Good stewardship in the Bible - what is it all about?
Imagine you are a kind-hearted billionaire and about to set out on a long journey. You entrust two of your household workers each with a large sum of money.
One uses it wisely, helping others, investing it wisely, making the world around him a better place. The other keeps everything to himself and looks for more.
Upon your return, which of the two workers will you commend? To whom of the two will you be more likely to entrust funds in the future?
We are all stewards of God. The way we use our resources commends us to God as wise stewards or as selfish stewards. Learning to be wise stewards will open the floodgates of heaven for God’s blessings to be poured out on us, and through us to others.
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).
“[Do not] say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth…’ remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day’” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18).
Everything we owe and everything we earn ultimately comes from and belongs to God.
What system, wonderful in simplicity, did God set in place to take care of the needs of His work on earth?
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house” (Malachi 3:10).
“And all the tithe of the land… is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30).
The tithe is one-tenth of a person’s income. The word “tithe” literally means “tenth.”
“Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform” (Numbers 18:21).
“Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe” (Numbers 18:26).
God’s people in the Old Testament were divided into three groups. First, there were the 12 tribes of Israel. Second, there was the tribe of Levi, whose work was to look after the tabernacle and lead in Israel’s worship and ministry. Third, there was the family of Aaron from within the tribe of Levi, who ministered as priests in the sanctuary.
The Levites and priests had received no inheritance when the land was distributed. How were they to survive? Through the tithes of the twelve tribes.
Israel would give a tithe to the Levites for their needs – the 12 tribes to the 1 tribe. Then in turn, from what they received the Levites would give a tithe to the priests – the 1 tribe to the 1 family. Through this simple system those responsible for the spiritual welfare of God’s people were looked after.
Absolutely!
Listen to the words of Jesus.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone” (Matthew 23:23).
Here Jesus was rebuking religious leaders for omitting the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, faith—even though they were meticulous tithers. He then plainly told them they should continue tithing but should also be just and merciful and faithful.
“Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14).
Here Paul makes direct reference to the tithing system as practiced in the Old Testament. “Those who minister the holy things” are probably the Levites. “Those who serve at the altar” are the priests.
Then he declares: “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” In other words, just like Levites and priests received the tithe of the twelve tribes, even so ministers of the gospel can receive the tithing of believers.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house” (Malachi 3:10).
This text speaks of God’s storehouse and God’s house. We saw that in both the Old and the New Testaments, tithe was used for the needs of those who ministered to the spiritual needs of the people, the Levites/priests in the Old, and the ministers of the gospel in the New.
Tithe is therefore not to be used for general church expenses. It needs to be used for the ministry of the gospel and should be designated as tithe so that it can be used accordingly.
“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse ... and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it’ ” (Malachi 3:10).
God invites you to try Him. Return your tithe faithfully to Him and see how He will respond! Millions of people who have been tithing can testify that God blesses bountifully!
“Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he [Jesus] receives them” (Hebrews 7:8).
When we return our tithe, we are giving back to Jesus what already rightfully belongs to Him!
This is why is it more appropriate to say, “I return tithe” rather than “I pay tithe.”
In addition to tithe, which is 10% of our income, what else does God invite us to bring?
“Bring an offering, and come into His courts” (Psalm 96:8).
When coming to the house of God, His people would come with a gift.
Also, when they were building the tabernacle, people brought their gifts:
“And they [the craftsmen building the tabernacle] received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning” (Exodus 36:3).
In contrast to tithe which is to be used for gospel ministry, God asks His people for freewill offerings to be used in any other project whether it be construction, welfare, or anything else related to the function of a church.
Absolutely! Here are the three most important:
Give happily!
“Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Give bountifully!
“And they [the craftsmen building the sanctuary] spoke to Moses, saying, ‘The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do’” (Exodus 36:5).
The building of the sanctuary in the wilderness takes place after the sin of the golden calf, and after Moses has intervened on behalf of Israel to assure God’s forgiveness. The abundant offerings the Israelites brought may reflect a sense of gratitude for divine forgiveness.
The person who has been forgiven loves much! (see Luke 7:36-50). Our offerings should reflect a sense of gratitude for the abundant forgiveness offered us through the death of Jesus on the cross.
Many believers give as offerings an additional tenth of their income, a second tithe so to speak.
Give systematically!
“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Paul here instructs believers at the beginning of each week to lay aside some money to give later as an offering. Why the beginning of the week? So that the money is set aside before it is spent!
Our offerings should be an organized and intentional, an act of worship to God.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8-9).
Strong words!
In another instance, when the exiled Jews returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple, soon they lost their motivation and focused on their own financial gain. The prophet Haggai offered these sobering words:
“’You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit” (Haggai 1:9-10).
Putting our interests before God’s work is a wrong course of action.
Absolutely!
“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it’” (Malachi 3:10).
“But this I say: ‘He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully’” (2 Corinthians 9:6).
Going back to Haggai and the indifferent Israelites, after he encouraged them to restart work on God’s house, he gave them this amazing promise:
“Consider now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day that the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid—consider it: Is the seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit. But from this day I will bless you” (Haggai 2:18-19).
God’s blessings would be so visible, that the people would be able to know from which day onward they began to receive God’s blessings – from the 24th of the 9th month, the day they committed to put God first again.
Good stewardship in the Bible revolves around tithe and offerings. Returning the tithe to God reflects our faithfulness. Offering happily abundant offerings reflects our gratefulness.
God does not need our money. But He has chosen to make us co-workers in the plan of salvation in every way, including the use of funds. Through our tithe and offerings, we bless God’s work and receive in return God’s abundant blessings, sometimes material blessings, but also many more.
I want to be part of God’s great plan of salvation in every way, including through my tithe and offerings. I will happily bring them to the Lord’s house!
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