Shabbat Shalom everyone. Please open your Bibles to the book of Malachi or Malachi please. Malachi, today we are studying Malachi chapter 3, and we are going to start from verse 7 and read into verse 15. Malachi chapter 3 verses 7 to 15. And so I'm reading Malachi is continuing to speak to our people Israel, the people of Judah. And now in chapter 3 and verse 7 he continue and he says by the word of the Lord even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away for mine ordinances and have not kept them. Return unto me and I will return unto you, says the Lord of hosts. But ye said Wherein shall we return?

Verse 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithe and offerings. Ye accursed with a curse. For ye have robbed me even this whole nation bring ye all the tithe 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake. 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. Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord, yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said it is vain to serve God. And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy. Yet they that walk wickedness are set up. Yet they that tempt God are even delivered. And I'm going to stop here with the reading here of this passage of Malachi, chapter 3, verses 7 to 15.

It is amazing how that as we study the book of Malachi, we are once and again reminded that God was not speaking to the world, the unregenerated world. He was not even speaking to those now that were in captivity in Babel or those that were in Assyria, were taken by the Assyrian. No, he is actually speaking to those that have already restored from among our own people Israel and are now already in the promised land. The temple is established and built. The sacrificial system continues on, the celebration of the feasts are carrying on, the Shabbats are continuing on to be kept, and the Jewish people were now in the place of blessings because they were now back in the land.

But we learn from the prophet Malachi, and from his previous prophets such as Haggai and Zechariah that there was so quickly a departure from the Lord by the very own people whom he had brought back into the land. And here we can see, you might say, towards the end of his prophecy, Malachi is now by the word of Yehovah of the Lord is speaking to their conscience to this returned remnant who have already now in the very same promised land have very quickly departed from the will of the Lord. And to remind you, beloved brothers and sisters, that Malachi is the last messenger. You might say he's the last voice of God before there will be a long period of time of silence.

No prophet is going to come after Malachi. No messenger is going to come after Malachi. Long period of time in Jewish history will remain before Yohanan Hamadbil, John the Baptizer, will burst with a message. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, and he will look at the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah and will proclaim him as the lamb of God but Malachi was speaking over 400 years before John the baptizer was going to present the Messiah and Malachi now in this almost the end of his message to Israel he is now challenging Israel with respect to their heart's condition in relationship to the Lord.

Like us today, we are very similar. The church age has gone now nearly 2,000 years. You and I are living now in the last days of the church age. The dark ages are past before us in the past ages, past time. The various ages in church history is gone. We live now in the Laodicean age, Revelation chapter 3, the church of Laodicea, who is lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, where the Lord Jesus the Messiah said to John, Yochanan, I will spew you out of my mouth. That's where we live in today. So whatever had been spoken to these Jewish people who came back from Babel is spoken really to you and I in the present day in which you and I live in today.

And so in this message here, he's speaking to their hearts and to their conscience. You remember that I said and we read that there are four times the name Malach or messenger or my messenger is mentioned in the book of Malachi or Malachi. The first one in chapter 1 and verse 1 is the man himself. Malachi, the prophet himself, who on chapter 1 and verse 1 it says, the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. He is the first one whose name is messenger, Malachi, my messenger. The second time we read about the word messenger in the book of Malachi was in chapter 2 and in verse 7.

And there the Lord said, the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. This is the second messenger, which was the priests of Israel, who should have led Israel in a way that was honoring unto the Lord. His lips speaking the word of God, and he's called to be the messenger of the Lord. Then in our previous ministry meeting, we read in chapter 3 and verse 1 of an additional two messengers, two malachim, as we say it in Hebrew. Malach, you might say the third one will be the messenger that will prepare the way before me.

Malachi chapter 3 verse 1a. Who is that messenger? God is prophetically looking to the future. And that messenger will be Yohanan Hamadbil, John the baptizer, who will introduce Yeshua Jesus, the Messiah, at his first coming. He is that third messenger in Malachi. And he is the one that predicted by God that he will come to introduce the Messiah himself. And the fourth messenger we have spoken about in chapter 3 and verse 1b and that messenger it is the Messiah himself the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come say as the Lord of hosts and we have already looked at that and said that this applied to the Messiah's first coming as the messenger of the covenant.

