Malachi 3:9(NKJV) 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
In our study of divine prosperity, we have spent this week discussing the tithe. We have discovered that the tithe is the first fruits of our income. Since the word “tithe” means a tenth, we can say it is the first ten percent of our income. Although the tithe was included in the Law of Moses, we have learned from Genesis 14 that the practice of honoring God with the tithe predates the law. It is a part of our covenant relationship with the Lord. Abram paid tithes to the priest Melchizedek long before Moses or even the nation of Israel existed.
We have also discussed the fact that, in the New Testament we are not under any kind of Law. Therefore, we do not tithe as a matter of law. We do tithe as a matter of practice. A practice is something we do consistently. I believe the practice of tithing should be part of our discipleship. A disciple is a disciplined believer. The Bible does not give us a law of the tithe. However, the practice, or discipline, of paying tithes helps keep our heart where it needs to be when it comes to finances.
The tithe is not really giving at all. The tithe belongs to God. Leviticus 27 tells us the tithe is holy to the Lord. That means it is vitally connected to him. The tithe is, in one sense, voluntary. No one is authorized to present you with a tithe bill. However, grace does not mean we no longer have to keep the commandments of the Lord. It means we should keep them naturally as a part of our lifestyle. The tithe is still holy. We should bring it to the Lord because it is the right thing to do, not because there is a law that says we must.
Today I want to look specifically at verse 9. This verse can leave us with a disturbing conclusion if we do not correctly understand it. On the surface, we could assume that God is doing bad things to us because we did not pay him his money. This is not the picture of a loving heavenly Father. It is the picture of a tyrant who wants his own way and will punish anyone who does not give it to him. That is not our God.
What is this curse? Is God actively cursing the one who does not tithe? I do not believe so. Let us look closely at the wording. Verse 9 begins with the phrase, “You are cursed with a curse.” It does not say, “I am cursing you with a curse.” It does not say, “I will curse you with a curse.” The implication is that the nation is already curse.
God is not who curses a person who does not tithe. The person curses himself. When we do not give God what belongs to him, in effect, we are stealing what belongs to God. I did not say that, God did in the rest of this verse. A thief cannot be blessed. The wages of sin is always death. Death is the curse that came with the fall of man. Therefore, if we do not give God what belongs to him we are cursed.
What does “cursed” mean? In literature, a curse is a pronouncement of doom upon someone for something a person has done. Legend said those who opened the tombs of the Pharaohs in Egypt were cursed. When some died mysteriously, many believed it was the pronouncement of evil against them that killed them. God is not speaking of this kind of curse in Malachi 3.
In this context as well as in the context of the fall of man, a curse means to be under the authority of the devil. The devil hates God and he hates man because man is God’s highest creation. Man is God’s family. When we are under the curse, we are within the sphere of Satan’s control. In other words, he can get to us.
When that is the case, many bad things will happen. When the curse is over our finances, we will find that we cannot have divine prosperity. I believe this curse extends to all areas of life. That is why the tithe is so important. However, it begins in the area of finances.
This curse does not necessarily mean we will be poor. I could mean that, but it could also mean that we will have more than enough but with strings attached. As we have already pointed out, prosperity that does not come from God can often have more negative effects on a believer than not having prosperity at all.
Let me take a moment and turn this around. If one who does not paid tithe is cursed, than one who pays tithes must be protected from the curse. At some point, we will look at the specific benefits promised to the tither. However, for today I want to concentrate on the idea that the tithe protects us from the curse.
If the biblical thought behind the word curse is that we are under the authority of the devil, than if we are protected from the curse, we are protected from the authority of the devil. The curse makes my finances and, by extension, my life vulnerable to the devil. Paying tithes protects my life from the influence of the devil.
This means that my productivity is protected from the devil. In Deuteronomy, we read about the blessings associated with the covenant between God and Abraham. If I am under the curse, these blessings are not mine. If I am a tither, the devil cannot take these blessings from me.
If I am a tither, I am also protected from the negative spiritual influence of the god of mammon. My attitudes toward money will be correct. This will free me to have wealth and still serve God with my whole heart.
God is not a curser. God is one who blesses and does not curse. God does not require that we pay tithes because he will curse us if we do not, but because it is his will to bless us in every area of life. This includes in the area of finance. Tithe protects me from the devil. Tithe opens the door of God’s blessing. That is the point. That is why you and I should give God what is his.
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