Tithing
Rusty Wirt   -   January 18, 2026

Tithing

Verses: Mal. 3:8-12

Key Concept: If you love something, then you will protect it. If you love the local church, you will strive to protect it.

Your actions toward Concord Church today will affect Concord tomorrow.

There is only one way to defeat greed: generosity.

Why Talk About Tithing

  1. It’s in the Bible
  2. It’s for your blessing

 

Background on Malachi

  • About 100 years after the Jews returned from Babylonian exile
  • The Temple had been rebuilt
  • But after a while, life in the region became difficult with corruption, poverty and injustice
  • Malachi is writing to confront these things

 

Repeated Pattern in the Text

  • God makes a claim
  • The people questioned His claim
  • God gave the final word

 

  1. The Accusation: Robbing God (v. 8–9)
    1. Israel withheld their tithes and offerings, breaking covenant faithfulness.
    2. God equates this neglect with robbery—taking what belongs to Him.
    3. Consider: When we withhold our time, talents, or treasure, we deny God His rightful place in our lives.
    4. God is watching your money. God knows when He is being robbed.
  2. The Invitation: Bring the Whole Tithe (v. 10)
    1. God calls His people to obedience: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.”
      1. The Old Testament Tithe included not only money , but also all major possessions
    2. The storehouse ensured provision for the temple, priests, and the poor.
    3. Consider: Today, the “storehouse” can be seen as the local church—where resources fuel ministry, missions, and care for the needy.

 

  1. The Challenge: “Test Me in This” (v. 10)
    1. Remarkably, God invites His people to test Him—a rare moment in Scripture.
    2. He promises to open the floodgates of heaven, pouring out blessing beyond measure.
    3. Consider: Generosity is not a loss—it’s an act of faith that unlocks God’s abundance.
    4. But also consider, Malachi 3:8–12 is not a prosperity formula, but a covenant promise: when we honor God, He honors us.

But is tithing taught in the New Testament?

Yes. (and then some)

  • Jesus assumes tithing as important as the other weightier matters (Matthew 23:23-24)
  • Paul stretches beyond tithing to sacrificial giving (2 Cor. 8:1-4)

Application

  • Not giving? Start by giving something
  • Giving a little? Then work toward a full 10%
  • Giving 10%? Then give 10% regularly.
  • Giving 10% regularly? Consider an offering, beyond your 10%.

Additional Notes on OT Offering Collections:

Jewish tradition tells us that in the ancient Jerusalem Temple there was a room known as the Chamber of Secrets.  Donors would go there to secretly make charitable donations and people from good families who had become impoverished would go there in secret to take the donations, to feed themselves and their loved ones.

It seems that this Chamber of Secrets served three purposes:  to ensure financial support for the economically poor of the community, to prevent the receiver, and the giver as well, from being embarrassed in the presence of the other person, and to mitigate the tendency of at least some donors to seek attention and accolades for their giving. Later Jewish law and tradition used the Chamber of Secrets as the basis for our laws of charitable giving, which demand that helping economically impoverished people should never compromise their dignity or privacy.