8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 13 “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’
Malachi 3:8, 10-13 (NLT)
What is Tithing?
Despite the fact that many people use the word “tithe” synonymously with any church-related giving, the word tithe literally means “tenth.”
The tithe was an obligatory offering from the law of Moses requiring 10 percent of an Israelite’s first fruits. Because God provided the harvest, this first part was returned to Him. It was a reminder to Israel that all things we have are His. It was a show of thankfulness for His provision.
What Are Offerings?
Offerings, on the other hand, are considered gifts given outside of (or in addition to) a tithe. While tithes and offerings are technically two different practices in generosity, they’re often spoken about hand-in-hand.
What Else Does the Bible Say About Tithing?
From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering.
Exodus 35:5
If you give, you will get! Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use to give–large or small–will be used to measure what is given back to you.Luke 6:38
Luke 6:38
We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.
Nehemiah 10:35-37