Yeshua came. He fulfilled the promise that God said that he will make a new covenant, Brit Hadashah, where he will die for the sin of this world. We read from the Gospels, if you remember, and when Yeshua celebrated Passover and then he introduced the Lord's Supper, he says, take this, this is the blood of the Brit HaChadasha, of the new covenant which is shed for you. And so what we really learned that those four messengers, Malachi himself, the Levite secondly, John the Baptizer thirdly, and Yeshua the Messiah, the fourth messenger in the book of Malachi. Now, if you remember, Israel has spoken to the Lord and Israel said in chapter 2 and verse 17, everyone that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delights in them.

And then secondly, they said, where is the God of judgment? So God said, I will bring the judgment one day. Don't you take it for granted I will bring the judgment but before I'm going to bring the judgment I'm going to send the message of the covenant he will prepare this new covenant but in the second coming of the Messiah he will surely judge in righteousness all this world that rejected him and you remember what we just read in the previous verses in chapter 3 of the book of Malachi it says in verse 2 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 fuller 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.

In other words, God is saying, listen, I'm going to send the Messiah one day and he is going to come to judge the world in righteousness. He will refine Levi. He will be like a purifier and he will be the one that will judge this world in righteousness. So now, beloved brothers and sisters, after God made that assuring promise that he will send one day the Messiah in his first coming to accomplish the new covenant, in his second coming to judge, now in the next verses, from verse 7 actually of this third chapter, all the way to the end of the book, you have a response of two groups.

Group number one are those that really did not repent and turn back to the Lord. And group number two are those who did repent and became, you might say, the remnant that one day will enjoy the blessing of the restoration of our people, the people of Israel. Today in this ministry, in Malachi chapter 3, verses 7 to 15, we find out that first group who did not repent, who really shows that their heart was not right with the Lord. And the Lord is saying to them in these verses three things. The first thing that he says in verses 7, 8, and 9, the Lord points to his people's wrongdoing. This is the one who did not take to heart what he is going to do at the judgment day.

And so notice that in verses 7, 8, and 9, the first thing the Lord is charging, he says here in verse 7a, even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away for mine ordinances and have not kept them. Now you notice what he does? He takes Israel back all the way to its origin. And he's reminding them of the days of their fathers. Abraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And then Yaakov, Jacob had 12 sons. From Reuven, the firstborn, until Yosef and Binyamin, the last. And we have the 12 tribes of our own forefathers, the people of Israel. And he's kind of reminding the people here in the time of Malachi of our forefathers and their forefathers and their history.

And you notice this is a very sad commentary. Very sad commentary. Look at it. He said, from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from my ordinances, have not kept them. In other words, he's taking it back. Look at your history, Israel. All the history of your forefathers there was always that rebellion disobedience, not keeping the word of the Lord and how sad, how it must have grieved the heart of God look at your history, from the days of your fathers, and we can just think about the Judges, the time of the Judges, where every man did that which was right in his own eyes when we can think of the time of the Samuels and the Kings where the Kings rebelled.

There was no one godly king in the northern kingdom of Israel. In the southern kingdom there were some good and godly Kings but there were also some of ungodly Kings that made it necessary for God to send them to the land of Babel for those 70 years of dispersion. In a sense, God is like saying to them, He's appealing to them and says, look at this, from the days of your fathers. Mimei avotochem, he's going back, he's saying to them, from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from mine ordinances and have not kept them. Sad commentary. And yet, you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, in the first chapter, God says, I have loved you.

Jacob, have I loved. I have chosen you. I have elected you to be my people. And in this third chapter, if you remember in verse 6, where we ended the ministry last time, I am Jehovah, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. I am not changing, you have changed. I have been faithful to you, Yaakov, Israel, you have not been faithful to me. Look at us today, who are part of the church age, the assembly. We're looking at the history of the 2,000 years of the church age. It is just the same. Just the same. A repetition that has gone through exactly the same as our own forefathers, the people of Israel, and God is coming and appealing to them.

