Is The Old Covenant Tithing To Test God In The New Covenant

If you’re a returning visitor, thanks so much for continuing to come back. Please comment below. Let us know who you are, what you like about this, any prayer requests, things like that. In addition, I hope you are following us on our social media platforms as well so you can engage in some discussion there.

Today, we’re talking about tithing to test God. Now, when it comes to tithing, there are a lot of differing opinions on this, and a lot of people believe different things. And, it can kind of get to be a heated topic or a heated conversation.

So, I believe that it’s a very, very important message that we really break down and take the time to understand—from a biblical perspective both in the New Testament and the Old Testament, or the Old Covenant and the New Covenant—before Jesus and after Jesus and what He did to change it, and what it means for people, for us, who follow Christ as our act of devotion or service.

And, it gets a really bad reputation, or a bad wrap, of tithing. Because, I will agree that there are so many, whether they’re churches or ministries or people or pastors or preachers or whatever religious leaders, so many religions, let’s say, out there, or institutions that use tithing and distort it as a means for them to get more wealth.

Now, of course, that’s an error on themselves, on their own self. So, when it comes to tithing, it is something that the Bible says we are to do. Now, of course, we’ll dive into this a little bit more, because I know some of you are probably jumping out of your skin or squirming in your chair.

The Bible does talk about tithing, and it talks about giving in both the Old and the New Covenant. So it’s not something that Jesus got rid of, but it’s something that Jesus changed and expanded upon. So in simplicity, under the Old Covenant, tithing was a requirement, and under the New Covenant, Jesus says it’s not required, because he has already paid for your sins.

So, in the Old Covenant, [if[ you didn’t tithe, it was a sin. It was something you were doing wrong. You weren’t giving back to God. And, under the New Covenant, since Jesus already paid the price for us, we’re really not required to do anything.

You’re not required to do what the Bible says. You’re not required to make sacrifices. You’re not required to preach the Gospel. You’re not required to give a tithe, or to donate money, or to help other people. However, as a follower of Jesus, it’s something that He says that He wants you to do—following him. It’s just part of your lifestyle.

So, now that we’ve kind of made that clarification, and we’ll get into it a little bit more—that’s important. And I wanted to start off with that so that you know that I’m not up here, saying, “Hey, give me your money!” I’m saying that this is something you do as an act of devotion, simply like sharing the Bible or, like, helping someone, or praying for someone. It’s part of who you are as a Christian.

And, what happens to that money after you do that? That isn’t your concern. It truly isn’t. God will hold whoever gets that accountable, and if they are misusing that tithe, then that’s on them. That’s not on you. So, it’s not your job to dictate where or what happens with that money. It’s your job to give it in an act of faith and devotion to God. And then He will take care of that.

And if you give it to a church and that church is putting it in their own pocket, or is funding something wrong, or they are hiding it in the walls of their house, or whatever they are doing with it, that’s on them.

And God will judge them. Their sin will come to light eventually. It’s not your concern. You are to give it, and you are to trust God. And if someone else is trying to cheat God, then, man, woe to them.

So, let’s dive into this message now that we’ve specified that. I hope you’re still with me, and again, this is a pretty strong topic in a lot of people’s minds. So, I have no doubt there’ll be some great discussion below.

Please remember, be polite and respectful in your comments and with your comments, and read the comments of other people. Look at ‘em all with an open heart and an open mind so that you can understand. And then, again, please be polite and respectful.

So, growing up, you’ve probably been taught not to test God. And I’ve already said this is tithing to test God. So, that’s already kind of what’s going on here.

You really hit—you’re rubbing a lot of things the wrong way—you’re saying tithing, you’re saying New Covenant-Old Covenant, Jesus is changing it, requirements, people could be stealing your tithe, and now you’re testing God. Yeah, we got a lot going on right now, so I hope you stay with it. Because, yes, you’re not supposed to test God.

Jesus, when the Devil was tempting Him, He quoted Scripture, and to beat those temptations. And, He said it was Matthew 4:7, He said: “Jesus answered him”—answered him, the Devil— “It is also written: ‘Do not put the LORD your God to the test.’”

Now He got that from an Old Testament passage, so Old Covenant—Deuteronomy 6:16: “Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did in Massah.” So, do not test God. It is written. Jesus quoted it from the Old Testament, and He brought it with Him into the New Testament, so Old Covenant-New Covenant, as well.

The Scripture was used as a reference. He fought Satan with Scripture. So, that’s another point in and of itself, but both of these Scripture passages show the importance of God’s authority and not testing Him.

