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Testing God or Robbing God?
“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “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 3:8-10
Have you ever had something stolen from you?
Maybe a thief broke a side window on your car or jimmied a lock, then reached in and took something of value. Maybe you had your house or apartment broken into while you were away or even something as simple as someone stealing cash from your gym locker. If you’ve ever had someone steal from you, you know it can be a very frustrating experience. The more you think about it, someone walking off with something which belonged to you, the angrier you become. That person took something from you they didn’t earn and had no right to take. You have every right to be angry when someone steals from you. Yet we steal from God all the time. You may not even realize you’re doing it, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t. Shouldn’t God be angry with us when we choose to rob Him?
The book of Malachi talks a lot about the righteous anger of God in response to our treatment of Him. Go ahead, read today’s passage again.
Those are strong words. Let’s break down what they mean. Firstly, Malachi wasn’t a name; it was a title. The word malachi meant messenger. So this entire book of the Bible is a message, brought by a messenger, to people that need to hear it. The author is speaking on behalf of God to the Israelite people. However, it is also meant for us today. He is telling them that by not bringing in the tithes and offerings, and not bringing God the first and the best, they are in fact robbing God. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. That phrase stands apart, and it makes the reader think the Israelites were only bringing a partial tithe or a partial offering. It was enough of an offering that it made them feel good, and to anyone looking, it would appear from the outside they were being faithful, obedient and holding up their end of the Abrahamic covenant. But Malachi is calling the people out on their deception and broken promises. And, true to the Abrahamic covenant, because they are not holding up their end of the bargain, not only will they not receive the blessing that flows from it, but instead, Malachi declares that the whole nation is under a curse. Broken covenants always come with a curse. Today, a broken contract usually comes with a lawsuit, but the principle is still true on a spiritual level. When we fail to obey God, not only do we miss out on the blessings God desires to pour out onto our lives; instead we choose to live under a curse, and that curse becomes part of our legacy.
Very few people would openly and willingly rob someone else. To blatantly take something which doesn’t belong to you from someone else is a brazen act. We know it’s wrong and most people would never do it. But when theft is shrouded in obscurity or ambiguity, people that would never steal find themselves compromising what is right and wrong and doing what they never imagined they were capable of. Most of us reading this would never willingly rob from God; yet, when we withhold what is His; that is exactly what we are doing. We rob God whenever we withhold the first fruit. When we keep the first and best for ourselves, we are keeping something which doesn’t belong to us. We’ve all done it. But God is full of grace and mercy, and just like the Israelites, He willingly invites us back to the table no matter how many times we’ve failed Him. The only step that matters now is what you are going to do now that your shortcomings have been pointed out. Will you continue to rob from God, or will you instead choose to test His blessing? God is waiting and looking for those who choose to be faithful.
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of honesty and integrity before the Lord!
Maybe a thief broke a side window on your car or jimmied a lock, then reached in and took something of value. Maybe you had your house or apartment broken into while you were away or even something as simple as someone stealing cash from your gym locker. If you’ve ever had someone steal from you, you know it can be a very frustrating experience. The more you think about it, someone walking off with something which belonged to you, the angrier you become. That person took something from you they didn’t earn and had no right to take. You have every right to be angry when someone steals from you. Yet we steal from God all the time. You may not even realize you’re doing it, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t. Shouldn’t God be angry with us when we choose to rob Him?
The book of Malachi talks a lot about the righteous anger of God in response to our treatment of Him. Go ahead, read today’s passage again.
Those are strong words. Let’s break down what they mean. Firstly, Malachi wasn’t a name; it was a title. The word malachi meant messenger. So this entire book of the Bible is a message, brought by a messenger, to people that need to hear it. The author is speaking on behalf of God to the Israelite people. However, it is also meant for us today. He is telling them that by not bringing in the tithes and offerings, and not bringing God the first and the best, they are in fact robbing God. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. That phrase stands apart, and it makes the reader think the Israelites were only bringing a partial tithe or a partial offering. It was enough of an offering that it made them feel good, and to anyone looking, it would appear from the outside they were being faithful, obedient and holding up their end of the Abrahamic covenant. But Malachi is calling the people out on their deception and broken promises. And, true to the Abrahamic covenant, because they are not holding up their end of the bargain, not only will they not receive the blessing that flows from it, but instead, Malachi declares that the whole nation is under a curse. Broken covenants always come with a curse. Today, a broken contract usually comes with a lawsuit, but the principle is still true on a spiritual level. When we fail to obey God, not only do we miss out on the blessings God desires to pour out onto our lives; instead we choose to live under a curse, and that curse becomes part of our legacy.
Very few people would openly and willingly rob someone else. To blatantly take something which doesn’t belong to you from someone else is a brazen act. We know it’s wrong and most people would never do it. But when theft is shrouded in obscurity or ambiguity, people that would never steal find themselves compromising what is right and wrong and doing what they never imagined they were capable of. Most of us reading this would never willingly rob from God; yet, when we withhold what is His; that is exactly what we are doing. We rob God whenever we withhold the first fruit. When we keep the first and best for ourselves, we are keeping something which doesn’t belong to us. We’ve all done it. But God is full of grace and mercy, and just like the Israelites, He willingly invites us back to the table no matter how many times we’ve failed Him. The only step that matters now is what you are going to do now that your shortcomings have been pointed out. Will you continue to rob from God, or will you instead choose to test His blessing? God is waiting and looking for those who choose to be faithful.
Let’s be people who leave a legacy of honesty and integrity before the Lord!