Malachi: Before the SilenceSample

Cheating God

God's silence notwithstanding, one thing which can quickly elicit human silence is the topic of offering financial support to the church.

Of course, it shouldn't evoke this reaction, particularly in light of our Heavenly Father's ongoing and abundant provision. Nevertheless, human greed, selfishness, and worldly entitlement have hardened our hearts against God's will. It is for this reason that Malachi warned:

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. (Malachi 3:8‭-‬9)

The notion of tithing (giving a tenth of one's time, talent, treasure, etc., back to God in support of His Church and its mission) is deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition. Its precedent can be traced as far back as Abram's interaction with the priest-king Melchizedek in the Old Testament (Genesis 14:20). The presupposition that believers ought to give out of the abundance with which God has blessed them is well-established in the New Testament as well (2 Corinthians 9:6-10). Jesus summed it up best when He said, "...give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God" (Mark 12:17).

Malachi's admonition where tithing is concerned is blunt, and necessarily so. We are cheating God out of what is rightly His when we withhold that which we think ought to be ours alone.

Nothing — absolutely nothing — that we think belongs to us, or that we've rightly earned, or that we're entitled to is truly ours; all of it is from our Heavenly Father. Our families, titles, wealth, achievements, and the very breath in our lungs all come from Him.

This same Heavenly Father, who so freely provides for us, only asks that we return the favor. That is the very essence of tithing. He, who did not withhold even the life of His own Son for our sake, asks us to put our money —and, by extension, our heart — where our mouth is (Matthew 6:21).