PEACE IS ACCEPTING A HIGHER WILL

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The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – PEACE #4

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating 1 Corinthians 13.

Our Lord Jesus Talked to Simon Peter

In John 21:15-19 NLT says, “15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. 16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time He asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. 18 “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”

In these passages or Scriptures, they describe that our Lord Jesus Christ forces Peter to face his unresolved guilt over his denials of our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter also named Simon son of John was the name our Lord Jesus Christ had said when He first met this man who would become His disciple (John 1:42). But Peter had not yet proven himself to live up to that name-Peter, “the rock.” According to Luke 24:34, our Lord Jesus Christ had probably met with Peter previously. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s first question to Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” could be translated in three ways: (1) “Do you love me more than these men love me?” (2) “Do you love me more than you love these men?” (3) “Do you love me more than these things?” (that is, the fishing boat, nets, and gear). Of the three options, the first seems the most appropriate because Peter had boasted that he would never forsake Jesus, even if all the other disciples did (see Matthew 26:33; Mark 14:29; John 13:37). This was the same as saying that he had more love for our Lord Jesus Christ than the others did.

Peter did just the opposite of what he boasted: He denied Jesus three times. As a consequence, our Lord Jesus Christ asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” to affirm Peter’s love and commitment. Each time Peter told Jesus, “I love you,” our Lord Jesus Christ exhorted Peter to care for His flock: “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15); “Take care of my sheep” (John 21:16); “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). Lambs and sheep can be taken as words of endearment, an expression of affection. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s love and concern is for all believers-the entire “flock” that would grow as a result of the apostles’ ministry.

Our Lord Jesus Christ used a proverbial statement about old age to depict Peter’s death, which was by crucifixion. From this day onward, Peter knew what death lay before him. Peter never forgot this prophecy from our Lord Jesus Christ; Peter referred to it in his Second Epistle when he spoke about his imminent death (see 2 Peter 1:14). Peter was crucified in Rome under Nero around A.D. 65-67. By His words, “Follow me,” our Lord Jesus Christ was reinstating and restoring Peter as His disciple. What assurance these words must have been for Peter. Despite what glory or trial or death lay ahead, he would always be under the Savior’s care, for he would be following our Lord Jesus Christ.

Three years earlier, along the same lake, our Lord Jesus Christ had said the same words to Peter -” Follow me.” These words mean “Keep on following.” Stripped of pride, impulsiveness, and false expectations of leadership, Peter was ready to follow our Lord Jesus Christ in a new way because of new experiences and a clearer picture of himself. “Follow Me” means consistent discipleship and steadfast pursuit of our Lord Jesus Christ, even if that requires martyrdom. It means continuing our Lord Jesus Christ’s work in the way He wants it done, not in a way we want it done.

Better Recipe for Peace

In Psalm 4:6-8 NLT says, 6  You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that You have made me listen, I finally understand – You don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7  Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures: 8  I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart.”

Two cultic requirements were placed on the king. First, he was to have sacrifices offered up (2 Samuel 6:13; 1 Kings 8:62.). Second, he was to show his loyalty to God’s law by making a personal copy of it (Deuteronomy 17:14.). These obligations of the king find their fullness in our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:5.), who offers Himself as the final sacrifice and who, as the Word of God, faithfully and delightfully fulfills the law (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15). The words > “mine ears hast thou opened” – The Hebrew literally means “ears you have dug for me,” referring to the penetration of God’s word into the psalmist’s heart, which responds in obedience (cf. Exodus 21:6, where a servant voluntarily had his ear pierced). Hebrews 10:5 follows the Septuagint reading “but you prepared a body for me.” The writer of Hebrews does not lay any stress on this clause, and his argument is complete without it. It is, perhaps, to be regarded as an interpretation or free translation by the Septuagint (cf. Isaiah 53). Either way, the sense is substantially the same, as a body was essential to the required obedience (cf. Romans 7:4; 1 Peter 2:24). The words > “volume of the book” – a scroll of book length, most likely the law of Moses. The words > “it is written of me” – The king makes an enthronement affirmation declaring his loyalty to the law (Deuteronomy 17:14.; 2 Kings 22:13). This was fulfilled by our Lord Jesus Christ’s perfect keeping of the law (Matthew 5:17).

This desire to discover God’s will in our lives is fundamental to all of God’s children who seek peace. We come to receive our desire by doing these five (5) things:

P – Praying and seek the Father’s plan for life, abandoning all things that lead to strife.

