A Persistent Commitment to the Right is FAITHFULNESS

In John 14:6-7 NLT says, “6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

In John 3:16-17 NLT says, “16 “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

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Topic: Fruit of the Holy Spirit & God’s Promises for All Our Every Needs

Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples,

Pastor Elias Aguilar Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches – https://homefellowshipchurches.org

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – FAITHFULNESS #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 in the LOVE Chapter of the book in the Bible – New Testament – 1 Corinthians 13.

Solomon Prayer of Dedication

In 1 Kings 8:41-61 NLT says, “41 “In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands because of your name, 42 for they will hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 43 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They, too, will know that this Temple I have built honors your name.

44 “If your people go out where you send them to fight their enemies, and if they pray to the Lord by turning toward this city you have chosen and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name, 45 then hear their prayers from heaven and uphold their cause.

46 “If they sin against you – and who has never sinned? – you might become angry with them and let their enemies conquer them and take them captive to their land far away or near. 47 But in that land of exile, they might turn to you in repentance and pray, ‘We have sinned, done evil, and acted wickedly.’ 48 If they turn to you with their whole heart and soul in the land of their enemies and pray toward the land you gave to their ancestors – toward this city you have chosen, and toward this Temple I have built to honor your name – 49 then hear their prayers and their petition from heaven where you live, and uphold their cause. 50 Forgive your people who have sinned against you. Forgive all the offenses they have committed against you. Make their captors merciful to them, 51 for they are your people – your special possession – whom you brought out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt.

52 “May your eyes be open to my requests and to the requests of your people Israel. May you hear and answer them whenever they cry out to you. 53 For when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt, O Sovereign Lord, you told your servant Moses that you had set Israel apart from all the nations of the earth to be your own special possession.”

54 When Solomon finished making these prayers and petitions to the Lord, he stood up in front of the altar of the Lord, where he had been kneeling with his hands raised toward heaven. 55 He stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire congregation of Israel:

56 “Praise the Lord who has given rest to His people Israel, just as He promised. Not one word has failed of all the wonderful promises He gave through His servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us as He was with our ancestors; may He never leave us or abandon us. 58 May He give us the desire to do His will in everything and to obey all the commands, decrees, and regulations that He gave our ancestors. 59 And may these words that I have prayed in the presence of the Lord be before Him constantly, day and night, so that the Lord our God may give justice to me and to His people Israel, according to each day’s needs. 60 Then people all over the earth will know that the Lord alone is God and there is no other. 61 And may you be completely faithful to the Lord our God. May you always obey His decrees and commands, just as you are doing today.”

God chose Israel to be a blessing to the whole world (Genesis 12:1-3). This blessing found its fulfillment in our Lord Jesus Christ – a descendant of Abraham and David (Galatians 3:8-9) – who became the Messiah for all people, Jews and non-Jews. When the Israelites first entered the Promised Land, they were ordered to clear out several wicked nations; thus, we read in the Old Testament of many wars. But we should not conclude that war was Israel’s first duty. After subduing the evil people, Israel was to become a light to the surrounding nations. Sadly, Israel’s own sin and spiritual blindness prevented them from reaching out to the rest of the world with God’s love. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to do what the nation of Israel failed to do.

Solomon, who seemed to have prophetic insight into the future captivities of his people (2 Kings 17; 25), asked God to be merciful to them when they cried out to Him, to forgive them, and to return them to their homeland. Reference to their return is made in Ezra 1; 2; Nehemiah 1; 2.

Solomon’s thanksgiving for God’s past faithfulness includes these celebration points:

God has given rest to His people. War is over. Peace has come. God never fell short in a single one of His promises. God kept His word to His people. God was with Israel’s ancestors from Abraham to the present moment.

Solomon’s thanksgiving gives us a reason to believe God will also be faithful in the future. Here are the five invocations of the king:

• He prays that God will turn the hearts of the relatively new nation toward Himself.
• He prays that God will enable Israel to keep all God’s commandments and live in purity.
• He invokes God’s promise for the future.
• He petitions God to be as faithful in His future providence as He has been in the past.
• Solomon’s fifth and final entreaty is that God will use Israel’s future faithfulness to prove to the entire world that Israel’s God is the only True God.

These blessing and invocations of Solomon remind us of God’s faithfulness and encourage our own. Amen!

The Sins of Judah

In Jeremiah 5:1-3 NLT says, “1 “Run up and down every street in Jerusalem,” says the Lord. “Look high and low; search throughout the city! If you can find even one just and honest person, I will not destroy the city. 2 But even when they are under oath,
saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ they are still telling lies!” 3 Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them,
but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone;
they have refused to repent.”

Jerusalem was the capital city and center of worship for Judah. God was willing to spare the city if only one person who was just and honest could be found (He made a similar statement about Sodom; see Genesis 18:32).

Think how significant our testimonies may be in our city or community. We may represent the only witness for God to many people. Are you faithful to that opportunity?