And he says, listen, Israel, listen. He says, from the days of your fathers, you have gone away from mine, and have not kept them. Disobedience. Rebellion. Doesn't that speak of our own hearts? How often time we rebel against the Lord. How often time we think that our ways are better than God's way and that we know better than the Lord and we don't obey the Lord. You know, when we have children that we brought into this world, we never need to teach them to disobey. They were born in sin. And they disobey again and again. You remember how this book of Malachi also began? A son honores his father, and a servant his master.

If then I be a father, where is my honor? And if I be a master, where is my fear, sayeth the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests that despise my name? And God, in a sense, brothers and sisters, is opening his heart to his people that he loves so much. And you look at the history. You know, sometimes it boggles my mind when I think, why does God bother with us? Why does he even want to have anything to do with the rebels? Why is it? And yet God said, Jacob, have I loved? And when we think of New Testament teaching, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

You think about Ephesians 5, the Messiah loved the church, the assembly, gave himself for it and yet the assembly the church just the same like Israel of old have rebelled against the Lord and dishonored him so he's looking at history and he says from the days of your fathers you have not obeyed me where he said here in verse 7 but notice that he's appealing and notice in verse 7b he's asking Israel to repent. Will they repent? Will they change their manner? Notice he's saying to them so beautifully in this verse 7. He says, return unto me and I will return unto you, sayeth the Lord of hosts.

The word return in the Hebrew is shuvu. Come from the word teshuvah. To repent and turn around and come back towards the Lord. Where are you going, he's saying to them. Come back, come back, turn around. Don't carry on in your own way because you will be punished. I will judge you. You're eventually going to bring upon yourself damnation. Turn around, turn around. Who of us as a father will not say to our own children, turn around? There's a danger there. Don't go in that direction. You're going to fall. You're going to stumble. Please turn around. Shuvu, he's saying. And then he promised them, if you will return unto me, I will return unto you.

Can you imagine? God in a sense kind of bargaining with them. If you will return, I will return. If you will come back to me, I will come back to you. Yeshuvu elai ve'ashuvah e'lechem in the Hebrew text. What a wonderful offer. Yeshua said in Matthew 11, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He loves mankind. He loves his people if they only will listen unto his word and return back to him. So he's appealing to Israel. Israel, return unto me and I will return unto you. I mean, this is such an amazing, if you just imagine, beloved brothers and sisters, the heart of God, the love of God for his own people is so deep.

And his people here, this is the group that were really not intending to repent. This is the arrogant, the proud. They have their own way. They know better than God. As far as they are concerned, God is, as they said in chapter 2 and verse 17, where is God, the God of judgment? Everyone that is doing evil is good in his side. The Lord delight is in them that do evil. Where is that God of judgment? And you see, they were not wise. Because judgment had come, and judgment will come. God is holy, and He will judge even the people that He has chosen for Himself. If He's going to judge the world, imagine what's going to happen with respect to His very own people.

So, continuing on in Malachi chapter 3 and verse 7, the third portion of verse 7, notice what Israel's response was. You would think these ones, you would say, oh yeah, God, what a deal. We were not right with you. We disobeyed you and you're willing to return to us if we only return unto you. They would say, wow, I need to return back to the Lord because God offered me a restoration, a relationship with me. But notice what they said. Very sadly, in chapter 3 and verse 7, But ye said, wherein shall we return? In other words, in what way should we return? I mean, we are close by, you see.

We go to keep the Shabbat. We go to the temple in Jerusalem. We offer the sacrifices. We keep the feast and the holiday. What do we need to return? You see what happened? It's like today. Ritualism came in. But the heart was far away from the Lord. Like we read earlier in the book of Isaiah, these people come to me with their lips, but with their hearts they are far away from me. So they continue with the motion as we have in 2 Timothy. There is a form of godliness denying the power thereof. So look at the setting. And by the way, that word here, wherein shall we return?

