Bible Devotion - 8/8/2021

August 23rd, 2021

Through the Windows of Heaven

I am mindful that our motives in giving can be very diverse. In another look through a Bible window, I want us to look through the windows of heaven and as we do so we want to see the ultimate motive for giving. What is the ultimate motive for giving? It is simply that God has told us to give. We can be motivated to give for tax purposes. We can be motivated to give for compassionate reasons. We can be motivated to give because we love our Church and are excited about what is going on in the Church. Yet, the ultimate reason to give is simply because God, our heavenly Father, has commanded us to give. If we had no other reason to give, the fact that God has told us to give is enough.

The passage before us in Malachi chapter three gives us some wonderful lessons on giving. It tells us how to give and what will happen when we give. Let's consider the passage by looking through the windows of heaven.

1. WHAT HAS GOD REQUESTED?

Notice in verse eight that two types of giving are mentioned. Malachi speaks of the "tithe" and "offerings." In the tithe we see a specific measure of giving. The word "tithe" simply means, "a tenth" or "ten percent."

In the tithe, God gave Israel, a standard or measuring stick whereby to judge and measure their giving. In other words, their giving was to be at least and no less than a tithe, or ten percent.

The act of tithing by the Jewish people constituted a practical confession and acknowledgment that everything in reality belonged to God and that it was the Lord who gave them all the things they had and enjoyed. When we tithe today, I believe we are acknowledging that what we have comes from the Lord and that we would not have what we have if it were not for the Lord.

The second type of giving that is described in verse eight is the "offerings." The word speaks of, "a present or gift." It describes an act of free-will giving. In this type of giving we see a special measure of giving. This is an act of giving whereby we give more than is required. It is an act of giving that not only acknowledges that what we have comes from the Lord, but also expresses the gratitude of our hearts for all God has given us.

In verse ten the Jews were required to bring the tithes and offering, "into the storehouse." The word "storehouse" means, "treasury." It described a receptacle, room, or place where things were stored for safekeeping or preservation. In the case before us, the storehouse was a special storage area or sanctuary in the Temple that had existed since the days of Hezekiah for depositing the tithes and offerings of the people.

By bringing my tithe into the storehouse I take it to mean that God wants us to give where we are being fed. In the dispensation that we are living, the counterpart to the storehouse is, in my opinion, the local church. Now It doesn’t limit our giving to the Church where we are members, but it does give us the principle that where we are being fed locally, is where we are to give the tithe and an offering, not some radio or TV preacher.

You will notice in verse ten that God commanded that the tithe and offerings were to be bought into the storehouse so, "there may be meat in Mine house." The word "meat" simply refers to food and describes how the giving of the people provided food and financial support for the Levites who were the keepers of the Temple.

When God divided up the land and gave it to the children of Israel, He gave all the tribes a portion or section of land except the Levites. Their inheritance was to be the Lord Himself (Numbers 18:20). They were the priestly tribe and carried out the responsibilities of the Tabernacle and Temple. The tithe and offerings were the means God provided to provide for them.

In a similar fashion, we tithe and give offerings to provide for the ministers and ministries of our local Church. Just as the Levites were set aside for a holy purpose and service, the Pastors or Elders of a Church have been set aside and called into God's work on a full-time basis. It is through the giving of the people of God they find their financial provisions.

As well, the tithe and offerings were used to maintain and provide for the service of the Tabernacle and Temple. In similar fashion, the Church and its ministries are maintained by the tithe and offerings of its members. The Church's source of income should be the giving of its members, not potluck dinners or fund raisers.

2. WHAT DID GOD REBUKE?

Now when you look at the subject of giving, or the lack of giving, you don't find God saying that we are not really that bad. How does God feel about our lack of giving? He calls us robbers! He says that when we do not give, we are guilty of spiritual robbery.

Throughout the book of Malachi, we find God confronting several spiritual problems that existed among the people of God. In our text God confronts them about their giving. In verse eight we read that they were guilty of robbing God of the tithe and offerings. The word, "rob" means, "to cover" or "hide" and carries the ideal of defrauding. They were guilty of defrauding God. They were hiding from or keeping from God that which was His.

God asks in verse eight: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me."

I don't have any plans of robbing anyone, but if I did, God is the last one I would want to try to rob. For one thing, there's no way of robbing Him in the conventional sense without him knowing. Furthermore, there's no way to get away with it. You can't run or hide from God.

If being called a spiritual robber is not enough, God says: "Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation" (Vs.9).

How serious is it to not give as God commands? God says we are cursed with a curse. What is this curse God is describing?

I believe we can get an idea from Malachi 2:2: "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."

This is not some kind of voodoo curse. It is a curse on our blessings. To put it another way, if we defraud God, He will defraud us. To rob God of what is His is to rob ourselves of God's blessings. We cannot expect God to give to us when we will not give to Him!

3. WHAT WILL GOD REWARD?

Whereas God's blessings are removed if we do not give, God's blessings are received if we do give.

We read in Malachi 3:10: "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."

In this verse we are told that if we give, we will be blessed as opposed to not being blessed if we do not give.

In my opinion, this is one of the exciting and challenging statements made in the Bible. God is asking us to prove Him. He is asking us to put Him to the test. Now keep in mind this statement is made in reference to the subject of giving. God is asking us to put Him to the test and prove Him concerning our giving.

Now this may imply to me that some were failing to give to God because of their fearfulness. Maybe there were some who were afraid that if they gave what they should have given they would not be able to make ends meet. It may also imply that some were not giving because of their faithlessness. Maybe there were some who were not trusting God in their giving.

Listen to God's challenge. Prove Me! Put Me to the test! Go ahead and give what you are to give, and see what happens. God is telling us to go ahead and give and see if He will not bless us for doing so.

Is there some reason why you are not tithing? Is there some reason why you are not giving offerings to the Lord? Are you afraid you can't tithe? Are you worried about how you will make ends meet? Go ahead and take God's challenge and see what happens.

God not only invited Israel us to put Him to the test, but He also gives us the promise that if we will give and give as He tells us to give, He will: "...open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Vs.10).

If we give as God tells us to give, first, He tells us that He will open the windows of heaven. The word, "open" means to "open wide." Secondly, He will open "you" the windows of heaven. Thirdly, He will "pour you out a blessing." The word "pour" has the idea of "emptying." You could say that God will empty out His blessings on you. Lastly, He tells us that this blessing will be more than we can receive.

You can't beat a deal like that! God has promised to bless those who will give what He asks them to give. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I’m not saying that we should give in order to receive something more from God. That is not our motivation. I’m saying that if you give to God what is rightfully His and you give above that as well you can trust God to abundantly bestow his blessing upon you!

When we look through the windows of heaven, we will see lives that are being blessed because they gave to God.

Bro. Jeff