And, what does it mean by testing Him? As in questioning His authority. You’re not to think that you know better than God. For example, when you give money someplace, you have to trust that God is going to handle that. You have to let Him be in control.

Once you write that check out, or punch in that credit card, you say, “All right God, it’s in your hands. Please do with it to further your Kingdom,” and that you trust what’s going to happen with that.

And, if someone on the other end is stealing that money, that’s on them. So, for you to try to dictate or micromanage that tithe after it leaves your possession, that would be questioning God’s authority—questioning that God doesn’t know what that money is going to, questioning that He’s not controlling, or He’s not going to handle that. What’s going on with that?

There are a number of pastors that we’ve seen in the news, or preachers, or ministers, big TV people who are just raking in all kinds of cash, and they are, even, have been found out that they’ve hidden money in their houses.

They’ve got walls filled with cash. I mean definitely questionable behavior there. Whether it’s corruption or stealing from God, or whatever, so obviously, that really leads to a negative viewpoint on tithing.

But, I want to say this one point on tithing is that if you’re a Christian, and you’re a believer —you have money—what should you be doing with that money? You should be helping fuel the Kingdom of God.

And so, if you say, “I’m not going to tithe, but I’m going to spend it somewhere else,” or whatever, then, then that’s up to you. But, God wants you to use the resources He gave you to help further the Kingdom of God.

So, that’s why tithing, or giving, is very, very important. That, you know, when you give that money, or when you tithe that money—we’re going to switch to “giving,” really, just for simplicity. That’s the word I’m going to use. When you give that money, pray over it. And also, don’t simply give to anyone who calls you up.

We’ve had another message on this previously, on when you are to give of anyone who asks for you. So, you can check that out in a card up here and navigate to our YouTube channel to find it. But you’re not supposed to simply give instantly. You’re supposed to think about it and consider it and ask God for clarification and insight and wisdom and discernment.

Because, it’s very important that, obviously as a Christian, that you are fueling ministries or places that align with your beliefs—fully align with your beliefs. God will give you insight on where that is going, and if you are donating to a church or a place, and the funds are being misused, God’s going to provide you with that insight if you seek it from Him.

And, He’ll say—in your heart, you’ll say, “I don’t feel like we should be giving our money to this place anymore,” or, maybe, “I feel like we should start giving less to this place and start giving more to this other place.”

And it might take some time, and then, eventually, maybe something comes to light. And, you realize, “Wow! That was God telling me not to give it there because this person is following the wrong ideals, and it’s not with what we believe.” So, keep that in mind. Every time you give, or tithe, you should be seeking the Lord in that.

So, let’s continue on. Remember, you’re not testing God. You are not questioning that. But in one area—only one area in the entire Bible God says that you are allowed to test Him. And, of course, Old Covenant, but Jesus came and talked about it, and we’re going to keep going with that.

It’s in Malachi 3:10: “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 there will not be room enough to store it.”

And, a lot of people say right away, “Oh, floodgates of heaven, Noah in the flood, floodgates of Heaven opened. That means that when you are tithing, and they’re bringing in the crops, that the rain will come down. And, then more, more crops will grow, and they will not have room in the storehouse to store all of the grain that they have been blessed with.”

Okay, yes, in that time period, that’s a great analogy. But, today, are all of us growing grain? What is your crop? What is your crop? If you work at Walmart, or you work at Target, or you work at a marketing company, or you work online, or you’re a freelancer, or whatever you do, you are sowing your labor into that job, and then you are harvesting from that job. What are you harvesting? Most people are getting paid in money.

Now, yes, in the Old Testament, there was money, and in the New Testament, there was money, as well. And, they were still told that they needed to tithe the first fruits of their crops.

That’s in Proverbs 3:9. Let’s read that: “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” So very specific there that it is related to crops, and barns and storehouses and wine, and bringing in; however, there is also the word “wealth.”

So, in today’s world, yes, that could relate to money. So, really it’s what is your crop? And if your crop is working, putting your labor into the fields, then you’re harvesting something. That’s your crop.

But, if it’s working at a company, and they’re paying you money, you’re harvesting money. What would the first fruits of what you produced be? It would be money. So, tithe that money, or give that money—not all of it, but a percentage. Ten percent.

We have another video here, a sermon, that generated a lot of discussion on tithing ten percent and being blessed. So, you can check that out in that card. In addition, it’s something that this message, again, we’re diving into the New and the Old Covenant, and how it was changed.

