Robbing God

August 17, 2019

Context is everything. A lifetime ago, Warren Wolsey, a professor of New Testament who taught a course on the life of Christ at Houghton College, left one of his classes with this little gem: “A text without a context is a pretext.” Taking Scripture out of context to prove a point or bolster a prejudice is nothing new. When we find a verse that jumps out at us, it’s often tempting to extrapolate from it all sorts of things that were never intended when it was written. The “Prosperity Gospel” and “Name it and Claim it” preachers are masters of such misinterpretation. The only way to avoid such mistakes is to pay attention to the context of those favorite verses.

Malachi is last prophet of the Old Testament, ministering about 400 B.C. Almost the first words out of his mouth are, ““I have loved you,” says the LORD.” He then turns to his audience, “Yet you say, “In what way have you loved us?”” The Babylonian Captivity had made them question God’s love for them, and even returning to their land 70 years later had not done much to build up their faith. Such unbelief has consequences that spread like a crack in your windshield, obscuring the visibility you need to avoid a wreck.

In chapter 3, God states that his people have robbed him. They had a hard time believing this; after all, how can someone rob God? He tells them: “In tithes and offerings.” They had neglected to give God the first tenth of everything they earned and owned. God is generous, letting us keep 90%, but said that one tenth belonged to him. If it belongs to God and we keep it, that’s robbery. Robbery is a sin, and sin brings a curse. In this case, it’s their finances that were cursed. When I preach on this text, I often begin by asking how many people want God to curse their finances. I’ve never had anyone raise their hand, but by holding onto that tenth, that’s exactly what happens. There is a predictable path here: If we don’t believe God loves us, we will hold onto everything we can...”just in case.” We aren’t convinced he has our best interests in mind, so we hold tight to what has only been entrusted to us momentarily. The resultant curse on our finances convinces us that God really doesn’t love us. It’s a vicious cycle where we get what we believe and expect.

When God tells us he loves us (which he does, in many ways), he proved it not by giving us some oozy-woozy feeling, but by giving us his Son as Savior from our sins (Romans 5:8—“God proved his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”). When I believe this and trust him in all areas of my life, the curses of sin are cancelled, and life ensues. That is something for which to give thanks tonight!