Robbing God, Robbing the Poor

Robbing God, Robbing the Poor

As modern-day churches set budgets and allocate financial resources, it is worth noting that in the OT, the Israelites were commanded to give tithes (“a tenth part”) of their produce or income for three reasons: to celebrate the abundance of the Lord’s provision (Deut. 14:22–26), to support the Levites (14:27; Num. 18:20–24), and to provide for the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29).

In Malachi’s day, the postexilic Israelites were withholding their tithes and offerings (Mal. 3:8–10). Apparently they preferred to keep more for themselves rather than give what God asked. In doing so, they were not only robbing from God, they were in effect robbing from the Levites and the poor.

Could the same be true among believers today? Malachi tried to reawaken a sense of corporate responsibility for the poor and for public worship. He knew that obedience to God was more than just private religion; there are social implications to one’s relationship with God. One of those implications involves giving away a portion of one’s income to those who need it.