, and refining of Levi have not yet been done. When Christ corrects Levi’s errors, then and only then will the Levitical offerings be pleasant unto the LORD. As there are no offerings presently, and past offerings cannot fit context, only future offerings done by Levi are foreshadowed. Connecting this passage to the previous Levitical passages shows that the offerings mentioned are food for sacrifices. Certainly many pastors do fit much of the sin mentioned in verse 5, but this passage is not against them, it is against the wicked priests and Levites. Nothing has changed in context from Chapter 1:1, so why would it all of the sudden change now? Malachi 3:6 answers this flatly. It is still the sons of Jacob, and the Lord has not changed, therefore, His Doctrine and Law are the same yesterday, today, and forever more.


3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?

God is bluntly stating that He has not changed, but the sons of Jacob have even from their father’s time forsaken God’s ordinances. Israel did not keep them. But wait, weren’t the Jews doing sacrifices and tithes? Yes, they were, but they were not doing them lawfully as prescribed in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. God wants them to return to the Law. Israel responds “Wherein shall we return?” In other words, “Why do we need to return to the Law? We’re already doing all of this stuff.” The first question in verse 8 actually tags onto the last question in verse 7. “Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God?” This was a straw man argument posited by the unlawful Jew. God responds, you have robbed me. And the astonished Jew’s response is basically, “How?” Tithes and offerings.

Now at this point a faulty doctrine is created. It states thusly:

1. God demands the money tithe from everyone.

2. God demands a money offering over and above the tithe.

3. God will bless the money tithe.

4. God will bless the money offering.

5. God will curse those who do not tithe or offer money.

6. This passage applies to the local New Testament Church.

Can these positions scripturally fit the Old Testament Law of tithing? Absolutely not.

3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Comparing previously quoted tithing scripture with this passage, the reader should already know that the tithe had specific laws, referring to specific people – those who grow food and the Levites, was a specific commodity – food, and was given a specific time of offering – one and three years. Verse 8 reveals that the Jews were robbing God in both tithes and offerings. These were both under the Levite’s supervision. Offerings were for sin, restoration, fellowship, etc… Tithes were to praise God for His provision. The priestly corruption stopped what God had asked to be done, which is why God answers that these commands were not being fulfilled. Also, it should be noted that the Jewish question, “Will a man rob God?” is such a foolish question. Of course God cannot
be robbed. He owns it all, and knows what’s happening at all time.

Verse 9 points out that the command is still levied upon Israel “…even this whole nation.” Do not divorce this from context! It is in flow from 1:1 to the end of the book. This was a Jewish issue, not a modern church issue. God does curse Israel for not continuing in the Law. But this curse only applies to Israel, not the church. The curse was actually mentioned previously in the Law, when God promised blessing for keeping the Law, and cursing for breaking the Law. This was something that the Jews should have fully understood.

As for verse 10, the modern idea is that when one tithes, God will give an immense monetary blessing. Has this been the case across the board? Personally, I know of many on a practical level who have tithed and are in severe debt, lost homes, been in bankruptcy and on and on. Where’s this blessing? Is God lying? What about those who are unsaved and immensely wealthy? Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Muslim oil sheiks? They have vast sums of wealth. Do they tithe? Why are they so rich, but so many tithers are poor? Something seems wrong. Did God not promise to open the windows of Heaven and pour out a blessing that there won’t be room enough to receive it? In one word, yes. He did promise that, but there is not enough wealth in the world to fill up the world to a point where more cannot be received. Should we assume that aliens or a meteor bearing gold will strike the earth and make us richer? This is a silly notion. So, what was God saying then when He promised His fabulously rich blessing? Refer back to the context as stated throughout the book, and then the immediate context beginning in Chapter 3:1. The blessing is, was, and can only be a spiritual blessing found in Christ. Christ came
from Heaven, and all of creation cannot contain his infinite blessing. To put a monetary figure on this blessing is to materialistically limit the greatest blessing from God ever.

God commanded all of the tithes to be brought into the storehouse, which again is a barn, not the local church as is asserted. This will be covered in more depth later, but please refer to the verses previously mentioned concerning the Biblical definition of a storehouse. God’s main command is this, follow my Law, and watch what I can and will do! This is the Old Testament Law given to Israel, and no new command or revision of those commands was ever given. To tell the Jew of this time that his tithe was to be money and brought to a church building would have been foreign to him, because the Law stated otherwise. Why should we in the church believe it to be otherwise today? What changed? God, His Law, or our traditions?

3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

Notice verse 11 still refers to food growing in the land. NOTHING CHANGED! It was still food, not money.

3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is a nation of Israel blessing, not the church. It has not yet occurred, as presently Israel is despised and fought over.

3:13 Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against
thee?

Israel remained stubborn. Her stubbornness was judged and cursed by God, and Israel is still struggling with Salvation found only in Christ. The nation simply refuses to believe God at His Word.

3:14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
Walked mournfully!? The tithe was to be a rejoicing time, not a mournful time. They’ve missed the point completely, and because they were doing the tithe unlawfully it did become a burden – much the same that it has become today through unlawful means.

3:15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

3:18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The remaining four verses seem to be separate from context, but they are not. These are dealing with issues of lawlessness. When the Law is forsaken, sin abounds.
Such sin destroyed the priesthood, and then subsequently destroyed the nation of Israel. They needed help from God to fix the problem. Only those who desired to serve Him properly were spared from God’s wrath and the curses mentioned in the passage. Those who did not want to hearken to God’s Word missed out on God’s greatest blessing when Christ came the first time as is poignantly illustrated in the Gospels. Man’s tradition kept the Pharisees and other Jews religiously lost in spite of the Word having dwelt among them. How sad. Please do not add tradition to this passage, read, re-read, re-study, and compare scripture in context to break from the faulty modern tithe concept. Malachi 4 completes the Messianic prophecy of this book in amazing language.

In context the tithing challenge has no legs, and cannot stand alone. The contest is over, and the challenger will not make it to the fourth round. That round is left for the amazing victor's proclamation, that Christ is the Messiah, who will overcome sin, death, the world, and Hell! Tithing is not even an afterthought.