KINDNESS IS ANGER WASHED BY GRACE

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Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches

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The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – KINDNESS #3

“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.

Be Ye Angry, and Sin Not

In Ephesians 4:26-27 NLT says, “26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”

Another characteristic of the old nature that has to be put off is bad temper, or a lifestyle characterized by anger. The words, don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you, are quoted from Psalm 4:4. The Bible doesn’t tell us that we shouldn’t feel angry, but it points out that it is important to handle our anger properly. We must not indulge our angry feelings or let them lead to pride, hatred, or self-righteousness. Our Lord Jesus Christ became angry at the merchants in the Temple, but this was righteous anger and did not lead Him to sin. B

orn-Again Christian believers must follow our Lord Jesus Christ’s example. We ought to reserve our anger for when we see God dishonored or people wronged. If we get angry, we must do so without sinning. To do this, we should deal with our anger before the sun goes down. According to Deuteronomy, sunset was the time by which wrongs against God and against others should be made right (Deuteronomy 24:13, 15). Anger that is allowed to smolder and burn over time can eventually burst into flame and give a mighty foothold to the Devil, causing people to sin as they become bitter and resentful. It is so much better to deal with the situation immediately; perhaps the previous admonition to lovingly speak the truth can solve the problem.

Kindness is the hallmark of God’s control of our lives. People who have submitted themselves to God’s control exhibit this grace. What is the evidence of kindness in life? Kind people are interruptible. They can stop what they are doing and care for others. Our Lord Jesus Christ biography appears sometimes a haphazard or all over the place hodgepodge, mixture, or assortment of good deeds. Why is this so when He came to establish the kingdom of God? Because our Lord Jesus Christ’s compassion allowed Him to be interrupted by the needs of others, His great heart of kindness could not pass by anyone’s call for help. So, He establishes the kingdom, but never by being unkind to the needy that thronged about Him throughout His ministry.

The world is looking for kindness. When people see our lives of openness and accessibility, then God opens a door for us to minister to them. In fact, kindness paves the way for our service. Kindness brings God close to those who need Him. Amen!

Even when we prepare our hearts in advance like we discussed before in our Bible Studies, there will be times when we reach the end of the day and we just can’t shake how hurt we are.

In the past, this is when I would turn to and, unfortunately, misuse Ephesians 4:26-27. It was so convenient to pull that passage out when someone wanted to go to bed and I still wanted to talk about whatever was causing a conflict.

“Oh no, you can’t call timeout right now. We have to keep talking because the Bible clearly says, ‘do not let the sun go down on your anger.'”

But I noticed recently the first three (3) words say, “in your anger.” So, it isn’t about resolving al relational issues before 9:00 pm. It’s talking about our anger, not our frustration.

It’s like the writer of Ephesians, Paul, is saying, “You’ve got to deal with this anger. Don’t lay in your bed and let it consume your mind. If it does, it will come out of your mouth and reveal who or what is mastering you.”

When I looked for the very first time “anger” is mentioned in the Bible, I found myself in Genesis 4:2-8 where we encounter the first relational conflict in Scripture in the story of Cain and Abel.

I’ve known the story of these two brothers for years, but I missed a really important detail. In between Cain getting angry about God not accepting his offering and killing his brother, the Lord came and talked with him. The Lord Himself, said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7)

And suddenly, it’s not so much a story about Cain and Abel; God is speaking to me. He’s showing me that what I let consume my mind, makes it way out through my mouth, revealing the real source of what’s driving my decisions.

Here’s where we see this in the story of Cain and Abel:

• Mind: Cain refused to humble himself and allowed this anger to fester inside him.
• Mouth: Cain was not willing to let forgiveness spill from his lips.
• What ruled him: The sin that was crouching at his door deeply ruled over him, so much that he killed his brother. He gave his feelings the right to dictate his actions, even after God came and talked with him.

What a powerful reminder to not let anger and frustration run rampart through our thoughts. It’s not worthy to lose our energy through anger and/or bad temper. We need energy and good health.

It’s hard when the hurt is so fresh or the frustration is so ongoing. But isn’t God so gracious that He gives us these verses in Ephesians and ties this lesson to something we get to see every night? As the sun is going down, we can remember it’s time to pause and let God tend to any strong or potentially damaging reactions to hurts that could consume us.

You all can pray after me, “Father God, we need Your forgiveness to flow to us and through us right now so Your Holy Spirit can work in us and sweep our heart clean.” This doesn’t make light of or deny our hurt; it puts it in the hands of God so He can help us better process it. Amen!

We may response in these ways by answering these questions:

• While most people would never go as far as Cain did, what could be some of the devastating outcomes of refusing to allow God to address our feelings of anger and unforgiveness?
• What are some healthy ways we can process the strong emotions that get stirred up when we’re hurt?