Bameh, nashuv, in Hebrew, it's the thing that they have said again and again in the whole book of Malachi. In what way should we do that or the other? They are, in a sense, responding to God in pride, in arrogance, in self-will, saying as oh why do we need to do this because they assume the manner of their behavior was correct notice by the way if you just turn back to chapter 1 and you notice in verse 2 ye say wherein has thou loved us they doubted his love for them wherein in what way did you say that you really loved us they said to him in chapter 1 and in verse 2 notice in verse 6 of chapter 1 in verse 6, they say at the end of verse 6, wherein have we despised your name?

We didn't despise your name. In what way you say that we have despised your name? Chapter 1 and also this in verse 6. Notice in chapter 2 and verse 14 now, in verse 14, but ye say, wherefore? Why? In what way? We have done one thing or another and if you just continue on in the same chapter 2 in verse 17 it says and ye say wherein have we wearied him in what way did we weary God we haven't done so it's a self-righteous attitude that they have had in their heart and now in chapter 3 where we are In verse 7, once again they say, where shall we return? This is in verse 7 of this third chapter.

So now the Lord is giving them the answer. God charges people now in verse 8 by telling him how they have behaved in a wrong way towards him. Notice what he says to them in verse 8. In verse 8, God is saying to them, will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me now when he used the word will a man rob God he is God the creator and man humanity how can the creator be robbed by his own creature imagine when I think of a robbery you think of somebody with a mask on his face with a gun in his thigh and he is going somehow sneaking in and opening his gun and telling everybody, be careful, it's a robbery.

I'm coming in and he's robbing a bank or robbing any place that he or she may want to rob. But God is not talking in this way. God is very practical because he's speaking to us. He's speaking to his people. He's speaking to their hearts and he's saying to them, you robbed me. The word here in the Hebrew in verse 8, that expression is very interesting because the people of Israel who were supposed to come to the Lord and to give him what he had provided for them, yet what he's saying to them, he said to them, you have robbed God, you have robbed me, he's saying to the people of Israel.

And of course they asked, well, how did we rob you, God? How did we rob God? And God gave them an answer. And the answer is in verse 8. It is filled with information to speak to the heart of the people of God. God answered them, and notice how he answered them. They answered, how did we rob it? And the answer is simply, he says, look, then, in tithe and in offering. The Hebrew word, be-me'aser, ve-bet-rumah. The word measer means the word one-tenth of all that which God has allowed them to possess in their life and to earn in their life. He says, you robbed me because you did not provide for me and for the service of the Lord that you were called to provide.

And not only in tithing, but also in offerings. You did not have a voluntary offering which is expected from the people of God for the Lord's work. Now, let me just remind you for a moment. Of course, we live today in the church age. It's a different era. You might say economy. The word okonomia in the Greek mentioned four times in the Bible. It simply means a dispensation period of time. But in the days of past, when God had called our people Israel and he brought them into the promised land, he had provided for them a whole tribe by the tribe called Levi to be the one that will serve the Lord among the people of Israel.

This tribe did not have any possession here on earth, but their ministry was totally to present the Lord before Israel and Israel before the Lord, to do the service of the Lord. And he instructed the rest of the tribes that because they received possession, they received land, he said, listen, I have blessed you, I have given you the land, they did not, and they will take their time to serve you, Israel, the Leviim, the Kohanim, and therefore in return, which is justified, you will take care of the people that serve you. And you notice that I want you to turn with me to some verses in Leviticus for a moment.

Leviticus chapter 27, you see in verse 30, Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 30, we read these verses, interesting verses, it says, this is the end of the whole book of Leviticus, it just finished to instruct Israel with the offering and the sacrifices, how does the Israeli will come in to receive sins forgiven, and you remember Leviticus 16, you have the day of atonement, and on and on, the whole Levitical orders, how to receive forgiveness of sin, how to approach the Lord in the tabernacle in the wilderness. Then he said to them, notice that in chapter 27 and verse 30, 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 ought of his tithe, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. Verse 32. And concerning the tithe of the herd and of the flock, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. The Hebrew word for tenth is me'aser. And is known to be called as tithing, as to give one-tenth of their earning for the work of the Lord in the tabernacle in the wilderness. Look, if you turn away to chapter 18 of the book of Numbers, notice another verse that's very interesting, that the Lord instructed Israel to remember that they are to, you might say, to support the work of the ministry in the tabernacle, later on it would be in the temple as well.

