Malachi 3:10 Has Been Misinterpreted
From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
by Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
www.tithing-russkelly.com
russell-kelly@att.net
POINT
#13: MALACHI: Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go
to the Temple!
The false teaching about tithes from Malachi 3 ignores important Bible facts.
A. CONTEXT: Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in
the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B.
CONTEXT: In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27.
C. LAW: Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed
the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law.
The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians
3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See
also Galatians 3:19.
D. PRIEST-THIEVES: Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi
always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation
of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals
vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests
are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. LEVITICAL CITIES: Point #12. The Levitical
cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10 and they are not. Most tithe-recipients lived outside
of Jerusalem.
F.
24 Courses: The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3 and they
are not. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives,
males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron.
8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24;
13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding
Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical
cities when they received the tithes.
H. STOREHOUSE: According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse”
in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites
per Nehemiah 10:37b. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to
contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests
to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians
and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should
also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
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