Working Class
Read Malachi 1:1–4:6
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1. “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes.
3. He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.” . . .
6. “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.
7. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Malachi 3:1-3, 6-7
Imagine that all the money you have ever given to the Lord in tithes has been kept in a trust fund earning 10 percent a year. Before long, you will get it all back. Would you be rich? Or would you be no better off?
Malachi’s audience have that sort of question to think about. They’ve been skimping on their tithes for some time now, and it’s affecting their bottom line.
Malachi urged the people to stop holding back their tithes, to stop keeping from God what he deserved (Malachi 3:8-12). The tithing system had begun during the time of Moses (see Leviticus 27:30-34; Deuteronomy 14:22). It was set up by God to provide an income for the Levites who ministered in the tabernacle and later the Temple of the Lord (see Numbers 18:20-21). During Malachi’s day, the people did not give. They had forgotten that everything they had was from God; as a result, they stopped tithing. Because of this, the Levites were forced to earn a living and neglect their God-given responsibilities to care for the Temple and the service of worship.
We, too, can fall into this trap when we forget that God is our real provider—everything we have comes from him. When we stop giving God a portion of what he has given us, we essentially steal from him.
Be faithful in giving back a percentage of your income to God because there is still a practical reason for tithing: Your pastor and other church staff depend on it. In addition, you won’t be disappointed with the interest rates God pays on your faithfulness to him.
