Post by Standing Firm in Christ on Apr 25, 2019 15:25:21 GMT -6
A Call to Return
by Ronald W Robey
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 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.
When God said "Return unto Me" in Malachi 3:7, He was speaking of returning to His ordinances. The Priests of Israel had departed from the ordinances of God and God was telling them to return to the ordinances they had departed from.
What was God's tithe ordinance?
It was a set of rules (commandments) concerning the tithes that God said were to be observed. Those rules were...
a) tithes are to be agricultural in content. (Le. 27:30-33)
b) tithes are not to be observed unless you are a citizen of the land of Canaan. (De. 12:1,10-11; Ps. 147:19-20)
c) tithes are to be taken to Jerusalem annually and eaten before the LORD. (De. 14:22-26)
d) a tithe is to be given to Levites every third year. (Num. 18:21-23; De. 14:27; De. 26:12)
e) the tithe that is given to Levites is not to be taken to the House of God. (Nu. 18:21-23; Ne. 10:37-38)
f) the congregation is not to tithe directly to the House of God. (Nu. 18:21-23; Ne. 10:37-38)
g) Levites are to take a tithe of the tithe to the House of God. (Ne. 10:37-38)
h) a tithe is to be given to widows, fatherless, and strangers every third year. (De. 14:28-29; 26:12)
Nowhere in God's tithe ordinance is the congregation told to tithe money to the House of God. As a matter of fact, the congregation is expressly forbidden to tithe money to the House of God. (De. 12:8) Nowhere in God's tithe ordinance is the congregation told to tithe to the House of God. They were forbidden to even approach the House of God with their tithes.
Given the biblical facts concerning the commandments written in God's tithe ordinance, it is abundantly clear that Malachi was not telling the congregation to bring tithes to the House of God. He would not tell them to return to God's ordinances in verse seven and then tell them to transgress God's ordinances by tithing to the House of God in verse ten. Nor was Malachi saying to tithe money. Again, he would not have told people to return to God's ordinances in verse seven and then told them to transgress the Law by bringing monetary tithes in verse ten.
The instruction, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse..." was giving to the Priests of Israel...not to the congregation.
Malachi 2:1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
by Ronald W Robey
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 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.
When God said "Return unto Me" in Malachi 3:7, He was speaking of returning to His ordinances. The Priests of Israel had departed from the ordinances of God and God was telling them to return to the ordinances they had departed from.
What was God's tithe ordinance?
It was a set of rules (commandments) concerning the tithes that God said were to be observed. Those rules were...
a) tithes are to be agricultural in content. (Le. 27:30-33)
b) tithes are not to be observed unless you are a citizen of the land of Canaan. (De. 12:1,10-11; Ps. 147:19-20)
c) tithes are to be taken to Jerusalem annually and eaten before the LORD. (De. 14:22-26)
d) a tithe is to be given to Levites every third year. (Num. 18:21-23; De. 14:27; De. 26:12)
e) the tithe that is given to Levites is not to be taken to the House of God. (Nu. 18:21-23; Ne. 10:37-38)
f) the congregation is not to tithe directly to the House of God. (Nu. 18:21-23; Ne. 10:37-38)
g) Levites are to take a tithe of the tithe to the House of God. (Ne. 10:37-38)
h) a tithe is to be given to widows, fatherless, and strangers every third year. (De. 14:28-29; 26:12)
Nowhere in God's tithe ordinance is the congregation told to tithe money to the House of God. As a matter of fact, the congregation is expressly forbidden to tithe money to the House of God. (De. 12:8) Nowhere in God's tithe ordinance is the congregation told to tithe to the House of God. They were forbidden to even approach the House of God with their tithes.
Given the biblical facts concerning the commandments written in God's tithe ordinance, it is abundantly clear that Malachi was not telling the congregation to bring tithes to the House of God. He would not tell them to return to God's ordinances in verse seven and then tell them to transgress God's ordinances by tithing to the House of God in verse ten. Nor was Malachi saying to tithe money. Again, he would not have told people to return to God's ordinances in verse seven and then told them to transgress the Law by bringing monetary tithes in verse ten.
The instruction, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse..." was giving to the Priests of Israel...not to the congregation.
Malachi 2:1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.