Try to picture a gang of thugs in one of the run down areas of Los Angeles, Chicago or New York. They control all the local crime in their neighborhood, including prostitution, drugs, gambling and protection. They are the total masters of their little domain, and the leadership of the gang permits no disloyalty. Weekly, they import cocaine and heroin which they break down and divide, supplying their minions with product to sell on the streets. They have killed or maimed everyone who has stood in their way to illicit wealth. They are evil people, and they try to make themselves appear to be evil people.
But there is a group within the gang intent on taking over the leadership. One night those people walk into the warehouse where the gang stores and distributes their poisons. They kill a few guards and take whatever money and drugs are available, disappearing into the night.
How do you think the original leadership of the gang will respond to this rebellion and theft? First, they determine who the rebels are, and that is not particularly difficult. Then they mount a devastating counter attack, killing those rivals and their families, burning their houses, destroying any shadow of their former existence. Such is the rule of gangland retribution.
I would like to use that as a negative illustration of something positive; something absolutely perfect.
Jehovah-Elohim is the God of the universe; the Creator and owner of all things.
He is called “the LORD of HOSTS,” because He is the leader of an army of holy angels, who carry out every one of His commands with perfect efficiency. The little ghetto we call “earth” belongs to Him. The poet David rightly says in Psalm 24: “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it…” In that same Psalm he asks, “Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” David is implying that the Lord will defend what is His. He will punish the rebel. “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” God told Moses in Exodus 19: “All the earth is mine.” The Lord says, “Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). The earth’s wealth belongs to Jehovah for, as He says, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8). And God’s ownership and sovereignty over all things extends to every person within His reach. “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth (that mounts a coup against me) it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Therefore “whether we live, we live unto the Lord and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lords” (Romans 14:8).
It doesn’t take CNN or Fox News to remind us that there are insurrectionists in the realm. Not only does the Bible point them out, but we know from our own hearts that the world is full of rebellion. Some of those rebels wish to dethrone the Lord and take over His dominion. Others are content to steal what they like, without acknowledging God’s ownership or paying His royalties. “Will a man rob God?” This theological theft is more common than taking our bosses paper clips for non-business purposes.
As our divine Landlord and King, Jehovah makes certain demands of us.
But, “from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinance, and have not kept them.” God has rules for all those living under His beneficence and grace. Israel in particular, and mankind in general, have forsaken God’s ordinances, statues, decrees and laws. They have not “kept” them, which includes the idea of “guarding” them.
The one command mentioned in our scripture is that of tithes and offerings. “Offerings” refer to gifts or oblations given to the Lord. And the word “tithe” speaks of a tenth part. Neither one is explained in the context, because Malachi’s listeners, and most of us today, understand.
Even though this is considered a small area of rebellion by most people, tithing has some significant lessons. One is that the first example of tithing came very early in human history. Abraham willingly gave to the Lord tithes of the bounty he won in battle against the king Chedorlaomer away back in the fourteenth chapter of the Bible. In other words, tithing cannot be sloughed off by any of us as an obligation to the Jews only. Every human being under God’s sovereign reign owe a tithe of their income to the Lord. And then the Lord Jesus reiterated the correctness of tithing on God’s blessings in Matthew 23 and Luke 11. When Christians refuse to tithe on their weekly income, they are displaying three things: near-sightedness, a lack of faith and rebellion. God says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse… and prove me now herewith… if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour your out a blessing that there shall ot be room enough to receive it.” The Christian who says that he can’t afford to tithe hasn’t honestly put God to the test.
But tithing is not my subject this morning. Tithing is only the tip of the iceberg. As the sovereign King over all creation, the Lord has ordered much more than just returning His tenth. Please turn to Deuteronomy 10 and notice verse 14: “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.” Jehovah owns all things. Now go back two steps to verse 12: “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” Based upon the sovereign ownership of all things by God, the rent which He demands of us is our love, respect and service. Yes, I know that the context of Deuteronomy is Israel, but Christ declared that this is a universal principle. In fact, the Lord Jesus says this is the first of all commandments and responsibilities. Under the Lord’s protection and blessing, we are debtors to Him, owing him our tithes and offerings. But even more, we owe him our love, worship and service.
Now, skip to the next chapter, Deuteronomy 11:26, where we hear an echo of our text in Malachi. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God…” Obedience to the ordinances of the Lord is part of the rent we owe to God for dwelling in His creation. Disobedience is not only rebellion, but it is theft; robbery. “Will a man rob God?”
Remember Deuteronomy 10:14: “What doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul…” Notice that we owe to the Lord our worship. A logical conclusion is that when we refuse, or when we worship other things, it is theological theft. And as Malachi says, “Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me…” Deuteronomy 27:15 adds, “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, and abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman…”
Turn to Deuteronomy 28:15: “It shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.” Please understand that the same word “curse” is used in our text and in these other scriptures as well. When anyone living in the dominion of the Lord steals anything from Him, that man should expect God’s curse.
