3.05.17~Malachi 3:8-12, “Giving to God What is Already His.”

3.05.17 ~ Malachi 3:8-12, “Giving to God What is Already His.”
Read Malachi 3:8-9... Israel was robbing God of the tithes and offerings that were divinely His..
There was a place in the Temple (called the storehouse or treasury) where tithes and offerings of crops, animals, etc., were stored and managed by the priests; but the people were not giving their tithes and offerings as they should, so the priests had to give up their duties in order to raise food for themselves, and this hindered both the religious life of the nation and provision for those in need.
Numbers 18:21, "I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.”
Deuteronomy 14:22-23, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. ...of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD... so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.” 29, “so that the Levites... and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the
LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
The OT tithe [lit. one tenth], was convened and commanded by God, not because God needed the money, the crops, or animals from the flocks and herds; the tithe was an integral part of the social and religious system of Israel; it provided finances for the upkeep of the Temple, providing support for those who carried out the religious ceremonies and services, as well as providing for the needs of the poor and the oppressed.
God demanded the tithe for His own glory and for the good of the people, but that was OT [under the LAW].
The only mandatory giving for the church age [under GRACE], is paying taxes to the government (See Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13:1-7).
Christians are never commanded to tithe; but two kinds of giving are taught consistently throughout Scripture: giving to the government (always mandatory), and giving to God (always voluntary).
The Old Testament tithes were not primarily gifts to God, but were taxes to be used for funding the national budget in Israel, as a theocracy, the Levitical priests acted as the civil government, supervising the tithe...
Leviticus 27:30, 32, "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.” “The entire tithe of the herd and flock, every tenth animal that passes under the
shepherd's rod, will be holy to the LORD.”
This was a forerunner to today's income tax, but God also included provisions for the needy among the people.
Leviticus 19:9-10, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”
The total giving required of the Israelites was well over 20%, used to operate the nation. Note: Most Americans presently pay between 20-30% of their income to the government, and this is very similar to the Old Testament requirement under the theocracy of Israel.
All giving apart from that required to run the government was voluntary (see Exodus 25:1-9; 1Chronicles 29:1-9).
Each person was to give whatever was in his heart to give; no percentage or amount was ever specified, which is really the biblical instruction for all NT giving...
• Giving is an expression of our obedience toward God, prompted by our love for Christ and our concern for others in need (see 2Corinthians 8:7-15).
• Giving is an act of faith in response to our trust in God, not just for our needs, but that the needs of others may also be met (see 2Corinthians 9:7-10).
• Giving should stimulate prayer and praise toward God, by giver and the receiver. God allows us opportunities to take part in providing for the needs of others, and at times, for others to help provide for our needs (see 2Corinthians 9:11-15).
God’s condemnation of Israel (cf Malachi 3:8-9) for having robbed God of His rightful tithes and offerings wasn’t because God needed their material possessions; but instead, God was providing the opportunity for His people to use a portion of what He had given them, to support the work of the Temple, to provide for those serving in the Temple, and to care for the poor and needy among them.
Read Malachi 3:10-12... God told the Israelites clearly what they needed to do so that He may again bless them. If the people would repent and bring the tithes back to God, He would bless them by protecting the crops of their fields and vines from the locusts that devoured everything in their path.
God wanted to bless them; but He knew their hearts and that they would do their own thing (see Malachi 2:1-2).
Isaiah 53:6, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Romans 3:10-12, ”There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 23, “for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Listen! God exhorted Israel to give back to Him that which was already His. They didn’t, and so God withheld His blessings from them, and eventually God cut off communication with them for 400 years, after which He broke the silence in a most magnificent way. He came to earth in the flesh of a baby, in order to serve as
the divine sacrificial lamb, taking our punishment, that we might receive forgiveness for our sins and eternal life. God’s greatest gift to us is His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ.
Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What does God want from us, 10% our finances, flocks and crops? No! Everything, our time, our talent and our treasure, belongs to Him.
1Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Everything is God’s, for He is the Creator of all; therefore, everyone who has received forgiveness and eternal life through Christ should prayerfully, willfully, generously and cheerfully, give back to God from the heart, not reluctantly or under any compulsion, confessing our sins and serving Him through Jesus Christ: crucified, resurrected, and coming again!
And all God’s people said, Amen!
Pastor Mike <‘(((><