IMPORTANT FACTS CONCERNING TITHING AND THE BOOK OF MALACHI; obeying Malachi 3:10 is impossible for a New Testament Christian.
>> 1. The tithe to be brought to the temple storehouse was 1/10 of the original tithe (not the whole tithe) which had to be delivered to the temple storehouse in Jerusalem only by a Levite accompanied by a priest descended from Aaron;
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."
>> 2. Ninety percent of the tithe was not delivered to the temple storehouse, but was sent to the Levitical cities;
Nehemiah 10:37 - "And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage."
>> 3. The call to tithe, to whom Malachi was addressing, was to the nation of Israel and the corrupt priesthood of the nation. There is no mention in the Book of Malachi of the New Testament church being addressed or commanded to tithe anything to anyone;
Malachi 1:1 - "The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi." Malachi 1:6 - "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?" Malachi 2:1 - "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you."
>> 4. Tithing was a national requirement on the nation of Israel, tithing was never commanded on any individual or individual's income;
Malachi 3:9 - "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." The man robbing God, referred to in Malachi 3:8, was a corrupt priest named Eliashib identified in Nehemiah 13:4-5 - "And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah:..." That is to say the man mentioned in Malachi 3:8 is identified in Nehemiah 13:4-5 as Eliashib the priest who was conspiring with a man named Tobiah to rob the temple storehouse of the tithe of the tithe and placing the tithe of the tithe in an improper chamber they were using to store the stolen tithe;
Nehemiah 13:4-5 - "And before this, Eliashib the priest, having the oversight of the chamber of the house of our God, was allied unto Tobiah: And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests."
>> 5. The tithe being referred to by Malachi came from Israeli farms and herds, from farmers and ranchers, and was limited by God to agricultural products only and their derivatives such as wine and olive oil;
Lev. 27:30, 32, Num. 18:27, Num. 18:28, Deut 12:17, Deut. 14:22, Deut. 14:23, Deut. 24:21, Deut. 26:12, 2 Chron. 31:5, 2 Chron. 31:6, Neh. 10:37, Neh. 13:5, Mal. 3:10, Matt. 23:23, Luke 11:42.
In the above verses, NOT ONE mentions a tithe in the form of money (gold, silver, shekels, mites, coins, etc.). Fruits, vegetables and clean animals WERE NOT THE CURRENCY in Israel during the writing of scriptures; neither in Old or New Testament times. They possessed and used money much as we do today as their currency; see Genesis 23;12-16, Exodus 38:28, Exodus 38:29, Leviticus 5:15, Leviticus 27:3, Leviticus 27:4, Leviticus 27:5, Leviticus 27:6, Leviticus 27:7, Leviticus 27:16, Numbers 3:47, Numbers 3:50, Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 12:41-42, Acts 8:20.
>> 6. Malachi 3:10 can only be obeyed and fulfilled by and via the Law of Moses, not by any New Testament promise or command. Malachi 3:10 is a command to tithe under the law of Moses, not under the New Testament. There is is NO CONTINUATION of Malachi 3:10 into the New Testament. No one can obey or fulfill Malachi 3:10 under the New Testament;
Malachi 3:7 - "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances [Law of Moses], and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?" Malachi 4:4 - "Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." New Testament Christians are not under the Law of Moses and have no command to tithe;
Romans 6:14 - "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
Acts 15:24 - "Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:"
Hebrews 7:18 - "For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment [Law of Moses] going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof."
>> 7. The common people, i.e.; non Levites, were forbidden to bring a tithe to the storehouse;
Only the Levites were permitted to bring the tithe of the tithe to the storehouse, anyone else doing so faced the death penalty; in the clear context of tithing Numbers 18:21-23 says this; "And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, AND DIE. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance."
CONCLUSION;
No scripture in the Book of Malachi instructs a Christian to tithe. In fact, Malachi's description concerning tithing and where the tithe of the tithe was to be delivered to, and the requirement to do so under the Law of Moses makes it IMPOSSIBLE for a New Testament Christian to obey Malachi 3:10. There is no temple storehouse to take any tithe to. Additionally; the Bible does not describe a New Testament church as a "storehouse to be tithe to."
NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHES ARE NOT STOREHOUSES FOR THE TITHE, NEITHER ARE THE BANK ACCOUNTS OF CHURCHES, PASTORS OR OTHER MINISTERS.
