Malachi Lesson #06

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MALACHI 3:7-18
Lesson #06
ROBBING THE ALMIGHTY GOD

• Memory verse: Mal 3:18

 

• The average believer gives approximately 3% of his income to the church and one tenth of 1% to missions. More money is spent on pets than on giving to God. Therefore, even in this age of grace we can learn from Israel’s example and God’s admonitions through the prophet Malachi.

 

• Read Mal 3:7-18

 

• “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances…”

 

(7)
• Neglect, disobedience, and rebellion against God were not new to Israel. In one way or another, the people of God continuously demonstrated their attitude of rebellion.
• They refused to learn from their history, but isn’t this true of all humans? We think we have progressed beyond our ancestors. We think we are unique, and in our pride, we think we are beyond God’s admonitions.

 

• “…RETURN unto me, and I will RETURN unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we RETURN ?”

(7)

 

• In God’s merciful love, He continues to plead with His people to repent of their rebellion and turn back to Him.
• However, the people will not humble themselves and acknowledge that they are separated by sin from their God.
  • People will not turn to God for the following reasons:
    • They do not believe that there is a God.
    • They are under self-deception to think that are spiritually right with God.
    • They know they are not right with God, but they do not want to forsake their sins.
      • Sin blinds people to their true spiritual condition. This is the case with Israel. They maintained their innocence before God.
    • They have replaced the reality of a personal relationship with a set of legalisms and traditions.
      • The people outwardly performed religious traditions so that all could see, but inwardly they had no personal relationship with God.
        • Reality became ritualism.
        • Power became pageantry.
        • Spirituality became asceticism.
        • Faith became formulas.
• The evidence of their true spiritual condition:

 

• “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”

 

(8)
• God informs the Israelites that man’s true spiritual condition is reflected in the percentage of his income that he gives to God.
  • God desires obedience to demonstrate love.
    • Read Joh 14:15
  • In the days of Malachi, Israel was under a covenant of law. They were supposed to be obedient to the Law of Moses. The giving of the tithe of 10% of their agricultural income to God was part of that covenant of Law.
    • Their disobedience to tithing was the evidence that they did not love God.
  • Why did God choose tithing as the evidence of their spiritual condition when there were many other parts of the Mosaic Law that they did not obey?
    • We have already seen through scripture that love for God is demonstrated by obedience.
    • Scripture also tells us that love is demonstrated by giving.
      • Read Joh 3:16
        • Because God loved man, He gave His very best to man. God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ.
    • The Israelites did not love God for they were not obedient to God’s laws. The Israelites did not love God because they did not give 10% to Him. Therefore, the prophet says that not only did they fail to love God but they robbed God. Robbery is a violation of love in that it takes away from someone instead of giving to someone.
      • We must consider this point more fully.
        • The word “rob” means = to take by force; to defraud.
        • All things in this world belong to God. God gives into man’s hands a certain amount of provision to manage as a steward over God’s treasury.
        • God requires that man RETURN an amount of that provision back to God.
          • Under the Old Testament Law that amount was specified as 10%.
          • Under the New Testament Age of Grace, that amount is to be determined by the believer in light of a demonstration of his faith and love. (Luk 6:38)
          • Therefore, according to the meaning of the word, “rob”, when a believer does not give to God, he is, by force, taking from God what already belongs to God.
        • Why did God initiate this system when He could simply deduct the amount he expects beforehand from the amount of provision that He planned to give to man?
          • God leaves the determination of giving in man’s hands as a means of expressing man’s spiritual maturity, his level of faith in God, and his love for God.
• In tithes and offerings:
  • The tithe is 10%. That is the meaning of the word, tithe.
  • The offering is the amount over 10%. In other words, the Israelites did not give God the 10% that God required under the Old Testament system of Law. Neither did they give God any offerings that were above the tithe.
    • A true obedient believer in the period of Law that gave to God everything God expected, would give God the following amounts to express his faith and love.
      • The tithe of 10% every year from the increase of his agriculture and his flocks to support the priesthood. (Lev 27:30-33)
      • A second tithe of 10% was given in the temple during the special feast days. Every third year this second tithe was given in the synagogue to support the poor. (Deu 12:18 Deu 14:28-29)
      • The quantity of money equal to 1/5 more than the value of an agricultural crop that a person desired to keep for his own use. (The redemption value to buy back crops from God).
      • Every person over 20 years old was required to pay half a shekel whenever they took a census.
      • The offering of first fruits which was 1/6 of the value of the crop. (Deu 18:4)
      • Offerings of money above the 10% tithe which in scripture are mentioned as “offerings”.
• The consequences of robbing God:

 

• “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”

 

