ch21 Will a man rob God? tithes

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Will a man rob God? Tithes

Tithes What the Bible teaches about our economic responsibility towards God
By David Cox

[ch21] v1 ©2006 www.coxtracts.com
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This tract explains why Christians should give their tithes to the Lord. These tithes should be their first priority.




Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Mal. 3:8-9

Romans 2:6 Who (God) will render to every man according to his deeds:

We are administrators, not owners

1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

1 Chr 29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

All that we have, we have because God has given it to us. To be a steward is to say that God has loaned us for a short while all that we have.

Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

In order to straighten out our lives, first we have to understand that nothing that we have is really ours, but that everything is on loan from God, for us to use for His glory, in the way that God desires.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. Moreover God is the owner of our bodies and spirits, and He demands that we recognize His dominion over us, and that we honor God for who he is.




Salvation is to deliver up our idols, including the idol of money

Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.




There is a tremendous war in our souls for control, power, and priority in our lives. The cares of the world, riches, and lust all line up against God as idols trying to impose their power on us.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. 11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? 12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt .




God loans us life, energy, goods, and opportunities so that we can use them all for the glory of God and not for our own lusts for ourselves. Giving tithes is returning some of that because God is our Lord.

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Psalm 96:8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.




Our vision should be Eternal Riches

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Proverbs 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

The Christian should strive to gather riches in heaven, and not on Herat. The riches here are deceptive, because they rob the soul of the person that goes in search of them.




To Give tithes is to recognize economically the Sovereignty of God

Deuteronomy 26:2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there. 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O LORD, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God:

To give tithes and offerings to God is God’s decided way to show that riches have not become idols in our lives. If we show God our submission by doing this, God will always us to enjoy the rest that we have, and God will bless us.




God cannot bless us if we do not recognize His sovereignty over us

Proverbios 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

1° Samuel 2:30… the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Deuteronomy 8:17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth…

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

First we see again that the tithe belongs to the Lord as being recognition of God as being the source of all we have in this life. Then we see that they which do not return the tithe are cursed by God, for having tried to rob God of what is rightfully His (worship as divinity). Also God will send the “devourer” to forcefully take away that which you do not give voluntarily.

The “storehouse” and “mine house” speak of the temple, or in our times of the local church which is the only valid place where Christians should deposit their tithes. Moreover this is so that there is food in the house of God, speaking of the maintenance (regular salary) of those full time ministers of God. Some may say that the tithe is Old Testament, but these principles have no reason to “go away”. What is clear in all of this is that every Christian has an obligation to fulfill his God ordained part in sustaining the ministers of God that labor among that local church to them.




God has established the tithe as the way we are to recognize God

1 Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…

We note that the O.T. establishes that we should tithe of our income, and while the NT nowhere directly states it as a commandment, but 1 Corinthians 16:2 commands the principle of giving a percentage of your income, going back to the firstfruits concept, and in Mat. 23:23 Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for tithing mint and spices and ignoring the weightier things of the law. But in this he says that they should not leave the tithing “undone.”




God blesses us according to how we sacrifice for the work and workers of God

Gal. 6:6-9 promises that will reap according to our giving (the context is in supporting the minister of God). “The laborer is worthy of his hire or salary” Mat. 10:10, and God will not be mocked by our faults in giving Gal. 6:7. See 1 Tim 5:17-18. Moreover God punishes those that enjoy the labors of a man without paying him what is just Mal 3:5; Lev 19:13; Deu 24:14-15; Jer. 22:13; James 5:4.




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