Malachi 3:8-12 (NASB)
8 “Would anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and [a]offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the entire nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and put Me to the test now in this,” says the Lord of armies, “if I do not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until [b]it overflows. 11 Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruit of your ground; nor will the vine in the field prove fruitless to you,” says the Lord of armies. 12 “All the nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the Lord of armies.
After God created the 10 plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea, sent manna, etc., the Israelitetess were complaining that Moses led them into the desert to die. Then this happened in Exodus 17:2 ‘Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”’
Psalm 95:8-9
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
“When your fathers tested Me,
They tried Me, though they had seen My work.
Matthew 4:5-7
“If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Jesus is referring to Deut 6:16. Earlier in Deut 6, we see the command to love God with all your heart, soul, and might.)
What did God say when people put Him to the test without being told:
Numbers 14:22-23
Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it.
A time that God said to test Him, but it wasn’t obeyed:
Isaiah 7:10-13
Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
Offering Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that we are not under the Law, but under Grace. I praise and thank You for all that You are and all that You have done for me. I pray that my heart would be open before you, and that You would develop in me a loving and giving heart and a spirit of generosity. Help me never to fall into the same prideful trap into which many in Israel fell, when they refused to obey Your Word and robbed You of Your rightful place in their lives. Lord, I freely acknowledge that all that I am, You have made me, and all that I have, You have given to me. I pray that I may live and work for Your greater praise and glory. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.
Prayer for God’s Affirmation of the Giver
Loving Father, thank you for the privilege of partnering with you and each other in the work of the ministry. We know that you will bless our efforts and contributions for the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of your church. Father, be pleased with our tithes and offerings today. Affirm your love, grace, and provision for each giver in our midst. Thank you for their heart for the ministry. Let them continue to give with cheerfulness and full trust that you will never fail them in their time of need. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.
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