Malachi 3 verse 10 addresses the subject of money when speaking about the nature of God's promises on giving: ".. 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, and there shall not be a room enough to receive it."
This statement by the prophet Malachi is not said in a vacuum, rather it is part of a wider discussion that centres on the following issues:
(1) The religious leaders are robbing God of His love to His people,
(2) They are presenting blemished offerings,
(3) They are doing this by honouring those who cheat and steal,
(4) Moreover they are withholding tithes, and
(5) They are justifying impiety.
The prophet Malachi lists these issues and is then able to challenge both the leaders and the people with his classic statement (verse 10)
".. 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, and there shall not be a room enough to receive it."
In this wider context the prophet Malachi is challenging them on issues such as being pure of heart for God, Malachi spells out the nature of God's earthy concern for their every day lives that His people are si precious to Him they are described as jewels.
In other words, the great faith test both the leaders and the people. Giving of their wealth abundantly to the Lord, proportionately to whatever ones has, then an even greater blessing will come, so much so, the receiver won't have enough storage.
There are two components in this teaching
The first is the giving, and the second is the receiving.
Both have their rewards. Those that give with joy know the astonishing warmth of heart one receives in that pure giving. I have spoken previously of this, in that every Christian who gives to the Lord, whether it be to the work of the local congregation or to a mission or a specific missionary couple, there is a special joy of the Lord that accompanies such giving.
The Apostle Paul goes further. 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7: ".. as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver."
Then there is the receiving
This is the other side of the coin (forgive the pun). They can also attest to this promise in that my wife Delma and I have lived by faith finances for 39 years, initiating the Sports and Leisure Ministry in 1982 and then in 2000 Well-Being Australia.
This is the same testimony that hundreds of thousands of similar mission people can affirm, that this promise from Malachi 3 verse 10 is true and faithful.
But these promises must not be taken lightly, for they are conditional on the pureness of the heart and on the preparedness to receive such honour. blessings.
Moreover those who fail the test in the second, in that they cannot receive with a joyful heart, but with a sense of unworthiness as they have failed to grasp that it is all of His Grace and nothing that we have done to earn such blessing.
For a more general discussion, I have written about faith mission giving previously, which was titled: "How do faith financed missionaries get their money".
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children
