Saturday, 4 October 2025

Return to me: Bring what you have


 

Today, we begin with Malachi 3:6-12 with an explicit intent to read deeply these words, not to find some hidden command or promise but to find all that was going wrong with God and his people, the nation of Israel.

“I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. 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?”

“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. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.

If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

“Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

(Mal 3:6-12)

These scriptures are often so much misused by the church; particularly our contemporary Western Christian church where we have, at times, watered down Jesus and recreated God into our image. Often these scriptures have been misused as a promise towards a prosperity gospel – invest in me and I will ensure that all is returned to you and more. Give me five dollars and I will ensure you get fifty in return.

It is a complete misreading to focus on yourself and the blessing that you think God might have for your wallet in these scriptures, a complete misreading. God is not an investment bank, nor is he a savings scheme or the super shares with a hundred percent guarantee on the stock exchange.

So, this week, as we read into and pick up the key themes of Malachi 3:6-12, I am not going to focus on the actual practice of tithing. I will talk into it, but I will talk into tithing within the context first and foremost of a covenant relationship.

God, church is a covenant partner. And if you have heard a key message over the last few weeks, when Israel, when we, enter a covenant relationship, it is a two-way relationship. Both parties must give, both parties have obligations. Both parties need to demonstrate loyalty and faithfulness. This is something Israel was struggling to do in any way. This is something that we fail to do when we don’t see our relationship with Christ as a covenant relationship.

If we want to see what a covenant relationship looks like in human fullness – then it is a marriage. A marriage is a two-way relationship in which each partner is faithful, loyal and committed to each other. And it is in the context of a marriage that we are going to reflect on tithing and what it really means.

It is pretty common practice that when two people commit to each other in marriage, one of the first actions is the establishment of a joint bank account. In fact, banks look favourably upon joint bank accounts, and you are most likely to get a mortgage if your mortgage is part of a joint bank account. To banks, a joint account shows a commitment from both partners to honouring any debt and fulfilling the obligations of a mortgage.

In a marriage, two incomes become one. And if it is a one income marriage, that one income becomes the income of the couple. Some of us in this church know the reality of this, as if you happen to lose your job and you are in a committed relationship, with you partner still in employment, you are not eligible for income support such as the unemployment benefit.

A marriage, in the time of Ancient Israel, or now in Aotearoa New Zealand, is a committed relationship. It comes with financial legal obligations – all property and income is shared full stop. And separation often comes at the costs of both parties, as it is expected that assets and savings are split equally.

So, want does this mean when it comes to tithing, what does this mean when it comes to Malachi. And what does this mean today, when the church is literally the Bride of Christ.

In Malachi, God and Israel, are in very real marital argument. The letter starts, with God stating up front. I have been the only committed partner in this relationship. I have loved you, but you have despised me. God then goes on to point out how Israel has been the partner in the relationship that has been unfaithful and disloyal.

Imagine this, in a marriage, asking your partner to go and buy takeaways. They come home; they have bought themselves a burger but have bin-dived for you and have bought you in return a half-eaten mouldy subway sandwich. God points out through Malachi in Chapter 2, that this is the sort of sacrifice Israel now gives to God, the best of the best is kept for themselves, and the throwaways are presented to their Covenant partner.

I don’t know about you, but if Eric persistently bought me food recycled from rubbish bins while eating his freshly cooked steak sandwich, I would feel cheated.

But the cheating was much deeper, the cheating of Israel extended to the bed. The marriage of Israel to its God, was being violated in the bed. And it was real violation, as I pointed out two weeks ago – Israel was in violation to its God, in marrying into relationships that involved other Gods; Israel was in violation to its own community in violation with each other and, Israel was in actual violation with their own partners. Men were actively being disloyal to their wives.

We learnt last week that Israel had totally turned from God; they had turned from the justice of God; to a complete misjustice in how they treated each other. This is how that stood in their marriage, where God called Israel to return to their Covenant relationship. Return to me, and we start there this week. Not at the tithe but at the relationship. Return to Me. Return to me.

You see the relationship had broken right down between the two Covenant partners. God was still there, he was faithful, he was loyal and his arms were open – Return to Me. Israel had fallen over physically and spiritually; the hope of the return was so, so hard.

But also they were blind – remember the argument approach, God states up front where Israel is, and Israel argues back, then God comes in with the punch-line.

Return to Me

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?”

Then comes the punch-line. “You have cheated me.”

In the most simple act, you have cheated me. Here we are in a Covenant relationship – a one-income relationship and you can’t even give me a small tithe of that income. Just as the adulterous husband cheats his wife from her income, you are doing that to me – you have your own private bank account off-shore in some foreign tax haven. You have cheated me.