I suggest and recommend to look for the answers in the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand His Words. Amen!

Our Lord Jesus Christ Was Betrayed and Arrested

In John 18:10-11 NLT says, “10 Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”

Peter had promised to die for our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:33-35), and he wasn’t going to let our Lord Jesus Christ be taken without a fight. Peter’s sword was probably a dagger. Luke mentions that the disciples had two swords among them (Luke 22:38). Peter slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Luke added that our Lord Jesus Christ then healed the servant’s ear (Luke 22:50-51).

Our Lord Jesus Christ was determined to do His Father’s will. (This is the only mention of the cup of suffering in John’s Gospel. See Mark 14:36.) In the Old Testament, the “cup” often referred to the outpouring of God’s wrath (see Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15; Ezekiel 23:31-34). For our Lord Jesus Christ, the cup meant the suffering, isolation, and death that He would have to endure in order to atone for the sins of the world. Peter may have shown great loyalty, but he missed the point. All that was happening was part of God’s plan. Immediately after the same reference to the cup of suffering, both Matthew and Mark mention that all the disciples deserted our Lord Jesus Christ and fled (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).

Peter became a mad hacker, chopping ears in a foolish attempt to defend his Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ told him to put up his sword. Ear-chopping was a pitiful and small response in light of all our Lord Jesus Christ had come to achieve by establishing His kingdom.

Peter’s motive in defense of his Lord may have seemed commendable in his own mind. But because his motives were likely anger and the desire for revenge, our Lord Jesus Christ rebuked him and reminded him of the true nature of power and submission.

When it came to military style, Peter made a good fisherman. One might wonder why Peter immediately launched into a swashbuckling, boasting foray or swaggering assault when not once in three years had our Lord Jesus Christ given His disciples any training in the art of warfare. Our Lord Jesus Christ had, after all, called Peter to fish for men (see Matthew 4:19), not to hack up kingdom opponents. Had poor Malchus not lost an ear, the whole maneuver would have been humorous. Peter should have aimed his sword at something more visceral, intuitive, instinctive, or gut if he wanted to prove himself a soldier.

This ear-hacking cannot be considered by Malchus to have been kind. It’s generally hard to like anyone who hacks off your ear and almost never possible to think of them as kind. But the worst aspect of this sin is that our Lord Jesus Christ did not command Peter to do a little swashbuckling to prove his commitment. That was apparently Peter’s idea.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, according to another account, healed Malchus’ severed ear (see Luke 22:51), but the incident cannot have made Peter and Malchus best friends. It is hard to evangelize the earless, especially if we have made them so. Kindness leaves the ears intact. One wonders whether, far across the years, Peter didn’t stop and laugh at his brash or impatient act of aggression. It must have been for him a reminder that, when one acts without Jesus Christ’s command, he usually succeeds only in some foolish or regrettable conduct.

The Healing of Naaman

In 2 Kings 5:1; 8-15 NLT says, “1 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.”

8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So, you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed! 15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria – unnamed, as is the king of Israel in 2 Kings 5:6, 7. This prevents accurate dating of the story. One view is that the king of Syria was Ben-hadad II and the king of Israel, Jehoram (Patterson). It is also argued that it could reflect the time of Ben-hadad I when there was a period of peace between the two nations (Hobbs). Naaman was the commander-in-chief of his army, highly esteemed for his military competence and success, which is attributed to God, reflecting a more universal view of God (Jones). But he was a leper – There is no suggestion here that Naaman’s disease was regarded as a punishment for moral wrongdoing. It was, however, considered an “unclean” disease by the Israelites, and Leviticus devotes many verses to the way it should be diagnosed and the steps that should be taken to regain ritual purity.

It is now known that the biblical use of the word “leprosy” was very loose and is often applied to infections now identified as psoriasis, ringworm, and leucodermia (vitiligo). It was also applied to mold and mildew in houses and clothing. Very few of the biblical instances of so-called “leprosy” are of the chronic true-leprosy type, now called Hansen’s Disease after the man who in 1871 discovered the organism causing it. The Hebrew word so often translated “leprosy” means only an eruptive skin disease. (See note on Leviticus 13:2.) In the cases of Naaman and Gehazi, there is nothing to suggest that their type was contagious, for neither was removed from society and kept isolated (Gray).

Naaman receives the prescription for his healing and at first rejects it. The prophet’s command for him to dip himself in the Jordan was not to his liking. He wanted to be free of his leprosy – but by some form of healing, that would both cure him and allow him to retain his dignity.

One would think a leper would have so little dignity that any requirement for healing would be acceptable. But this particular leper, eroded and disfigured, rails at the requirements of God. This story presents a puzzling contradiction: To be cured in any way would seem to be an act of grace, yet Naaman’s ego refuses to yield, still in the way of God’s cleansing. The metaphor fits all of us. Which of us, drowning in our sin and much in need of, will not live to the very last making demands rather than yielding to God?

