Malachi 3:5-12
“Yes, I’m on my way to visit you with Judgment. I’ll present compelling evidence against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless—anyone and everyone who doesn’t honor me.” A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed. And because I haven’t changed, you, the descendants of Jacob, haven’t been destroyed. You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven’t done a thing I’ve told you. Return to me so I can return to you,” says God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“You ask, ‘But how do we return?’
“Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day.
“You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
“The tithe and the offering—that’s how! And now you’re under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you’re robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers.” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
“You’ll be voted ‘Happiest Nation.’ You’ll experience what it’s like to be a country of grace.” God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.
In today’s passage from Malachi, we hear him confronting the people many practices that go against the heart of God – adultery, spreading lies, exploitation, and a refusal to practice compassion with those in terrible circumstances. Basically, the people were living the way they wanted as opposed to the way God wanted. They were ignoring the ways that that they had been taught by their ancestors and the prophets that came before. And because of this, they had brought themselves under a self-imposed curse.
The people ask, “How do we get back on track?” Malachi’s answer is the most quoted Malachi passage ever:
Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.
Churches usually bring this out at Stewardship Campaign time as a challenge to recommit themselves to giving financially to the church. There’s nothing wrong with this, but like so many other Bible passages, we miss the larger point Malachi is trying to make. Malachi lifts up giving financially to the work of God as a way to get the rest of your life back on track. He even suggests that it’s a way to step back into the stream of God’s blessings.
Let’s be careful here; let’s be clear about what Malachi is NOT saying. He is NOT suggesting that this is a transaction with God – that if you give God money and do the other things Malachi mentions, God will give you blessings. He IS suggesting that where your money goes, your heart and your life tend to follow. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Jesus would say it more clearly in Matthew 6; “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I have absolutely no interest in horse racing, but if I make a bet on a horse, I will all of a sudden become really interested in that horse race. If I give a broker a chuck of my savings to invest on my behalf, I will tend to become more interested in her activities than I was before. In other words, what we do with our resources is a spiritual activity. It tends to steer our lives in a particular direction. Malachi is simply suggesting that, if that is true, why not steer it in the direction of God’s activity. When steer our lives in the direction of God’s activity, it shouldn’t be a surprise that we will find blessings. Where God is active, there is blessing.
Prayer: God, help us trust you with the resources we have and to give generously to your work. Guide our hearts by our actions back to your blessings. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for families struggling to make ends meet.
Song: Ron Kenoly – Give to the Lord (Live)
Weekday Word w/ Eric 
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