(9)
• The curse of poverty is the consequence of robbing God. That is true of the Old Testament age of law and the New Testament age of grace.
  • God’s blessings are measured to us by the measure that we give to Him. (Luk 6:38)
• This is the third curse Malachi declares over Israel.
  • =1= Individuals were cursed for bringing defective animals for sacrifice.
  • =2= Priests were cursed for hypocritical service.
  • =3= The nation was cursed for robbing God of tithes and offerings.
    • Therefore, those who do not give to God actually rob themselves of God’s blessings.
• God’s offer to change a curse into a blessing:

 

• “0

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,…”

 

(10)
• What is the storehouse?
  • It was the chamber in the temple where the tithes and offerings were kept.
  • The Israelites were to take their tithes to the temple in Jerusalem each year for two years. On the third year, they were to take the second tithe to the local synagogue. Therefore, the storehouse is the place of worship.
    • In this New Testament age, the storehouse is the local church.
• God says, “prove me” (10).
  • God invites us and the Israelites to put God to the test. In other areas of life we are not to test God, but in giving to Him, He invites us to test Him.
    • Therefore, from this comes the saying that you cannot out give God for He will fulfill the promised abundance in verse 10 and in Luk 6:38. (Mat 6:33 2Cor 9:6)
  • Read 2Chr 31:10
    • This passage tells us what happens when God’s people give.
• God’s added blessing to those who give to God:

 

• “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes…”

 

(11)
• The devourer is Satan, the destroyer. Just as God enabled the shoes and clothing of Israelites so they would not wear out, God will put a hedge of protection around the believer to protect the remainder of his income. Yes, things will wear out, but not as quickly.
• God’s blessings become a testimony to others of a loving God

• When other people see how God blesses you because you are faithful to Him, they will acknowledge God.
  • This was God’s plan for the Israelites from the beginning. When He told the Israelites to be a light to the Gentiles, their lives were supposed to display the blessings of a faithful God. This would make other nations desire this kind of relationship with God so that they, too, would benefit from God’s blessings.
    • However, because the Israelites were not faithful to God, God could not bless His people. As a result, the nations did not see a loving God reflected in His people.
  • The final fulfillment of these multiplied blessings on Israel will be during the Millennial Kingdom when Christ rules on earth for 1000 years. (12) (Isa 62:4)
• Application:
  • What about your life? Do non-believers around you see a God who blesses His people? Do they see your love for God and His love for you reflected in His abundant blessings on you?
• The reality of not giving to God demonstrates a lack of faith:

• “Your words have been stout against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance,…” (13-14)
  • Giving to God means that you have faith in God’s promises to provide for you and His promise to rebuke the devourer.
  • The Israelites expressed their lack of faith when they said that to serve God was vain and without profit.
  • This is the reason for saying that when we give go God it is not only a demonstration of our love for Him but also of our faith in Him.
    • Therefore, giving to God is directly proportional to a believer’s level of maturity.
• In reality, God was setting the Israelites up for judgment with His shocking questions. (15)
• The reality of a true remnant that worships God in love and truth. (16)

• Their faithfulness is written in God’s book of remembrance. God will remember to reward them for their faithfulness.
• God calls this remnant of believers, “his jewels”. (17)
  • The New Testament church is the pearl of great price that Christ has purchased with His blood.
• One day Christ will judge each life according to his works:
  • Believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards for their good works they did after they received Christ.
  • Non-believers will stand before the Great White Throne to be judged for their works. However, without having received Christ in their hearts, their works will be inadequate to pay for their sins. They will be inadequate to buy them eternal life.
• Summary:

• Like Malachi who lived at the end of the age of Law just before the first coming of Jesus Christ, we too are living at the end of the age of Grace just before the second coming of Jesus Christ.
• The parallels are strikingly similar. We have today a great number of people who play at being Christians. They go to church and do all the right things but their heart is far from God. They are disobedient in many ways. This is why the book of Malachi from the Old Testament is so valuable for us today.
• The Old Testament book of Malachi is a test for truth in the life of a believer. We see somewhat the same message in the New Testament book of James that speaks of an unstable faith and a life of hypocrisy.
• Application:

• In this New Testament age of grace where we are not under the Law of Moses in regards to tithing, how do New Testament believers rob God?
  • New Testament believers are just as guilty of robbing God as the Israelites in Malachi’s day.
  • We rob God by not allowing our use of money to reflect our priority of putting God first in our lives.
    • If we put God first, that means we will give to Him first and consistently.
    • That means we will use our money to express our love for God.

HOMEWORK
MALACHI 4
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Mal 3:7-18
  • What evaluations and changes do you need to make in your life in order to make your walk with the Lord without hypocrisy?

 

• Preparation for Mal 4
• Read Mal 4:1-6
  • Chapter 4 is filled with prophecy.
    • What is the “day that cometh”? (1)

 

• What is prophetic fulfillment of verses 5 and 6?

Memory Verse: Mal 4:2a “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun ofrighteousness arise with healing in his wings;…”