Thoughts on giving

I am just musing about the principle of giving in the bible, especially the concept of tithing. I am not here to encourage people to tithe or give to the church but to point out something that I find amusing in my own study of the bible, though a bit preliminary at the moment. 

It is commonly accepted that in the OT, God instituted the system of tithing as a fixed percentage of produce that the people needed to give. This is well documented in the OT:

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year - Deuteronomy 14:22

And it is obvious that God views tithing quite seriously as shown by His rebuke of the Israelites in Malachi:

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almightly, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it" - Malachi 3:10

I am not here to argue for the benefit of tithing other than pointing out the obvious fact that the bible commands the Israelites to tithe in the OT. But how about now? I have read arguments that argues for the fact that since the NT times basically negates the law of the OT times, including the system of tithing. There is no biblical basis in the NT for tithing. I have to agree that there is nowhere in the NT that tells people that they need to tithe, but following by that logic, then I think the proponents of tithing as an OT practice will be in for a shock if their primary motive is to run away from giving to the church.

My preliminary findings from my search in the Scripture shows that while not prescriptive, the NT folks actually gave more than their tithe and it became a norm. It started in Mark:

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins... - Mark 12:42

And this widow, who gave out of her poverty, was commended for giving compared to the ones who tithed out of their abundance. It gets even worse:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own but they shared everything they had. .... For from time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet and it was distributed to anyone who had need. - Acts 4:32, 34b-35

Not only so, but Paul wrote of one incident as well:

 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations: they gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. - 2 Corinthians 8:2-5

If one has to make an observation, it is that when giving is mentioned, people are not tithing, they are giving beyond their tithe. I would guess this poses a bit of problem for people who simply find giving difficult or are just reluctant to give for reasons known only to themselves. The same old story goes, if we seek to follow the norm set by the bible or argue from the bible, we must be prepared to accept the consequences or the implications of our arguments. It was the same case when I was talking about Holy Spirit baptism and saying grace for food.

So, for folks out there, the NT does not supercede the OT. In fact, because of the grace of God given by Jesus, what you realised is that the stake and the bar got risen higher. As more is being given, more will be expected. We are given the grace of God... so what do you think is expected of us?