Unashamed Robbery – My Journey from Malachi 3:8 to Romans 1:16

Part 1: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/unashamed-robbery-my-journey-from-malachi-38-romans-116-klu

Part 2: How I Robbed God and Couldn't Get Away with It. The Hound of Heaven Snatched Me.

Okay, how does this concern anything? The words in Malachi 3:8 struck a strange chord with me. "Will a man rob God?" What kind of question is this? Is God not infinitely mightier than us humans? How could the idea of robbing God even work? Who thought it up? Where would we meet to plan robbing God? How would we execute such a plan? Something strange was happening with these words, and it was tickling my curious mind.

As posed in the Bible, the question placed before the Israelites by the prophet Malachi was rhetorical. Generally, rhetorical questions do not require answers, as the answers are obvious in themselves. "Will a man rob God? NO!" Straight up, we move on, no need for further probing.

Or is there? Let's look at how the scripture continues: "...Yet you have robbed Me!" What!?

This is preposterous; you have robbed me? We? Robbed? You? How did this happen, God? Where did we meet you? What weapon did we use? At what time did this happen? Were you alone? Was it in broad daylight or in the dark? We need answers, Lord. "...In what way have we robbed you?" Thus was the predicted response, and its answer came thereafter.

Seriously, in what way have we robbed God? It turns out that through our actions and inactions, we may be robbing God of some things, and our minds may not even have been drawn to it yet. In this context, the Israelites were told they had been robbing God of tithes and offerings. The best commentary I can offer on this is that during Malachi's day, the people were not giving tithes. Consequently, the Levites had to work to earn a living, neglecting their God-given responsibility to care for the Temple and for the service of worship.[1]

The temple at the time needed care, as it was the place where people went to offer their sacrifices and offerings. Yet, I imagine that there were no attendants there to ensure the sacrifices being brought were up to standard, leading to disorderliness and mayhem in the temple. According to the prophet, God wasn't pleased with that.

What was true then remains true now, in many different ways. "Will a man rob God? – No!? – Yet you have robbed God!" In what way do we rob God?

Part 3: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/unashamed-robbery-my-journey-from-malachi-38-romans-116-klu-2f