TEXT TO REFLECT ON
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. MALACHI 3:10-12
REFLECT
This passage is a fitting conclusion to the Old Testament. From the Old Testament, I learn two realities: first, that God has control over every event on earth, whether they be universal in nature such as creation or the weather, or harvests, or even the behaviour of animals; or global in nature, such as wars and relations between nations; or personal, where God provides for the poor and the hungry, and the overlooked and neglected. The second reality is that God’s people found it extremely difficult, even close to impossible, to believe that God is in charge. And so the tithe, the simple ten percent of income sums up the question of belief: Do we believe that all we have comes from God and that God will more than amply supply our needs? And so God’s challenge to the people of Israel: if you will fill my storehouse with food (a small feat for a large nation), I will open the windows of heaven and fill your land with delightful things. The tithe would fill the temple storehouses so that the poor in the land would be fed, but by so doing, God would fill their land with great wealth, so that nations would call the nation of Israel blessed.
RELATE
Giving is always difficult especially when it involves an opportunity cost. When we give a tithe, we inevitably sacrifice something important to us – a child’s future education, a larger house, a better meal, a badly needed holiday overseas, or simply a more comfortable lifestyle. The hard-earned money that we could have used for something beneficial to us, we are called to give to God. And it hurts. Yet God calls us to bring that money in, that the poor and the under-served may be helped.
And face the question: Do I believe that God can and will give me a rich life even after I have made this sacrifice. Rich does not necessarily mean having much more money. But a rich life meaning living a meaningful and fulfilling life. Do I believe that God has full control over my circumstances, and will give me a life that is full of blessings?
REST
When we walk with the Lord
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
But we never can prove
The delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows,
And the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
From the Hymn Trust and Obey by John H Sammis, 1887
Chiu Ming Li
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