"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! Malachi 3:8-10
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ "In tithes and offerings. For you have robbed Me. Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food/meat in My house , and try Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’"
(Malachi 3:8-10)
How many times have you heard this passage used to just before the offering, to give shame or scare people into giving 10% of their income/tithes into the church's offering plate? So that the church could spend the money on a pews, money, items for the pastor, a new parking lot, steeple, missionary fund, new organ, etc., etc.?
The main focus of tithing throughout the Old Testament was food!!!
Food for the Levite, food for the stranger, food for the widow, food for the orphan and God doesn’t change the subject in Malachi. The subject is still
"food in My house." It is very sad that it never occurs to pastors of churches that the early church wasn’t concerned about choir robes, pews, organs, pastor retirement funds, building funds, retreats, new carpets, etc. They didn’t have any of these things nor did they want any of this stuff! Pastors who are so interested in that 10 per cent off the top are usually building their own kingdom which usually requires a lot of money.
For you scholars, let's determine what the underying Hebrew word for "meat" in
Malachi 3:10 is:
meat: Strong's # H 2963 taraph taw-raf'
a primitive root; to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels):--catch, X without doubt, feed, ravin, rend in pieces, X surely, tear (in pieces).
Strong's # H2964 tereph teh'-ref
from 'taraph' (2963); something torn, i.e. a fragment, e.g. a fresh leaf, prey, food :--leaf, meat, prey, spoil.
As you can plainly see "money" is not even suggested here, so why do pastors (who are supposed to be learned/educated in the deeper things of the Word), teach that this text refers to 10% of your monetary income when anyone who is uneducated in the word, with a basic Strong's concordance can prove that that teaching is false? The word "food" in Malachi 3:10 does not mean "money" in the Hebrew language in which this text was written.
How many pastors have shared this truth with their membership, when they read
Malachi 3:10??? Of course they don't since they want to use this text to give their members a guilt trip and force them into tithing from their monetary income, when that was not the original intent of this text at all. Without this text they have no ammunition to use since in the NT there is NO example of Jesus, Peter, Paul or any NT minister asking anyone for a tithe! So they have to go to the OT, and reinterpret it to fit their agenda, which is manipulating the word of God in order to manipulate the people into giving.
What God wants in His house, based on the word "food" is not MONEY for the relief of the Levites and the poor.
The next time a pastor has one of the elders, deacons, traveling financial counselor, or evangelist put the guilt on you about tithing, tell him to explain from the Hebrew what this word "meat" means in Malachi 3:10. Once they acknowledge the truth, that they have been wrong, they must act on it and apologize for their wrongful/false teaching regarding their interpretation of the "tithes" in Malachi 3, they have wrongfully collected.
This is not to say there is no proper place for money in ministries. Of course, there are many financial needs even in Holy Spirit directed works. How this money is raised and how well it is managed and for what purpose is the real issue.
Pastors should be honest with the scriptures, and themselves, study to show themselves "approved unto God".
(Malachi 3:8-10)
How many times have you heard this passage used to just before the offering, to give shame or scare people into giving 10% of their income/tithes into the church's offering plate? So that the church could spend the money on a pews, money, items for the pastor, a new parking lot, steeple, missionary fund, new organ, etc., etc.?
The main focus of tithing throughout the Old Testament was food!!!
Food for the Levite, food for the stranger, food for the widow, food for the orphan and God doesn’t change the subject in Malachi. The subject is still
"food in My house." It is very sad that it never occurs to pastors of churches that the early church wasn’t concerned about choir robes, pews, organs, pastor retirement funds, building funds, retreats, new carpets, etc. They didn’t have any of these things nor did they want any of this stuff! Pastors who are so interested in that 10 per cent off the top are usually building their own kingdom which usually requires a lot of money.
For you scholars, let's determine what the underying Hebrew word for "meat" in
Malachi 3:10 is:
meat: Strong's # H 2963 taraph taw-raf'
a primitive root; to pluck off or pull to pieces; causatively to supply with food (as in morsels):--catch, X without doubt, feed, ravin, rend in pieces, X surely, tear (in pieces).
Strong's # H2964 tereph teh'-ref
from 'taraph' (2963); something torn, i.e. a fragment, e.g. a fresh leaf, prey, food :--leaf, meat, prey, spoil.
As you can plainly see "money" is not even suggested here, so why do pastors (who are supposed to be learned/educated in the deeper things of the Word), teach that this text refers to 10% of your monetary income when anyone who is uneducated in the word, with a basic Strong's concordance can prove that that teaching is false? The word "food" in Malachi 3:10 does not mean "money" in the Hebrew language in which this text was written.
How many pastors have shared this truth with their membership, when they read
Malachi 3:10??? Of course they don't since they want to use this text to give their members a guilt trip and force them into tithing from their monetary income, when that was not the original intent of this text at all. Without this text they have no ammunition to use since in the NT there is NO example of Jesus, Peter, Paul or any NT minister asking anyone for a tithe! So they have to go to the OT, and reinterpret it to fit their agenda, which is manipulating the word of God in order to manipulate the people into giving.
What God wants in His house, based on the word "food" is not MONEY for the relief of the Levites and the poor.
The next time a pastor has one of the elders, deacons, traveling financial counselor, or evangelist put the guilt on you about tithing, tell him to explain from the Hebrew what this word "meat" means in Malachi 3:10. Once they acknowledge the truth, that they have been wrong, they must act on it and apologize for their wrongful/false teaching regarding their interpretation of the "tithes" in Malachi 3, they have wrongfully collected.
This is not to say there is no proper place for money in ministries. Of course, there are many financial needs even in Holy Spirit directed works. How this money is raised and how well it is managed and for what purpose is the real issue.
Pastors should be honest with the scriptures, and themselves, study to show themselves "approved unto God".
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by George Greene on
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Sister Anna,
You are 100% correct!!
Brother Greene -
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