ARTICLES
Biblical Tithing: Understanding God's Heart Behind the Gift
A Three-Part Series by Dr. Andrew David Edited and Arranged by Easter Prince
Introduction
Have you ever wondered why giving to God sometimes feels like paying a spiritual tax rather than expressing love? This three-part series explores the true heart of biblical giving, moving beyond religious obligation to discover God's loving invitation for abundant living. We'll journey through the original purpose of Old Testament offerings, understand how blessings truly work, and discover the freedom of New Testament giving. By the end, you'll see that tithing isn't about appeasing an angry God, but about aligning your heart with your loving Father's heart.
Background
When Paradise Was Lost, Perception Changed Forever
God created everything, including humanity, to live in perfect harmony with His heart. When we align our hearts with His, our lives flourish, righteousness reigns, and darkness retreats. God is love and light, with no darkness in Him at all (1 John 1:5 NKJV). In the Garden of Eden, humanity enjoyed perfect fellowship with God - it was true paradise.
But when sin entered, humanity's perception of God changed forever. God didn't change or suddenly become an angry, demanding deity. However, Adam now saw God through the lens of fear and guilt, creating a false image of an angry, vengeful God in his heart. Every human being since Adam carries this distorted image of God.
The Birth of Religious Fear
This explains why every religion throughout history involves giving offerings to appease what they perceive as an angry god. Even in some Christian circles, people give offerings out of fear rather than love. Humanity permanently lost the ability to perceive God as He truly is - until Jesus came.
Schematic Recommendation: Create a visual showing "Before Sin" (heart-to-heart connection) versus "After Sin" (barrier of false perception)
Challenge Question: What image of God do you carry in your heart when you think about giving?
Part 1: Old Testament Offerings - Drawing Hearts Back to God
The True Purpose of Korban
In the Old Testament, God established a system of offerings and sacrifices. The Hebrew word for offering is "Korban," which means "to draw near." Here's the crucial truth: Israel didn't give offerings to draw God close to them, but to draw their own hearts close to God.
God is a loving Father whose heart is always drawn close to His children. When Israel sinned, they lost the perception of God's love, so they brought peace offerings. The offering convinced their hearts that peace with God was restored. Every Old Testament offering was designed to influence different aspects of the human heart so people could feel harmony with God again.
Blood Sacrifices: For Humanity, Not God
The blood sacrifice wasn't for God - it was for humanity. When people offered blood sacrifices, their consciences were temporarily cleansed. They could enter into peace with God, and His blessings began to flow again. Even great patriarchs like Moses and Abraham couldn't perceive God correctly because they were limited by their flesh nature.
Jesus: The Great Revealer
Then came Jesus, the Son of God, who saw the Father as He truly is. Jesus began revealing the Father's true nature to humanity. People suddenly realized that God is for them, not against them. As John wrote: "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18 NKJV).
The word "declared" means "to unveil" - Jesus unveiled the Father's true heart. When you are born again, you come alive in the spirit. However, many continue walking in the flesh and still see an angry God. When you awaken to your union with Christ, the Bible becomes a completely different book.
Challenge Question: Are you reading Scripture through the lens of fear or through the
revelation of God's love in Christ?
Part 2: How Blessings Really Work
Blessings Are Heart Beliefs, Not Material Things
Cars, houses, possessions, and debt-free living are not blessings - they are manifestations of the blessing. A blessing is a heart belief - what you believe about yourself in God. Remember when Isaac blessed Jacob? Jacob received the blessing, believed it, and it became his reality. When Esau came later, Isaac couldn't revoke the blessing because once a person believes the blessing, the transaction is complete.
The Secret of Prosperity
Throughout the Bible, blessings are spoken and received by faith. The blessing flows from God's heart to your heart through faith. This is why God wants you to live in harmony with Him. When you walk in harmony with God, wherever you go, you prosper. This was the secret of Israel's prosperity - they believed in their hearts they were "the head and not the tail" (Deuteronomy 28:13 NKJV).
New Testament Believers: The Ultimate Blessing
In the New Covenant, we have something far greater! Jesus, the indescribable blessing, lives in you (2 Corinthians 4:7). The Father has made His home in you. But if you don't see it and believe it, it won't manifest in your life. A Christian can never truly be poor because Christ, who owns everything, lives within them.
Many believers haven't discovered their union with Christ. They speak what they see with their natural eyes rather than speaking from their identity in Christ. When you speak negative words over yourself, you plant seeds that will produce a poverty harvest.
