Bring the
full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus
put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts; see if I will not open the windows
of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.
–Malachi 3:10 (NRSV)
Jesus
tells the devil that it’s not proper to put God to the test (he’s quoting
Deuteronomy 6:16). It’s not proper to
put God to the test... unless God tells you to!
This
is a positive kind of testing. God tells
the people—who have been ignoring God and becoming real lax in their tithes and
offerings (a terrible habit that shows up all too regularly among God’s people)—that
they should “test” God to see what God will do.
This is how it works. The people
bring in their tithes and offerings to God’s house, then God will bless their
land and crops...and then there will be more to bring as tithes and
offerings. Sounds like a great positive
feedback loop.
God
of blessing, prod us to be generous...as you are generous.
No comments:
Post a Comment