In Malachi (the last book of the Old Testament), we find that God is basically punishing His people for going astray. He is specifically mad at the priests:
"'For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction -- because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.
But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,' says the Lord Almighty. 'So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.'"
I'm reminded of the public scandal of some priests in America that were exposed as sexual predators, molesting young kids in their care. This is something that should've been handled with furious judgment from within the church -- and it was -- and it was so bad that the world is scorning these men, too. This is but a tiny indicator of how angry this type of abuse and mishandling makes the Lord Almighty. He does not take this stuff lightly. The fact that these men were humiliated in public for all the world to see is a good thing, at least in light of this scripture. It's as if God is saying, "Enough!" He exposes them for ridiculing and scorn, for their behavior warrants it.
God also goes on to rebuke His people for divorcing:
"'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel, 'and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,' says the Lord Almighty." Malachi adds: "So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith."
God also points out something else that really bothers Him: tithes and offerings. He states that the entire nation is under a curse because they have withheld tithes. He tells His people, "'Test me in this,'" daring us to take Him at His word and give Him the tithes that are His. If you are brought up in the church and are used to this concept, it's not that radical. But if you convert to Christianity and then are faced with the challenge of setting aside 10% of your earnings (for those that care, taxes weren't withheld until the middle of last century, so calculating 10% would be from "gross" not "net," unless we are somehow better than all the believers before the mid-1900's)... this can be a radical and difficult change to make. You'd be amazed at how something so simple and practical can change your life for the better. Are we obligated by law to do this? Well, not really. The tithe was established before the "Law," so the fact that Jesus fulfilled the "Law" doesn't erase this obligation. It is not necessary for salvation, but if you want to grow (and be "sanctified" or developed in your growth as a believer), then it'd be good to pay attention and do. I'm not a man of conflict (I don't think), and I'd hate to see people get "hung up" on this subject (I considered not bringing it up today), but I'd encourage anyone to "take God up" on his challenge. Test Him. See if your finances don't get blessed by giving your money away. (defining the "storehouse" is another topic, as well, but to be brief, I'll share my conviction: you could give that money to anyone, but to line up with Scripture, the "storehouse" would be a place that was local, and a place that you yourself could go to in time of need. Your local church best fits this description, as the 700 Club is glad to receive your donation, but they won't be as likely to give you a handout when you lose your job as your local church, who knows you, would be... So, best definition, IMHO, is: local church = storehouse).
4 Days, 3 hours, 33 minutes, and 33 seconds left in deadline.
Sam Farries, our newest intern, is here now, so we are blessed. Check out his intern diary after today (his first day).