December 15 2014

Malachi 3:8-12

(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)

Now let’s take Malachi 3:8 through 12 in the direction of how it is usually applied – giving, the tithing of money:

      “Will a man rob God?  Yet you have robbed Me!  But you say, ‘In what way
      have we robbed You?’  In tithes and offerings.  You are cursed with a curse,
      for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.  Bring all the tithes into the
      storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this,”
      says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven,
      and pour out for you such blessing, that there will not be room enough to
      receive it.  And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not
      destroy the fruit of your ground; nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you
      in the field,” says the LORD of hosts; “and all nations will call you blessed,
      for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Many people don’t want to get into this subject because they think a guilt-trip is going to be laid on them to give more, and they don’t have enough to support their lifestyle now!  If that is your attitude, then you are depriving yourself of some of the greatest potential blessings God has designed for your life.  And in the next several blogs, we will explore this biblical subject.

Now keep in mind what we talked about in the last blog.  Giving is not just about money!  Giving involves all God entrusts to us – our time, talents, relationships, health, interests – plus monetary resources.  But, a good indicator that you and I are in tune with the Lord and His leading involves our wallet or purse!  How we respond and react to money shows quite vividly if we are in tune with God or not!

What does Malachi 3:10, the first part, say?  “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse….”  First of all, the Bible in Leviticus 27:30 and 32 defines just what the tithe is:

      And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the
      tree is the Lord’s.  It is holy to the Lord….And concerning the tithe of the herd
      or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the
      Lord.

The tithe is 10% of your income!  God tells us in verse 10 that the tithe is His, and is to be brought into His storehouse!  There are some who teach what is called “storehouse giving.” That is, a Christian is to bring all his giving to the church – the storehouse.  Then the leaders of the local church disperse what is given to where it is deemed to be needed.

I disagree with such storehouse thinking.  God is the storehouse, and His work generally is available for yours and my giving as He leads us.  Yes, we should abundantly support our home church.  But there are many good organizations that are working to fulfill His will that need our support.  For the Christian who is in tune with his God, I believe the Lord will lead where tithes and offerings should be given.

I mentioned in the beginning great blessings.  There are several mentioned if we faithfully give to God:

•      Malachi 3:10 – “Bring all the tithes…and prove Me now in this…if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you such blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.”  God desires to bless His people!  But He will not do it to their detriment!  One way He will know if we are ready to handle His blessings to glorify Him is if we are faithful in giving when we do not have a lot!

And God is never short on resources!  He has so much that if He were to fully “…open…the windows of heaven…,” we would be inundated! (see Psalm 50:10-12).

But like any good parent, He knows what is good for us, and what we can properly manage.  So God only blesses us with money and things to the point where we will not be controlled by money and things!  My wife and I can testify that He has always met our needs as we have abundantly given.  And as we have learned to be good stewards of what God has given us, He has entrusted us with more and more.

•      Malachi 3:11 – “…I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes….” The devourer back in Bible times might be disease, blight, insect swarms, invading hoards, rust, thieves, and more. Today the devourer might also include shaky investments, identity theft, dangerous and costly habits, and more.  If we are rightly walking with our Lord Jesus Christ, we will avoid some of the devouring things mentioned, and God will add His protection from a lot more predatory devourers!

•      Malachi 3:12 – “…and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land….”  Here is one blessing we don’t often associate with faithful giving.  God will generally bless our land, our nation, and we will be a blessing to the rest of the world!

Robbing God – is not that also robbing ourselves?  Seriously think about giving God’s way, and then watch for all His blessings to come!