What do we mean by a tithe?
A tithe is ten percent of everything you are blessed with, example: if you have a fruit tree? tithe ten percent of your fruit tree. If you have a garden? tithe ten percent of the increase of your garden. Do you rent houses to others? tithe ten percent of your profit
If you own an apartment and rent it out. This does not mean you begin spending lots of money to fix it up, saying, "I’ll give what is left over to the Lord." Perhaps, you try to justify spending large amounts of money on your taxes—as tax write-offs. You are not to do that with God. You are not to play games with God. Ten percent of your total income, before taxes, before bills, before food, belongs to God. Ten percent of your gross income, right off the top: before electric bills, before water bills, is God’s. If you rob God, you can expect to have a curse on you. “Malachi 3:8 asks the question "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. 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."”
So in simple terms
The tithe is that tenth of our income that we give to God, which enables Him to move on our behalf in the area of blessings. The Bible records numerous accounts of man tithing to God. God is the creator of everything that exists. He owns everything and we are simply stewards of what we have been entrusted with. The tithe principle is this; "He gives unto us, we give back to Him one-tenth of all that He has blessed us with." So our salaries are not ”our salaries” but “His salary that He trust us with”.
Leviticus 27:30 "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD."
This scripture states that all the tithe, whether it be seed of the land, fruit of the tree, or one tenth of all that you earn, is holy unto the Lord. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 states that one-tenth of all that comes into your possession, belongs to God. This was God's plan to instruct His people as to the way of blessings that He had for them. God is a multiplier by nature, and He could not multiply that which was not entrusted to Him. When the children of Israel were obedient to give back to God that which was His, increase was guaranteed. Scripture states, It's better to be obedient than to sacrifice. When the children of Israel were obedient, blessings came; when they were disobedient, they had to sacrifice. Many Christians today are wanting God to honor the covenant that He has with His children, but disobedient children cannot receive the same reward as the obedient “1 Samuel 15:22: "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."”
The Old Testament records two other tithes; one tithe was called the "festival tithe," when they came to Jerusalem three times a year for fellowship. The expense for the festival, (travel, food, etc.) was taken from this tithe. The third tithe was given in the third year and was a tithe holy unto the Lord. It was a tithe of almsgiving for the poor and needy. All of these tithes were brought to the storehouse, and the priest oversaw the distribution of same. The first tithe was for the upkeep of the priests, since they had no inheritance. All of their income and portion was to be given to them by God's people. This tithe in and of itself, is not considered an offering. It is the minimum requirement for all of God's people.
The reason God instituted the second and the third tithe through Moses, was that His children needed to give above and beyond this tithe. It is these tithes that God is referring to in Malachi 3:8 where His people have robbed Him in tithes and offerings. In verse 10 of Malachi 3, you will notice that it states "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."
I am convinced that when people see the tithe as an instrument of blessing they will not be looking for a way to give less, but a way to give more. God will help them so that they can be generous on every occasion.
Tithing after the law does not do away with the law, but establishes it. Are you honestly blessed to where you can give generously on every occasion? Or are you like so many that can't give the way they would like to be able to? I've come to the knowledge that most Christians are looking for the truth, so they can be set free. Just because you're a child of God, does not mean you are a "mature" son of God. A mature son or daughter of God will not be found robbing "daddy" God. Revelation 3:18 gives us good counsel on how to re-establish right covenant with the Lord. Jesus' advice to those of us who have become lukewarm is to buy from Him gold that's been refined in the fire. He tells us to do this so that the shame of our nakedness will not be revealed.
Revelation 3:18: "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
This is the portion taken from Pastor Eddie Cude on Tithe and Offering