God's Golden Key to Blessing

Tithing – The Golden Key to God’s Blessing

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.??11. 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 host. 12. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.?

Introduction:

God owns everything.?Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof, the world, and all that dwell therein.?God proclaims in?Psalm 50:10-11 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine. The tithe is not because God is poor, or that He needs our resources, but that He wants to bless us. However, we are so tied to materialism that we limit his blessings, which if we focus simply on material goods without loving him for who he is can prove a curse. Note what he says in?Malachi 3:7 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 to you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? 8. Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9. Ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

The difference between tithes and offerings:

The tithe is a term speaking of 10%. God instituted tithing in the Old Testament. We find that Abraham gave to Melchizedek (a type of Jesus Christ) a tithe of the booty after winning a battle against several kings and releasing his nephew Lot in Genesis 14. Later we find his grandson Jacob promising a tithe to God. The country of Israel gave tithes to the Levites. The economy of that time was primarily agriculture and raising of animals, and tithing was given in the framework of fruits and animals. We find that they were stored in the temple after it was built. Even the Levites gave tithes to the priests, who then lived off the offerings of God’s people.

Offerings were above or apart from the tithe, and a number of different offerings were made. The terms used were to?bring?the tithe but to?give?the offering. The tithe was the Lord’s; you do not give him something that is already his.??But one can give an offering, which is apart from and additional to the tithe. When we were missionaries in Suriname, this was difficult to communicate. What I noted originally was that when a special need arose, people simply moved their tithe (or partial tithe if they were not tithing) to give to the special need. Both are often needed, and God blesses our obedience.?

When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in the New Testament about neglecting mercy while they tithed even the small herbs which they grew, he said that they should tithe, but not neglect the weightier things of the law, such as love and mercy.

God wants “meat” (food) in his house. God expects his people to support his work. In the Old Testament time that meant bringing produce into the storerooms of the temple. At one time, the people neglected their duty and the Levites disbanded to grow their own crops. Later they resumed their duty when the people resumed bringing in their tithes.?

God says: Prove me!?Test me!?

God promises to open the windows of heaven if we will simply obey. Where are God’s blessings? In heaven in abundance! God wants to bless us, but material goods can be a blessing or a curse, largely depending on our response. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, not money itself, which can prove a great blessing when appropriately used.?

I believe that God’s blessings are more than just material. Sometimes he chooses to bless with long life, with health, with friends, with meaningful work. I believe that this is especially true as we are faithful in tithing and add offerings. We bring tithes, but we give offerings. Note?Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over shall men give into bosom, for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Rebuking the devourer:

In an agrarian society, the devourer might be the locust or other insects. Spiritually the devourer is the devil, who prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking who he can devour (I Peter 5:8). God will help preserve the blessings that we have received.??This might include our family, such as children and grandchildren, or persons who have been won to the Lord. It may include our health, our work, our church, etc.

All nations will call us blessed:

We will be a good witness to those around us. The Lord will be better able to use us to draw others to himself.?

Conclusion:

It is amazing what God has promised us if we will simply trust him and obey him. He is the God of all power and resources. He is the eternal God whose promises never run out. He cannot lie because it is against his nature. He is the self-giving God of love who gave His only begotten son for our salvation. Let us trust and obey Him.