Old Testament Stewardship

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this" says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for your a blessing until it overflows."

Malachi 3:10

In the Bible, God commanded His people to bring a “tithe” into the “storehouse.”  Tithing is an ancient and widespread means of recognizing God’s ownership.  Tithing also means returning to God one tenth of what God has already provided you (Leviticus 27:30-34)

Throughout the Old Testament, God designated the first tenth to be returned to him.  Genesis 14:18-20 records Abraham’s tithe of his choicest spoils from battle to Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, whose priesthood is likened to that of Christ (Hebrews 7:1-10).  Like Abraham, Jacob also made a commitment to return his tenth back to God (Genesis 28:10-22).  Therefore, those Christians that disregard God’s command to tithe because it is part of the law fail to understand the simple fact that tithing was practiced long before the giving of the law by Moses.

New Testament Stewardship

"And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty, put all she owned, all she had to live on."
Mark 12:41-44

In the New Testament, Jesus had much to say about stewardship. In fact, Jesus said more about money than about Heaven and Hell. Why did the Lord Jesus Christ spend a full 15% of His recorded words on this one subject? Why did He say more about giving and about our money and possessions than any other single thing? In His teachings, his parables and metaphors, Jesus makes it very clear that He is interested in our stewardship. This was certainly the case in Mark 12:41-44 as Jesus observed the offerings given by both the rich and the poor. He was interested in the widow's offering as much as He is interested in our offering today. He is interested in our offering because:

1.     Giving is an act of worship. Worship is the recognition of God as the highest and the best and the opening of our hearts to Him. We do this when we pray. We also do this when we give. As we make our offerings, we confess that God is absolute owner of all. We give in the acknowledgment that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. We open our hearts and hands to give; we open them to receive.

2.     Our attitude towards giving is a test of our character. Giving is a privilege and we are to give eagerly and gladly. The apostle Paul, in I Corinthians 9:7, encourages Christians to give with the right attitude by saying that "the Lord loves a cheerful giver." 

3.     He realizes the tragedy of our failure to give. He knows that such failure indicates that we are selfish, and selfishness is deadly. He knows that to refuse to give is to refuse in any adequate sense to live. 

4.     He has entrusted us with its use. He wants to make sure that our offerings are used in such a way that they will make a difference for His kingdom and for His body-the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus recognized the powerful relationship between a person's true spiritual condition and his or her attitude and actions concerning money and possessions. We see this in Jesus' conversation with Zaccheus (Luke 19:1-27), His response to the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-25), His warning against covetousness (Luke 12:13-21), and many other passages. Jesus takes stewardship to a new level. If under the law we are to be tithers, then how much more under grace are we to tithe as the beginning point in our stewardship? Jesus said that He did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). He taught that we are to give beyond the tithe-we are to give sacrificially. And not only are we to give sacrificially, but we are too give cheerfully.

As Christians, we are simply called to be wise "stewards" of what the Lord has entrusted to us.

In the Bible, God commanded His people to bring a "tithe" into the "storehouse." A tithe represents one-tenth of your gross income, and it should be the first thing you give. The storehouse represents the church, where the people of God worship.

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