Malachi: Are You Robbing God? Look At The Book! Malachi: Are You Robbing God?

End Of The Old Covenant Prophets Voice of Malachi would be the last word from God the nation of Israel would hear for 400 years. The next prophet would be John the Immerser. God’s message to Malachi was clear, concise, demanding and even terse as He challenged His people and demanded their repentance. At stake was their careless attention to God, and their disrespect for His holy and righteous name. They were charged with robbery by God, and their message can easily be our own. Are you robbing God?

Robbing God of Honor and Respect God challenged them with their disrespect and dishonor of His name. They played dumb. Malachi 1:6 -- “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name? ‘”

God Answers Their Disingenuous Query How have we despised Your name? Malachi 1:7-8 – “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’ But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts.”

What Are The Consequences? Malachi 1:10, 14 “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you.” God had shut them off from His altar. They would receive no blessings from Him. He would not accept their worship.

What’s Wrong With Them? They have become bored of holy and righteous things. Malachi 1:13 -- You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the Lord of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. They found their worship to be dull and tiring. They were going through the motions.

God’s Name Must Always Be Honored Malachi 1:11, 14: “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts…. “But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I am a great King,” says the Lord of hosts, “and My name is feared among the nations.”

We Are Still To Honor And Respect God 1 Peter 1:15-16 -- “…but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Are we robbing God?

Some Questions To Consider Does God get only your leftover time? If so, you might be robbing from God. Do you find worship to be empty, boring, tiring, disdainful? You may be robbing God. Do you clip your fingernails during the communion? Do you text your friends during the sermon? Do you surf the web rather than participate in the worship? Is your mind on what you’re going to do after worship? Are you thinking, “How much longer is this preacher going to drone on?” You might be robbing God!

Robbing God By Dishonoring His Children A second challenge was issued by God for the way they treated each other. Malachi 2:20: “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?”

What Were Their Sins? Idolatry and foreign marriages 2:11 – “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.”

Guilty Of Adultery and Polygamy Malachi 2:13-16 -- “This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

God Hates Divorce! And so should we. Yet our society loves it so. Few understand the depth of covenant. Few realize the dishonesty, “violence”, and wickedness involved in divorce. These verses address men who were divorcing their wives as they got older and marrying younger women. God hates divorce, and also polygamy, and all treachery, which hurts everyone involved.

How Do We Today Dishonor One Another? By adultery/divorce/fornication By gossip. By envy. By strife and division. With hatred and prejudice.

Romans 1:28-32

Robbing God Of Sacrificial Giving Malachi 3:8-9 – “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”

Their Giving Was Food For God Malachi 3:10 – “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” Not literal food for God, but supplied the needs of His priests. Sacrifice was the means by which His people demonstrated their love and dependence upon God. God blessed them as they blessed God through their tithes and offerings.

God Gives More When We Give More Malachi 3:11-12 – “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.’”

Giving In The New Covenant 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 – “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Are we robbing God today?