“’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,’ says the Lord Almighty.”—Malachi 3:10–11 (NIV)

I love my nieces and nephew. One way I show my love to them is by giving them gifts. I willingly spend a lot of my money to spoil them because I love them, and that’s my job as an aunt. In any healthy relationship, there’s a give and a take. You demonstrate your love, your commitment, and even your gratitude through giving. If you’re in a relationship where you’re always giving and never receiving, how loved would you feel?

In today’s passage, the prophet named Malachi is presenting a word from the Lord to the Israelites. In chapter 1 of Malachi, he says the Lord has always loved His people. This isn’t just true of the Israelites; it’s also true for us. God has always loved us, and He desires to be in relationship with us. He demonstrates His love through blessing us with so many gifts. 

So why would God command His people to bring Him a gift of a tithe? It’s not because He needs it. It’s not because He’s punishing us. It’s not even because we need to buy our salvation. It’s because He wants to bless us! Everything we have belongs to God in the first place, so the first blessing is the freedom to use all that we have, which has been given to us. The second blessing is when we choose to give Him a portion of it back, we not only demonstrate our love, commitment, and gratitude to Him, we secure for ourselves future blessings. 

In verse ten, God promises He’ll open the floodgates of heaven and pour down a blessing that we won’t be able to contain. This is the only place in the Bible where God actually invites us to test Him in this! That doesn’t mean we should tithe for the sole purpose of getting things. God knows and sees the motivation of our hearts. He’s just setting up the promise. 

The first time we see the concept of the tithe is with Abram, who rescued his nephew along with stolen goods from Sodom in Genesis 14. In response to salvation, the high priest blesses Abram, and Abram in turn offers a tenth of everything to the Lord. The Hebrew word for tenth here is the same as “tithe.” We see this word again in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where the law is established and the people are to bring a tenth of their crops, their harvest, and their inheritance. It was a way to bless the Lord and take care of the priests for their work in the temple.

Tithes in churches today still support the work of the ministers and the ministry. But the greater intent of giving a tithe is to align our hearts with the Lord’s and demonstrate our gratitude for the blessings He’s given us. In response to our trust in Him to be able to live off of the remaining 90%, God promises us protection and future provision. He’s the Lord Almighty as verse eleven says. He can do it!

Jesus gave us 100% of Himself when He died on the cross for our sins because He loves us so much. It would only seem right that as a sign of our love, commitment, and gratitude, we give Him a mere 10% and trust Him with the rest!

Pause: How do you demonstrate your love, commitment, and gratitude to your loved ones? How do you demonstrate it to God?

Practice: This month, if you haven’t already, try adjusting your budget so you’re able to give 10%. In what area(s) can you sacrifice spending this month in order to bring a tithe to the Lord? In what way(s) can you increase your giving as a sign of your love, commitment, and gratitude?

Pray: Lord Almighty, in any area where I’m struggling to demonstrate my love, commitment, and gratitude, please help me. I know You provide. I know that all I have is Yours. I want to be faithful to use the blessings You’ve given me to the best of my ability. I acknowledge any areas where I need help and want to take You at your challenge to test You in this! In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.