As a child, before my brothers and sisters and I would sit down for breakfast, we asked our father what we could do to please him so that he would let us eat. He’d tell us. If we wanted lunch money for school we would ask our father what would please him. He’d tell us. At supper time, as we sat down we knew that if we hadn’t pleased our father, we wouldn’t have anything to eat.
I remember the first time I asked my father for a new outfit for Easter. “Daddy, what can I do for you so that you will buy me a new outfit for Easter?” That’s just one example of many.
All our lives, my brothers and sisters and I had to please our father before he would take care of us. Not once did he say “I’m your father and I love you. Don’t worry about it.” If we didn’t do something for him first, then he wasn’t too concerned about doing something for us.
It saddens me that this is how many Christians view their Heavenly Father. My earthly father never did what I just described. Never! He took care of his family. At one point in his life, he worked three jobs – a full time and two part-time – so that we would have what we needed. He was our Daddy and he loved us.
And yet, what I have just described is how many Christians see the “Father of fathers.”
Giving to God to Get from God
Certain verses and passages have been pounded into us over the years – and now we believe them without question – that seem to support the notion that “God gives to us when we give to Him.” They are passages that describe my “fictional” earthly father to a tee.
“Is it possible?”
I have been sensing the Lord’s desire to examine verses and passages that are used to teach us, not necessarily on purpose, to respond to Him as if we are not His children. Today I am introducing the series “Is it possible?”
So, let’s begin the lesson on Malachi 3:8-11.
(8) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
(9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
(10) 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.
(11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
This is the king of all prosperity passages. And it’s also the king of all passages used to “encourage” people to pay their tithes, especially with the veiled threat of a curse and closed heavenly windows hanging over their heads if they don’t.
I find it interesting that, in general, when Christians talk about the tithe, they say “I have to pay my tithe”. They don’t say “I have to give my tithe”. And more times than not, they say they have to pay the tithe as if they have no choice in the matter.
Let’s be honest. The tithe, for many Christians, has become a “spiritual bill” they must pay in order to keep the “windows of heaven” open. And, sadly that’s how many in pulpit preach this passage. Some preach it this way on purpose. Some preach it this way because this is how they were taught.
What is the truth that Malachi 3:8-11 teaches us?
When we read the book of Malachi we need to keep in mind:
? The law is still in effect.
? The Levitical priesthood is still in operation.
? Who the primary group God is speaking to
We’re going to start with verse 8.
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
The word “rob” means “to cover or defraud”. What an interesting choice of words. Many of us have heard the phrase “cover your tracks”. A person who covers his tracks has done something he wants to keep secret. He wants everything to appear as normal. That’s deception. That’s fraudulent behavior.
A person who covers his tracks is purposefully trying to deceive someone by withholding that which the person values. The question we must answer: “What is being withheld from God that He values? Remember this.
“In tithes and offerings”
God says “You’ve defrauded me” and the people respond “When have we defrauded you God?” Now pay attention to how God responds. He says “in tithes and offerings.” Notice He did not say of tithes and offerings. Whoever is robbing God is robbing – defrauding Him – and still giving Him all of the tithes and offering. Do you see this?
God was not accusing the people of not giving the tithes and offerings. The tithes and offerings were not His issue. So, let’s find out what the true issue was and who it is that God was confronting.
Priests with hardened hearts
In Malachi 2:1 we read And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. Even though this is directed to the entire nation of Israel, it’s specifically aimed at the priest. Why? They knew the law. They were participants of the law because the tithes and offerings, in part, were for them. And they were also the enforcers of the law.
For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they (the people) should seek the law at his (the priest’s) mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts (verse 7)
Now turn to Malachi 1:6. We need to read from verse six through the end of the chapter and verses eight, nine and 17 of chapter 2 to provide the context for 3:8-11.
(6) A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour?
The duty of a son is to honor his father, to hold him in the highest esteem. The same is true of the bond slave. Whatever it is that the priests are doing, God says it does not honor Him.
And if I be a master, where is my fear (reverence)? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
(7) Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
(8) And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
There’s a lot in these three verses but our focus will be one phrase: “that despise my name.” The word “despise” – I want you to see its various definitions.
? Hold in contempt
? Distain
? To see as vile or worthless
? To cause to despise
This is how the Lord saw the actions of the men who were supposed to be His priests before the people. Their hearts were hardened against God and on full display for all to see as they performed their duties. They were going through the motions of obedience but their hearts were far from the Lord and we see this in chapter three.
