We have reached the end of the Old Testament in our journey through the Bible. We come to the book of Malachi. Malachi has some powerful words about tithing. The name Malachi is interpreted as the messenger of Jehovah. We are not exactly sure when Malachi lived, but the conditions and circumstances mentioned in the book seem likely to have been written at about the same time that the returning exiles built Jerusalem and the Temple under the leadership of Nehemiah and Ezra.
For some have betrayed that Malachi is not a name, but a title of Ezra. At the conclusion of the book of Malachi, the canon of the Old Testament was closed, and the Jews did not hear from another prophet until John the Baptist began to preach repentance and approach the kingdom of heaven. Most people think, and so it appears, that there was a four hundred year silence from God after the prophecy of Malachi.
There are certain strong sayings in the Scriptures which establish you to stop death in its tracks; What has been said to you is to stop immediately whatever you are doing and consider your ways. In my case, that’s what happened to me. And Samuel said to Saul: “What is this voice that I hear in my ears? And Nathan said to David: You are that man. The Gospels ceased to tell: “Jesus looked at him,” after Peter had crowed. And Isaiah cried out: Woe is me, for I am a man defiled with lips.
John in the Apocalypse wept bitterly and cried out: “I saw no one worthy to open the book.” Malachi 3:8 is such a question: “Shall a man rob God? But you rob me!” Is it so to rob Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth? Can we get what is rightfully his? Or does he allow us to be robbed of him? Why so? If we could, why would we?
I cannot answer these questions. But they must be referred to our faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Freely transferring money to God, which we hold firmly in our hands, is the best opportunity that we could bear as a testimony of our faith in Him. The only stronger evidence is that most of us refused to deny Christ, when he was faced with a butcher intent on recalling us or becoming a martyr. It also holds the most coins of its kind.
The handling of money is a very clear indication of our faith in God or our unbelief in Him. I have not studied tithes and offerings in the Old Testament, but I have been considering it for some time. them Things are a little confusing as to what we need. It is agreed that more than one tithe is required, but not all are paid annually. I’ll assume ten to twenty percent added annually for the sake of argument. Add: Special offers are regularly taken.
We live under the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant. Hence we must assume that we are not bound to pay. Although not more certain, I will grant that it is true for the sake of argument that we are no longer bound to the city of the Old Testament. Many people believe that reducing how much they are expected to return to their God and their work. Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. It is clear, of course, that Jesus increased the necessities of life. He holds us accountable not only for wrongs, but also for wrong thoughts that lead to wrong actions. He was increasing in forgiving those who had hurt us. He retaliated with a call to the other cheek. So I am not able to imagine that he is reduced to give demands. Logic would tell him to give it more hope. And if on the way, one of the last ones Jesus did, two days before the cross, was to sit near the place of offering in the Temple by the appearance of seeing how much everyone gave. Then when he says It’s worth thinking about.