In Numbers chapter 18, verse 26, it says that, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithe, the measer, which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even in tenth part of the tithe. Notice that? The Levites will receive the tithing and they in return will offer of that to the Lord Himself because they are the ones that have been receiving this from the people of Israel in order to be able to function among the people of Israel. Now look at Deuteronomy for one more verse.

Deuteronomy chapter 14. Then notice verse 22. Deuteronomy chapter 14, verse 22. Notice almost in every book in the Torah, the instructions are very clear. Verse 22, Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose to place his name there. The tithe of thy corn and of thy wine and of thine oil and the firstling of thy herd and of thy flocks, that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, When the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose.

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desire. And thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice thou and thine household. Then notice verse 27, And the Levites that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him, for he has no part, no inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all thy tithes of thine increase the same year, and shall lay it up within thy gates. And the Levite, because he has no part, no inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat, and be satisfied, that the Lord thy God may bless thee and all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

It is so interesting that both in Leviticus and in Numbers and in Deuteronomy, the Lord instructed the people of Israel to obey his laws and to provide for the ministry of the temple and the Levites. Now imagine what would happen if the Levites will not be supported and the temple of the Lord will not be supported and there will be no sacrifices at the temple and things will just carry on without any provision from the people of God, to where will Israel go on the feasts? What are they going to be doing during the time that they're supposed to worship the Lord? Can they continue on to come to the temple or to come to the tabernacle and enjoy the liberty and worship of the Lord if there is no provision there, no Levites there, no priests there, nobody to continue on with the ministry of the things of the Lord.

Can you imagine? And even before the law came when Abraham met Malkit Tzedek and Malkit Tzedek blessed Abraham Abraham himself gave to Malkit Tzedek a tithe. It was a principle that was taught throughout the Hebrew Scriptures throughout the days of old. So God is saying to his own people, he says, listen, will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. And Israel is saying, no, in what, wherein shall, he says, in what way we have robbed you? And God says in a very simple way. Number one, with tithing. Number two, with offering. In other words, you have not supported the work of the Lord.

In order that the Lord's work will continue on among the people of Israel. Now, how is it for us today? We don't live in the days of old. We are not, in a sense, under the law per se. God's law is always holy and righteous, but we live in the days in which we are today. We live in the assembly age, in the church age. Jew and Gentile are united together in the body of Messiah. Believers are in everywhere of the world, from Jerusalem to China to India to Africa to Europe to North America. All over the world there are believers. And God's work continues on.

Now how will God's work continue on? Unless God's people will support God's work. How is it possible even to have a building or to have a room or to have servants to serve the Lord if he will not serve the Lord and not be supported by God's people? It's not possible to continue in the work of the Lord unless God's people support. It is amazing. I always move my heart. I remember years ago, I was riding on a train and reading my Bible on the way to a meeting. A stranger came to the train and he saw me reading my Bible. He never heard my ministry.

He never heard me preaching one word. He saw me reading my Bible. And he asked me, what are you reading? I said, I'm just preparing. I have a Bible class to go to. And I really removed my heart. The man got up and he left. And I looked at my Bible case. When I put my Bible case back, I saw an envelope with a gift from a man who never, ever, never, ever heard of me. He loved the Jewish people. He knew that I was a Jewish believer, that I was going to prepare for Bible class without anybody expecting from him anything. The Lord have laid on his heart to give something for the service of the Lord.

He didn't have to. Nobody expected this from him. Nobody demanded this from him. Never know him. Remind me of the ravens that provided for Elijah many, many years ago without Elijah even asking for anything. The Lord used the ravens to provide support for Elijah that was serving the Lord but away from the things of the Lord. At that time he thought that he was the only one that was left among the people of Israel. How do we apply this to us today? You see, brothers and sisters, we don't have to give a tenth Asirid because it's not commended in this present day. But there is a guideline that God gives us in Scripture to help us to be part of the Lord's work.

