Will A Man Rob God?
On any given Sunday, there will be Pastor’s who will stand behind the pulpit and will preach a well-known message out of the 3rd Chapter of the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi.
“Will a man ROB GOD?,” will boom through the air with emphasis on ‘rob God.’ Many preacher’s will put the emphasis on ‘rob God’ to instill an automatic guilt into the very minds of the hearer. It causes the automatic cringing of the people the preacher wants to put in a spirit of condemnation.
“Yet YE HAVE ROBBED ME. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for YE HAVE ROBBED ME, even this whole nation.”
Every single believer in the congregation who is not placing money in a tithe envelope and placing it in the offering plate is automatically pointed out by this man, (figuratively) who is supposed to be speaking for God, as being robbers and are therefore under a curse which will NEVER BE LIFTED as long as one is disobedient to God.
This is why it is important for each and every person who has been adopted into the family of God by faith in the substitutionary blood of Jesus Christ on the cruel cross of Calvary to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Jesus said in John 17 during His prayer to His Father acknowledging all that the Father gave Him these wonderful words that we all need to embrace and realize that He wants us to study diligently; “Sanctify them through Thy Truth; Thy Word is Truth.”
Once we learn that it is God’s Holy Word that sanctifies, that sets us apart from the world, that separates us from false teachings, then we have a responsibility to study that Word and begin to apply its truths to our walk. When we walk according to the Word of God, we will not be so easily swayed by preachers who do not study as they should.
Oh, but the preacher has doctorates given him by a famous seminary that has turned out many wonderful men of God! Don’t be fooled, Brethren. The only thing that will turn out a wonderful man of God are the Word of God and the God of the Word..
The best place to go to learn who God is and what He expects of man is to the very Word of God… The Holy Bible.
In the accusation of man robbing God in today’s Christian community, a charge is generally given out of Malachi that not only was not speaking of money, but it was not speaking of the Gentile nations at all.
The Gentile nations were not required to tithe according to God’s Word.
Let’s begin to look into the passage and learn what God is truly addressing when the prophet Malachi said “Will a man rob God? But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.”
First off, we must address who is being spoken to in the passage. It will shock many to realize that it was to the Priest’s of Israel.
Look at Malachi 2:1:
And now, O ye Priest’s, this commandment is for you.
Now, look at Malachi 3:5:
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
Clearly, God is speaking about specific people here that are doing the robbing! The Priest’s who oppress or defraud the working class, who defraud the widows, the orphans, and turn aside the stranger from his right. To see exactly what is meant here since it is speaking of tithes, we must go into the Book of Deuteronomy:
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
Here, we learn more than just one wonderful truth.
1. We learn that the tithe was “all the increase of thy seed, (agricultural produce) that the field bringeth forth year by year.” The tithe was a yearly event, not weekly.
2. We learn that the tithe was to be eaten.
3. We learn that the purpose of the tithe is that the children of Israel learn to revere the LORD their God.
4. If the tithe was too heavy to carry to the destination that the Lord had chose to place His name, or if the distance to the Feast was so far that the food might spoil before arriving at the location that the Feast was to take place, the tithe could be sold for money. This tells us the tithe was not money, contrary to what many have been taught in Churches around the world.
5. Once the tither arrived at the destination that the Lord had chose to place His name, the money was to be used to buy the tithe that was to be eaten there before the Lord.
6. On every 3rd year, the tithe was not to be taken to the Levite’s, nor to the Feast, but the tithe was to be kept in one’s own city to feed the Levite that was living In that city, the widow, the orphans, and any stranger that happened to be in Israel at the time of the tithe. These people were fed the third year tithe.
7. The Levite’s, widows, orphans and foreigners were the only one’s who were qualified to receive the tithe of the tither.
If the principle set forth in the Book of Deuteronomy was followed, the LORD God promised to bless the one who tithed.
When one reads Malachi 3:5 in light of Deuteronomy 14:22-29, we see that the Priest’s were not allowing the tithe to go toward feeding the less fortunate.
