ADDING BY SUBTRACTING: Have you ever felt that regardless of how much you make, it seems that you just can’t get ahead? God offers a solution of adding by subtracting that you may want to consider.

From a biblical perspective, we are looking at how to manage effectively the resources God has given us while prioritizing What Really Matters.

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Asking For God’s Guidance

Holy Father, help us better understand your financial system so that we may carry out your divine will in managing your family business.   In Jesus Name Amen

As we have learned, thus far, the tithe is the special offering that belongs to God. God has asked that we set aside 10% of our earnings or of whatever funds we get and purposely give it back to him to be used for his cause.  

For example, if you receive $10.00, you give God $1.00 to be used for his service, and the other nine you carefully use to manage your personal affairs effectively and give an offering according to the blessings you receive from the Lord.

So, the tithe is 10% of all the money we obtain. As God’s manager of His family business, we recognize that God is the one who provides all the resources necessary to keep the business profitable. Therefore, from the income that you receive God claims 10% of all the money you get.

Malachi 3:10 tells us to put God to the test. Return 10% of what you receive and observe the results:

10 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)

God promises that when we return a faithful tithe, we will receive in return more than what we need. “The more than what we need”, gives us the opportunity to  others.

When we as managers fail to return to God a faithful tithe and offering, we are misappropriating funds.  When we appropriate that which God has reserved and use it for ourselves, we become unfaithful managers of God’s resources.  The unfaithful managers, we will lose not only that which they have withheld from God but also that which God has committed to them to be used for themselves. Hence, they become borrowers and slaves to the lenders. 

So, by now, you may be asking, how do I return the 10% that God requires, and where do I return it?

In the previous verses, God does not specify. However, it is evident that God’s people already knew what God meant by “storehouse” (Malachi 3:10), because God tells His people to bring the tithe to His house “ ‘so that there may be food in His house’ ” (Malachi 3:10, NLV).

The Israelites understood that God’s house was at that time the sanctuary. The sanctuary was an elaborate tent or tabernacle that was built based on specific instructions given to Moses at Mount Sinai while they were traveling in the desert on their way to the land that God had promised them.

When Israel arrived in the Promised Land, Shiloh became the place for the house of God.  Later, Solomon built a temple for God in Jerusalem. The ark of the covenant, the place in which God was said to reside with His people was moved into this temple.

In Deuteronomy 12:5–14 we see that God gave specific instructions on where the tithes were to be returned. Notice that there was no discretion as to where the tithes were to be deposited.

5 “But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. 

6 There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7 And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 “You shall not at all do as we are doing here today—every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes—

9 for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you.

10 But when you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety,

11 then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide. There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord.

12 And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see;

14 but in the place which the Lord chooses, in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. (Deuteronomy 12:5-14)

In other words, this shows us that God doesn’t give us permission to decide where we should give our tithe. It goes into his storehouse. It is not to be diverted to our own special interest.

So, the question is, how do we return tithes today?

In Deuteronomy 12:5–14, we see that God’s people traveled to Jerusalem three times each year: Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles. See also Exodus 23:14-17.  

During these special days, God’s people traveled to Jerusalem to personally bring their tithes and offerings to God and to praise and worship Him.

For further study read 2 Chronicles 31:11–21; Nehemiah 12:44–47; and Nehemiah 13:8–14. In these texts, you will find that the Levites took the tithe and gave it to other Levites all over the land of Israel.

For instance, like this biblical central storehouse principle, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, of which I am a member, has designated local conferences, missions, and unions of churches as storehouses. They are smaller parts of the worldwide church. The Ministers are thus paid by the local conferences. Thus, the tithes are used to support the preaching of the gospel.

So, the church members bring their tithe to their local church as part of their worship experience. Some members choose to give their tithe and offerings online via what is called Adventistgiving.org.  It is there that I personally return God’s tithes and offerings. I designate 10% of my income for tithe, and I also give offering to support the ministries of my local church, the Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church in Houston. My tithe is forwarded to my local conference, which is the Southwest Region Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists Churches.

This plan is ordained by God. It works well to ensure that we all play a part in reaching the entire world.

Deviations from God’s plan to return a faithful tithe and a liberal offering affect not only us but also affects the world. 

 When we choose to divert giving to God’s storehouse, his church, it interferes with the church fulfilling its mission of reaching the entire world with the gospel. Therefore when we fail to do as God has instructed, we do ourselves a dishonor and most importantly we dishonor God.

But, if God owns everything, why must we return to him what he has given us?

Find out more on Day 4: The Purpose of Tithing?

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