It depends, you might say, about God's people praying and supporting the Lord's work. There are missionaries who are going to the mission field, who are going to Africa, who are going to India, who are going to Israel, who are going to all over the world. How will they be able to continue to serve the Lord if they are not going to be provided by God's people? Look at a couple of verses I want to read for you in 1 Corinthians chapter 16. If you don't mind, please. 1 Corinthians chapter 16. The first two verses. Look at the beautiful principle that Shaul Paul taught the Corinthians when he was preaching the message of the gospel.

He was going now preaching to the Corinthians, preaching to the Galatians, preaching to the Ephesians and to the others. He was now giving them a principle to help them in their participation in the work of the Lord. In chapter 16 and verse 1, he said, Now concerning the collection for the saints, he said, As I have given order, this is verse 1, To the churches of Galatia, even so do ye upon, listen to this, Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gathering when I come. Notice the principle that he gives them.

Here's the principle. He said, upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store. And look at the beautiful expression. As God had prospered him. He doesn't set any, you might say, rule and say you have to tithe, you have to give 10% or 20% or 5% or 1%. But he said, yes, God has prospered him. God bless you. And if God blesses the people of God, use this blessing as well to enhance the work of the Lord. In this case, it's for the benefit of the Jewish saints in the city of Jerusalem. Which needed the help of the people of God.

Look at one more verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 this time. These are also good principles for us to adhere to because it will help us in being part in the work of the Lord. 2 Corinthians chapter 9, notice what we read. They are very, very interesting verses. I'm going to read verse 6. But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly. He which soweth boundfully shall reap also boundfully. Every man, notice, every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not gradually or of necessity, For God love us a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you that he always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.

In other words, it's such a beautiful principle. There's no binding, as we understand from Scripture, though some still take the principles that was given to Israel about tithing. But notice that, as every man, according as he purposed in his heart, let him give, not grudgingly, not of necessity, but simply, it says here, for God loveth a cheerful giver. What a principle, beloved brothers and sisters, to learn from the Lord. And I'm saying this for us all to realize that the Lord's work is a privilege for the Lord's people to participate in. When we don't participate in the Lord's work, we will lose out. Not salvation, but the joy and the blessing that God intending to give His people, they will lose out when they do not participate in the Lord's work.

In the case of Israel, God says, Will a man rob God? You have robbed me. You should have realized that that's what I have expected from you, but you haven't. And so Israel is now saying, and I'm back to Malachi chapter 3 and verse 8, Israel is saying, So wherein have we robbed you? And God gave them an answer. Number one in tithes, number two in offering. And you know the offering here is a willing offering. In Exodus chapter 25, when God was going to build the tabernacle, God said to Moses, Moses, you ask from the people of Israel to bring all what they can so we can build, we can make the tabernacle.

This is chapter 25. I read that just recently in the first eight verses, God says, I want to dwell in the midst of them and I want them to bring anything. And they brought the silver and the gold and the earrings, whatever they had. But if you read in chapter 36 of the same book of Exodus, you find out that Moses says, stop it. Don't bring any more. There's so much. You have brought too much because the people of Israel responded to the Lord and God had to stop them because they brought so much to the building of the tabernacle. Can you imagine what it would be like when God's people would support the Lord's work?

You know, how many missionaries have to beg for money from God's people? And they have to run from church group to church group to speak in order that the people might give them something. While the people of God are supposed to support the things of God naturally. So the servants of the Lord can continue on and serve the Lord. So God is appealing to the people of Judah during that time. And he's saying to them hard things. You have robbed me. You should have been supporting the Levites. You should have been supporting the temple. You should have been doing it, but you haven't. And so now notice, let's move along in our chapter.

In chapter 3, in verse 9, now there is a consequences to the disobedience of the people. So God is saying to them, you see, he says to them in verse 9, You are cursed with the curse, for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. In other words, what happened here, that God now disciplined his people and he said to them, you are really cursed. The word here for curse in verse 9 is the word klaloto arur. Arur in Hebrew is when you curse someone, you said you are ta'arur, you are cursed. Now, how did God curse the people in those days? You see what happened? God had a way whereby he removed the blessing from the people of Israel.

