Has a preacher ever accused you of robbing God because you don’t tithe, or threatened you with a curse if you didn’t donate to your church or to another ministry? Christendom is filled with messages of fear and condemnation about giving that are designed to get you to open up your wallet. And these threats are taken from one misapplied passage.
One of the most manipulative ways of getting Christians to donate money is to scare them, and the passage that’s most often used to do that is from Malachi 3. There the prophet acted like a kind of covenant lawyer bringing suit against Israel for breaking the Law:
“Since the days of your ancestors, you have turned from my statutes; you have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Armies.
Yet you ask, “How can we return?”
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!”
“How do we rob you?” you ask.
“By not making the payments of the tenth and the contributions. You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not ruin the produce of your land and your vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the Lord of Armies. “Then all the nations will consider you fortunate, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of Armies (Mal 3:7-12).
After reading that passage to an audience, a preacher might then say things like this:
Have you ever heard preaching like that? If you didn’t know any better, you might be scared enough to start writing some checks, or superstitious enough to give just to avoid any unnecessary trouble! No one wants to be cursed by both God and demons!
But grace believers should know better than to fall for that type of preaching. How so?
As I’ve argued elsewhere (see here), the way tithing is usually presented to Christians is a myth. Israelites never gave 10% of their income to ministry. The actual rate was much higher and much more complicated than that. You cannot use Malachi 3 to prove that Christians should give 10% of their income to the church. In context, that’s not what was required.
But more importantly, this warning is not for you.
Malachi’s warning was given to Israel under the Old Covenant. They were not giving enough grain to fill the Temple storehouse to feed the Levitical priests.
Suffice to say, that situation doesn’t exist today.
You’re not an Israelite. The Temple and the storehouse were destroyed nearly two thousand years ago. The priests are long gone. And more importantly, you’re not under the Old Covenant, but in the New Covenant.
It’s true that the Mosaic Law promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, and Malachi 3 is an example of that. But Jesus saved you from the Law’s curses. God sent Jesus to die in your place, and He took the curse of the Law upon Himself:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree (Gal 3:13).
Jesus redeemed you. So, if Jesus redeemed you from the curse of the law, should you worry about the curses of Malachi 3? Absolutely not. That concerns a different audience, under a different covenant, during a different dispensation.
You’re in Christ, and under grace, not under a curse.
Thought for the day: Don’t worry about robbing God of tithes; be more concerned with legalistic preachers robbing you of grace.
Thank you for helping me to find the truth . I've been with the church for 15 years where the pastor mentions Malachi 3 almost every Sunday. As I grow in my faith and my knowledge of the word, it bothers me more and more. I want to stand up in the church and scream. That's not true. Please show me in the New testament that I'm cursed and if God paid it all how is it that I owe God anything? It bothers the hell out of me. I love my pastor. I love my church. I love my members. I've been taught well. I've grown. The Holy Ghost has touched me. I've been blessed by God but this bugs the hell out of me and I'm considering leaving my church if he continues to teach in this way.
I'm sorry to hear that. I could stand occasional appeals to tithing, etc. No one is perfect. But every Sunday? That would be hard. I wonder where else that misunderstanding is manifested. Check out my book on this topic.
Still a divided camp... I've struggled with this for 57 years! The message of tithing was always the cause of cognitive dissonance for me, because of health issues, I couldn't preform at a highly productive level, which kept me in a financially compromised state. I always tithed and gave offerings, as well as gave my time in food prep, and various church offices, building a garden, church treasurer, and others...but hearing every week Malachi 3, I had to get out! It made God seem unfair...that He didn't care that I did without while everyone else had everything their heart desired because they were educated and had great paying jobs. I know people will presume things incorrectly about what I'm saying. but this is between me and God, and I appreciate the writer for the support, knowing I am not under condemnation for leaving.
