Scripture:
Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV
[8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try 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. [11] “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; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.
Observation:
Malachi is a short Old Testament book. 4 chapters in all. But it’s full of hard-hitting facts meant to open the eyes of the Jewish people, and I believe the messages written in it pertain to us today as well. The myth that the Old Testament has no value because Christ died on the cross is misleading and can get us in a world of trouble if we hold tight to it. Jesus HIMSELF said HE did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill the law. Not one dot or title will change. HE came to do away with a sacrificial system that was never meant to bring about salvation. So let’s look at the scripture and what it says. Here in Malachi chapter 3, we see GOD speaking through Malachi to HIS people, asking them why they are robbing HIM, and man in our ignorance replies with a question… wait… how are we robbing YOU? But of course, GOD would not bring charges if HE had no foundation for them. So HIS answer is very clear. In your tithe and offerings. Verse 9 explains what happens when we don’t give GOD what is rightfully HIS. It releases a spiritual principle. Going back to the Book of Exodus we see GOD training HIS people to rely solely on HIM sending manna from heaven for their daily needs, but by the time we get to the Book of Malachi, we see that self-reliance had taken over, and the Jewish people had forgotten that it’s all about HIM. They had put their trust in their own hands to provide and therefore began to rob GOD of what HE had given them in the first place. I love verse 10. The reason is because it’s the only principle in the entire Bible that GOD allows us to test HIM. Everywhere else is cause and effect, but here in Malachi chapter 3, HE says test me and see if I don’t do what I say. GOD is a promised keeper. HE will do what HE says. I know because when HE said to test HIM… I did. Verses 10-12 are a promise. GOD wants us to trust HIM, and when we do, HE blesses us. The statement in verse 11 always caught my ear…” I will rebuke the devourer.” Giving freely releases GOD’S hand of blessings and keeps the enemy from taking away what the LORD has provided.
Application:
I don’t know about you, but I was tired of never having enough. He always has to rob Peter to pay Paul. It was a lot, and I couldn’t handle it, and to think all I had to do was trust that GOD is who HE says HE is. I’m the past 14 years. This principle has been somewhat difficult, but for the last 7 years or so, it has become a regular practice. When GOD says to test HIM, that’s exactly what HE means. HE loves to prove HIMSELF. The Bible says that it is impossible to please GOD without faith, and honestly, it takes a lot of faith to give freely. When you can’t see how the ends are going to meet. But trusting that HE will do what HE says is the key to all of it. We are only vessels of HIS blessings, and when we give freely of what has been freely given, HE makes sure we can freely give. GOD loves a cheerful giver. In the past, the reason I couldn’t make ends meet was because I was not trusting GOD with my best. The tithe goes beyond money. The word tithe means 10%, and I would challenge you to give GOD 10% of your very best. 10% of your time, 10% of your talents, and 10% of your financing. Sowing into the kingdom releases a spiritual principle. GOD is our provider. Not us. When we trust GOD with our best. HE makes our best even better. Pouring out so many blessings that we just can’t contain them. We just can’t afford not to. When we are greedy with our time. We never seem to have enough. Give freely of your time, and GOD will make sure you have plenty. When we are greedy with our talent. It just gets wasted. Give freely of it, and it will never go to waste. Last but not least, when we are greedy with our money, we will never seem to have enough. Give freely of it, and GOD will supply all our needs according to HIS riches in glory. Trusting GOD with everything is not easy. But it releases HIM to prove HE is exactly who HE says HE is. Honestly, you can’t afford not to. I’m speaking from experience. I started a relationship with Jesus Christ 14 years ago. The first 7 years of it were spent learning how to trust HIM. Once that was figured out, the last 7 years were spent living inside HIS blessings. Today, I trust GOD with everything. HE is the very center of my life, and I can’t imagine it without HIM.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you are who you say you are and that your promises are yes and amen. We trust you with everything. Help us to have loose hands. To live in your economy and to trust you with everything. None of it belongs to us anyway. So help us to release it to you with a cheerful heart. Investing in the kingdom will always have a good return. As we release what you have freely given, we know that you will never leave us begging for bread. You are our provider. Everything we need you have. We just want to live in your presence. Be the very center of our lives, helping us to trust you more every day. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.