(13) Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
(14) Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?
Read this again carefully. The priests are saying “We’ve done our duty and we’ve followed the law God but what have you done for us? Nothing. We haven’t benefited at all from serving you.”
Do you see the last definition “to cause to despise”? The priests were modeling behavior that caused the people to also despise the Lord. Look at Malachi 2:8.
“But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of the Levi, saith the Lord of hosts” .
This sounds very similar to how Isaiah 29:13 describes those whose hearts have grown cold and distance from the things of the Lord.
“Wherefore, the Lord said, forasmuch as this people draw near to me with their mouth, and their lips do honour me; but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”
Jesus says the same thing about the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:23.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe and mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
The hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, just like the hearts of the priests in Malachi, were hardened toward the law and the things of God. The weightier things – judgment, mercy, and faith – these are “heart issues” ladies and gentlemen. And the men who were responsible for instructing the people in the things of God did not have His heart for the people.
Let’s pick up the record in Malachi 1:9.
(9) And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts.
(10) Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
(11) For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
(12) But ye have profaned it (my name), in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, be contemptible.
The priests’ hearts were so hardened that they wanted to be compensated for closing the doors and lighting the candles – part of their priestly duties. That’s what “for nought” communicates. The Lord says “I won’t accept what you’re giving.”
I want you to see something. Two times the Lord says His name shall be great with the Gentiles and heathens – nations that don’t know Him. He’s telling the priests that non-Jews will revere and respect Him even though you don’t.
(13) Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and you have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick, thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.
(14) But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrifieth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.
Now let’s look at Malachi 2:8, 9 and 17.
(8) But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.
(9)Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
(17) Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?
The priests were not adhering to or upholding the law before the people. They were using the law for personal gain. Again, their hearts were turned against God. Let’s go back to verse eight of chapter three.
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
How did the priests rob or defraud God?
Earlier I described the person who robs as one who covers his tracks on purpose to deceive another by withholding that which the person values. The question I asked was “What is being withheld from God that He values? Based on what we’ve read up to this point, how were the priests robbing God?
They were robbing God of their love and their hearts. God’s issue wasn’t the tithes and offerings. His issue: the priests performed their duties – now listen to me – because that was their job. Pleasing God and representing Him were no longer sacred to them. Is it possible that many Christians have this same attitude when they tithe? Is it possible that they tithe out of religious duty?
Now let’s look at verse nine. “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”
What was the curse?
Now read this carefully. It doesn’t say “God was going to curse them” does it? They were not cursed because they were not bringing in the tithes and the offerings.
They were cursed because they had a sin nature. The priests had to bring the tithe and offerings to God so that He could bring temporary blessings into their lives and the nation of Israel.
Ladies and gentlemen, every Sunday morning there are ministers who take the passage in Malachi and apply it to the Body of Christ and say we’re cursed because we don’t tithe. We are not under the law. We have been redeemed from the curse.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Galatians 3:13).
Those of us who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb – who have been bought with a price – are no longer cursed which means we are no longer bound by the dictates of the law. How can we violate a law that doesn’t apply to us? We can’t.
Opening the windows of heaven
Now let’s read verse 10 again.
“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.”
Most preachers say this is the verse that determines whether or not God will prosper us. The message is simple: tithe and we will prosper. They make it seem as though our blessings are based totally and completely on this one verse.
But remember, Malachi was written to people who were not born again. A Christian’s blessings and prosperity are based on one thing: what Jesus accomplished at Calvary. Turn to Galatians 3.
(13) Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
(14) That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith.
We are now part of God’s household – living in our Father’s house. Listen to me ladies and gentlemen, you and I live on the other side of the windows! We don’t need to open them to receive from our Father. We live in the place where blessings are available to us every day!
The truth of the matter is we can open the windows of heaven for people.
You may want to read that statement again. Who needs the windows of heaven open for them? Is it the child who lives in her Father’s house or the person who is not part of the family and lives outside of God’s house? The answer is obvious: the person on the outside.
Now how can we open the windows of heaven for those on the outside who are lost and don’t know Jesus? We open them just like Jesus did.
(23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and (opening the windows of heaven by) healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
(24) And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and (opening the windows of heaven) he healed them all. (Matthew 4:23, 24)
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the privilege, this is the honor that we have as God’s children! We can open the windows of heaven for those who need them to be opened. And when we open the windows of our Father’s love some will want to know how they can do the same for their lost loved ones. And we can tell them how simple it is – you have to be a member of God’s family and you do that by confessing Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Praise God!