When God said, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”, He was telling the Priest’s to take the tithe of grains and meats, foodstuff, into the Temple storage chambers so that there would be food for themselves and for others in need.
If the tither would do this, God would cause the windows of heaven to open, the rain to fall, and the crops to increase in such a way that the tither would have more than he needed for his own self.
Bold Proclaimer 
August 7, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Good teaching brother.
I like the way you rightly divide the word.
I trust there will more lessons of this caliber.
Thanks
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November 21, 2009 at 8:32 pm
A devotee of Joyce Meyer has befriended my son and wife. They are vulnerable at present by ill health and failure to be paid for months of hard work. I have been searching the web for sensible support of my verbal warning against this teaching. I am glad to have found this article – thank you.
I would like to add that I was taught monetary tithes were taken into the Temple which acted as the ‘tax office’. These monies were like todays taxation of the citizens of any country. The ‘tithes/taxes’ used for the upkeep of e.g. the army and other facilities. There are few who escape supporting their country with taxes; thereby most Christians are already obeying the requirment to ‘tithe’their income.
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November 22, 2009 at 12:11 am
The original tithe was only given to the Levites. (Numbers 18) It was given to them because they were forbidden to own any property of their own. It was not intended for ‘Temple Taxes’. If it was made to be ‘Temple Taxes’ later on, it was a pharisaical law (rules added by the Pharisees and not approved of or ordained by God).
I encourage you to study out Numbers 18 and Leviticus 27. These chapters clearly show what God intended for the tithe.
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November 22, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Well said, we do agree, I cannot believe I wrote ‘tithe their income’. I was referring to the legal requirments of government taxation. Sorry!
While I have your attention; you mention Christ’s sacrificial blood. Do you have an opinion about John MacArthurs teaching that the blood is only a metonym for Christ’s death? I am confused by this, and do not feel at all happy with it. Thank you.
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November 23, 2009 at 12:16 pm
The Word of God is specific. Christ shed His blood on that cruel cross. The blood cannot be said to be anything but that which sustains life. (Lev 17:11)
When an animal was sacrificed upon the altar, it’s blood had to be shed and it died. The animal sacrifice could never take away completely the sins of man… there was only one sacrifice that could do that… God’s Only Begotten Son shedding His blood upon the cross of Calvary.
That blood sacrifice bought forgiveness for every sin ever committed throughout the ages; past, present, and future. There is no more sacrifice for sin… it is finished.
When man goes to hell, he goes to hell with his sins paid for. He goes to hell for one reason and one reason only… rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ who purchased man’s forgiveness nearly 2,000 years ago.
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November 23, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Thank you for your response which I understand and accept! My confusion comes from what MacArthur says about the blood not saving us and that Jesus died from asphyxiation???? I have transcribed the relevant parts from his video on Youtube where he is defending himself against being misrepresented by someone?
MacArthur says “- – you have to stop short of saying that we are saved by the blood of Jesus in the sense that there is some efficacy in the fluid that poured out of His body. I have tried to make that distinction that when the New Testament refers to salvation by His blood, it is not talking about salvation by his ‘fluid’, it uses ‘blood’ as a metaphor or a synonym for ‘death’ because it conveys the violence of it – – bizarre notion that somehow in the actual fluid that came out of the body of Jesus there is saving power or saving efficacy – – (odd argument placed here) – – when the NT is talking about the blood of Christ it is talking about the death of Christ but it uses blood because that is a metaphor that speaks of the violence of his death. We are saved by His death, it wouldn’t have done any good if he had bled and lived, he had to die – – – – . blood as a euphemism for his death, as a metonym if you will just another way to refer to his death – it is graphic, sacrificial imagery – – depicts the violence of it. Jesus, though he shed his blood – violently – didn’t bleed to death, he died of asphyxiation, we know that because that’s how crucified victims died, they died because they can’t breath any longer – – . He did bleed – profusely – – you just want to be Biblical about it – that’s the way God planned it – – there is nothing in the fluid of his body that in any way could save us.
Q 1)Jesus’ blood does not save?
