Malachi 3:8-9, "Will a man rob God?"

INTRODUCTION.

Although He could do so, God doesn’t force any man to give tithes or an offering. God desires that it be done, but He wants it to be done voluntarily. It is also true that when a child of God does not give God His part; that man demonstrates a very ungrateful spirit, and invites the chastening hand of God upon himself. No one can long profit by withholding God’s part.

A. The fact that God commands every believer to give has already been established in these studies.

1. We are commanded to bring His tithes unto Him, (Malachi 3:10 and Deuteronomy 14:22).

2. We are taught to do it on a regular, systematic basis, (I Corinthians 16:2).

B It is not difficult to see that when one does not do that God has said to do, that person is guilty of disobeying God.

1. God places a high premium on obedience. His word says, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams," I Samuel 15:22.

2. Disobedience is something God hates, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry," I Samuel 15:23.

3. God calls on all, who are disobedient to Him, saying, "only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, on backsliding children saith the Lord," Jeremiah 3:13-14.

4. Everyone who does not tithe would do well to consider what God thinks of such disobedience; and turn from it to obey the Lord.

A. Haggai 1:3-11 gives God’s viewpoint.

1. He views disobedience of any sort as a very serious matter and as injustice against Him.

2. God does not think our private lives are to be maintained at the expense of His work.

3. It may seem a light matter to one of us to neglect proper giving, but God doesn’t consider it minor.

B. The result of such conduct is to bring God’s heavy hand of chastening.

1. Hebrews 12:9 says we ought to be "in subjection unto the Father of Spirits." When we are not, he will chasten us in order to bring us into subjection. He does it for our own spiritual well-being or profit, (Hebrews 12:10).

2.  Haggai 1:3-11 illustrates this principle.

a. Those of that day kept God’s portion (verse 4 and 9) but God saw to it that they didn’t gain a thing as a result of it, (verses 6, and 10-11).

b. In fact, the Lord made matters worse for them in view of their failure to give His part.

3. These same principles are currently in operation.

a. No one ever gains by taking the Lord’s portion. To the contrary they always end up in worse shape in the long-run.

b. Just as God could cause inflation and withhold the rain and dew from heaven in Haggai’s day, He can cause a man to be out of work today, take away his health, cause his car to break down, his house to burn, or his children to get sick.

c. God will collect his dues one way or the other. We can give His portion voluntarily or He can take it out in hide, which is a much harder way to pay up.

d. A consideration of the cost of not giving God His rightful part ought to be sufficient to cause any right-thinking child of God to tithe.

A. As the foregoing consideration shows, the man who fails to give is asking for a whipping: inviting the Lord to heap troubles upon him.

B. He is also taking away the joy and happiness that goes with serving God.

1. Jesus pointed out that happiness comes from doing what you know is right, (John 13:17).

2. There’s a peace and cleanness in the heart of man, who does what God says. One who refuses to do what God says doesn’t have that peace. Instead, there will be a guilt in the heart of a man who knows he’s not doing right; Such was David’s case, (I Samuel 24:5).

A. It is God Himself who makes the charge.

1. Read it in God’s words in Malachi 3:8. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings,"

2. If you are not tithing, I do not make this charge against you. God does. He accuses you of robbing Him.

B. You can see it when you look at it God’s way.

1. The tithe is His part (Leviticus 27:30). It doesn’t belong to you.

2. When you take that which belongs to another, against his will, then use it as you see fit, you are violating the ownership of that person. To take God’s tithe, and use it as you wish, is against His will, for he wants His money put in His store- house, (Malachi 3:10).

C. When one brings in less than his portion, God calls that individual a deceiver and a robber.

1. Consider Malachi 1:7,8,10, and 12-14.

2. One should think of this truth as he drops $20.00 into the collection basket when it should be $50.00 or $50.00 when his tithe is really $100.00.

A. He gives us everything we have.

1. The Bible shows that "every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father," James 1:17.

2. Acts 17:28 says, "in Him we live and move and have our being. "Our life, health, job, family, and watch-care from harm and danger is because of Him.

3. Consider Deuteronomy 8:1-20 which shows that all our increase or wealth is from Him. Note verse 18, "it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth."

B. God gives it all and asks only one tenth in return as a token of our thanks and to carry on his work.

1. Some men are greedy. Nine-tenths is not enough for them; they want a bigger share, maybe even a all.

2. What kind of gratitude do you suppose it is for a man who had nothing before, to rise up and take everything from one who was so generous as to give him all that he had?

3. God gives man 100% of all that man has and asks only one tenth in return. It is ingratitude indeed for any man to use not only the nine tenths on self, but to keep the other ten percent for self, also. God allows him to keep ninety percent for himself, yet he takes the remaining ten percent, as well.

VI. WHEN ONE DOES NOT GIVE, GOD’S WORK FALLS IN WASTE AND NEGLECT.

A. Consider again the case recorded in Haggai 1:3-11.

B. Nehemiah 13:10-14 is a clear example of this truth.

I. God has ordained the tithe and offerings as the means of financing His work. I Corinthians 9:14 says, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel shall live of the gospel."

2. It takes just as much to build and maintain a house for God as it does any other house. Just as much is required for a man to devote his full time to God’s work as is required for others to live.

3. In Nehemiah’s day, as it is today, the work could not be continued when the people failed to tithe.

C. There is no way to accurately assess how many godly works have been neglected and fallen into waste be- cause God’s people failed to give God His portion. Doubtless, the number would be great.

1. Failure to tithe is one of the surest and quickest ways to strike a death blow at right works.

2. This has certainly been the case in many churches.