So many fight tithing / giving to God or the church. Very sad. I love to tithe - I cant wait to tithe each time I have increase. Pity those that have turned honoring God with our first fruits into some kind of bondage. Tithing was instituted before the law and not as part of the law. If God is my provider, which I believe He is, if God has graced me with a job (which He has), if God has afforded me a bonus then I most certainly will acknowledge Him and in this He is honored, (per the Word). Leaving it up in the air for people to give when they "feel" like it is so lame.
You and I both know that's not going to happen. All they know is that they are "off the hook." Many are tormented to tithe when things are tight...Geez that's when I make sure to put my tithe in because then I know I have placed God first and as I seek ye first His kingdom all things will be added to me - and they have...Bless God!
I want to walk right in God light
But how can I walk in the light
When the preacher is talking about
You should give a ten of your money to the church
Ignore the error, focus on what you know to be true. Every preacher will be wrong in one area or another. You walking in the light does not depend upon having a inerrant preacher (which does not exist).
I'd be more concerned with why a person wouldn't not wish to sow into their church, with the law of reciprocity we should understand that we deny the blessings which fall on us because of our giving, and it coming back to us. Curse notwithstanding, it is the blessings which we deny ourselves and a lack of blessings, can be likened to a curse in the lives of many.
tithing is not for christians. i dont have the time to explain, but the bible does not give any compelling reasons or evidences that mandates christians to tithe. The concept of tithing today is based primarily on the pastors and leaders thinking of them selves as being entitle monthly to believers income, for their own comfortable lifestyle, while the masses barely gets along. /i was a devouted tither for 28th years and became concious of this burden in the 29th year. the pastor was furious and even reported me to the regional apostle. they even went as far as to hint that a qualification for being an elder is that he/she must pay tithes ( where in God's name these men got that doctrine from). it has become clear to believer thereafter that the focus was for the pastor to sustain a monthly salary even at the expense of just a hand full of believers (less tan 20 people) earning. it was quite evident during 2020 covid period where churches doors were closed, the pastor never sought to find hot how believers were coping, but instead making requests for believers to bring their tithes home by his house. these are some of the atrocities that clergy commits and discourages people from even wanting to come to church because of the aggressive way to get money. as such believers can hardly feel the love and joy of cheerful giving because its like they are having their hands twisted to give and if not, the " man of god" is quick to quote Malachi 3:8. my prayer is that this whole idea of tithing and its side effect will be outright be rejected by the Christian communities globally and let the true intent of the scriptures be rightly put into practice and let God have his glory. too much hurting and suffering are being felt in the name of paying of God's Tithe ( which only the pastor gets the lion's share thereof)
I agree. Tithing is not for Christians. Hence my book, "The Myth of Tithing and the Joy of Grace Giving." This blog is related to that book.
Es impresionante ver que todavia en pleno 2025 todavia ay ovejas tan inocentes que piensan q seràn maldecidas si no diezman ,y como es posible que un pseudo lider todavia predique y dicte maldicion sobre sus ovejas si no dan el diezmo? Me llena de coraje ver que ellos quieran todavia manipular a los miembros haciendolo ver a uno como tonto
Wonderful. Thank you. My former pastors spoke curses upon us and linked us to the thieves of 1 Cor. 6:10 who will not inherit the kingdom! We were not even saved unless we tithed! I think at least half of Christianity is fooled by this message because they cannot distinguish (from ignorance of the Word) the Old from the New Covenant. They use testimonies from their congregation about how blessed they are from tithing. But I was encouraged to speak false reports of blessings even before they materialized, as sowing seeds of faith. Malachi 2:1 says "And now, this message if for you, O Priests" and the rest of the prophecy concerned only them, and only at that time.
Thanks for the excellent interpretation of OT tithes
Jesus and his apostles never commanded Gentiles to tithe
Paul wrote about giving to the extent that 2 Corinthians chapters 8-9 contradict OT tithes. Pastors and church founders should explain why the selective texts is restricted to TITHES HARVEST AND FIRST FRUITS