QT: Robbing God? Hard to Escape Malachi 3:8 Week 41: 06/10/2023. Fri
Robbing God? Hard to Escape
https://www.esv.org/Malachi3:8
Week 41: 06/10/2023. Fri
In the courts, the judge judges by evidence of partial reality brought before him or her. The judge does not have the totality of evidence before making a judgment.
However, if the LORD was to judge, He would judge based on all of Truth rather than available partial Evidence. The LORD has the totality of evidence due to His omniscient (all knowing).
Malachi 3:8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. (ESV)
For the people during Malachi's time, when God says "you are robbing me" in terms of their tithes and contributions, there was practically no escape even though this accusation surprised them. During Malachi's time, more and more worshippers were living as if the LORD had stamps on His eyes. Their reply "how have we robbed you?" shockingly revealed their ignorance.
Academically, the people at that time declared that they would treat the LORD as God. Practically, their lives displayed otherwise—lip service religious rites.
Malachi focused on the correction and training of the worshippers' heart—who do they (and their chattels) belong too?
The Old Testament believers (before the death of Jesus Christ on the cross) had to give their tithes and contributions compulsorily by law. Now that New Testament believers experienced Christ's bountiful grace more and more, is this crime of "robbery" and less serious?
