Women Tithers? Is There Such a Person in the Bible?

Across the United States, and in other countries around the world, women sit in churches hearing the same old drab tithing lie; "the church is to be paid ten percent of your income, that payment to God comes first!" 

And then, many times, the speaker, whether a pastor, or elder, or someone else, will read scripture taken completely out of proper context; Malachi 3:10, in attempt to validate their false doctrine and demand for everyone's "tithe" money. 

In the congregation of many churches sits the single mother struggling to take care of her children, make ends meet and keep house and home together. 

Every week she goes to church and is presented with her "tithe bill" during the service; the pressure to pay up passes by her in the form of a gold colored felt lined metal tray as if to say "everyone is watching you, you had better pay your tithe or be publicly shamed." 

As it passes by she is robbed in what is often called "the Sunday morning stickup." Eyes from her right and from her left subtly glance over to see if her tithe bill is paid, and perhaps to note how much it was if not hidden in a "tithe envelope." 

It's never mentioned that under God's tithing system, found ONLY in the Law of Moses (and scripture referring to the Law of Moses), the poor were never instructed to tithe, and that the tithe came ONLY from the abundance of the Promise Land in the form of fruits, vegetables and clean livestock, not the pockets of the poor, and not from women. 

The gold tray is often decorated to look like it came right from the very throne room of God, appearing very regal, when in reality it came from a bible bookstore or religious supply house costing no more than a few dollars. It's coated in gold looking metal and lined with red felt to give the impression that it "came from the king" who one must pay tribute to or bare the guilt of not doing your financial duty. 

Churches instinctively know that "passing the plate" in public will yield a higher intake of money as opposed to perhaps placing a humble offering box for people to place whatever offering they feel they wish to give in relative privacy. When the plate goes by it's more or less a method of lining people up and one by one shaking them down for money. It's very effective, and of course, used in virtually every church. 

When the single mother needs financial help, she'll be told to "ask God for it," or if she's lucky, she'll be told to "come in for financial counseling, fill out these hardship disclosure and financial request forms, and the financial department will decide if she qualifies for help." At times I have thought that when the plate goes by church members in the congregation, they should place an envelope with a letter in the plate instructing the pastor to "call me for financial counseling, fill out these hardship disclosure financial request forms, and I will decide if you qualify for financial help." 

Setting aside the fact that biblical tithing, that is to say tithing as it is clearly described by God in the Bible, has absolutely NOTHING to do with Christianity, the question comes to mind if God has ever instructed women to tithe. In scripture, it does not appear that women had any command from God to tithe on anything. All tithing responsibilities were placed on men of the Nation of Israel, certainly not on women in the New Testament, and it does not appear that women tithed in the Old Testament either. 

If you will notice, these scriptures emphasize tithing that men were responsible for, not women; 

> Malachi 2: 1 - "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you." All Priests in the Old Testament were men. The command to the men were to "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, " - Malachi 3:10. That command was not given to women, or to anyone else except the [male] Priest of Aaron. 

> Malachi 3:8 - "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings." The God robbers were men, not women. 

*Note; The Hebrew word for "man" in Malachi 3:8 is "adam" which refers to a male... 

Hebrew: אדם 
Transliteration: 'âdâm 
Pronunciation: aw-dawm' 
Definition: From H119; {ruddy} that {is} + common {sort} X {low} man 
KJV Usage: man (408x), men (121x), Adam (13x), male person(s) (8x), common {sort} X {low} man ({mean} of low {degree}) male person. 
Occurs: 552 
In verses: 527 

*Note; The Hebrew word for "woman" is "ishshâh" or "nâshîym," and is NOT used in Malachi 3:8... 

Hebrew: נשׁים אשּׁה 
Transliteration: 'ishshâh nâshîym 
Pronunciation: {ish-shaw'} naw-sheem' 
Definition: The first form is the feminine of H376 or H582; the second form is an irregular plural; a woman (used in the same wide sense as H582).: - {[adulter]ess} {each} {every} {female} X {many} + {none} {one} + {together} {wife} woman. Often unexpressed in English. 
KJV Usage: wife (425x), woman (324x), one (10x), married (5x), female (2x), misc (14x). 
Occurs: 780 
In verses: 686 

> Nehemiah 10:38 -  "And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house." Note; "the priest the SON [males] of Aaron," not women. Nehemiah 10:38 instructs that men were to bring the tithe into the storehouse, not women. 

> Hebrews 7:5 - "And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:" Note: "of their brethren" ...not their sisters. 

The word "brethren" is from the Greek word "adelphos" which refers only to a male... 

Greek: ἀδελφός 
Transliteration: adelphos 
Pronunciation: ad-el-fos' 
Definition: a brother, near or remote (much like [H1]): - brother. 
KJV Usage: brethren (226x), brother (113x), brother's (6x), brother's way (1x). 
Occurs: 346 
In verses: 319 

> The tithes were taken based on the Law of Moses from MEN, not from women. 

> Hebrews 7:8-9 - "And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham." Note; "men that die receive tithes" and "Levi [the men as in verse 8] also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham" 
  
If you will notice; in each one of the above verses, men, not women, are clearly the emphasis on paying tithes, and being held responsible for doing so. 

Of course, when this subject is addressed, someone will bring up the widow and the prophet in 1 Kings 17:9-16 in an attempt to declare a doctrine from these passages of scripture. Elijah's command to the widow was not intended by God to be used to pressure women in need in churches to hand over more and more money. The same pastors who refer to 1 Kings 17:9-16 rarely if ever also refer to these passages of scripture... 

"And he said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, And the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation." - Mark 12:38-40 

>> God's Word instructs us as New Testament Believers, both men and women, to be free will givers, not tithes, giving as we are led by God's Spirit. Women are not instructed to tithe, as is no one under the New Testament. Women in need are to be helped and supported, not seen as a source of more and more money. 

"For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision [the Law]: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake." - Titus 1:10-11 


No man or woman has been instructed to ask for or receive tithes under the New Testament, and no man or woman has been instructed to pay tithes under the New Testament. 
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