E – Engaging hearts, in sweet relinquishments of all that selfishness alone invents.

A – Abandoning ambitions we have known and clinging to God’s purpose as our own.

C – Consecrating ourselves to walk in grace, accepting both His sovereign path and pace.

E – Endowing (renewing) our mind with the Words of God and focus, then to fill it up with sweet, higher will.

This acrostic is a recipe for peace. It will be sweet depending on how we are going to apply (cook) it in our lives with spices and seasoning (Words of God and in the power of the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit will settle on us like a sweet, warm rain, our arid, dry, parched, bone-dry, baked, waterless, scorched, infertile, barren, dull, uninteresting, boring, sterile, unexciting, uninspired, and flat lives will be productive once again. Amen!

Peter (a Jew) Visits Cornelius (a Gentile)

In Acts 10:9-16 NLT says, “9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, 10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. 12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” 14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.” 15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” 16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.”

Like Cornelius, Peter prayed daily. Morning and evening were the common times to pray, and evidently Peter made it a habit to pray in the middle of the day as well (see Nehemiah 1:4-11; Psalms55:17; Daniel 6:10). This significant opening of the door to the Gentiles was God-directed, but note that the two men were devout, God-dependent, regular seekers of God through prayer. It is no coincidence that Peter and Cornelius were both found praying when God revealed more of Himself to them.

Peter went up to the flat roof to pray. Houses in Bible times usually had flat roofs accessed by an outside staircase. The roof would have given Peter privacy. As he prayed, he was hungry and evidently fell into a trance while he was waiting for lunch to be prepared. During this trance or a semiconscious state, as between sleeping and waking, God spoke to him.

Peter saw something like a large sheet being let down to earth from heaven. The voice, obviously that of someone in authority (probably God Himself), told Peter that he was free to kill and eat the animals, including reptiles and birds. According to Jewish law, these particular foods were forbidden (see Leviticus 11). Peter, always ready to voice his opinion, expressed his conviction not to eat anything forbidden by the Jewish laws. The point of this vision, as was about to be made clear, was that God was working outside of Israel, beyond Israel, and if Peter was to be a part of what God was doing, he needed to understand that nothing was unclean.

This educating of Peter, as with the educating of most believers, took a little repetition – three times in this case. God was revealing something that would be startling to Peter’s Jewish mind; God was basically nullifying the Jewish dietary laws and, by analogy, God was preparing Peter to meet an unclean Gentile.

The vision was repeated three times, just in case Peter needed time to think it all through. Finally, Peter saw that he needed to step beyond his prejudicial notions if the Gospel were ever to make its way to the Gentiles.

Peter accepted God’s higher will. The result was that peace came not only to Peter, but to the entire household of Cornelius as well. This should not surprise us. Peace always comes after accepting a higher will than our own. Amen!

Paul’s Message Comes from Our Lord Jesus Christ

In Galatians 1:10-12 NLT says, “10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the Gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ!”

In these passages or Scriptures, undoubtedly the Judaizers had accused Paul of compromise, saying that he taught freedom from the Jewish law to the Gentiles in order to be a people pleaser and thus win as many converts as possible. But Paul explained that his purpose was always to please God.

Paul’s use of the word still offers a glimpse into his inner self and his past life as a Pharisee. Paul understood that by living a strict, law-abiding, judgmental, and appearance – focused life of a Pharisee, his goal had really been to please people. Religious and pious people may receive mountains of praise for their supposed character and good works. Christians are rarely accorded such praise. Thus, if Paul were trying to please people, he would not be our Lord Jesus Christ’s servant. As there is no compromise with the truth, there is no compromise for the Christian with “this evil world” (Galatians 1:4). The life of serving our Lord Jesus Christ does not put people in the limelight, offer great material rewards, or promise worldly security. Thus, if Paul wanted to please people, he could have chosen many other routes or stayed a Jewish Pharisee.

In Galatians Chapter 1, Verse 1, Paul had introduced himself as appointed by God. As Paul launched into a repudiation of those who would refuse to recognize his authority as an apostle, he began at the beginning. Paul wanted the Galatian believers to be assured that he was an apostle – called separately from the Twelve and received as an equal by the Twelve.
The Good News that Paul preached was the true Gospel, not any false gospel, as he had discussed in Verses 6-9. The Gospel Paul taught was not based on mere human reasoning or logic – that is, it was not a belief or doctrine handed down to him through Jewish tradition.

