Malachi 3: 8-10

Malachi 3:8-10

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.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.”

In verse 8, Malachi is explaining to the Israelites that by withholding the proper tithes and offerings, they are robbing God of what is rightfully His. We read in chapter 1 that they have been corrupting God’s table by offering the lame and the sick of their livestock. The robbing of tithes probably means they withhold more than what they could give to feed the priests and the poor. Because of this, they are cursed with a curse and not just those Malachi is speaking to but the entire nation. I believe the curse is their connection to the material which is a barrier to the fullness of a relationship with God. God hardens their hearts and give them over to their disobedience. The Israelites are then challenged to return onto the Lord to fight against this connection and told to bring more and fill the storehouse to test God that He won’t shower them in return with abundance, to the amount that they won’t have room to store it all.

Questions these verses raise:

How can we relate these verses to ourselves today? Can a Christian be seen as robbing God, and if so how? Is there a requirement for what is the proper amount a Christian should tithe (the 10% rule)? What does God promise in return for those who cheerfully give?

When I read these verses in Malachi, I thought of Matthew 25: 31-46 in which Jesus states: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

I don’t believe these verses should be taken as, if one does not fulfill all of these that they will be thrown into darkness but that through ones faith some of these actions shall be done and if there is a complete absence then one should question the current state of their faith.

But how should we give? I believe this is answered in 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8.

This is saying that we should give what we deem appropriate. The purpose of this, I believe, is to show what ones faith deems “appropriate”. At times, if we step out of our “comfort zone” in these areas, the results may be a growth in faith that couldn’t have been predicted prior.

Beyond the aspect of material, I believe that what is most important is the giving of ourselves to the Lord. This is explained through the chapters 11 and 12 of Romans where Paul states such as: It is because of the hardening of Israelites hearts, which was outwardly shown by what is explained in Malachi(Romans 11:7-10), that the Gentiles are brought in(Rms 11:11-12). Being brought in, we should sacrifice our worldly mindset (Rms 12:1:2) That God cares more for how we act, through acts of charity which are of gifts of grace: ( 6-8), and our personal works which are marks of the true Christian and these are explained through the succeeding chapters. (Romans 13:1,8,10; 14:1,13,22; 15:1,8,13)

How had God rewarded you through an act of faith?

It is through the continuance of these acts of faith that in return God showers us in abundance of life now. It is not these acts that get us into heaven but enriched our lives here on earth. Remember tho what is said in Matthew 7:22-23, and it is not by our works are we saved, faith in Jesus Christ, who died in the cross for our sins and raised for our justification.

Father,

Thank you for showing us the path to true life. I pray that you continue to empower us to show others love in the same way that you have showed each of us. That through these acts of love your Kingdom is spread and magnified through each person that we meet. Fill us with the spirit each day so that we can walk in the light, a light that is desperately needed in this world that seems to be getting darker by the day. Help us to submit to you each day that we may be able, through You, to guide others out of the darkness and into Your glorious light. We pray for strength, we pray for love, and we pray for endurance in all these things until the day of Your return. Amen.

Matthew 7:22-23

Matthew 25: 37-43

Matthew 25: 14-30 parable of the talents

Romans 11-15