Will a man rob God?...the Wayfarer 7/15/14

Will a man Rob God?
7/15/14

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

(Malachi 3:8)

Today we go to the last book in the Old Testament for our message. To give due credit where it belongs, I recently heard a sermon taken from the 14^th verse of this chapter that, in turn, led me to examine more in depth this old prophet and the intent behind his writings despite previous study of the book though the years.

I choose to go to the beginning of the book for my scripture today, and will follow through to the end of it to maintain the context I believe to be the wisdom intended to be conveyed by its writer.

 It is 4 chapters long, so I beg your forbearance with the length of today’s dissertation, but I find no appropriate point to break the prophet’s words. To comprehend the meaning of his prophesy, we must examine it in its entirety. Sometimes there are no shortcuts to be taken, and I feel that this is one of them.

“The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.

I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacobs’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,

And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return to build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.

And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord will be magnified from the border of Israel.

(Malachi 1:1-5)

Malachi was prophesying to the people of Judah, as we will find a little further along in the scripture.  Judah at that time had gotten to the point of attempting to skirt the laws established by God and to substitute the teachings of men in their place as we often find before the fall of the nations blessed by Him.

The complaint about Esau being Jacob’s brother is a reference to the fact that Judah was equally descended from Abraham and they were asking why God appeared to love Israel above Judah.

 It continues on that God laid waste to the civilizations established through the lineage of Esau, and that they, in their stubbornness decided to rebuild, again placing their own plans above those of God who warned that He would only destroy what they rebuilt.

They intended to follow the same paths chosen as they rebuilt instead of turning to God and his plans.

 He goes on to say that they shall be called the borders of wickedness, and a people who would eternally offend God with that wickedness.

This sounds awfully familiar in the times in which we currently live!

Those people would have to recognize the favor shown Israel. They would have to see with their own eyes the blessings and magnification of God’s chosen people!

The prophet continues:

“A son honoreth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? Saith the Lord of hosts.

And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? Saith the Lord of Hosts.

(Malachi 1: 6-9)

The prophet asks how a people can ask God to bless them because he is their Father, yet refuse to give him the honor that is due him if they truly accept him as their Father. 

He goes on to ask how, if he is their master, that they refuse to fear him and honor his rules! 

He tells them that even the priests despise his name by denying him the sacrifices that are demanded by the law, substituting unacceptable gifts for those that were supposed to be pure!

Polluted bread, blind and lame livestock would make the table of the Lord contemptible, and by the use of these offerings they were in fact showing contempt for God himself.

Not to deviate from the text, but how acceptable to God is it that we abdicate the work of the church established by his Son to the government which shows only contempt for the God we worship?

 I find it no wonder that God’s blessings for our nation diminish as we relegate the charity demanded by individuals to a state that denies His very existence!

The prophet asks if the gifts being offered were acceptable to the governors, who were mere men. The answer of course was no! 

If it was unacceptable to mere men, why should it be acceptable to God?

The prophet goes on with:

“Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, the table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat is contemptible.

Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? Saith the Lord.

But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

(Malachi 1:10-14)

The prophet asks who there is even among these dense, hardheaded people, that would lock their doors without a reason to do so. He goes on to state that if they have that much concern for their safety from the outside world of men, why should they light a fire on His altar, to  get His attention for no reason other than to profane it with unacceptable sacrifices. He goes on to tell them that God is unimpressed with their false show of righteousness and attempt to circumvent His law that is displayed by this very action, that he does not find it acceptable and will not honor such sacrifice.

Again, not to deviate from the text, but I question why today’s people could possibly expect God to accept their “good works” that only show the same self-righteousness of those being addressed by this old prophet. 

God is telling them that He gave them one way to atone for their sin, and that to modify it, in any manner, was an abomination to Him!

He goes on to tell them that all people all over the world would recognize his greatness, and that the only ones that would be blessed would be those who honored His name by honoring His law! 

He tells them that only a pure offering will attain any effect, no matter what people call upon him.  He reiterates that this particular people have profaned their offering, and therefore profaned a professed belief in Him. He goes on to tell them that not only will such deceivers not receive His blessing, but will in fact be cursed!

