Jesus Didn’t Tithe—And Nor Should You (Part 3)

If you grew up in church like I did, you probably heard it preached:

For me, the fear was real. I didn’t just tithe—I tithed on my gross income. Because someone told me, "Not tithing on your gross is gross to God." And yes, I believed them.

I wasn’t tithing out of joy or freedom; This was survival.

But what if Malachi wasn’t meant to be a divine audit? What if the “curse” wasn’t about God lurking with lightning bolts, ready to zap you or your finances the second you skip a tithe?

Let’s unpack it. (No calculators required.)

Spoiler alert: Not you. Or me. Or your Aunt Carol, who thinks you’re cursed because you skipped church last Sunday.

Malachi was speaking to ancient Israel under the Old Covenant, specifically the priests and people of Judah who were neglecting their covenant responsibilities. This wasn’t a general memo to all future Christians with a side note: "P.S. This applies to your paycheques too."

So, what was the issue?

They were not bringing in the WHOLE TITHE

As I covered in my first blog, there were three separate components of the tithes that together made up the “WHOLE TITHE”:


If any one of the above components of the required Tithe was missing, that was NOT THE "WHOLE TITHE." 

So what was missing?

Drumroll, please…

It was Tithe #3: The Social Welfare Tithe that wasn’t being brought into the "storehouse."

The storehouse was not a metaphor for the local church. It was a literal storage room within the Temple in Jerusalem. 

In Nehemiah 10:38-39, we get a clearer picture:

"A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury… The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the storerooms where the articles for the sanctuary are kept and where the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians also stay."

Imagine if half the country decided, "You know what? I don’t feel like paying taxes anymore."

• The economy would crash.
• People would lose their jobs.
• Essential services would shut down.
• Support agencies like food banks and welfare programs would crash.
• And the government would show up with some… let’s call them firm consequences.

That’s basically what happened in Malachi’s day.

Israel’s tithes weren’t offerings in the way we think of giving today. They were akin to a national tax system to sustain the country.¹ And when Israel withheld those tithes, they were robbing the poor, the widows, and the fatherless—the very people God commanded them to care for.

That’s why Malachi 3:8-10 says:

How many times have you heard preachers explain this passage like this when they hit you with the Malachi 3 guilt trip?

They make it about funding the church budget. But Malachi 3 was actually about funding the social welfare system and helping the poor.

Short answer: NOPE. Absolutely not.

Malachi isn’t about God hovering over your finances, waiting to unleash financial ruin the second you skip a tithe.

So no…

• You didn't have a bad day because you didn;t pay your tithe. 
• Your Wi-Fi isn’t slow because you missed a tithe.
• Your car didn’t break down because God’s mad about your giving.
• Your sports team didn’t lose because you held back (they’re just bad).

But here’s the real kicker:
While God doesn’t curse us, there are natural consequences when generosity is neglected.

When we hold back from giving:

• Communities suffer.
• The vulnerable get overlooked.
• We miss out on the joy of reflecting God’s heart.
• It’s not a curse. It’s just what happens when people hoard instead of helping.

1. Today, we’re not living under a theocratic agrarian economy, like Israel were. Today's secular taxes (federal, provincial/state, etc.) in our modern context serve some of the societal roles that biblical tithes and temple taxes once did. Part of the Levitical role was akin to civil servants today.