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Malachi 3:10 and the tithe: what the Torah describes

The Torah's tithe came from the produce of the Land and served the Levites, the feasts and the poor. Believers today apply it in different ways, but all are called to generous giving.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says Yahweh Tsevaot, and see if He will not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing Malachi 3:10.

Many congregations teach from this verse that believers should give ten percent of their income to the local church. Sometimes the verse before it is added as a warning: "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, even this whole nation" Malachi 3:9. To read Malachi well, it helps to know how the tithe worked in the Torah.

The tithe in the Torah

  • What was tithed. The tithe (Hebrew ma'aser, "a tenth") came from the produce of the Land and from the herds and flocks: "all the tithe of the land… is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh" Leviticus 27:30, and of the herd or the flock, "the tenth one shall be holy to Yahweh" Leviticus 27:32.
  • For the Levites. The tribe of Levi received no inheritance of land. God gave the Levites the tithes of Israel in return for their service at the tabernacle Numbers 18:21, and they in turn gave a tenth of what they received to the priests Numbers 18:26.
  • A tithe to eat and rejoice. Another tithe was eaten by the worshiper's own household "before Yahweh your Elohim, in the place where He chooses to make His name dwell" Deuteronomy 14:23. If the place was too far, the produce could be turned into money and spent there on food and drink: "you shall eat there before Yahweh your Elohim, and you shall rejoice, you and your household" Deuteronomy 14:26.
  • For those in need. Every third year the tithe was stored "within your gates," so that the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless and the widow could "come and eat and be satisfied" Deuteronomy 14:28-29.

Malachi's storehouse

The storehouse was the storerooms of the temple, where the tithes were kept for the Levites and priests Nehemiah 10:38. In Nehemiah's day, when the portions were not given, the Levites went back to their fields until Judah brought the tithe again Nehemiah 13:10-12. Malachi spoke to that same people in the Land, with the temple standing. Much of his book is addressed to the priests Malachi 1:6; Malachi 2:1, and "food in My house" Malachi 3:10 meant food for those who served there.

Yeshua affirmed tithing for those under it. He rebuked teachers who tithed even their garden herbs but neglected "the weightier matters of the Torah: justice and mercy and faith," and He said they should have done both Matthew 23:23.

Giving in the New Testament

The apostles teach generous giving from the heart: "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for Elohim loves a cheerful giver" 2 Corinthians 9:7. Giving was to be regular and in proportion to what each one has 1 Corinthians 16:2, to support those who teach the word Galatians 6:6, and to care for the poor Galatians 2:10. A generous heart is what Yeshua called a "good eye" "A good eye" and "an evil eye".

Where believers differ

  • Some believers see the tithe as a lasting principle older than Sinai: Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek Genesis 14:20, and Jacob vowed a tenth to God Genesis 28:22. They give ten percent to their congregation.
  • Others see the Torah's tithe as tied to the Land, its produce, the Levites and the temple. For them, giving today is freewill generosity, often ten percent or more as a guide.
  • Torah-honoring believers also differ among themselves on how to apply the tithe laws today, with no temple standing and no Levitical service.

All agree on what Scripture clearly asks: give generously and faithfully, support those who teach, and care for those in need. Malachi's warning was spoken to covenant Israel and its priests at the temple, and the New Testament doesn't repeat it as a threat to believers. Giving is meant to be cheerful, not fearful.

We don't take a side among these views here, and nothing in this lesson is a reason to stop giving to your congregation or to give less. The aim is simply to read Malachi in its setting.

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