There is a way, because God is sovereign, and he is in control. Don't you realize that sometimes in our own lives, the Lord is not blessing us? In fact, he's removing from underneath us certain things that we thought we can trust in. And he's removing this because of our unfaithfulness to him. And that's why he's saying to Israel, he said, You are cursed with a curse. Why you have robbed me even... And notice he said this whole nation. He actually disciplined the whole nation. And you know what happened in doing those days? They didn't have any fruit that grew up from the land, the dry ground.

There was no rain. There was no blessing because Israel is an agricultural nation. Israel is enjoying, you might say, the fruit of the land. But what God did, he removed from there that which Israel was supposed to enjoy, the blessings of the Lord. So in verse 9, God's punishment was a curse upon the land. God removed the blessing from the land. And then he says to them that God has always took away from them all that which they were supposed to enjoy because of the blessing of the nation that he intended for them. So he simply said, all this nation you are cursed, and ye because ye have wrought me.

And now notice that, beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord showed to Israel the blessing that they could have enjoyed had they listened to his word. Look at this. Three things we find here in verse 10, 11, and 12. Note the three things. First of all, in verse 10, he said, bring ye all the tithe into the storehouse. That there may be meat in my house. There may be food in my house. He says, listen, bring, in other words, provide for the Levite, provide for the tabernacle so there will be food for the priests and the Levites to enjoy and to eat. And then he tells them in verse 10, prove me now, and he says, herewith says the Lord of hosts, And then he said, if I will not open the windows of heaven.

You know, who is the one that gives us the rain? Who is the one that provides the blessing? The heavens are like you might say, the sky that God is just opening in. And he's providing the rain to come. The rain in turn is wetting the ground. The ground in turn bringing the fruit, the vegetables, the trees. And Israel eventually is being blessed with the provision of the Lord. But apparently God shut the door. He shut the windows of heaven. And sometimes spiritually we are sometimes wonder in our own personal life. What is the blessing that I've expected from the Lord? It seems to be that things are shut down.

That the heavens and the windows of heaven are shut down. God is saying, just test me. Prove me and you will see if I will not open the windows of heaven. The Hebrew is not so much the word window, it's called arubot or aruba. Aruba means it's like the pipes that go out and you can see the smoke. The ability of the Lord to provide for his people to open the arubot, you might say those pipes from heaven and the rain will come down in Israel will enjoy the blessing of the Lord. He says, prove me. Test me. This is probably one of the only times that God asks to test him or to prove him.

In Hebrew it says bachanuni. Bachanuni means test me. Try me. And you will see what a blessing I'm going to provide for you, Israel, if you will only listen to what I have for you when I'm requiring from you to submit unto my word. And now notice the three results that will come if Israel will bring in the tithe and will prove the Lord and do in obedience to him. Notice the threefold blessing that will come upon them. Number one, at the end of verse 10, God will pour out blessing upon his people. Notice in verse 10 at the end, and I will pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

I will pour out upon you blessing that you will not even be able to contain the blessing if you will only repent and turn my ways and don't harden your heart. This is the first blessing. You know, we all like blessings. In Hebrew we call it bracha or brachot. Bless me, Lord. I want your blessing. Well, when we want the Lord's blessing, he's expecting from his people to obey his word. Secondly, in verse 11, look at the second blessing, the second result that Israel could enjoy if they submit to the Lord. It says, notice in verse 11, God will remove the curse and he will rebuke the devourer I will rebuke the devourer for your sake in verse 11 and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground neither shall your vine cast hair fruit before the time in the field saith the Lord of hosts apparently the devourer was the locusts That came, in Hebrew we call it arbe, the locusts came sent by God and devoured all the crop.

So Israel could not enjoy the blessing of the land, no rain from heaven. The locusts come and devour the earth. And Israel, as it says here, they destroyed the fruits of your ground and the vine now fell before its time. And they didn't have the fruit of the land. You know, it is so interesting that God had a way whereby He knows how to discipline His people. They said, no, no, no, no, no, we will not take care of the Lord's work. We will not take care of the tabernacle. Fine, God said. I'll find another way to deal with you. So what does He do is send the devourer.

