Tithing! The Teaching That Hurt Us and the Scripture That Sets Us Free
For many believers, tithing has been taught as a spiritual bill, a non-negotiable 10% fee you pay or God won’t bless you. We’ve been warned about curses, withheld abundance, and “robbing God” if we didn’t give financial income to a church building or institution.
Some of us tithed while skipping meals, drowning in debt, and while feeling guilty for not giving “enough”, and yet, something about it never fully felt like God.
When we slow down and actually read the Bible, not sermons, not church policies, something incredible comes into focus. God never asked His people to tithe money to a religious institution. He asked them to celebrate with Him.
Let’s walk through Deuteronomy and watch religious fear fall off like chains.
What the Bible ACTUALLY Says About Tithing
Deuteronomy 14 begins with the clearest tithe command:
“Set aside a tithe of your crops… bring it to the place the Lord chooses… and eat it in His presence.”
(Deut 14:22–23)
Stop and really see it. God didn’t tell them to give it away. He told them to use it, enjoy it, and eat it and He wanted them to do it with Him. This wasn’t a bill, donation or a spiritual tax. It was a sacred meal and a yearly celebration of God’s goodness. The tithe was about worship through joy, nourishment, gratitude, and shared presence of the Lord.
God Literally Commanded His People to Enjoy It
The passage continues with even more clarity:
“If the place of worship is too far… sell your tithe… take the money… and buy whatever you want — cattle, sheep, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household.”
(Deut 14:24–26)
This is god asking you to turn it in to money, which in this modern age, we do not do currency as grains and livestock anymore so, money is what we have to use. He is asking you to travel freely, buy whatever food and drink you desire and he wants you and your family to feast before him.
God commands us to celebrate him and enjoy his provisions. This is the language of a Father who delights in seeing His children joyful and well nourished. Not the language of demanding deity. It’s actually worship in its purest form.
Why Did God Command a Feast Instead of a Payment?
Because God knew the human heart in which he created. He knows we can forget to rest, forget to celebrate, slow down and enjoy our blessings. He knows we can forget to acknowledge His goodness, so he said “Every year, take 10% of what I blessed you with and celebrate with Me.” This was about remembrance and protection of God’s people from burnout, scarcity thinking, and spiritual forgetfulness. It was a rhythm of gratitude woven into their year.
What Tithing Was NOT
To understand the weight of this, we need to be clear. The biblical tithe was not applied to wages, salaries, business income, savings etc. They really only applied to grain, wine, oil and livestock. In an agricultural society, those were the forms of increase.
Tithing on your income and earnings does not appear in Scripture. Modern churches have transformed an Old Covenant agricultural practice into a New Covenant financial obligation which is something the Bible never commands.
Does God Require 10% Today? (New Covenant Truth)
When Jesus fulfilled the Old Covenant, the system of mandatory tithing ended. The New Testament has a new way of giving. One which is rooted in love, not law.
Paul lays out the heart of Christian generosity:
“Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart — not reluctantly or under pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
(2 Cor 9:7)
Giving now is voluntary, joyful, generous, and spirit-led. There is no 10% rule for Christians. The early church didn’t tithe. They gave freely and radically when needs arose. Under Jesus, giving is no longer an invoice. It’s an overflow.
Giving Is Still Holy But It Must Flow From Love, Not Law
Now that we understand tithing isn’t a Christian requirement, it’s important to affirm that giving is still sacred. But God never wanted giving that came from fear, guilt, or pressure.
He desires generosity that flows from love, compassion, gratitude and obedience to His whisper.
When the Holy Spirit nudges you to help someone to give quietly too without needing thanks, when you bless someone simply because you love to, THAT is the giving God celebrates.
And THAT is the giving Scripture teaches. God doesn’t need your money, he only wants your willingness and a heart that says “Use me to bless someone today”, “Put generosity in my hands”, “Let me give with joy, not obligation”
When giving flows from love, it becomes holy. When it flows from pressure, it becomes religion and God has never been in the business of religion.
So How Do We Honour God Now?
We honour Him the same way He instructed Israel too- with gratitude and presence, not pressure.
When you:
- nourish your family
- rest without guilt
- enjoy the blessings He gave you
- take time to celebrate
- find sacred moments of joy
- give cheerfully when He prompts you
- live aware of His provision
And when you do these few simple things is when you are fulfilling the heart of the tithe because God delights when His children enjoy what He provides. He delights when we remember Him in our joy. He delights when generosity flows from love. This is worship.
God Never Wanted Your Money. He Wanted Your Heart.
If you’ve ever felt fear, guilt, or confusion around tithing, let Deuteronomy 14 set you free. God commanded joy, not anxiety. Nourishment, not deprivation. Rest, not religious pressure. Celebration, not obligation. Presence, not performance.
The tithe was never a tax, never a curse, never a bill. It was an invitation. An invitation to enjoy Him, to celebrate His goodness, to live in gratitude, and to practice generosity led by love. That is the true heart of the tithe, and that is the heart of your Father.
