According to the prophet
Malachi, “The LORD of hosts” desired to receive and regard
the offerings and sacrifices of the people of the nation of Israel.
However, they were practicing ways that were not in line with the
Lord's ways, and they needed correction. The Lord told them to
“return unto me, and I will return unto you”, but they
wondered, “Wherein shall we return?”. In chapter three and
verse eight we see the Lord's answer to their question where we read:
Will a man rob God? Yet
you have robbed me. But you say,
Where have we robbed
you? In tithes and offerings.
The
verse begins, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed
me.” Upon first glance, this
may seem to be a strange question, “Will a man rob God?”,
and we might wonder how this could be. The word “rob”
in Hebrew is “qaba” and literally means “high and rounded” as
in a “covering”, so the idea is “hiding”, as though someone
could “hide” something from God. The Lord said, “Yet
you have robbed me” which
again employs the word “qaba” and is an indictment from Him.
Though the people could not “hide” anything from the Lord, their
actions revealed the larceny within them.
The
verse continues, “Where have we robbed you?”
Once again we see the people wondering what the Lord meant by His
indictment of them. This entire question is once again the word
“qaba” , and we can almost picture them with innocent looking
faces looking up like a child who just got caught with his hand in
the cookie jar saying, “qaba” or “What, where have we robbed
you?”
Finally
the verse says, “In tithes and offerings.”
The Lord's answer was quick and direct - “In tithes”
which means “tenth part or payment of the tenth part”, and
“offerings” which
is “a contribution, an oblation, or a gift”. Kings in that day
were used to receiving gifts from their subjects, and those who
desired favor from Him would often bless the King with their
offerings. We may remember how the wise men “brought
gifts” unto Jesus because He
was to be the “King of the Jews”
. Not only were the people of Israel not giving the Lord the “ten
percent” tithe of their incomes, but they were robbing God of the
offerings He so deserved.
This
is one of the most controversial and convicting verses within
Malachi's prophecy. Whenever the topic of money arises in church
circles there have been so many examples of mismanagement, theft,
larceny, and lack, that people have a difficult time following the
Lord's command to tithe never mind bring an offering to Him. In
Second Corinthians chapter nine and verse seven Paul the apostle
wrote:
Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him
give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful
giver.
Though
much more can be written about this idea of robbing God in tithes and
offerings, for now let us keep our focus upon the indictment the Lord
brought against the nation of Israel, and see if we were standing
among them if His indictment would apply to us. I pray the Lord will
deal with all our hearts accordingly.
Next
time we see the result of robbing the Lord,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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