Schematic Recommendation: Create a flow chart showing "Heart Belief → Spoken Words → Manifested Reality"
Challenge Question: What are you believing and speaking about yourself based on your union with Christ?
Part 3: Malachi 3 - God's Loving Invitation, Not Angry
Threat
Seeing Malachi 3 Through Pure Hearts
If you read Malachi 3 with an "angry God" image in your heart, you'll see threats. But that god is mythological, not the true God revealed in Jesus. Jesus found a different God in the same Old Testament scriptures. Jesus said: "He is kind to the unthankful and the wicked" (Luke 6:35
NKJV).
Jesus saw differently because He was pure in heart. Jesus taught: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8 NKJV). Our hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9 NKJV). When we see our union with Christ by faith, we function with pure hearts.
God's True Heart in Malachi 3
In Malachi 3, God isn't threatening His children. He's kind to the evil and unthankful - why would He threaten His own children? He's inviting them to harmonize their hearts with His heart. Jesus gave us the principle: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21 NKJV). God isn't after their treasure - He's after their hearts.
When their hearts harmonized with His, the blessing river would flow again. God was saying: "I AM the source of life. If your heart has strayed from Mine, you're experiencing spiritual death." Israel was oppressed by enemies because they had departed from God. God was lovingly inviting their hearts back into harmony with His.
New Covenant Reality: The Process Is Reversed
In the New Covenant, your heart is God's new holy of holies. He abides in you permanently. You don't have to bring money to bring your heart to Him. All you need to do is acknowledge your union with Christ - your heart is locked with His. You are one with Him in the spirit.
He is the Word written in your heart. You are the ark of the covenant. Because you are one with Him, everything yours is His and everything His is yours. You are a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17 NKJV). You give out of this unified heart.
New Testament Giving: From Abundance, Not Obligation
You are blessed, and out of the abundance of your heart, you give liberally. This is the New Testament principle of giving. "So 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 NKJV). God looks for cheerfulness, love, and joy in our giving.
As you become more aware of your union with Christ, your giving will increase dramatically. Malachi 3 was about the heart problem, which is fixed in the New Testament. Now we live out of our new heart in Christ!
Schematic Recommendation: Create a comparison chart showing "Old Covenant Giving" (to draw heart to God) versus "New Covenant Giving" (from unified heart with God)
Life Lessons: Freedom from Religious Obligation
Stop Regimental Tithing Now
Stop regimental tithing immediately. If you tithe out of obligation, you open yourself to condemnation. Your own heart will condemn you if you slip a month. Fear will set in, making you vulnerable to Satan's lies. Why give the enemy any room in your life?
Purpose-Driven, Joyful Giving
From now on, don't tithe - give purposefully. If you purpose in your heart to give 10%, give joyfully. If 5%, give joyfully. If 20%, give joyfully. If you can't give anything, still be joyful. You are the Father's beloved child, and it delights Him to bless you whether you give or not.
The Path to Spiritual Maturity
If you're not living from this understanding, you'll never grow into the fullness of Christ's stature. Your giving should flow from love, not law. Your identity as God's beloved child is secure regardless of your giving.
Final Challenge Question: Will you choose to give from joy and love, or continue giving from fear and obligation?
Practical To-Do List
Immediate Actions:
- Examine your heart: Ask yourself what image of God you carry when thinking about giving
- Study your identity: Spend time understanding your union with Christ through Scripture
- Stop obligatory tithing: Release yourself from percentage-based giving requirements
- Purpose your giving: Decide prayerfully what you want to give based on joy, not obligation
Ongoing Practices:
- Speak blessing over yourself: Declare your identity as God's beloved child daily
- Read Scripture with pure hearts: Ask God to reveal His true nature through His Word
- Give cheerfully: When you give, do it with joy and love, never from fear or guilt
- Celebrate your union with Christ: Regularly acknowledge that you are one with Him
Heart Transformation:
- Reject the angry God image: Choose to see God as the loving Father Jesus revealed
- Embrace your blessing: Believe that you are blessed because Christ lives in you
- Live from abundance: Operate from the understanding that you lack nothing in Christ
- Share this freedom: Help others discover the joy of New Testament giving
Remember: You are the Father's beloved child. It delights Him to bless you whether you give or not. Give from this secure place of love, and watch your generosity soar beyond any
percentage you ever imagined!