The devourer now destroy all the fruits. The devourer now allowed that all the vine will be cast into the ground and there was no fruit for themselves. And how many a time, brothers and sisters, I mentioned it earlier, the Lord had a way in which He deals with us individually. He somehow allowed us to experience things in our lives that He removed from us in order to speak to our hearts and to our conscience. But the third thing is even greater benefit or a result if Israel will repent and turn to him. In verse 12 God says he will call all the nations to see the blessed privilege that Israel have when they are in a repentance stage or repentance condition.

Notice in verse 12, all nations shall call you blessed, and you shall be a delightsome land, sayeth the Lord of hosts. Land that is now going to be a delight land. The nations will call Israel, what a blessed nation. And they will acknowledge the fact that Israel is a privileged nation that God has chosen. So three-fold results by obedience to the Lord. Number one, verse 10, at the end, God will pour a blessing upon Israel that would never be able to even contain it. Verse 11, God will remove all that which is hindering growth from the field. He will remove the devourer. And then thirdly, all the nations shall call Israel blessed.

Mevorachechim, or Mevorachim, a nation that is Mevorach, is blessed by the Lord. That is if Israel will turn back to the Lord. But look at this, brothers and sisters. Sadly, as I mentioned, this part among the people of Israel, they did not turn to the Lord. They didn't realize, they didn't take it to heart. So in verses 13, 14, and 15, the Lord show his sadness from the people of Israel by really telling them, listen, you are speaking against me, you are not repenting, you are continuing on in your own way. And notice these verses for the ministry today, verse 13, God said to those who did not repent and ask again and again why do we need to change why in what way you loved us in what way we need to we rejected you and so on look what God is saying to them in a sadness he's saying to them in verse 13 your words your sayings have been stout against me whatever you said against me you were harsh God saying to the people of Israel you really rebelled against me you spoke against me you denied me you did not submit to me he's saying to this the people of Judah in the days of Malachi and then notice they again ask him once again yet he say what have we spoken so much against you God and God shows them now and here is that conclusion to this portion of the Scripture, in verses 14 and 15, we see what they were doing.

Number one, verse. 14, you have said it is in vain to serve God. No use to serve God. What prophet is it that we kept his ordinances? No use to even go through the religious routine. Verse 14b, we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts. In other words, they probably put the garb on, they put the morning sackcloth and so on, externally appearing as if they were mourning, but in reality they were not. Because God knows the heart. Man looks upon the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh upon the heart. They didn't change. They're saying there's no use to serve God. In vain we are serving God.

What profit is it that we kept His ordinances, the holidays, the feasts? No use to do this because anyway God is not really happy with the way we are speaking and living our lives. And finally in verse 15 it says there Malachi now himself charging them and he's saying and now we call look what Malachi now in a sense kind of intervening and he says we call the proud we call him happy. The one that work wickedness are set up And they that tempt God are even delivered. You see, they really twisted completely the desire of God for them. If you're proud, you're going to be happy.

If you work wickedness, you're going to be set up. You're going to be successful in that. And those that tempt God eventually are really delivered. God is, in a sense, you can tempt God, you can test God, You can do what you want, and there is no answer. They simply, beloved brothers and sisters, did not repent and turn back to the Lord. And by doing so, beloved brothers and sisters, they would eventually experience the discipline of the Lord, but also the loss in the enjoyment of serving the God who loved them so much and wanted a relationship with them. Now, this is a heavy thing.

These are hard things to read. We could have bypassed it and go to another message and talk about love, love, love. But this is a challenge to us all. How do we respond to God when He speaks to us today as well? It is better to always turn around and come back to the Lord, admit that we failed Him in one way or another and seek to be restored and he will bless us intending to bless his own people prove me he said in verse 10 now here with say as the Lord he said if I will not open the windows of heaven and I will pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it may the Lord help us to turn around and to go back to the things of the Lord and recognize that he eventually intend to spiritually bless his people, those that belong to him.

May the Lord bless his word. Can we say Amen today?