Mercy brings us unto confrontation with the Law, and mercy fulfilled through faith in Christ’s death brings us unto grace, being then in fulfillment of the Law through the righteousness of God by faith in Christ’s life. Jesus enabled the offer of finished mercy and sustained grace to us, that they might also be fulfilled in us through faith in His death and life unto eternal salvation in love with Him. How does this work? Well, if the wave offering (Jesus) was accepted, then the rest of the harvest will be accepted also. And, “…if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches” (Romans 11:16). The exposition of this and the additional typological truths discussed below is rooted in the laws outlined especially in Leviticus 23:4 – 16. 

As an important and applicable extension to the above mentioned principle, the law of the firstfruits of the harvest is applicable to ALL harvests. This is why those who do not submit their tithes cause their entire income (harvest) to be cursed by default. Many have sought to justify withholding tithes because “that’s Old Testament” or they “can’t afford to pay tithes.” The truth is that no one can afford NOT to pay tithes. Please do not embarrass and oppose yourself by arguing that paying tithes is merely of the now extinct ceremonial Old Covenant Law or that it is not mandated by the scriptures, as the foundational law for tithing is both morally constraining and conspicuous throughout the Bible. Not so you say? Well, pull out your Strongs and research the words firstfruit, firstfruits, tithe, and tithes found in Scripture. Then with integrity read on.

Undoubtedly the reason why the epistle writers did not address the tithes issue is because it wasn’t an issue that the early churches faced. For the same reason the same writers did not waste efforts going on endlessly about Jesus’ Name baptism and speaking in tongues as a sign of receiving the Holy Ghost. No one sensible would try to argue against such “no brainer” elements of established truth.  It was understood and accepted that although the New Covenant sureties and stipulations differed from the Old Covenant in nature, everything remained the same in principle and nothing of the God who had initiated both covenants had changed. The moral laws were still the moral laws and that was that. Had Paul wasted time and writing space admonishing on tithes, the churches probably would have collectively asked, “What’s wrong with Paul? Why is he straightening us out on stuff that everyone is already straight on?”

The accusation raised in Malachi 3:8 – 9 is not just an isolated addendum to the ongoing reproof of Israel; it is a principled application of the moral laws given by the 8^th and 1^st Commandments. It is true that tithes at that time may have involved more of commodities than cash, but the medium of the tithes does not arbitrate the necessity of tithing. The Law is principled out as generically universal to be applied specifically to each particular politico-economic system, but neither the moral law nor any principles that flow out from it can change, regardless of ANY covenant God makes with mankind. To try and argue that God adjusts His moral code with each covenant just declares you ignorant and willfully stubborn, and we all know what Samuel told Saul about being stubborn.

If the firstfruit (tithes) in type through the HEAD Jesus Christ (typological wave offering with respect to the Sabbath) had to be willingly offered and then accepted by God in order for the rest of the Church BODY harvest (income) to also be blessed and accepted, what does that imply for those who refuse to fulfill righteousness by not giving to God what belongs to Him by law? It implies in principle that they must also believe that Jesus made an unwise decision, and that He should have just saved Himself and not taken the risk of imputed sin in obedient faith that His sacrifice for mankind would be accepted. How so? Because the firstfruits of anything belong to God, and tithes are firstfruits given by obedient faith according to the same harvest law that operated in Christ through his death (the wheat in seed), burial (the seed planted and matured) , and resurrection (wave offering of the firstfruits). Note also what takes place in Leviticus 23:15-16 on the day following the seven Sabbaths after the wave offering. Now, typologically, that wouldn’t have anything to do with the Day of Pentecost and the birth of the church harvest made possible 50 days after the waving of the firstfruits (Jesus), would it? Of a truth, God never changes His Word or the way He does things.

The bottom line: withholding tithes from God for whatever conceivable reason is indicative of unbelief, regardless of how many times a week you attend church or how many times a day you speak in tongues. Because God has morally ordained that 10% of human material increase belongs to Him, the substance of the tithe MUST exist by default with any increase and is reserved by divine Law. Acknowledged or not, it will flow by divine appointment toward the god of your heart and soul, whether that is the One True God who already owns the tithes or another earthly objective manifested through the behavioral fruits of self-worship. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone pays tithes to something because tithes have been ordained by God to take substance at the moment of any increase, and they go forth as tithes whether understood as such or not and regardless of the destination. This is how and why God is and has been robbed.

God could NEVER tell Israel “I don’t really need those firstfruits; just keep them for yourselves.” Neither CAN He tell us “I don’t need those tithes; you can use the money more than me.” Why not? Because the law of the firstfruits was not given because God needed the firstfruits. It was not given even because the firstfruits already belonged to Him as does the rest of the harvest; but rather, the giving declares evidentially that God holds the position as YOUR God and sole provider and establishes the consistent focal point and direction for your worship, reinforcing the first Commandment. God doesn’t “need” our tithes in order to be God; rather it is we that need to give them in order for God to be THE ONLY God unto us, again placing ourselves in this aspect obedient to the first commandment. In other words, God receives the tithes because He knows that they MUST be willingly given by us for our own security. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Deny tithing and you have denied THE FAITH, and where are you going in God without faith and outside of grace?

Make no mistake: God knows what flesh will do when it gets to choose its own god. But, instead of being thankful that He only requires 10%, some people rebel because they only get to keep 90%. That is idolatry, pure and simple. Laws are given for man, not for God. And if one is going to place faith in the law of the harvest as a component of salvation (in Jesus), then faith has to be placed in that law under all harvest circumstances, or the breaking of it in one place will disallow it in all others. 

Neglecting to pay tithes for any reason is the same in principle as claiming that the death of Jesus Christ was either optional or proved too costly for God to provide enough grace to complete His original will. Why? Because you deny the wave offering that Jesus understood that faith must be placed in for the blessing and receiving of the entire harvest, which you by default must not want to be a part of. In that case by your philosophy, God deliberately made a mistake and then changed His will to cover it up. And if so, He also convinced the angels to keep quiet about it and inspired the epistle writers to write extraneous doctrine to compensate for typological discrepancies we otherwise would notice. Apparently then only those who have received the “revelation” that tithing is optional must have the inside track to the things of God, and the rest of us ignorant tithe payers must be fools in our finances. Still, it is most likely though that their faith is in vain and that their place as tares in the harvest will render them as optional or too costly for the grace and will of God as well.