Let’s consider the verses in today’s reading and ask ourselves, “What did Paul’s acceptance of a higher will really mean in relationship to his service to others?” It meant this: Paul could really minister to others once the turmoil from his own heart and life had been removed. The implication here seems to be that Paul’s conscience was far from settled with regard to his persecution of Christians. Into his troubled thoughts, God spoke and Paul finally found peace. When Paul accepted the call of God, he began to minister in ways he might never have imagined. He was freed to bring peace to others out of his own peace.

Much of church growth philosophy centers on a “market” approach, discovering what people want and need. For a culture that treats God and the Bible as irrelevant, this approach may be the only way to break through barriers. But we must have our motives clearly understood. If our desire is to please people, our packaging of the Gospel may take priority over the content. If our purpose is evangelism, then reaching people through felt needs can be legitimate. We must not forget that our allegiance to our Lord Jesus Christ comes first. We must never water down His authority in the life of a believer in order to bring him or her into a fellowship church.

The human hearts are subject to turmoil, but our Lord Jesus Christ enters our hearts to save us, and a calm fall over all our agitation like oil falls on water. Our Lord Jesus Christ and turmoil cannot coexist for long within any human heart. Where our Lord Jesus Christ is, there is peace (Colossians 3:15). Peace is ours when we have accepted a higher will. When we focus on the will of God in our lives, we find peace, and we find that we can spread that peace to others.

Our Lord Jesus Christ Appointed Paul (Saul of Tarsus)

In Acts 26:9-18 NLT says, “9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities. 12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.’ 15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’”

Paul named himself as one who theoretically believed in the resurrection of the dead as a solidly educated Pharisee but who vigorously opposed the movement that believed in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He not only refused to believe that our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth had been resurrected. He also thought he should do everything he could to oppose the movement.

With the authorization of the leading priests, Paul had captured believers in Jerusalem and sent them to prison. He even went so far as to cast his vote against Christians when they were condemned to death. Much of Paul’s work was done through the synagogues, where Paul found most of the Christians in the early days of the movement. This would remind Agrippa that the Christian movement had Jewish roots. In the synagogues Paul would have believers whipped in order to try to force them to curse our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was so passionate, so violently opposed to those who knew our Lord Jesus Christ, that he hounded them in distant cities of foreign lands. He took his campaign of terror on the road, headed to Damascus.

About noon, Paul saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, blazing around him and his traveling companions. The presence of this bright light from heaven is mentioned in all three accounts – in Acts Chapter 9 (the actual event), in Chapter 22, and here – Chapter 26. The voice from heaven is also central to all three accounts. The revealed word of the risen of our Lord Jesus Christ to the apostle Paul is the centerpiece of the story. In Aramaic, Paul had been addressed and asked, “Why are you persecuting me?” Notice, as has been the case in every account, our Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that Paul had not been persecuting heretics but, rather, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

One important addition to our Lord Jesus Christ’s words here is not included in either Chapter 9 or 22. Paul added that our Lord Jesus Christ had said, “It is hard for you to fight against my will.” Paul’s passion and his conviction were commendable, but he was not headed in the direction that God wanted him to go.

Upon Paul’s inquiry as to the identity of the speaker, the voice answered: “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.” The information to follow is also unique to this particular recounting of the Damascus road experience. From his prostrate position, Paul was commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He was to be our Lord Jesus Christ’s servant (1 Corinthians 4:1) and our Lord Jesus Christ’s witness (the ongoing theme of Acts predicted in Christ’s words in Acts1:8). Paul would tell the world about not only this experience at Damascus but also about the other times that our Lord Jesus Christ would appear to him. Paul was to be the recipient of a great deal of God’s “light” to both Jews and Gentiles.

When our Lord Jesus Christ said, “I will protect you,” inherent in this statement was the promise of danger from which Paul would need protection. The two sources of the danger would be his own people (the Jews) and the Gentiles, in whose court he stood. our Lord Jesus Christ’s words of commission to Paul sound like the work predicted of the Messiah in places like Isaiah 35:5; 42:7, 16; 61:1. Paul was to turn many people from darkness to light, which he did (see 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:18; 5:8; Colossians 1:12-13). Paul was to be God’s instrument of turning Gentiles from the power of Satan to God, inviting them to receive forgiveness for their sins, which he did (Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). Paul was also to offer Gentiles a place among God’s people (Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:12). Paul took every opportunity to remind his audience that the Gentiles had an equal share in God’s inheritance. This inheritance is the promise and blessing of the covenant that God made with Abraham (Ephesians 2:19; 1 Peter 1:3-4). Amen!

