Rev. A.J. Ogden

In the book of Malachi 3:8 the question is asked, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” The people of Malachi’s day were trying to plead ignorance, just exactly the way they do in this day. But their argument was no good because God made it simple enough for a child to understand. Again, he said, “in tithes and offerings.” There is nothing complicated about that demand at all. He said you are stealing money from me by not giving your whole ten percent for a tithe and a little over for an offering. Yes, there are robbers in our pews!

In our day, I’m not surprised that the majority of our churches are as frigid and cold as the North Pole. Evangelism is so weak no one is being saved. Our baptisteries are rusty, our eyes are dry and the altar is empty. Not many are seeing any converts because of our known and unconfessed sins. Thank God for a few exceptions. How could we allow thieves and robbers preaching, teaching, and working as deacons and other leadership jobs in our midst? When we get right with God we will give. The stolen tithes would have supported home and foreign missions and won new converts, but they will be lost because of our dishonesty.

Malachi 3:9-11 “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.” He can help you make money or take it away. God has given us every dollar we ever made on earth. He made us from the dust of the earth and breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. After all this we say (and it’s a lie) we cannot afford to tithe. We would get better out of the ninety percent with God helping us that we do out of the one hundred percent when we are stealing.

In Malachi 3:11 He promises to help us have more fruit, keep the boll weevils from destroying the cotton crop. He can kill tomato worms and keep insects of all kinds from getting our crops at harvest time. If you are saved, God will pour you out a blessing so big you won’t have room enough to receive it.

But of course you tithe with the right motive because you love the Lord, and not just to be getting more. But you cannot beat him giving. Can you afford not to tithe? The answer is no because he shed his life’s blood to save you from Hell.