You see, this is not a passage of instruction for a tithe. It is a passage that reminds us deeply, that when we enter into a covenant relationship, even the covenant of the cross, we enter into a relationship with Jesus that equates to a marriage. In our relationship with Jesus everything we own belongs to him, everything we earn belongs to him – everything.

Return to Me.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?”

You have cheated Me.

I have always been taught that where you primarily invest your money, is where your heart is. If you primarily invest your money into banks and bonds, then your heart is deeply caught within the bounds of money itself; if you primarily invest your money into boats, cars, trains, shoes, earrings, then their your heart is to. But the opposite can be true as well, where you choose not to invest your money into, is something that means little in your heart.

Investing just a tithe in the time of Ancient Israel was an investment into the temple and into the ministries and functions that came from the temple. If Israel invested just a portion, just a tithe, just ten percent of their money, then the temple could function well and serve in all the ministries God had called the priests to perform.

But what I love about Malachi 3:6-12, is God tells Israel how to simply return to Him. Bring all of the tithe back into the storehouse.

I find that just simple – it is not a deep spiritual return. It is one Covenant partner saying to the other – show me your commitment, return all of the money that belongs to this family into this house.

It is so special, because if you believe you have slipped away in your covenant relationship, the return is as simple as – return what is owned to this house to this house. This response is not a deeply religious one, it is not ritualistic, it is physical active response of one Covenant partner recommitting to the other.

Return to Me.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?”

You have cheated Me.

Return all the is owned to My Temple, to My Temple.

And the return of the tithe, the physical return of the tithe, even in the time of Israel has a physical impact. God is not saying return the tithe to me – but return the tithe owning to me in your storehouses to the temple – he is saying contribute to my temple. When a tithe is returned to the temple, it becomes planted into the ministry of God and, as such, the impact of the tithe being returned to the temple, is a community impact.

Return to Me.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?”

You have cheated Me.

Return all the is owned to My Temple, to My Temple.

Then you as a Nation will be blessed and all Nations will call you blessed.

This last bit, verse 12, is profound as it reminds us of the whakapapa of Covenant.

“Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

In Malachi 2, verses 10, Malachi referred to the Covenant of Israel’s ancestors. It is often quite easy to just think this is referring to one Covenant, but it is referring to many. And once we get to Verse 12, we realise deeply that Malachi was referring to the Covenants found within the whakapapa of Israel. One of these being the Covenant with Abraham.

It is in Genesis 15 that we learn of the Covenant with Abraham – a Covenant of blessing – all Nations would be blessed. Now get this, Malachi references back to a Covenant of Nations and blessings with a return of the tithe. Genesis 15 comes after Genesis 14. The Covenant of Abraham comes straight after Abraham gives freely a tithe to the priest Melchizedek.

Most preachers will correctly say that tithing came before the laying of the foundations of Biblical law with Moses; it started with Abraham and a promise of blessings which would pour into all nations.

Jesus too would refer to giving and expectations in the context of the widow:

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

(Luk 21:1-4)

We would also learn that, in the church of Acts, buying into the Covenant relationship of the cross came with the physical action of giving:

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

(Act 2:42-47)

 

Return to Me.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?”

You have cheated Me.

Return all the is owned to My Temple, to My Temple.

Then you as a Church will be blessed and all people will call you blessed.

Now I want to give you some practical application. And I am going to ask you up front, are you in a Covenant relationship with Christ? If you aren’t now is the change to get right with God and come to the Cross and find this God that brings so much healing, blessing and compassion. A God that also judges but as you heard today – he is a God that is quick to say – Return to me.

But if you are in a covenant relationship with Christ, how is it showing in your possessions? Do you have a deep understanding that a Covenant is like a marriage, all you possess belongs to God. And if you are in a Covenant relationship with God, how is your giving into his Kingdom, let’s be frank, into this church, your own family of believers. Because if you are not giving, you are cheating, not us, but God.

I know this is hard. But it is true – you are in a covenant relationship – a two-way relationship. It is a relationship that involves you giving into his Church – your Church. As you return to God, return to God physically in marriage and allow your income to become his income.

Just as the tithe would do in the Bible, and giving does here today, giving pays for ministries, for our Pastor, for this building and all the bills that come with it. It doesn’t shock me that the Temple in the Bible fell into disrepair so many times – without giving, a building cannot stand on its own and a ministry cannot be sustainable.

You can give the two small coins of the widow; or we call could be radical and give all that we have; the word tithe itself just means ten percent. It’s like a small tax, but it is investment into your relationship, into your community and into your family.

Church, this is not a sermon on donuts, but even donuts require money to be made, this is a sermon on the amount though and it is a call for action. Return to God, return to the covenant relationships established from Abraham and settled at the cross. Restore the tithe to God’s house – you are the bridge of Christ – return the tithe to this storehouse, to your family.

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