So, let’s just keep going. You are asked to bring that tithe, to tithe the first fruits of your crops, of what you are producing by the work of your hands. He tells you what will happen if you do this. You will be blessed. Your barns will be filled with overflowing. Your vats will brim over with new wine.

What is your barn if you’re working for money? Your bank account. That’s where you’re storing everything. Most of us don’t keep piles of cash in the safe, and that would be our barn. Or, we don’t have a storehouse, a shed out back, filled with all our money. We don’t have a coin purse anymore. We have bank accounts, and pretty much everything is plastic.

So, nowadays, things have changed, but the message is still there. It’s just different applications in our world. Let’s talk a little bit more about this Old Covenant and New Covenant so that we have a little bit of clarity on that.

Under the Old Covenant—we’re gonna move really quickly because I know we’re getting close on time—Old Covenant was pretty much like the Mosaic law, Moses law. There was a lot of different tithes that could happen, tithes to the poor, tithes to the Levites.

Obviously today, all of these pastors and preachers and ministries. If they’re not Levites, then the tithe, under that Old Covenant, obviously doesn’t apply to them, because the tithe was specifically for the Levites. And, then the Levites were also instructed to tithe back to God, as well.

And so, tithing in that sense of, “Hey, it’s only for the Levites. And it’s only crops and grain and food so that the Levites would be able to sustain themselves and do the Lord’s work.” Now, of course, that has carried over into the New Covenant.

In addition, tithing in the Old Covenant was never for Gentiles, and most of us nowadays around here, unless we’re of Israel, we’re Gentiles. And so, a lot of people argue that, “Hey, tithing doesn’t apply to us because we’re Gentiles.” Now that’s not true either. Jesus wants to save everyone who was lost, and we all need to follow His laws, His rules, and that’s under the New Covenant.

So, let’s keep going with the Old Covenant. And, again, they had the poor tithe, Levites, it was for Jews specifically. The tithe was required. It was a requirement that they tithe ten percent or the tenth of whatever they produced, and it got tithed directly to God. And then, He would bless them in abundance, and that they would keep doing it.

And, they did it as an act of reverence, or as saying, “Thank you, Lord, for providing me with all of this. Everything You have given me is yours, and so I’m going to share a little bit of it back to You, for You to do it as You please. And, the rest I know You’re trusting me with it. I will be a good steward of it.” And then, you know, it’s a dynamic, great relationship.

If you didn’t tithe, you were robbing God. So, it was a sin. And that is the Old Covenant, that it was a sin. And, then if you did that you would be putting yourself under a curse because you wouldn’t be getting God’s blessings. And so, opposite of God’s blessings was a curse, and if you are not doing what God says, at the time of the Old Covenant, you were cursed.

But, with the New Covenant, Jesus came and He died as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. So now, today, if we don’t tithe, we’re not being put under a curse because Jesus became the curse for us—cursed as He was hung on a tree. Jesus became our curse. He took it for us. He took that punishment. He wiped out any imperfection that we have so that we could be looked upon by God.

God can now look at us, because when He looks at us, even though we are imperfect, He sees the blood of His Son wiping our slate clean, as long as we continue to ask for forgiveness, and we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So, He took that, that punishment. He took all of that, so we are no longer required, like I said, to do anything. We are under a New Covenant.

But, does that mean that, “Oh, we’re under a New Covenant. We don’t need to tithe. Oh, we are under a New Covenant. We don’t need to, you know, have four tassels on our cloak. We don’t need to do X, Y, Z. We don’t need to share the Gospel.

We don’t need to proclaim the Gospel. We don’t need to purge evil from among us. We don’t need to all of these commands. We don’t need to honor our father and mother. We don’t need to follow the command about lying, or murder, or coveting, or all of that kind of stuff – adultery.”?

Wrong! We still need to follow all of that, even under the New Covenant. And, how do we know this? A few things: Jesus specified a lot of this in His words. If you take a look at Jesus, He didn’t abolish this Old Covenant; He took it even further.

In essence, He told people that, “Hey, yeah, you followed the Commandments. You haven’t murdered. But, if you even look at someone with hatred, you’ve committed murder in your heart.”

And, they’re like, “Wow, you made this like ten times harder.” And, “Yes, guess what? You may not have committed adultery, but if you looked at another person lustfully, you’re committing adultery with them in your heart.”

It’s just as bad as doing the physical act because it’s in your heart. And in your heart is what comes out, and that’s what God looks at, is the heart. He searches out the matters of the heart. It says that in Proverbs. Now, He took that covenant even further. He made it really hard. What did He do about tithing and giving? He said, “Yeah, okay fine.” We’re not required to tithe, but He wants you to give.

