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iQuestions Faculty, Ron Blue 
 
 
Question: 
 
What is tithing? Why is it important? 
 
Answer: 
 
You know, in the Old Testament, tithing was first introduced when 
Abraham, after coming home from a battle, tithed all of the proceeds 
from that battle to Melchizedek—and that’s referred to again in the 
New Testament. 
 
But probably even more significantly than that, in the Book of 
Deuteronomy, when Moses is writing, he says in Deuteronomy 14:22: 
“You shall surely tithe all the increase of your grain that the field 
produces year by year.” What he was saying in that passage was that, 
as you have produce, as you have increase, then you should tithe—
and the tithe was 10%.  
 
It says in the Book of Proverbs, “Honor the Lord from the first fruits of 
all of your produce.” (Proverbs 3:9) 
 
It says in the Book of Malachi, “Bring your tithe into the storehouse.” 
(Malachi 3:10) 
 
In the New Testament, it says in 1 Corinthians 16, “Honor the Lord, 
and as you have so prospered, so you shall give.” 
 
Here’s the point. Tithing is commanded in the Bible, and typically 
tithing is taught as 10%. My own feeling on it is that it is really 
proportional—and, frankly, in the Old Testament, there was more than 
one tithe, and so consequently tithing was far more than 10%. 
 
 
 
In the New Testament, it is proportionate giving, and I really believe 
that giving begins at a 10% level. So, tithing is typically thought of as 
10%, but I would suggest to you that it is a proportionate amount, 
and that it should be more than 10%, as your income goes up. It 
should be, as a minimum, 10%. 
 
But I believe that it should be more than that. That’s my own personal 
belief on it. But why? 
 
Well, it’s interesting, because in Deuteronomy, what it says to do with 
that tithe is to “bring it to Jerusalem”—what turned out to be 
Jerusalem—“bring it to the synagogue, bring it to the temple, bring it 
to wherever God had chosen,” and “have a party.” 
 
In other words, God was saying, “I’m the One that blessed you, and I 
just want you to recognize that everything that you have comes from 
Me. I don’t need the money, I don’t need the produce. I can create 
whatever it is. But you need to give.” 
 
The reason you need to give is found in the New Testament, because it 
says there, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 
 
What God wants me to do with the tithe is to receive His ownership, 
and to receive the joy and the blessing of being submissive and 
obedient and grateful to my God. 
 
In other words, I should have an attitude of gratitude every day—and 
one of the ways I can do that is by tithing every week out of the 
produce, out of the amounts that God has blessed me with, be it 
income, be it whatever may be, if God’s blessed me, then I should give 
back at least a 10% tithe amount, in order for me to benefit with 
understanding what He has done. 
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