Matthew 23:23 – Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former.

Jesus is teaching here that it's important to practice the latter which is "law — justice, mercy and faithfulness" without neglecting the former, which is tithing, or giving a tenth. Jesus Himself, in the New Testament, is telling us to tithe. This verse should clearly shatter any myth that tithing was only for the Old Testament. But tithing is intended to be a blessing, not a burden. Look at what He promises to those who obey this command:

Malachi 3:10 – "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

This is the only place in Scripture where we are invited to put God to the test on the faithfulness of His promise. Obey the Lord and honour Him with a tithe of your firstfruits and see what blessings He will pour out on you!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for Your assurance that "all the promises of God in [Christ] are yea, and in him Amen". Help us to learn how to obey Your commands and accept Your assurances with the knowledge that they are "the word of a gentleman of the strictest and highest honour". Amen.

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About the author:

Garth McFadden <garth@rivercom.ca>
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
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