He has people giving out of poverty. He gives examples of saying how widows gave out of their poverty, and they are giving even more than the people who are throwing in coins loudly. He has their disciples, “Hey, go out on your missions. Don’t even take any money with you. But, instead, ask for the people to provide for you, and they will give to you and your ministry.”

Now, He didn’t say, “Go out there and command them to give you a tithe,” because he’s under a New Covenant. But, it is still a part, it is still a part of our lifestyle, and just like we follow the other commands in the Old Testament, we are to follow the command of tithing.

Now, again, are you going to be put under a curse if you don’t do this? No, because it’s already been paid for. But a couple of other points is that God doesn’t change, and we do have some Scripture references that I’m going to read because I think they’re important on how God doesn’t change. So, bear with me.

We’ll start out with Malachi 3:6. Malachi Chapter 3, Verse 6: “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” God does not change. So, the fact that He doesn’t change means that His Word, His everything is staying the same, even New Covenant and Old Covenant.

Remember, Jesus just took it even further. So, should we tithe? Do we need to tithe? The answer is yes! We should still tithe and give exactly like we follow the other laws and commands in the Old Testament, but again, it is something that if we don’t do, Jesus has already paid our price.

So, it’s not something that we are going to be putting ourselves under some kind of a curse where we are robbing God. Tithing is still something that we should do as a “Thank you,” as a recognition that everything that we have is given to us from God.

And so, we are to take it and tithe it, or give it to others. And how much in the Old Testament? It says a tenth, and that’s where the word tithe comes from. So, if you still want to practice that tithing, then a tenth, and if you want to do giving above and beyond the tithe, then that is excellent.

Remember, everything given to you was given to you by God. And so, you can take and give forth to others, as well, and trust that God will continue to provide for you because it is in the Bible. He will provide for you. He will bless you, and, although it’s not a requirement, it’s still something that God wants us to do.

So, I hope that this message was good for you, [it] was clear. If you have any questions or comments, as I am sure many of you will, please put them below. Be polite. Be respectful. I encourage you to check out the verses. In addition, feel free to check out those other sermons that I referenced, as well, and, of course, comment and share this with others to engage in more discussion.

Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, we thank You for everything that You have given us and are giving us, and providing in our lives. Thank You so much for dying for our sins, for taking away all of the curses and the problems, and being that perfect sacrifice for us so that we have the opportunity to be with You, to be in God’s presence, and to be looked upon by God.

And, Lord, thank You so much for clarifying the difference—the Old Covenant and then taking it even further in the New Covenant. And saying—really, you raised the bar. You upped the standards. And, You said You know that we can be better; You have confidence in us.

And, we know that the fact that You have confidence in us truly means we are amazing, that we are the greatest miracle in the world, that the gift of life You have given us is unbelievable. And so, Lord, I ask that each and every person out there watching and listening would take that to heart and would say, “Wow, I have been blessed so much.”

Just to even have life that they want to say “Thank you” to You out of love, and out of, not out of obligation, or out of a command, or out of some type of something like a fear of a curse, or fear of punishment, or with the means of getting something.

But, that they want to do it out of an act of love and devotion to You, that they say, “Hey, you gave me my life; I want to live for You. You gave me this money; I want to give some back to You. You gave me this food or this—whatever —this house,” and that they believe that all of the stuff that You gave them is truly from You and that they want to be a good steward of it.

And, Lord, I ask that they would trust You, that you would give them discernment and wisdom when it comes to where they are tithing, or where they are giving, and that, that You would give them peace along with that. That wherever they decide to send it, that it’s led directly by you.

And, that You would use those gifts in Your Kingdom to further Your Kingdom, that You would stop any of those gifts that are going to people who are greedy, or money hungry, or who are misusing it, and that You would transition all of those directly into Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name.

Thanks again so much for being with us. I hope that this message was a good clarification for you, and was something that will encourage you to seek God and to continue to help share the wealth here on earth with other members of the body of Christ.

Because if we don’t keep the wealth within the body of Christ, where is that wealth going? It’s going to the enemy, and it’s helping fuel this world rather than our Kingdom of God here on Earth, which is really a heavenly Kingdom.

And, we are trying to win as many souls as possible, to increase and grow the body of Christ. So, go out, be fruitful, and multiply. And pray, ask God, seek Him for guidance when it comes to what you should do in the matter of tithing and giving.

God bless.

Money God’s Way: Rich Or Poor It’s Up To You – Devotional Book by Spencer Coffman