FRIDAY, 26 February, 2021 “Rob God?”

Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

When you hear the word “TEST”, what emotions rise up inside you, what memories flood your mind? I wonder if you sometimes have a similar nightmare to mine? In my dreams I find myself back in school and it’s final exam time, but I discover I have not been to that class all semester, I’ve never read the textbook, I have no idea what the class is about and it’s time for the final exam! Oh my it’s so sweet to awaken from such a nightmare! Thank you God, it was only a dream!

But in real life, we find ourselves facing life tests all the time, don’t we? Tests of our driving skills on busy roadways, tests of our ability to live within a budget, when surrounded by tempting advertising and friends who apparently have more money than we do. Tests of our faithfulness in relationships, tests of our integrity, our character, our reliability, our self-discipline, our generosity, our patience. And tests of our faith in God. Now, think about that a moment friends, what tests your faith, your trust in God?

Join me again in Malachi 3:7, that’s the last book of the Old Testament, where God says “Return to ME and I will return to you,’ says the LORD Almighty. But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ That’s a fair question isn’t it? And we know the answer…it’s called repentance and worship. But the deeper question the people in Malachi’s day and in our day are asking is this: “What makes You think we have strayed from You, O God?” You see my friends, in Malachi’s day many of the people were keeping some of the religious traditions and rituals, but they knew their hearts were far from God. They thought God wouldn’t notice, as long as they kept up the religious rituals and traditions. Do we think that sometimes? Are we just going through the motions with God?

So God spoke very clearly through Mr Malachi: “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. ‘But you ask, ‘How do we rob you God?’ ‘In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you – because you are robbing God. 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 you will not have room enough for it!” (Malachi 3:8-10) Oh my “Walking with Jesus” friends all around the world, this is one of the greatest statements of all time from God! God is actually INVITING us, humanity, to TEST Him! And He’s very specific, and He promises a remarkable result… do you see it? Have you tried this test with God?

Tithes are not to be confused with Taxes! The government, wherever you and I live in the world, levies taxes upon us and our fellow citizens. Probably you have very little voice in the matter. Your government probably did not ask your opinion. Governments decide they need money to fund their projects and pay their salaries, so they impose taxes on you and me. Normally they don’t say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’, taxes are not an option. You and I pay our taxes or we go to prison, right?

But that’s not how it works with God and His people. “Tithe” is not a ‘Tax” from God. “Tithe” is worship of God! What? Yes my friends, God instituted the ‘tithe’ for His people when they came out of slavery in Egypt and were given by God instructions for how to live as a God honoring nation of God’s people.

One group of them, the tribe of Levi, were called by God to dedicate their lives to serving the people of Israel spiritually, and they were to do it with just as much energy and dedication as hard working farmers whose cows need milking every, or ranchers who’s herds will stray without their careful attention or business people whose businesses will fail without their daily attention and hard work.

The Levites were to care for the Tabernacle and later the Temple. They were to be the priests, helping the people with their worship practices and teaching them God’s truth. They were to help them in times of grief and confusion and conflict. In times of weddings and babies and all aspects of life. For God’s people their spiritual health was central to their lives and the health of their society/ So these Levites were essential to society, if they did their jobs well, faithfully and with great faithfulness to God and the people.

In order to do so, Levites were to NOT hold regular jobs, not own farms or businesses, but make their full time work the spiritual care of the entire nation of Israel. But how would they live? How would they feed their families? God’s answer to that was the ‘tithe’! If every other Israelite family, who was served by the Levites, brought 1 tenth of the produce of their work, there should be ample supplies in the ‘storehouses’ of the Temple both to feed the Levites AND supply them with what they needed to help the widows, orphans, the poor, and other special needs among the people. Moses explained this as one of the wonderful distinctives of the people of God. (Leviticus 27; Numbers 18; Deuteronomy 12 etc.)

But of course the ‘tithe’ program which God instituted for His people only works well if everyone is living honestly and in dependence upon God. If the Levites are lazy or greedy or don’t properly use what has been brought to them, that’s a mockery of God’s plan. If the people only bring a portion of the tithe, or don’t bring any tithe at all, there won’t be enough to meet the need. And of course everyone had the same question… can I trust God to supply enough so I can give 1 tenth, and still live on 9 tenths? Can the Levites trust that God will supply all that’s needed for fields to grow crops, and flocks and herds to multiply, and people to work their jobs and the economy to be stable enough so that the people can give 1 tenth, and still live. But the even bigger question was this: WILL the people be faithful to God and bring their ‘tithe’ or will they keep it for themselves? And as you recognize my friends, these have been the questions every generation has asked since!

What the people then, and sadly even now, didn’t understand, and what Jesus tried to make very clear, are these fundamental principles if you are living your life in a trust relationship with God. It’s part of what I call ‘walking with Jesus’, there are seven of them at least:

1. Everything that exists in our Universe, either God created or mankind fabricated from something God created.

2. God is the ultimate source of EVERYTHING… life, breath, the ability to work, all the resources needed for work to be productive. God has all the resources! Everything belongs to God, everything! (Deuteronomy 8)

3. I came into this world with nothing, and I will leave with nothing. (1 Timothy 6:7)

4. God knows my needs much better than I do, for He sees my future clearly! (Matt. 6:8)

5. God loves me and delights in supplying me with what He knows I need everyday, especially if I thank Him, praise Him and see His supply of me as an expression of His love for me! (Psalm 139)

6. God provides the resources needed to accomplish HIS purposes on earth TO & THROUGH His people! (resources = time, talents, finances, ideas, energy, synergy, leadership, ‘followership’, creativity etc)

7. I will ‘live worship’ everyday when I ‘steward’ or carefully manage the resources God has entrusted to me, as I follow the Holy Spirit leading me in accomplishing God’s purpose for me every day.

Now friends, I invite you to pause and ponder these for a moment. In fact, I think it might be wise to stop right here for today as I offer some questions to help us invite the Holy Spirit to guide our ‘pondering’? Don’t rush by this my friends, this is life changing stuff!

1. Do I really believe each of these statements is God’s truth? If not, what Biblical support can I find for discounting any of these statements?

2. Am I living my life in alignment with each of these truths? If not, which ones need some ‘realignment’ in my life and how will I go about getting my heart, mind and life realigned with God?

3. Which of these truths do I find most difficult to apply daily in my life? WHY? What will I do about that?

4. How would my life change if each of these 7 principles became ‘Guiding Principles’ for my life? How would my extended family change if I would teach these 7 principles to my descendants and they embraced them as ‘Guiding Principles’ for their lives?

We’ll pick this up again tomorrow. For right now, I invite you to meet with Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to help you honestly look very deeply into your life through the lenses of these Principles and questions. Often I leave you with a song… not today. Today I leave you with silence. Sit in silence with God and just meditate with HIM as you review these statements, Guiding Principles and Questions.

Today’s Scripture is Malachi 3.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).

Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.