The second Chapter continues:

And now. O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts,

(Malachi 2:1-7)

 The prophet addresses the very people who profess to represent God to their people with a dire warning to return to the teachings and compliance of the law with which they had been entrusted.

 He tells them that not only will they be unproductive if they continue in their denial of the complete law, but will be cursed instead of being blessed.

He goes on to tell them of why Levi was chosen to represent Him, telling them that only with a true fear and respect for both God and his laws could they ever truly represent Him.

 He tells them that because of this adherence to the truth, God had blessed the efforts of Levi and thereby he was able to effectively lead others from their iniquity!

The ministers of today are no longer priests, as that function is fully and completely fulfilled by Jesus himself, but they are  God’s messengers and should take heed of this warning remembering that what they are to preach and teach should come from God through his Son and that only this is acceptable to God himself.

The prophet is still not through with his warning:

“But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us/ why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, our of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

(Malachi 2:8-12)

The prophet tells these priests that they are contemptible and base even before the people that they would subvert by their failure to practice the intent of the given law.

 You cannot take part of God’s law without accepting all of it.

You cannot pick and choose which of Jesus’ teachings apply to you and ignore the others as we find far too many attempting to do today!

The prophet goes on to tell them that by their own abomination, that abomination has spread throughout Jewry because of those even of Israel that chose to follow their teachings.

 This brought dishonor and disgrace upon others of God’s chosen people.

We find the same occurrences in today’s churches with the scandals of those who not only fail to follow the teachings of Christ, but cause others to ignore them because of their actions.

When the news is filled with the child molesters that were in prominent positions within the church, the scam artists who deceived their congregations stealing from them the funds contributed to do the true work of God instead of lining their pockets, and a host of other crimes that are in contravention to the teachings of Christ, I find it no wonder that so many have turned from the church seeking enlightenment and salvation from other quarters which are unfortunately based completely in false teachings of men.

The writer continues:

“ And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out insomuch that he regardeth not the offering anymore, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between the and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion and the wife of thy covenant. And did he not make one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

For the Lord God of Israel,  saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to you spirit that ye deal not treacherously.

Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them: or, Where is the God of Judgment?

(Malachi 2:13-17)

The prophet tells them that false shows of righteousness exhibited by their tears, lamentations and overt exhibition of fakery to gain the respect of the people causes God not to hear any of the prayers that they offer.

 This holds true today as well. God sees the difference between sincere prayer, repentance and concern and that which is given merely for show to prove righteousness where none exists!

The wife of the youth referred to is the fact that we may only follow God and his laws, we are not allowed to chase after every new and pretty teaching that takes us from that true worship of Him!

Old Malachi goes on to talk about dealing treacherously with each other as well as God.

If we are to truly be disciples, we must do so in truth and treat all in the manner that Christ gave us with the golden rule.

This not only includes how we present ourselves but includes all our dealings, business or otherwise to be conducted in truth without the purpose of self-enrichment.

 We too need to take heed to our spirit!  Words are inadequate to please either Jesus or the Father! Actions are required to back up those words!

If we follow these teachings of our Savior, we will never need ask where the God  of judgment is, we will already know that he is right there alongside us making that judgment, not only on those we come into contact with, but us as well.

The Third chapter begins:

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts”

(Malachi 3:1)

This is clearly a prophecy of the coming of John the Baptist who prepared the way for the ministry of our Lord and of the coming of our Lord as well.

A messenger for a new covenant!

“But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap:

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.”

(Malachi 3: 2-5)

The prophet promises that Jesus will sort out the fakes that have invaded God’s priests, and that the priesthood will be purified. 

 He promises that God will be swift in his judgment and will no longer tolerate the mentioned sorcerers, adulterers and false swearers that were polluting the teachings and laws that had been given.

He goes on to promise justice for the oppressed who had been cheated continually by them and succor to those most helpless in society.

He states that the offerings given will then be pleasant to God. This is in fact the offering given by Christ himself when he allowed himself to be sacrificed for the countless sins of man so that when repentance is given for that sin, true repentance, will reach a loving God well pleased by the offering of our lives and hearts to him.

