Question: What is the storehouse?
“What is the storehouse?”
Indiana
Answer:
This question obviously refers to Malachi 3:10, where it says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
One application of the word storehouse is the treasury in the temple where tithes were stored. “The Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.” (Nehemiah 10:38) From this storehouse, the tithe was distributed as needed. Nehemiah wrote, “I made treasurers over the treasuries,… and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.” (Nehemiah 13:13)
From the New Testament it does not seem that this practice was continued in the same way. Paul wrote, “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.” (2 Corinthians 11:8, 9) At least in this case, it seems that the tithe was directly distributed from the people in the church to Paul, rather than from the people to a central location, and then to Paul.
Today, the storehouse represents a minister or ministry that is doing the work of spreading the true gospel and preparing people to meet the Lord in peace. Jesus said, “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” (Matthew 24:45, 46) For a minister or ministry to be worthy of receiving tithe, they must be giving meat in due season to God’s church. If they are doing this, “the labourer is worthy of his hire.” (Luke 10:7)
I hope this helps to answer your question.