Storehouse Giving
An Essay on Tithes & Offerings
by Lynn Ridenhour
1988
What if I said…tithing is a two-way street.
Or…that churches and ministries are to periodically give back
its tithes and offerings to its members and supporters.
That’s a new thought, isn’t it. I believe, however, it’s a scriptural
thought. Let’s examine…
Old Testament Storehouse:
Storehouses were set up by kings.
"…and over the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, and in
the villages, and in the castles, was Jonathan son of Uzziah." --I
Chron.27:25
Jonathan was selected by the king to oversee the storehouse. You will
notice, storehouses were set up everywhere. Why? To bring in the tithes.
"…Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be
food in my house…" --Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
We need to ask the obvious. What were tithes? And what were they used for?
Deuteronomy chapter twenty-six tells us the tithe was used for three purposes:
- to support the Levites and priests who served God (ministers);
- to support the work of the ministry, i.e., the tabernacle or
temple, and
- to support those in need. (verses 1:15)
It’s the third purpose of the tithe—to support those in need—that we’ve
overlooked as the Lord’s people
. Every third year the tithe went back
to the people, went back to take care of "…the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates and be filled
(Deut.26:12). It was called the "…year of the tithe…" (vs.12).
As the Lord’s Church, we’ve neglected the year of the tithe and the
principle behind it.
I’ll say it again—the tithe is a two-way street. Periodically it’s to
be returned to the Lord’s people. That has profound implications on how a
church and/or ministry is run today.
The people during King Hezekiah’s day said an interesting thing:
"…Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps
[excesses of tithes], ‘Since the people began to bring their contributions
to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty
to spare because the Lord has blessed his people, and this
great amount is left over." --II Chron.31:9,10 (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, the Levites and priests had plenty. The ministry had
"plenty to spare." And the tithe was given back to
the people. It was put into a storehouse to be "stored up"
(the Hebrew word is asamim, "barn") for 1) God’s ministers,
2) God’s ministry, and 3) God’s people to use at a later date.
What an ingenious plan! One we, for sure, need to return to today as His
people. It’s the first step to financial freedom.
Storehouse For Us Too!
The plan is still the same today. Listen to a couple of verses:
"…Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store…(Deut.28:5)
Interesting. We each have a store! The storehouse is
not only for the Levites and priests, not only for the work of the ministry,
but for us as well.
"…The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in
thy storehouse…and he shall bless thee…(vs.8)
It can be said no plainer. We each have a storehouse.
We must remember what the tithe was. It was the firstfruits of their
harvest. It was cattle, oxen, sheep, grain, wheat and barley. That’s why
storehouses were set up in cities, villages, castles, and in the country. They
were set up anywhere and everywhere so the people could get to them later when
they needed to take back their tithe. It was a store…house, or barn, used
for the purpose of "storing up" blessings.
Again, the plan hasn’t changed. It’s the same today.
There will be times in a believer’s life when (s)he will need to take
back his tithe, and the Lord knows it. In fact, He has a storehouse set up
just for that very purpose. It’s…your store (Deut.28:5,8).
I’ll say it again, what an ingenious plan!
Implementing the Plan
How do we take a money principle initiated for an agrarian tribal society
of centuries ago and apply it to an E-Commerce global society centuries later?
Simple. First, we realize the importance of the "first mention" rule
of the Bible: The first time a subject is mentioned, it’s in its purest
form. That is, it becomes a prototype, a pattern for subsequent uses. We’re
to use the plan today.
Second, we must understand—the tithing principle hasn’t changed. That
is, bringing your firstfruits unto the Lord hasn’t changed. You can do that
with dollar bills or baskets of wheat. In other words, the principle of God’s
using the tithe for the Christian’s foundation, or base, for his economic
prosperity is still operative today. Now let’s look at…
The Most Misunderstood Passage in the Bible:
Malachi chapter three.
You know the passage, and though it’s a tad long, I still want to quote
it:
"…But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine
house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not
be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine
cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts." --Malachi
3:8-11
The above passage is, I submit, the most misunderstood in all the Bible.
First, Malachi chapter three is not the chapter on tithing. It’s the
chapter on tithes and offerings. We never mention
offerings!
And second, verse ten (10) is the most inaccurately translated verse in the
King James Bible. More italicized words are added in that verse than any other
verse. Seven italicized words, to be exact.
Translators usually add words in order to clarify meaning from one language
to another. In this instance, however, meaning is translated to mean the exact
opposite of what the text is meant to convey. For instance, the end of verse
ten reads, "…there shall not be room enough to receive it…"
The only words of that phrase in the original Hebrew text are the words
"not" and "enough." Or "not enough." Just two
words. The other seven, "…there shall be room to receive it…"
were added by translators.
The King James translators, with all due respect, missed it.
Let’s read the verse as the prophet Malachi wrote it:
"…Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, but
that’s not enough."
