Is It Not Time?

This evening as I was reading in Haggai, I was reminded of something that R.J. Rushdoony wrote in his book Tithing and Dominion. (I hesitate to quote from Rushdoony. I have learned a great deal from him, but he was not the kind of man who won friends with his comments. He was always willing to condemn sin, a characteristic which is good for a pastor, but not so good for a young man such as myself. Having said that, though, I think Rushdoony needs to be heard.) Rushdoony described an incident in which he ran a man out of his home because the man argued that one should not be legalistic about tithing and later admitted that he hardly gave any money to the church ever. Rushdoony then concludes with these remarks:

Can we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in principle, but not in practice? Can we believe in being faithful to our wives in principle but not in practice without being either liars or hypocrites? Can we declare that we are the Lord’s in principle, without the practice of tithing, and still be in His favor? I cannot believe it (R.J. Rushdoony, Tithing and Dominion, Ross House Books, p. 14).

Rushdoony’s point is well-taken. Can we say that we love God if we are unwilling to tithe a tenth of what He bestows upon us? Haggai mentions a similar thing. He condemns the Israelites who had gone back to rebuild the temple, but did not immediately rebuild it.

Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?”

Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways!

You have sown much, and bring in little;

You eat, but do not have enough;

You drink, but you are not filled with drink;

You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;

And he who earns wages,

Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the Lord. “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.” (Haggai 1:3-11)

God did not bless His covenant people because they were too stingy to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. One of the simplest ways to seek first the kingdom of God is with the tithe. You do not need to give more than the tithe, just the tithe. R.C. Sproul recently mentioned that nearly 80-96% of professing Christians do not tithe. Perhaps God has punished us as He punished His people in Haggai. Perhaps we are too stingy with what God has given us. God requires a tithe. The Christian can rejoice in giving the tithe, and he can rejoice that he need not give more. I apologize for this post being so negative, but there is a positive side too. If we were to give the tithe, then churches could sponsor schools, colleges, and hospitals which were free to the public and not just to church members. If the other 80% tithed, just think of the possibilities for building God’s kingdom. It is time to tithe.