Who is the devourer?
(11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.
How many of you were taught that the devourer is the devil? You are not alone. I was taught this also and the basis for this teaching, this belief, is found in I Peter 5:8.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
The Old Testament, as we know, contains types and shadows of things that we read about in the New Testament. So I can understand why we’ve been taught that the devil in First Peter is “the devourer” in Malachi. But is it so?
In Malachi, the Lord says “I will rebuke (or stop) the devourer.” When we read I Peter 5:8 along with verses five through nine, we don’t see the Lord rebuking the devil for us. Instead, He tells us to resist (the devil) stedfast in the faith” (verse 9). The Lord stops the devourer in Malachi but not the one who devours in First Peter. He is our responsibility. Do you see this?
God says “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.” What enabled God to do this? The priests had to bring in the tithes and offerings into the storehouse with hearts of reverence. We had to read the verses in Malachi 1 & 2 to see that when the priests followed the law with the right heart God released the blessings that came with their obedience. Do you see this?
Okay, Bro. Barry, who is the devourer? What is it that the Lord will stop the devourer from doing? “He shall not destroy the fruits of your ground.” The devourer in the context of this passage is not the devil. The devourer is a creature that eats the food a person plants. The devourer is most likely locust or caterpillars. If people tithed with a heart that honored God, He would stop the locust or caterpillars form ruining their crops.
On the surface this sounds like something from the Godfather.
Based on how tithing is taught today, Christians are paying God to protect and bless them. Many tithe out of fear of what will happen if they don’t tithe. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like we are paying God to keep the devourer from attacking us. Do you want some good news?
This passage was not written to the Body of Christ.
Malachi 3:8-11 was written to people with a sin nature – to people who had to adhere to the dictates of the law in order to receive God’s blessings. Ladies and gentlemen, God intervened when the nation of Israel obeyed the law. If they didn’t obey, He couldn’t intervene.
You see, the way it’s taught, verse 11 implies that if Christians don’t pay their tithe the devourer is not rebuked and will have free reign in their lives. But here’s the problem, well really, more good news! Jesus has fulfilled the law. He’s already rebuked the one who devourers.
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15).
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil
(I John 3:7).
Would you like some more good news? Of course you would! Jesus’s victory now belongs to us. We can walk in the same victory He walked in!
Turn to Ephesians 1.
(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
(20) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
(21) Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
(22) And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
(23) Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us
(Romans 8:37).
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
(I Corinthians 15:57).
Ladies and gentlemen, through Jesus we have the authority to rebuke the one who devours. We have authority over the devil and his kingdom! There is no Old Testament law that can be enforced upon us to make us give a tithe to stop Satan in his tracks. Nothing.
The Elephant in the lesson
So, Bro. Barry, are you saying that Christians don’t have to tithe? Huh? Huh? Are you? My question to you is this: What difference does it make? This whole lesson, ladies and gentlemen, has been about our hearts and what motivates us to give to our Father.
Because of the way tithing is taught, when you take away the threat of a curse, people cut back or stop giving completely. Why? They now know the truth. They were not giving because they were truly head over heels in love with Jesus. Once they learned that the tithe was one way God could bless and protect people with a sin nature, most give less than the tithe. And there are men and women in the pulpit who know this.
When you take away the tithe, you will see a person’s heart.
I’m going to speak for Barry. I don’t pay my tithe and I am not cursed. I have no doubts about this whatsoever. But I give – more than the tithe. Why? I give because God is my Father and I love Him. Period. I’ve already been redeemed and bought with a price and my money can’t change that. But my money can help reach those who want to be changed by the blood of Jesus!
In Second Corinthians 9:7 we find an instruction for the Body of Christ, for those who live in God’s house.
“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly (“I give but I really don’t want too.”), or of necessity (“I give because I want blessings.”): for God loveth a cheerful giver (God loves the child who gives willingly because he loves Him.)”
I love my Heavenly Father and you know one of the ways I show that love? I give Him access to my wallet and my checkbook – not because I think I’ll be cursed if I don’t but because I love Him. Period. I love my Heavenly Father and whenever He needs money for something, He knows He can stop by Barry’s house first.
This teaching may have been a challenge for some of you because the tithe is so engrained in how we expect our Heavenly Father to take care of us. Listen to it again. Dig into it and pray as you do. Be like the Christians in Berea in Acts 17:11 -- “who received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
