Oak001122 Posted May 31, 2018 Group: Newbie Followers: 0 Topic Count: 1 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 1 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/31/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted May 31, 2018 Malachi 3:9 "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." Is God saying the priests AND the whole nation have robbed him - that is the priests and the nation are guilty. OR Is God saying the priests have robbed both him and the nation - that is the priests are guilty on two accounts, robbing God and robbing the nation? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willa Posted May 31, 2018 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 68 Topic Count: 186 Topics Per Day: 0.04 Content Count: 14,228 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 16,652 Days Won: 30 Joined: 08/14/2012 Status: Offline Share Posted May 31, 2018 Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, In what have we robbed You? In the tithe and the offering! Mal 3:9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the nation, all of it. Mal 3:10 Bring all the tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. And test Me now with this, says Jehovah of Hosts, whether I will not open the windows of the heavens for you and pour out a blessing until there is no sufficiency of room to store it. Mal 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for you, and he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground against you; nor shall your vine miscarry against you in the field, says Jehovah of Hosts. Mal 3:12 And all nations shall call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land, says Jehovah of Hosts. I can't see that the priests are robbing God twice. All of Israel seems to be guilty of withholding tithes. Only they were under the law to tithe. The law is bondage. We are free to give as God leads and we are able. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steward George Posted May 31, 2018 Group: Steward Followers: 110 Topic Count: 10,465 Topics Per Day: 1.26 Content Count: 27,772 Content Per Day: 3.33 Reputation: 15,459 Days Won: 129 Joined: 06/30/2001 Status: Online Birthday: 09/21/1971 Steward Share Posted May 31, 2018 Shalom Oak, Welcome to WCF! This is the entire context of the question at hand -- Mal 3:6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. Mal 3:7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Mal 3:8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. Mal 3:9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Mal 3:10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Mal 3:11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. Mal 3:12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. Mal 3:13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ Mal 3:14 You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? Mal 3:15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’” I believe the context is clear that it's a Word given to the entire nation. God bless, George 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfishie Posted June 17, 2018 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 42 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 21 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/07/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted June 17, 2018 (edited) If you read the first 5 or so books of the Old Testament you'll see God's instructions for his people in terms of their worship and their offerings etc. The house of Levi was the priestly house, they served in the temple and received none of the inheritance (land/ plunder etc) allotments given to the other 11 family lines. Instead each of the others had to give a percentage of theirs (and specific offerings as defined in the instructions) to the Levites/ in sacrifice at the temple as part of their sacrifice, tithe and worship. Some of these offerings at the temple (or portions of them), including physical items, measures of grain, food, wealth and livestock, were specifically given by God to the Levites as their portion and share. As such the Levites (or the priests) did not tithe and were not required to - they were bound by a much longer and more complicated set of requirements actually (read Leviticus). In light of this I come to the conclusion that this is God reprimanding the nation as a whole for not upholding his statutes and keeping his laws, which they had unfortunately made a habit of doing. The question posed is "how will we return to God?" The answer is "begin with tithing". The key teaching here as it applies to us now in the new covenant context: The reason that tithing is the mechanism for returning to God is that it's both an act of obedience and of faith. It's a literal choosing of God over self. He says "give me the FIRST ten percent of your income" - doing that means you actually have to act in obedience before (as soon as you get that income) you see the benefits of that faith (the promises - open heaven, blessings, rebuke for the devourer - he lists after) come to fruit in your life. So if one is willing to prove their commitment to God, by stepping out in faith, and acting in obedience, and tithing to his local church, this proves the intent of your heart in 'returning' to God. And when he sees us do this, He will return to us (individually in personal relationship with us), as promised, and in our new covenant context He lavishes us with His undeserved Grace and Love when we do this. Edited June 17, 2018 by Angelfishie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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