From the beginning of our new life in our Lord Jesus Christ, we must have realized that we had finally discovered a way of worship that focused on truth, for truth resides in the person of Jesus Christ, the fountain of all truth. We began to worship in truth, and the result of that worship was a sweet peace that centered on our Lord Jesus Christ. There can be no doubt that Christianity is a religion of relationships. We worship truth insofar as that truth adheres to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ and to His teaching. We were born again because we became related to our Lord Jesus Christ. We sing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” not “What a Friend We Have in Doctrine.” We do not go to church to exalt the six rules of peace, the eight principles of grace, or even the Ten Commandments or meeting our friends and others. We are concerned with dogma only because our Lord Jesus Christ has called us to God’s truth, to righteous living and to clear thinking. But our worship is reserved for God and God alone. When that attitude of worship is in place, we live and walk in an atmosphere of peace. Amen!

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom (fruit of the Holy Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these PEACE Series of Podcast, we learned the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• To have a truce with God to end our alienation from Him
• To know that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace
• To know and understand that in His presence we can have the evidence of confidence
•  Learn to understand and accept the higher will of God
• Learn to spend time alone with the companionship of Christ
• To know and understand the reign of the Holy Spirit

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The following are:

First is about our > Observation: What do these passages or Scriptures say to you?

Second is about our own > Interpretation: What do these passages or Scriptures mean to you?

Third is about how we can apply > Application: How do the meaning of these passages or Scriptures apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer or you have relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and people in your circle of influence, please take a look and/or guide them to one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Let’s give an opportunity for the lost souls to experience on being Born-Again Christian as explained by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 3:13 in the New Testament of the Bible.

It is as simple as A, B, & C > Admit, Believe, & Confess. All Born-Again Christian believers prayed this simple prayer we called “Sinner’s Prayer”

“Father God, I come to in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe and have faith in Jesus Christ who was born of Virgin Mary, died on the Cross for the penalty of my sins, and rose again that I may have the eternal life. I confess and declare Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. Comfort, guide, and help me Holy Spirit to live and grow in my spiritual life according to Your Words, purpose, and perfect will of God, in my Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

If you prayed this, “Sinner’s Prayer” sincerely in your heart, you are Born-Again Christian believer.

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer and/or knows someone (relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, or in your circle of influence), please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Now, let me pray for all of you:

Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

Let’s praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Give all thanks to God for all answered prayers.

Please send your > Praise Reports (answered prayers) and New Prayer Requests via email to: TrinityBlessings@homefellowshipchurches.org. God bless you all and our families!

A Call to Repentance and Be Blessed

In Malachi 3:7-15 AMPC says, “7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to Him.

Instead of destroying our crops (blessings), God would make them come in greater abundance than we had ever imagined possible (Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:19; Zechariah 8:12). The devourer – probably referring to locusts, though the word here is general in meaning (Baldwin). In the Near East, locust swarms are known for their ability to damage huge tracts of agricultural land (see note on Joel 1:4).

A delightsome land – All of the blessings promised to Jacob would come to pass if the people would obey God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Zechariah 8:13). Their land would be a delight to all who saw it (Daniel 8:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:7-12 was the people’s departure from God as reflected by their neglect of tithes and offerings. Two annual tithes were required according to Israelite law – one for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21), and one to be used in worship at the annual feasts in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:22). A tithe was required every three years to provide for the needs of the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). There is debate as to whether this tithe for the poor was in addition to or served as a substitute for the tithe used in worship.

The New Testament pattern for tithing is proportionate giving – a person is to give “in relation to what you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Certainly a tithe should be given proportionate to one’s wealth, but not all proportionate giving is a tithe.

The anticipation of blessing for obedience to God’s command to tithe was based on the Mosaic covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Malachi 3:10; cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Generally, God will meet the needs of His own people (Psalm 34:9-10; Philippians 4:19), but that is not an unconditional guarantee. There certainly were and are exceptions. Yet, where God chooses not to provide physically, He gives sufficient grace to go without (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:14-15 was that the people were guilty of arrogant words against God. They were saying, “There is no prophet who is serving God,” and “God is not concerned about justice.” God responded by showing that He did distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous would be blessed, and the wicked would be judged.