Tithes mean the tenth part. In God’s law, the requirement for the Israelites is to give one-tenth of the livestock and the land’s produce, as well as their income, as a recognition that God had blessed them. The tithe used is for the expenses of worship and the support of the priests. God held the people responsible for managing the resources He had given them in the promised land.
At the heart of tithing was the notion that God owns everything. He made each person in His image, and they owe to Him every breath they take. No one has anything that a person has not, first of all, received from the Lord. In the laws about tithing, God commanded them to return to Him what He had first given them.
In addition to prescribed offerings, the Israelites present freewill offerings to the Lord. Some of these did repeat, while others were one-time occasions. For example, when the Israelites attempted to build the tabernacle at Mount Sinai, people gave their portion for the tent and furnishings. However, there are times in the Old Testament that God’s people did hold on to their money rather than give it to the Lord in regular tithes and offerings.
Stewardship of our money should be a priority for everyone that reaches maturity. Some of the principles are valid for the New Testament believers. We must remember that everything we have belongs to the Lord so that what we do possess is not our own but what God has entrusted to us; we have no rightful ownership of our possessions. Another fact is we must decide in our hearts to serve God and not mammon. Biblically, God makes it plain that any form of greed is a form of idolatry.
Tithes and offerings are by giving to advance God’s kingdom of the local church. The funds received in the church are to aid in spreading the gospel throughout the world, to help those in need, store up treasures up in heaven, and learn to fear the Lord. Our giving should be in proportion to our income. In the Old Testament, the tithe amounted to one-tenth. Giving less than that was disobedience to God’s law and was, in effect, robbing God. Similarly, the New Testament requires that our giving be in proportion to what God has given us.
Tithes and offerings should be voluntary, cheerful, and generous; We should not hesitate to give sacrificially, for that is the spirit in which the Lord Jesus gave Himself for us. The law of sowing and reaping operates in financial giving as in other realms. God has promised to reward us according to how we give to Him.