Let’s follow the principle of tithing back under an even wider umbrella. The law of Moses is filled with references and instructions about the first fruit’s offerings. When, by God’s grace, a crop was harvested, whichever it was: wheat, barley, lentils, oranges or limes, the first part of that bounty was to be given to God in a special offering. It is to this that Jesus referred in Matthew 23: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, hand 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.” But not only does our divine Landlord expect us to tithe on our spices and vegetables, but we also owe to Him our trust – our faith. It certainly extends beyond this, but one reason some Christians don’t tithe, is that they don’t trust God to meet their needs; they have a corrupt, or at the very least, immature faith. Furthermore, we owe to God justice and mercy, which we are to give to Him through the people around us. “Will a man rob God?”
Now, coming full circle, let me take you to the very first scripture which speaks of the “first fruit.” Exodus 22:29 says, “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors; the firstborn of thy sons shall thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep; seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.” Notice, “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits… THE FIRSTBORN OF THY SONS shall thou GIVE UNTO ME.”
Think back to first the Passover and what took place that night. Every Hebrew home, or every few homes, took an especially selected animal and slew it, collecting its blood. That blood was then painted or sprinkled over and around the door of their homes. Then that night, God’s death angel passed over the land, and the first born son in every home which was NOT protected by the blood died. One might argue, at that point, the eldest son in every Hebrew family became property of the King of kings. That child, or that young man, was purchased with blood.
You and I, all of us collectively and individually, are tenants on the property of Jehovah. We have received of the LORD’S bounty every day of our lives, every moment of our lives. We are so deeply in debt to Him that an eternity in either Heaven or Hell could never begin to pay it. Nevertheless, the Lord asks very little of us. He only expects and teaches us to love Him, reverence Him, and serve Him. And He teaches us to illustrate that love and reverence by giving to him a tenth of all that we possess. While the American Federal government takes more than 33% of our income through a multitude of taxes, the Lord requires only 10%. And remember, we owe our very souls to the Lord our Creator.
Malachi charges the people of his day with theological theft. “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse…”
But now pay attention to something really unusual in all this.
When we pay what we already owe to the Lord, He promises to graciously shower down His blessings.
Your bank doesn’t reward you for paying your mortgage, and the government doesn’t bless those it taxes. But that is exactly what God promises. And many of us know for a fact, that is what the Lord does.
The Bible tells us that we owe to Jehovah our love, reverence, service and goods. God doesn’t owe us anything, and He’s not required to bless us for doing our duty. But Jehovah is more noble than any of His creatures. “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. 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. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Please return to Deuteronomy; this time to chapter 28: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
You’ve probably heard the statement: “We can’t out give the Lord.” It is also true that there is a sense in which we can’t out debt the Lord. God is debtor to no man. If He has made a promise, it is His pledge. He will keep His word. Count on it. Feast on it.
Conclusion:
Now let me reuse a couple of the words I have spoken several times this morning. I’m going to put them into another context which is a bit different from Malachi, but not that much different. Please turn to Galatians 3:10 – “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” We could justly say from this scripture, “Cursed are all those who attempt to steal from the Lord by not continuing in all things contained in the law.” But keep in mind that paying the interest on that debt to God does not deliver anyone from guilt. If from this moment on you explicitly and completely obeyed every one of God’s commands, your obedience would not cover any of your past disobedience and sin. “No man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident.” Tithing and giving offerings do not make a person righteous in the sight of God. “No man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident; for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 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.”
Let me be clear, no one will be cast into Hell for not tithing. In fact, no one will spend eternity in judgment for not loving, worshiping and reverently serving the Lord. But these things shed light on the spiritual condition of people. We are all already dead in trespasses and sins; we are born selfish and rebellious by nature. If we could, we would kick God out of our lives and from His creation, taking possession of His throne. From birth we have gone away from the Lord’s ordinances, because we haven’t had any desire to keep them. We are rebels and spiritual thieves by nature, and therefore we are cursed. And eventually we will hear God’s command “Depart from me, ye cursed, into every lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
But then the great eternal judge is also heard to say in verse 7, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you.” I am here to share with you some good news, great news, gospel news. If you will repent, acknowledging your rebellious nature and your past disobedience, your selfishness and theft… If you will humble yourself before God… and if you will put your love, trust and loyalty in the Saviour, Jesus Christ … God will forgive you of your sin, and He will receive you as His child. Repent before God and trust His provision for your full restoration. To be specific, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
God was angry with Israel, and He is angry with us. But if, by God’s grace, we turn and return to Him, He will return unto us. I implore you: repent before God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.