The old prophet continues:

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to 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.

(Malachi 3:6-8)

God is unchanging!

 It is only through his love that we continue to exist! He loved us enough to honor His part of the covenant made with Jacob despite the fact that generations have failed to live up to their end of the bargain by meeting His requirements.

 This is why He finally Sent Jesus to atone for the innumerable sins that were committed willingly and unknowingly because of the changes to his laws made through the teachings of men whose only intent was to avoid following them.

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

 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.”

(Malachi 3:9-12)

“Ye have robbed me this whole nation!” 

The tithes spoken of by this old prophet were not merely the monetary tithes that some of us today might envision, they were a tithe of all that was owned by God’s people,  this included their skills as well as their physical wealth.

 It included their very faith and dedication to the God they claimed to worship!

Though we were freed from the old covenant by the coming of Christ from the laws that allowed those for whom it was given to reach him, we are still obligated to the same tithe that was spoken of that day.

That tithe must include our obedience and service to a Lord to whom we can never repay the debt incurred on us because of our sin!

We may only be called blessed by God by all nations if we are worthy of that blessing.

“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, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?

And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea they that tempt God are even delivered.

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

And  they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”

(Malachi 3:13-18)  

“Your words have been stout against me” 

How sad I am to know that our own nation falls into this category so easily today! 

We make laws that no longer allow the display of the Ten Commandments, allow atheists to prohibit the display of nativity scenes when we celebrate our Savior’s birth, enforce laws that are a direct affront to God’s commandments against homosexuality, and even have leaders that state that we are not a Christian nation.

Many find themselves falling prey to the question of “what profit”?

  This is easily answered by the fact that the profit is only that which will be reaped after a day of judgment yet to come!

It is that “profit”, or reward, that we must diligently and zealously seek as we see those around us falling by the wayside back into the ways of old, just as in Noah’s time.

We have to remember the promise of eternal life and the joy that it brings, and allow God to judge and punish those who choose to ignore all the warnings contained in this book, in the other prophets, in the law we were given as a society and most importantly in the teachings and through the sacrifice of our Savior!

Yes, the proud think that they are happy in their self- indulgences, the wicked may often seem to prosper at the expense of those who choose to follow Christ, and judgment on those who tempt and ignore the existence of our God has not yet come to pass.

 Know that this is only a temporary situation!

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up,  saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

(Malachi 4: 1)

 I need add nothing to the statement made by this old prophet!  I add only that I have no fear of that day to come, and fear only for those who choose to ignore his and Jesus’ own warnings.

“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him I Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, list I come and smite thee with a curse.”

(Malachi 4:2-6)

The prophet closes this missive with far more than just a warning to the ungodly. He closes also with a promise to those who do in deed and in truth fear the name of our Lord and honor him as has always been the requirement from the time of Adam.

The statement that we shall grow up as calves in the stall conveys that we will need to expend no effort for our own care. All needs will be met by the Father!

The wicked will no longer exist, having been forever banned form the Kingdom, and there will be no progeny from them to wreak more evil upon us!

We are told to remember the laws given Moses, this means not only to remember them, but to live by them as was intended when they were given. 

We have been given a New covenant, a new chance to resume our place as intended for eternity.
It is through that covenant, the very blood of God's only Son shed in sacrifice to allow the attainment of the original purity by means of HIS substitutional sacrifice that allows our relationship with our Father to be one of Love with no fear of our own failure that has been forgiven by acceptance of that sacrifice.

Any attempt to find any other means  to attain eternal life is an attempt to continue to rob God, condemning those too stubborn to repent to eternal separation from Him, having chosen to serve self and self alone that must in turn result in the condemnation throughout eternity.

There is no need to attempt to steal what is freely given when the simple terms of repentance for redemption are met.

 I close today’s message with the same love for all given by this simple sinner saved by the grace of God through the blood sacrifice of his Son, praying that all who have ears to hear, hear the message sent us through the ages by this old prophet, and more importantly come to the realization that salvation is possible… but this only through repentance and acceptance of my Lord, Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and amen
the Wayfarer