Tithing – What Did YHWH Really Command?

 

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there

may be food in My house…  (Malachi 3:10)

 

Where Did the Modern Belief Come From?

The modern church teaches that believers are required to give 10% of their income to the church as an ongoing act of obedience.  Pastors often quote Malachi 3 out of context and promise financial blessing for giving—or threaten curses for withholding.

 

But the origin of this belief is a mix of:

• Torah instructions for supporting the Levitical priesthood

• Catholic Church tradition of mandatory offerings for clergy

• And modern prosperity theology, which turns tithing into a transaction with God

 

What Did Torah Actually Say?

 

Tithes were Agricultural, Not Financial

• Torah tithes were from the increase of the land—grain, wine, oil, livestock  (Deut. 14:22–23, Lev. 27:30–32)

• Money was not tithed, though you could redeem produce with silver in some cases (Lev. 27:31)

 

Tithes Supported the Levites

• Because the Levites had no inheritance in the land, the other tribes gave tithes to sustain them (Numbers 18:21–24)

• Levites then gave a tenth of that tithe (a tithe of the tithe) to the priests

 

Tithing Was Cyclical and Structured

• First and second tithes rotated depending on the year in the Shemittah cycle (Deut. 14 & 26)

• Every third year, tithes went to widows, orphans, and the poor, not priests or ministers (Deut. 14:28–29)

 

What the Christian Church Gets Wrong

• The church has no Levitical priesthood

• There is no Temple storehouse

• The “tithing” taught today is often used to enrich buildings and salaries, not feed the poor or obey Torah

 

⚠️ And worst of all:

• They twist Malachi 3 into a curse-based guilt offering, while ignoring the Torah structure it came from

• They preach “we’re not under the Law”—except when the offering plate comes around

 

What the Scriptures Actually Teach:

• Give freely. Give generously. Give to the poor.
  But do not give under compulsion or out of fear.
  Torah giving is about community, covenant, and justice—not fundraising.

 

You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your

poor and to your needy in your land.  (Deut. 15:11)

 

Lesson Summary:

Christian pastors everywhere teach everywhere that one is mandated by Malachi to pay tithe as part of the salary of the pastor and church.  Yet, they also teach we're not under the Law either, which is interesting.  The tithe was never about church buildings, wealth exchange, or religious dues.  It was about obedience to a Covenant system that no longer exists today—and was never transferred to pastors, televangelists, or institutions.

If you're going to tithe—do it Torah’s way, or don’t call it tithing.