“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” Ex. 20: 8-10.
“If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words.” Isa. 58: 13.
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy unto the Lord.” Lev. 27: 30.
2. Has God a just claim? If so, what is it? Note .
3. If they rightfully belong to the Lord, what course should we pursue in relation to them?
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it; and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” Lev. 27: 30-33. See also Num. 18: 20, 21, 25-27; 2 Chron. 31: 2-10; Mal. 3: 10.
7. What should we do with the Lord’s tithe?
“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.” Mal. 3: 10.
8. If we do not do this, of what sin are we guilty?
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” Mal. 3: 8. See note .
“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.” “And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.” Mal. 3: 2, 3, 5. Note .
11. What complaint does the Lord make against his people?
“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.” Verse 7, first part.
12. Relate the conversation between the Lord and his people recorded in verses 7, 8.
“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? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”
13. Why are God’s people cursed?
“Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” Verse 9. See also Mal. 1: 5-11 and note .
14. What does he ask us to do? Mal. 3: 10. See under question 7.
15. What precious promise does this imply? Note .
16. What promise does the Lord give us?
“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. And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.” Verses 11, 12. See also 2 Chron. 31: 5-10; Prov. 3: 9, 10; Acts 20: 35.
3. Malachi 3 so clearly applies to the Christian dispensation that no argument is necessary to prove it. A careful reading of the chapter, in connection with chapter 4, is sufficient to convince the candid seeker after truth that it belongs to the present dispensation, and especially to the last days.
4. When we seek our own ease and comfort, and do not respond to God’s claims upon us, and yet know what they are, God’s curse will surely fall upon us.
5. This language necessarily implies the precious promise that if we bring all the tithes into the storehouse, and thus prove him, as he asks us to do, he will pour us out a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. Those who prove or test the Lord always find him true to his promise. We are not to conclude, however, that the Lord will necessarily shower temporal blessings upon us because we are faithful in paying tithes. He will give us just such blessings as he sees will be for our best good and for his glory.
