We come to the fifth debate in the book of Malachi between God and the people of Israel. This one centers around their failure to bring the full tithe (first 10%) of their crops to the temple. The tithe was a requirement under the Covenant of Moses, and God tells the Israelites they are robbing Him.

This passage is one of the most used and abused passages on the subject of stewardship, because it addresses tithing under the Old Covenant, which leaves many Christians uncertain about what God expects them to give. Fortunately, verse 6 tells us that God does not change, so our task is to identify the principles related to giving from this passage and apply them to ourselves as New Covenant believers.

Scripture Reference

Malachi 3: 6-12

Sermon Notes

This passage demonstrates three calls to us by God related to giving.

  1. We are Called to Give God His Due (verses 6-8)
    1. For Israel, the tithe was a covenant requirement.
      1. They were bringing a portion, but claimed they were too poor to bring the full 10%.
      2. Nehemiah 13: 7-10 – the priests had quit serving in the temple to feed their families.
    2. For Christians, giving is more personal.
      1. There is no specific set amount (2 Corinthians 9: 6-7), but Jesus presents the range – affirming the tithe in Matthew 23: 24 but commending the poor widow who gave everything she had.
      2. New Testament teaches support for ministers, missionaries, and giving to care for others.
      3. So we should understand the tithe (10%) is the starting point.
  2. We are Called to Transform Our Thinking About Giving (verses 9-11)
    1. Israel needed to transform a mindset of fear and pragmatism.
      1. They felts they couldn’t afford to give because of crop failure and pestilence.
      2. God said “you can’t afford not to give,” because they were cursed for their stinginess.
      3. God challenged them to give in faith and see that He is faithful to bless them.
    2. For Christians, we need to transform a mindset of fear, pragmatism, control, or a sense of burden.
      1. Our mindset should be gratitude – we’re given infinite grace and mercy by God and that should enable us to give back greely
      2. James 1:17 – every blessing is from God and we are to render unto God what is God’s
      3. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7)
  3. We are Called to Be Blessed by Giving  Generously (verse 12)
    1. For Israel, God promised covenant blessing – a land of delights.
    2. For Christians, Jesus promises we will be blessed (though no promises of material blessing):
      1. A heart for heaven – Matthew 6: 19-21 – treasure there (not materially here!), that is where our heart will be.
      2. Freedom from materialism – Matthew 6: 24 – either you own your stuff or your stuff owns you. Giving helps!
      3. Joy – 2 Corinthians 8:7 – giving is an act of grace and source of joy to the Macedonian church..