Q 2)Surely Jesus gave up his life, it wasn’t taken from him?
Q 3)Blood is only a metonym for death?
Thank you.
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November 24, 2009 at 7:59 am
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8,9)
In the above verses we can see that it is our faith in Christ that brings salvation to all men. Just plain faith.
And yet, it is more than faith, for we read in Colossians:
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Col. 1:20)
Notice it was the blood of His cross that appeased the wrath of God against mankind. The Greek word for blood in that verse is ‘haima’. (ha – ee- mah). It simply means blood, that which sustains life.
I will give you one more verse to show that it is the blood that saves…
Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Ultimately, it is the blood that saves us, for if there had been no bloodshed, then there would be no remission; no pardon, no deliverance, no forgiveness.
Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth that one must believe that Christ died according to the Scriptures (through the shedding of His own blood; The life of the flesh is in the blood), and that He was buried, and that He rose again according to the Scriptures.
Yes, Christ’s blood does indeed save.
Yes, Jesus gave His life. He told His disciples, ” Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18)
Blood cannot be a metonym for death, Leviticus 17:11 should clear that up. “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” The life of the flesh is in the death would make no sense. Also:
Hebrews 9:22…, “and without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” Without the shedding of death there is no remission? Certainly not.
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November 24, 2009 at 8:53 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I had a feeling that the answer lay within the realms of being literal and good old fashioned common sense. The terms he used frightened me because, frankly, my education is limited and I couldn’t reason it through. I do hope you won’t mind if I share this with folk equally puzzled?
I suppose it’s safe for me to assume that, on this subject, John MacArthur has caused (me) confusion by wrongly dividing God’s Word? That his own defense is evidence that he hasn’t been misrepresented at all by whoever it was that has challenged his teaching on the blood?
I won’t push you any further on this as you have ably answered my queries. However if this reply suggests that I need further clarification, I would be pleased to hear from you via my email if you prefer?
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November 26, 2009 at 12:12 am
Remember the jingle for Tide Laundry Detergent? “Tide’s in…, dirt’s out!”?
Well, it is the same with the blood of Christ. the blood cleanses the sinful heart of the one who desires to be born again into the family of God. “Blood’s applied…, sinner washed!”
If the blood had not been shed, if Christ had died by some other means, the washing away of sins would not take place. It took a blood sacrifice to atone for sins… the blood of the perfect Lamb of God.
Now, if the blood had not been shed, and we still retained our sins, we could never be saved, for David wrote in Psalm 66:18 ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me.’ Christ would never hear our cry for forgiveness of sin if we could not be cleansed of sin.
So the blood played a big role in the salvation of those who would accept Christ Jesus… a big role.
Paul wrote that we are saved by grace through faith, and this is true. But had there been no blood shed, there would have been no remission of sin and no salvation.
Hope that helps.
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November 26, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Yes it does help because it confirms what I already knew to be true. It was MacArthur’s twist that confused me by saying the blood was only a meta’, whatever, for death. I suppose I was blinded by ‘science’.
I understand how laundry gets clean, I’ve done enough of it, but when a degree in language is required to understand what should have remained simple and straight forward, I went into a fast spin cycle.
Christ’s blood is the ‘detergent’ which, if it remains in the packet, cannot get at the sin stain. The packet has to be torn open to release the detergent to do it’s cleansing. The destruction of the detergent box cannot clean; the released detergent must be added to the wash or cleansing will not happen.
(We used to have ‘Tide’ in the U.K; but I don’t remember that jingle! How about “just a squirt gets the dirt” 😉
Thanks again.
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September 15, 2011 at 12:01 am
Great teaching here! One thing that is overlooked by today’s “Tithing” churches is the fact that tithing isn’t mentioned in the New Testament for believers. The only time that tithing is mentioned is before the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The references to tithing in the book of Hebrews always refer back to the Old Testament.
Remember…during Christ’s earthly life, Israel was still under the law. Any mention of tithing was ALWAYS directed at who the command to tithe was given to…the nation of Israel.
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