Robbing God

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:8–11, NIV 1984).

My Musings – Two sides of the same coin? “Rob God” on one side, “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” on the other. “Under a curse,” or “so much blessing.” Whichever side you look at, there is absolutely no reason to hold back from giving to God. As for me, I don’t care so much about the material blessings, but I surely don’t want to be in the position of robbing God.

My Advice – You may be thinking, we barely have enough to get by from week-to-week. We don’t have anything to hold back, so how could we possibly be robbing God? Do you trust God enough to bring Him your “first fruits?” Setting aside your tithe, before anything else? Take Him at His word, and “test [Him] in this.” See barely enough to get by, turn into more than sufficient for your needs. Soon there will be offerings above-and-beyond the tithe.

I witnessed this first-hand with my mom and dad. Barely enough to get by was a very good description of their early years. Until, at the urging of a fellow-believer, they “tested” God. That’s tested spelled t-r-u-s-t-e-d. True to His Word, barely enough become more than sufficient. Doctor bills and repair bills decreased, more than proportionately to what they set aside in tithe.

They never got rich by the world’s standards, yet there was “so much blessing” in things that really mattered. And they never again forgot to give to God first. We watched our dad, every week after cashing his check. The first thing he did when he got home was put his tithe (and yes, offering) into a coffee cup in the cupboard for Sunday morning. A vivid lesson my brothers and I never forgot.

You see, whenever you rob God, you are really robbing yourself.

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Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ.

7 thoughts on “Robbing God”

  3. Hi. I have a small question. The verse you quoted is in the OT. In the OT, there were also other various requirements, like bringing animals for sacrifice, observing the sabbath strictly, not eating certain types of animals etc… that are no longer followed today by the church thanks to Christ. The Bible says that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. Don’t you think that the verse you quoted is not applicable to New Testament believer?

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    1. Thanks for asking. It’s a good question. There are numerous passages in the New Testament regarding giving back to God in terms of not only our “treasures,” but time and talents as well. Four that come to mind in terms of giving back to God from our material possessions are Luke 12:48 (much given, much required), 2 Corinthians 9:7 (cheerful giving), Luke 21:2 (widow’s mite), and Mark 12:17 (render unto Caesar…). I think uncertainty surrounds the meaning of tithe as a specific amount (10%). In my mind, the OT tithe was a requirement of the law, whereas the NT principle of giving back to God is an expectation. Like many (adultery, murder, etc…) things Christ calls us to a higher standard than the law. But not under the backdrop of the law, but under the backdrop of grace, where salvation is not by works, but where works are a fruit of salvation. One can give much, and it be considered little (cheerful giving). One can give little, and it be considered much (widow’s mite). But whatever portion we give back to God (render onto God), it all belongs to God in the first place. So, to whomever much is given, much is required — not in terms of legalism, but in terms of life transformed by grace. Hope this helps.

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