Tithing - What is the Storehouse?

Having uncovered all mentions of tithing in the Bible, and revealing that those passages have nothing in common with modern tithing doctrine, it is necessary to go a few steps further. The first step illuminates the common fallacy that the storehouse was the temple, and is therefore now the church.

The storehouse is mentioned only a few times in the Bible, far fewer times than forms of the word tithe. The first mention of this building is read in Genesis 41.

Genesis 41:54-57

41:54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

41:55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto
all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

41:57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

Joseph had been appointed Vizier, or second ruler of Egypt under Pharaoh. He was given this title because he correctly interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams about years of plenty and years of famine. Joseph instructed Pharaoh to save a portion of food each year in preparation for the coming famine. That food was kept in storehouses, see verse 56. The Egyptians and surrounding nations did not go to church. They came looking for food, which was kept in storehouses – that is barns for modern comprehension.

Deuteronomy 28:1-8

28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

28:3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

28:4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of

thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

28:5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

28:6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

28:7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

28:8 The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

In Deuteronomy God lists a series of areas in which He will bless Israel if Israel follows God’s commandments. All of these blessings reference farming, food, and food storage. Notice each category: city, field, basket, store, fruit of thy body, fruit of thy ground, fruit of thy cattle, increase of thy kine, flocks of thy sheep, protection of these blessings against an enemy, storehouse, and land. The storehouse in this context was not the temple, and it was certainly used for food.

I Chronicles 27:25

27:25 And over the king's treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the castles, was Jehonathan the son of Uzziah:

Storehouses in the field. The field was where food was grown, and storehouses were where food was stored. Not a temple or a church here either.

II Chronicles 32:28

32:28 Storehouses also for the increase of corn, and
wine, and oil; and stalls for all manner of beasts, and cotes for flocks.

Again, this storehouse is for food – corn wine, oil, stall for beasts, coats for flocks.

Jeremiah 50:26

50:26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.

Jeremiah’s passage is a woeful one. He is talking about Jerusalem’s coming destruction. The storehouses will be opened, that is plural. There was only one Temple, not many. This implies that there were many storehouses. There had to be, because this is where all of Judah’s food was stored. Opening those storehouses up, and making them into heaps would cause the nation to enter into starvation.

Malachi 3:10

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.

This famously misquoted passage is where modern tithe practitioners create the faulty idea that the storehouse is God’s church, and the tithe must be brought into the church. If one has not looked at the passages defining the tithe, now would be a good time to go back and read those chapters. In a nutshell, tithes were always food, and it makes perfect sense to bring tithes (food) into the
storehouse (barn). That is where food was kept.

Understanding what the storehouse is, and is not, greatly solidifies the true meaning of tithes and tithing. To twist this portion of scripture to fit a modern practice is not to adhere to God’s Word, but man’s doctrine. God cannot, and will not bless such action. Read Matthew 23 for further proof about how God responds to His Word being twisted, even for “good” purposes. Christ’s scathing rebuke applies to all who incorrectly handle the Bible in small and great matters.

One may mention that the church is a New Testament concept, so of course  the Old Testament does not mention a New Testament practice. So, what does the New Testament have to say about storehouses? Are they mentioned as churches? Interestingly enough, there is only one storehouse mention from Matthew to Revelation.

Luke 12:24

12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?

This passage neither mentions the church, nor the tithe. What it does mention is that the storehouse is still a place to store food. It even mentions the word barn. Food is definitely in context as Christ promises to take care of His people. What should be gleaned from this verse is the requirement needed for God to provide, that is, be one of His people. He takes care of the ravens, and He cares for us more than those ravens. Christ did not ask for anything to be done, other than repent and be born again. After that, His provision is certain, not because of anything we do, but because of what He said He would do. Any other
way is to take glory away from Christ. Now, this is not to say, “sit back, do nothing, God will provide.” More on how God provides in the next chapters.

These chapters will tackle the remaining questions about how to pay for the things of the church – namely bills, pastor’s salary, missionaries, tracts, programs, etc…. God does have a plan for the New Testament Church, but tithing was not it.