The economic times we are in right now are bringing us face to face with the gluttony and greed that mankind has fallen into globally. It has been a long steady race to accumulating wealth based on risk and speculation. Because of this we seem to be at a watermark event in world history. The not too distant future will probably determine whether we are headed into a recession or a depression. Could it all have been avoided? Is there anything in the Bible that is relevant to what we are experiencing? (Well of course I believe there is because I asked the questions!)
(Got’ta take a bunny trail early in this devo. I know there are a lot of cynics of the church both from within and without who feel pastors abuse people by using scripture to intimidate them into giving money to the church. Some of them have such a bad attitude that as soon as they hear one of us bring up the subject of money they tune out. I have no doubt that there has been just cause for such accusations throughout the history of the church. Unfortunately this clouds and obscures the truth contained in a lot of worthy biblical lessons. Sound teaching from trustworthy individuals gets ignored because people affected by the corrupted ones are quick to shut down their attention. That’s unfortunate because there actually are trustworthy ministers of the gospel who are stewards of kingdom resources and not out to “get a cut of the action.” In fact most are making a great sacrifice just to be in ministry. So maybe I can make a run at it this morning. )
One of the harder lessons in life a lot of people never learn is putting God first. For most people, God rises to the top of the priority list in times of severe want and need. The rest of the time He is marginalized. We can acknowledge he exists, acknowledge he created us, and acknowledge he has executed a fail safe plan of salvation for each one of us but a lot of people go through life missing incredible blessings because God is not first in their life.
There was a time when the people of Israel turned their hearts away from God (“A” time? Well many times actually) God spoke to them through the prophet Malachi. The last book of the Old Testament contains the prophetic message of Malachi. It addresses the depraved condition of people who are morally bankrupt: the condition of those who know the truth and yet trivialize its importance in their lives. The people who Malachi addresses clearly know who God is and what His will is and yet they choose to keep their relationship with Him at a distance. They have put God first only from the perspective of being the first “go to” resource when things run a muck. Only then do they come home runnin’. In Malachi’s prophecy, God has had enough of that kind of relationship.
God desires to be our first love. God wants to be sought first, before earthly wisdom, pleasure, wealth, or love. God want us to seek Him first and honor Him above all things and not be treated like a pet that an ungrateful child has tired of. Yes, from faith to finances, God wants to be first.
If we look at the current national financial catastrophe our country is facing (and the global impact it is having), it is easy to see the warnings of Malachi being lived out. Malachi 3: 9 says: “You are under a curse – the whole nation – because you are robbing me.” Money may at first appear to be the main issue, but I believe all it really does is reflect the real problem: lack of relationship with God. Economics 101 defines money as a measure of worth and a medium of exchange. What we do with our money simply measures our value of God’s worth.
Finances are just one area where it is easy to do a reduction process to determine that value. The Truth of who we are boils to the surface with little effort when we look at whose we are determined by where our resources are spent and what gets first priority. Either God comes out first or He doesn’t and there’s not a whole lot of sorting to do to determine that.
The good news is, God does have a solution for us. Malachi 3:10, to my knowledge, is the only place in scripture where God invites us to test Him. (Not that people don’t go ahead and test Him anyway) It is not a test to see how rich we can make evangelists and pastors. It is a test to see where our priorities and trust are. And it’s a test that promises blessings in return that far exceed the sacrifice required.
10 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 you will not have room enough for it.
I love what Paul says in Philippians 3: 7 & 8 “What ever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ . . . I consider them rubbish.” (I invite you to look into the original Greek word for “rubbish” to get a deeper feel for Paul’s expression here).
What captivates the passionate focus of our life also reveals where God stands in our lives. Do we live for Him or for our own glory and gain? Is Jesus Christ really first in your life?
I struggle daily but the good news for all of us is that recognizing there is a struggle indicates there is hope of a desire for Him to be #1.
Stay close to Jesus!
1 comment:
Friend, May I offer an alternative interpretation of Malachi for your study.
From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!
A. Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27:30-34 and Numbers 18:21-28.
C. Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. Point #12 of the essay. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b-38. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
Christian giving is freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, regular and motivated by love. That is enough to provide the needs of the Church.
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