Malachi chapter 3

vs 10

From the sounds of it, people were either tithing insufficiently, or they were bringing the whole tithe, but then taking some back with them, rather than leaving it in the storehouse.

God challenges them to have faith - to offer the whole amount of tithe they are due, and to see if God rewards them with blessing, in accordance with his covenantal promises.

Many modern Christians continue with the idea of the tithe, and swear by it and the blessings etc. I am not a tither - but it's a good start.

vs 11

Now, where else can you buy such guarantees? But is it really a guarantee? Is God really saying "Tithe to me, and you crops won't fail"? I want to say no, because the truth is that people who tithe still have crops that fail. But I also want to say yes, because God is the God of the impossible and the implausible. The question, then, is this - how much can we rely on this promise today? To me, this promise is very much wrapped up in the Mosaic covenant.For those of us who don't live off the land, and don't live an entrepenuerial lifestyle, how will God bless our "crops"? I suppose the answer is, he will bless whatever it is you are doing with your hands with "fruit". That's pretty darn challenging.

vs 12

I believe that the national blessings are well beyond Australia at the moment. But surely there are regions where groups of committed Christians are living, who in their sacrificial living for Christ are seeing blessings that others can realise.

vs 13

Here is the next complaint and questioning. Arrogant speaking against God. Malachi's really going to town.

vs 14-15

I'm not sure why they describe their service to God as mourning, but I can certainly see how Christians could call it that, especially with the sorrowful and mournful way we treat Easter. I can see people asking why they bother going to church at Easter only to be told a mournful story about the differing levels of pain that Jesus suffered, or the anguish of the disciples, when their mates are all back at home sleeping in or preparing a barbie.

Evildoers do prosper. They do seemingly get away with testing God. But only if you have small vision. If you look at the long view, they are going down.

I might just add about the irony here - that God speaks against those who test him, but tells people to put him to the test earlier regarding the tithe.

vs 16

I'm not exactly sure what a scroll of remembrance is. Perhaps they just wrote out a prayer for God, and all signed it, showing that they were still God-fearing and didn't agree with all these other people. A renewal of their covenantal relationship with God.

vs 17

I'm not exactly sure how useful that simile is of a father sparing his son who serves him - to fathers often smite their children who don't serve them? Regardless, you get the picture - God is honouring their faithfulness, even in amongst the faithless arrogant speaking and testing of God.

vs 18

But the righteous remnant are the third person in this conversation. God is addressing the arrogant, letting them know that the gap between the faithful and the wicked will be quite, quite visible when God does act.