Nothing but truth is acceptable to God. When we pray, sing, speak, or serve, nothing closes the door of God’s acceptance more than hypocrisy, lying, or pretense. God sees through us and refuses to listen. To be close to God, be honest with Him. Amen!

But how did Jeremiah live in this corrupt city? First, he was faithful to God. Second, he had a stubborn commitment to what was right.

Jeremiah’s test of national morality is accomplished by his jogging through the capital and giving polygraph tests to all the people. The nation fails. Honesty is not found in the city. Personal interests and ambitious career goals have wiped out all social compassion.

We who have served our Lord Jesus Christ during the closing years of the twentieth century have witnessed the demise of personal character in many of our political figures. Three of the last six American presidents have faced impeachment trials (one is coming soon).

The sludge artists of election engineering have forced candidates to resign before and during public elections. Other lawmakers have been forced by public scandal to resign before their terms of office were completed.

It is not surprising that Jeremiah’s jog through Jerusalem found no men or women of character.

The question that matters most to us is: “What would the prophet discover if he were to jog through our own cities with a polygraph machine?”

During a recent political scandal, lawmakers rated perjury – but not immorality – as an impeachable offense. In the search for national morality, the character of many other lawmakers was called into question as well. Integrity seemed in short supply.

We can understand Jeremiah’s quest for an honest person, for we, too, live in dishonest times. But Jeremiah stayed true to God and committed to doing right. We can look to our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, for our own encouragement. We can be faithful to God’s purposes for us even when others are doing evil. Amen!

Jesus Christ Heals a Man Born Blind

In John 9:24-34 NLT says, “24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25 “I don’t know whether He is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26 “But what did He do?” they asked. “How did He heal you?” 27 “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples, too?” 28 Then they cursed him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.” 30 “Why, that’s very strange!” the man replied. “He healed my eyes, and yet you don’t know where He comes from? 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will. 32 Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, He couldn’t have done it.” 34 “You were born a total sinner!” they answered. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.”

In John chapter 9, we see four different reactions to our Lord Jesus Christ. The neighbors revealed surprise and skepticism; the Pharisees showed disbelief and prejudice; the parents believed but kept quiet for fear of excommunication; and the healed man showed consistent, growing faith.

Not content with their cross-examination of the healed man, the Pharisees called him in a second time with a command, “Give glory to God by telling the truth.” The Pharisees tried to make the man confess his wrong in proclaiming our Lord Jesus Christ as a prophet and to make him agree with them that our Lord Jesus Christ was a sinner.

But the healed man would not give in; he would not say whether or not our Lord Jesus Christ was a sinner. What he would say was what he had experienced: “I know this: I was blind, and now I can see. “

The Pharisees relentlessly asked who did the healing and how it happened. Perhaps they hoped the man would contradict his earlier story so they could accuse him. The religious leaders were making such extensive inquiry about our Lord Jesus Christ’s identity that it would appear they wanted to follow Him – when actually they had no intention of becoming His disciples.

The religious leaders were unable to throttle the healed beggar’s willingness to testify for our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the more the Pharisees questioned this man who had received his sight, the stronger and clearer he became about our Lord Jesus Christ. At first, the man recognized his healer as “the man they call Jesus” (John 9:11); then he knew our Lord Jesus Christ was “a prophet” (John 9:17); then he saw our Lord Jesus Christ as one who was “from God” and had performed a miracle never done before (John 9:32-33). Finally, when confronted by our Lord Jesus Christ, he believed that our Lord Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” (the Messiah), worthy of worship (John 9:35-38).

While the Pharisees questioned and cursed the man, they persistently defended their adherence to Moses (they were confident that God had spoken to Moses). But our Lord Jesus Christ had already told them that if they really knew Moses and understood his writings, they would know the Messiah, for Moses wrote of Him (John 5:45-47). But as for our Lord Jesus Christ, they said they didn’t know anything about Him. It is ironic that the Pharisees claimed not to know where our Lord Jesus Christ was from, for that was one item they believed would be true about the Messiah: “No one will know where he comes from” (John 7:27). They refused to accept our Lord Jesus Christ’s words or believe that the signs He did validated His claims. They chose to reject Him.

This reasoning (and probably their insults, too) astonished the healed man, so he tried to explain to them that the act of giving him sight proved that our Lord Jesus Christ was a man whom God listened to: “God doesn’t listen to sinners, but He is ready to hear those who worship Him and do His will.” There are many Scriptures that support this man’s statement (see, for example, Job 27:8-9; 35:12-13; Proverbs 15:29; Isaiah 1:15). As a boy, this healed man certainly had been taught the Scriptures, and he pointed out this fact to these supposedly “learned” Pharisees. God does not listen to the requests of sinners, only to the requests of those devoted to Him.

