Malachi 3:8–10

Context

Malachi is generally regarded as a prophecy addressed to the Judean community of the Persian period, after the return from the Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple (515 BC). The book proceeds in a question-and-answer format: God speaks, the people respond with "Wherein…?", and God answers in turn. This passage likewise serves as a concrete answer to the people's question. When God calls, "Return unto me," in 3:7, the people ask, "Wherein shall we return?"

"Offerings" refers to gifts set apart as the priests' portion. Under the Law, the tithe was used to feed the Levites, who received no allotment of land, as well as the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow (Numbers 18:21; Deuteronomy 14:28–29). Nehemiah 13 records that when the tithes ceased, the Levites scattered to their fields, and Nehemiah had the tithes brought into the temple storehouses once again. The "storehouse" in this passage refers to such temple storehouses.

The passage has another distinctive feature. Deuteronomy 6:16 commands, "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God," yet here God Himself invites the people to "prove me now herewith."

Interpretations

• Reading as an ongoing obligation: Many churches, including many in Korea, teach this passage as a tithing norm that applies to believers today. They point out that Abraham and Jacob gave tithes before the Law was given (Genesis 14:20; 28:22), and that in Matthew 23:23 Jesus said of tithing that they ought "not to leave the other undone."
• Covenantal-historical reading: This view holds that the passage was addressed to Israel, which maintained the temple system under the Mosaic covenant. Accordingly, the specific proportion of a tenth does not carry over directly to the New Testament church. Instead, this reading emphasizes a willing and cheerful heart (2 Corinthians 9:7) as the New Testament principle of giving.
• Reading the storehouse as the local church: Some churches identify the "storehouse" with the local church to which one belongs and teach that the tithe should be given to one's own congregation.
• Reading as a promise of material reward: This reading takes the promise to "open you the windows of heaven" and pour out a blessing as a guarantee that financial blessing will return in proportion to what one gives. It is closely associated with prosperity theology and has been criticized for going beyond the meaning of the text.

Controversy

This passage is the central text in the tithing debate.

Critics raise two points. First, preaching that failure to tithe is "robbery" that brings a "curse" instills fear in believers. Since the curse in verse 9 is a covenantal warning directed not at individuals but at "this whole nation," critics argue that such preaching ignores the context. Second, because the Old Testament tithe included a portion for the care of the poor, they maintain that how church funds are used should be examined alongside the act of giving.

Supporters regard tithing as a spiritual discipline that acknowledges God's sovereignty. They also counter that there is no reason for believers under grace to give less than those who lived under the Law.

Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.

In Korean churches, this is one of the passages most frequently cited in sermons encouraging tithing, in new-member classes, and during the offering in worship services. The common description there of failure to tithe as "robbing God" derives from this passage.

Related Passages

• Malachi 3:7
• Nehemiah 13:10–12
• Deuteronomy 14:22–29
• 2 Corinthians 9:6–8