DO YOU TITHE? (PART 2)
TEXT:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." (Malachi 3 verse 8, King James Version)
The tithe is generally known to be the giving back to God the tenth part of His blessings on your life. Unfortunately, not all take it seriously.
In Malachi 3 verse 8, the Lord asks a very dreadful and fearful question: "Will man rob God?" The New International Version puts it much more dreadfully:
“Will a mere mortal rob God?" It's unthinkable and utterly preposterous to imagine that a man would rob God of that which belongs to Him.
In Leviticus 27 verse 30, the tithe is expressly stated to belongs to the Lord:
"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 unto the LORD."
Though the Lord gave the Levites the privilege of taking tithes as their inheritance for the services that they render at the tabernacle of the congregation (Num 18 verse 21, 24), the tithe is essentially seen as an offering that's "holy unto the LORD." Simply put, the tithe belongs to God!
As I said in part 1 to these series, there's the spiritual principle behind tithing, the knowledge of which will help to put an end to every argument as to the propriety or otherwise of it.
Basically, that principle is that whatever belongs to God is "holy unto the Lord" and should never be tampered with. God's Word to Joshua was that the city of Jericho and the things therein were accursed. In other words, they were dedicated to the Lord for destruction (Joshua 6 verse 17). He told Israel further saying, "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing." (Joshua 6 verse 18).
Again, we find this same principle demonstrated in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis Genesis 2 verses 16 to 17, the Bible says,
"And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Like He told Israel in Joshua 6 verse 18 saying, "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing"; He told Adam and Eve in Genesis 2 verses 16 and 17 saying "thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Now, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil belonged to God only. God's intention was that only Him could have the knowledge of good and evil. Man was to remain in the state of innocence. But how did I know that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil belonged to God only? I know this because after Adam and Eve had taken and eaten thereof, God said in Genesis 3 verse 22,
"Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:"
We need to understand that it's not just about taking and eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It's about taking or appropriating to oneself that which solely belongs to God. The rule is that God will not share His glory with anyone; neither will He tolerate anyone partaking in that which is His exclusive preserve. Adam and Eve committed the unimaginable sin when they took for themselves that which belonged exclusively to God. For this, they died, were cursed and were banished from the Garden of Eden.
Like the accursed things in Jericho in the Book of Joshua and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis, the tithe belongs exclusively to God (Numbers 18 verses 21 and 24). Any wonder why in Malachi 3 verses 8 to 9 when God saw that the people defaulted in tithes and in offerings, He asked:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." He therefore pronounced a curse on them saying, "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation."
As in Joshua 7, where Achan and his household was stoned and later burned with fire for depriving God of the accursed things in Jericho, Adam and Eve suffered a terrible fate when they took that which belonged exclusively to God! In the same vein, anyone that defrauds the Lord of tithes is cursed.
"Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me," says God in Malachi 3 verse 9.
Now, God is generally known to be a Savior and Deliverer. But when one is cursed by Him, the situation becomes dire and is such that "none shall deliver (such) out of mine hand.", says the Lord in Hosea 2 verse 10 (emphasis added). This is rather a baleful and a dangerous situation for anyone to be found in.
PRAYER:
Once again Father, thank You for giving me to understand the principle behind tithing. Forgive me for my past defaults. Help me never again to rob You in tithes, in Jesus name.