“Do We Rob God?”

Malachi 3:6-12

Last Sunday I shared five principles about investing in God’s Kingdom:

1. God is the provider

2. Invest having in mind what you expect in return.

3. Invest at the beginning and not at the end.

4. Your heart follows your treasure.

5. Invest in God so that God will take the credit.

I hope these words are not just theory. I hope many of you are taking these words seriously. Today’s passage is a great one. The Book of Malachi is the last book of prophecy in the Old Testament. The Israelites came back from the exile in Babylon. You know how Ezra, the priests and several thousand Jews came back. Ezra was the reformer who encouraged his people to keep the Law of Moses and obey God. He taught them the true way of worshiping God.

Then in 433BC, Nehemiah returned to Persia to serve the Persian king. Unfortunately, the Israelites returned to their sinful life: mixed marriages, neglecting the poor (Ne. 5:2-13), not keeping the Sabbath (Ne. 10:30-31), and being unfaithful in giving their tithes and offerings to God (Ne. 19:37-39).

We read in the book of Malachi the same problems. Biblical scholars suggest that Nehemiah and Malachi were contemporary leaders.

Therefore, I repeat what Malachi is asking a thousand years ago.

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.

But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’

In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8, 9) .

One can say, the Israelites had already learned their lesson. They were punished and were sent to exile. Now they would act more wisely. Apparently, they did not learn much.

The prophet is the voice of the Lord asking an important question: “Will a man rob God?”

The answer starts from tithing. I know some of you say this is in the Old Testament. We are not under these laws. Therefore, my first principle:

1. Tithing and more than tithing: giving by proportion

Let me give you the biblical principle of tithing.

Tithing is a means of showing our faithfulness to God. Tithing means trusting God.

Some of you say “Yes, but only in the Old Testament law.”

Let us examine the concept of tithing. It started even before the laws of the Old Testament. It started with Abraham. In Genesis 14:18-20, we read that Abraham gave to the priest Melchizedek a tenth of his income. “Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (20).

Jacob continued tithing before the law was given by Moses. We read in Gen. 28:22, the famous story how Jacob slept and put his head on a stone. God talked with Him thorough a dream and Jacob named the place Bethel. We read: “And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

Now, if Abraham commended tithing, Jacob continued in practicing, and Moses commanded it (Lev.27:30) “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.”

Well, how about in New Testament? Jesus affirmed tithing. We read in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Mathew 23:23)

What is “the former?” Being merciful, just and faithful should not stop them from giving our tithes to the Lord. They were playing with the law. As if they were tithing and giving offerings to the Lord, but, in fact, they were robbing God by doing rituals and neglecting justice and faithfulness to God. Listen carefully what Jesus says: “You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” In other words, “Do not neglect tithing and do not forget being just and faithful to God and people.”

We will continue in English.