Our Lord Jesus Christ had done the unprecedented, but not the unpredicted. In their fury, the Pharisees were blind to the Old Testament descriptions that specifically speak of the Messiah as being able to open the eyes of someone born blind (see Isaiah 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). Indeed, many thought the healing of the blind would be the messianic miracle par excellence because there was never any record of such a healing in the Old Testament. Obviously, our Lord Jesus Christ had healed him, so our Lord Jesus Christ must be from God. He is our Lord and our God. Amen!

The healed man’s condemnation of the Pharisees’ irrational rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ proved too much for them to take, so they threw him out of the synagogue.

Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed

In Nehemiah 5:1-11 NLT says, “1 About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. 2 They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.” 3 Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.” 4 And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. 5 We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”

6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. 7 After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. 8 At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. 9 Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? 10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. 11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”

Who were these bitterly resented Jews? They were either (1) Jews who had become wealthy in exile and brought this wealth with them to Jerusalem, or (2) descendants of Jews who had arrived almost a century earlier during the first return under Zerubbabel (Ezra 1–2) and had established lucrative businesses.

Many of the returned exiles were suffering at the hands of some of their rich countrymen. These people would lend large sums of money; then, when the debtors missed a payment, they would take over their fields. Left with no means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice of this time. Nehemiah was angry with these Jews, who were taking advantage of their own people in order to enrich themselves. These practices violated the law set forth in Exodus 22:25.

God’s concern for the poor is revealed in almost every book of the Bible. Here, Nehemiah insisted that fairness to the poor and oppressed was central to following God. The books of Moses clearly spelled out the Israelites’ responsibility to care for the poor (Exodus 22:22-27; Leviticus 25:35-37; Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 15:7-11). The way we help those in need ought to mirror God’s love and concern. Amen!

Surely, those of us who love God recognize our special obligation to honor those who love God. How do we serve others?

We can apply the principle to our own day: The church/fellowship that reaches out is always under obligation to care for those it has.

How do the redeemed treat the redeemed? Faithfulness includes a commitment to right behavior toward all our brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Daniel in the Lion’s Den

In Daniel 6:8-22 NLT says “8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law. 10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. 11 Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. 12 So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except to you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 13 Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” 14 Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. 15 In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” 16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. 19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” 21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in His sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

In Babylon, the king’s word was the law. In the Medo- Persian Empire, however, when a law was made, even the king couldn’t change it. Darius was an effective government administrator, but he had a fatal flaw – pride. By appealing to his vanity, the men talked Darius into signing a law effectively making himself a god for 30 days. This law could not be broken – not even by an important official like Daniel. Another example of the irrevocable nature of the laws of the Medes and Persians appears in Esther 8:8.

Daniel stood alone. Although he knew about the law against praying to anyone except the king, he continued to pray three times a day as he always had. Daniel had a disciplined prayer life. Our prayers are usually interrupted, not by threats, but simply by the pressure of our schedules. Don’t let threats or pressures cut into your prayer time. Pray regularly, no matter what, for prayer is our lifeline to God. Amen!

Daniel made no attempt to hide his daily prayer routine from his enemies in government, even though he knew he would be disobeying the new law. Hiding his daily prayers would have been futile because surely the conspirators would have caught him at something else during the month. Also, hiding would have demonstrated that he was afraid of the other government officials. Daniel continued to pray because he could not look to the king for the guidance and strength that he needed during this difficult time. Only God could provide what he really needed. We, too, that only God could provide what we really needed.

While most martyrs pray to be delivered, many pray more fervently that they will be found faithful. Daniel faced his own martyrdom by remaining faithful to his worship of God, no matter what the cost. God can deliver us from every trial – yet He doesn’t always do so. As he faced an unfair decree that required him to cease worshipping God, Daniel must have realized that he was among the few fortunate Jews who had survived the rigors of the Babylonian siege and the horrors of Persian exile and imprisonment.

The horror of the living conditions had brought about epidemics of diseases. Typhus, in those days, claimed as many lives as the siege. Why, then, would Daniel believe that God was more inclined to rescue him than the thousands who had paid in blood before Nebuchadnezzar had burned and leveled the city?

The truth is, he didn’t know. God would be able to deliver him from the lions’ den if that were His will. In fact, God is so powerful that He could crush Daniel’s enemies like flies on a tile wall. But even if God did not save Daniel – as He had not done for the thousands before Daniel – one thing was certain: Daniel was determined to worship the true God, even in the midst of a pagan culture. Daniel might have to die, but he didn’t have to be unfaithful. God would be God, celebrated by Daniel’s life or by Daniel’s death. So, fill the lions’ den, starve the lions, and throw commitment to the beasts. There will be no compromise. It is as easy for the committed to worship in the company of beasts, as it is to worship in the temple. Amen!

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 FAITHFULLNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• To receive God’s blessings
• Get a habit of spiritual dependency
• To have a persistent commitment to the right
• No compromise
• The Road That Ends in Victory
• High Art of Persistence

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 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 by appointment.

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 Message to be Blessed:

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.