Finally, because lepers have very few options, Naaman obeys. At that point, his stormy anger is made calm by his obedience. He is washed by grace. And once he is clean, he becomes kind. “Please accept this gift from me,” he begs the prophet. His hostility has completely dissipated.

There is a domesticating force in the heart of grace. Once we obey God, our wild ego struggles are given peace. We find our anger has been given a new tolerant heart. Then we can – like Naaman – fulfill God’s desire for our lives and minister to those we once considered enemies. Amen!

Lepers Visited the Enemy Camp

In 2 Kings 7:3-11 NLT says, “3 Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. 4 “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So, we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.” 5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7 So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives. 8 When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. 9 Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.” 10 So they went back to the city and told the gatekeepers what had happened. “We went out to the Aramean camp,” they said, “and no one was there! The horses and donkeys were tethered and the tents were all in order, but there wasn’t a single person around!” 11 Then the gatekeepers shouted the news to the people in the palace
Israel Plunders the Camp?”

There were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate – These lepers had freedom of movement (cf. 2 Kings 7:4, 5, 10), indicating that they, like Naaman (see 2 Kings 5:1), had a noncontagious skin disorder (Jones). For information on the various types of leprosy, see Leviticus 13–14. The lepers felt they had nothing to lose by going to the Syrian camp in search of food. When they arrived there, to their amazement they found the camp abandoned.

For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots – At face value, it appears that the Syrians heard the sound of chariots and thought that they were about to be attacked by the Hittites and Egyptians. It has been suggested that the Syrians heard a rumor to the effect that enemy troops were campaigning in their home front (Gray).

They went into one tent – The pillaging of an enemy’s camp after his defeat, for whatever loot one could get his hands on, was standard operating procedure. Here there is so much loot, and they are so few, that their consciences begin to bother them. They rightly see the wrong of their gorging themselves with food while the residents of Samaria were starving. This principle is true for the Christian; whether we apply it to physical or spiritual riches, we ought to share with those in need.

So, they came and called unto the porter of the city – “gatekeepers” (RSV, NASB, NIV), Sentries at the city gate, were informed about the condition of the Aramaean camp.

The lepers described in this passage undoubtedly wanted a life without leprosy – they wanted to be free of every threat to their existence. Their disease probably affected their entire outlook on life and most likely consumed their consciousness. Therefore, it is remarkable that these lepers would be diseased and yet concerned about a world that had forced upon them an unclean, outcast status. Yet grace makes its requirements even on lepers.

The most beautiful people are not necessarily those who serve God after they are healed, but those who serve God from the center of their afflictions. These are the glorious lepers of grace. Amen!

The Song of the Exiles

In Psalm 137: 1-9 NLT says, “11 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.
2 We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. 3 For our captors demanded a song from us.
Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” 4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. 6 May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy. 7 O Lord, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. “Destroy it!” they yelled.
“Level it to the ground!” 8 O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!”

A national lament, an imprecatory psalm
The “rivers of Babylon” were the irrigation canals that channeled water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (cf. Jeremiah 51:13; Ezekiel 1:1). The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother (Psalm 137:7; cf. Genesis 36:8). Instead of showing kindness to their Israelite kinsmen, they called for Jerusalem’s destruction. Some link Edom’s crimes against Jerusalem with the judgment pronounced against them in Obadiah 1:11-14. The law of retaliation (Leviticus 24:17-21) is applied in Psalm 137:8-9. Such crimes had been perpetrated against Israelite children (cf. 2 Kings 8:12; Hosea 10:14), and the Babylonians were guilty of them (cf. Jeremiah 51:24 with Isaiah 13:16). This shocking imprecation is ultimately grounded on God’s promise in Genesis 12:3.

Psalm 137 is a poem written by someone whose heart has been stirred by racial abuse. The people of Israel have been conquered and captured by the Babylonians, and the writer of this psalm cries out to God for justice.            

But anger unextinguished by grace burns in the hearts of those who harbor grudges or hatred toward others. In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us a perspective on our attitude toward our enemies. In Matthew 18:21-22, Our Lord instructs Peter to forgive his enemies. How our unkind hearts are freed from prejudice when we quit making those, we perceive as God’s enemies our own enemies!

Now, let’s talk about “Prayer and “Salvation”.

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 the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the first of the list > 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 KINDNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• Learned and knew the world way of thinking
• Learned always to be kind in time of need
• Learned To get angry without sinning by grace
• Learn to approach by grace
• Learn how to apply always the golden rule

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and the 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 you 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. Please 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. However, you are a spiritual baby who needs to grow up. (See 1 Peter 2:2). You need to find a church or fellowship to grow spiritually. We are glad to establish or bring the fellowship to your own home if it is safer.

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.