Drew Boswell

a place for us to share ideas, talk about life, and learn together.

Building a Chair With Don Weber

Most educational endeavors typically follow a predictable course. First the student assumes they know a considerable amount about a subject because they have read books or have some experience around a subject. They say, “sure I can cook a soufflé’ because I ate one, one time, at a restaurant when I was twenty.” Then they actually begin the process of attempting to do something they thought they could do, only to realize they have no idea what they are doing. Then after continued effort and mistakes they reach the point of complete frustration and they quit — having realized the huge volume of things they need to know, yet do not know. Then the student keeps trying and makes some forward movement but the product is crude, primitive, clunky, and skewed. Finally, the student completes the task – not so much proud of the finished product, but that they have learned the steps and knowledge of how it is supposed to be done.

The end product (in my case a chair) is a monument of someone attempting something difficult, having learned some new skills, and having brought something new into the world (it could any creative thing from a painting, a cake, or leather shoes, etc.). The student then returns to the first step of the process to do it again, and then again, and then again until eventually they do indeed know how to do something with excellence. For the craftsman this process takes decades.

The beginning of wisdom is knowing that you really don’t know a whole lot.

This was my journey with chair making with Don Weber.[1] Don, speaking with a Welch brogue would call himself a Bodger, “Bodger is a British term describing someone who does a rough job of things. They used to turn these legs and sell them by the gross to the factories.” The method that we used to make the chairs could be done with the simplest of tools, in the most primitive of environments. He gave a gentle correction when I dug a sanding black out of a shop drawer. He said, “sandpaper turns to mush in the woods.” Don’s background and experience drives the student to make every part as if you were in the forest of the Amazon, or the mountains of Appalachia. The Welch Bodger has actually traveled into the Amazon Forest to teach the inhabitants to blacksmith the tools needed to make items from the wood of the forest to be sold so that they can stop deforesting and instead sell those items to make a living.[2]

So I took a five day class with Don Weber and two other fellow students to learn how to build a welch stick chair. Here are some “take aways.”

  1. In the course of five days of building I made several (big) mistakes that changed the look of the chair – I am not going to tell you what these mistakes were, but these mistakes made the chair very much my own In the creative process, mistakes are ok. They are how you learn to fix what you messed up. No one will know if you don’t point them out. Observers will think that was your intent the entire time.
  2. Learning involves big risks. Part of the chair building process is that you have to drill into the seat base to receive the spindles. Carving out the seat takes hours, and if you drill at the wrong angle or in the wrong spot it could ruin the bottom. Or at least, put you in a position of learning how to creatively hide drilled holes. Just saying that for a friend. But in those risks its ok to mess up. You are going to try to do it the right way, but if you mess up, its’ not the end of the world. Its’ just time and wood.
  3. I really enjoyed getting to know Don and the other two gentlemen in my class. One of the other students even has a business where he makes other stuff (other than welch chairs).[3] I was definitely the goat (lowest ranked) of the class. Part of the joy of making things is learning from other people and how they make things – and the friendship that is shared between creatives.
  4. At the end of the day, once the project is complete you have brought some creative thing into the world and it is yours. You made that. Now you can sell it, give it away, or sit on it and drink some coffee. But don’t sit too long there are still many more skills that you need to learn.

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[1] https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/don-weber-the-bodger-of-paint-lick-kentucky/

[2] Knowledge allows you to carry less. Click here See another article I wrote on a similar topic.

[3] https://kyhandcrafted.com/

“The Power of Service in the Lives of Others” Philippians 2:19-30

“How We Grow”

A Sermon Series on Spiritual Disciplines

“The Power of Service in the Lives of Others”

Philippians 2:19-30

 Introduction

For many years Monterey, a California coast town, was a pelican’s paradise. As the fishermen cleaned their fish, they flung the offal to the pelicans. The birds grew fat, lazy, and contented. Eventually, however the offal was utilized, and there were no longer snacks for the pelicans. When the change came the pelicans made no effort to fish for themselves. They waited around and grew gaunt and thin. Many starved to death. They had forgotten how to fish for themselves. The problem was solved by importing new pelicans from the south, birds accustomed to foraging for themselves. They were placed among their starving cousins, and the newcomers immediately started catching fish. Before long, the hungry pelicans followed suit, and the famine was ended.[1]

In the book of Philippians Paul is laying out an argument for a Christian’s conduct, so that his life is “worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27). An example of a person’s life can be a very powerful thing. “Paul himself has provided an example to the Philippians of what it means both to stand firm amid persecution for Christ’s sake (1:12-14, 30) and to submit difficult relational problems among believers to the more important issue of the gospel’s advancement (1:15-18a).”[2]

This morning we will look at two examples that help us to understand how we can be a life changing example for others through our service to Christ, and can look to others who are faithful to encourage us in our walk with the Lord.

 Prayer

The Example of Timothy (vv. 19-24)

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

(v. 19) “I hope in the Lord Jesus to”[3] – Paul hopes to do something but everything he does, is “in the Lord” or under God’s direction and control. We have seen several times, in Acts 16 and in the opening verses of Philippians, that Paul has a plan, but then has to change his plan as the Lord leads. In today’s passage he plans to send Timothy back to them. He plans to be released from prison, but he doesn’t know for sure.

He planned to plant churches in one area, but God in a vision, told him to go to Macedonia, completely ignoring the areas he planned to go to. Paul had a strategy of going to Jewish synagogues and showing how Jesus fulfilled prophecy, but when he got to Philippi there were not even 10 Jewish men, much less a synagogue; so his plans had to change.

James 4:13-16 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance.” With Paul we see a principle that we can apply to our lives;

 Plan and be active in the Lord’s work,

but as the Spirit leads, be willing to change your plans.

Paul has people with him that are helping him in the ministry of defending the gospel, and serving together while he is in prison, and he first highlights Timothy. Paul describes Timothy as “no one else is like him,” Timothy is truly concerned about the Philippian church, he was a person who seeks the interest of Jesus Christ, and he has proven himself to be a co-worker in the kingdom.

Earlier in this chapter, Paul is saying that there are people in the Philippian church that are looking after their own self-interests, that they are selfishly causing division in the church, “Timothy will be an antidote to this spiritual toxemia infecting the Philippians. In his concern for them, they will see a man who seeks not his own interests but those of Jesus Christ. In effect, Paul writes, ‘When I send Timothy to you, you will see in his selfless concern for you the very attitude that you should all extend to each other.”[4]

So Paul is going to send Timothy to the Philippian church, but the language allows us to see that he is not going many miles “on a multi-week journey simply to ask, ‘so, how are you?’ Rather Timothy will ascertain the spiritual state of the church vis-à-vis a hostile culture and in terms of their internal unity (1:27-30).”[5] Paul is concerned about the issues the church is facing, and Timothy is just as interested (or concerned). Paul’s love is expressed for the church in that these issues (disunity, splintering, selfish ambition, conceit, etc.) need to be addressed.

Love is being willing to deal with the unpleasant hard stuff. When I say, “deal” I mean talking with a person who is sinning, and in love point them to Scripture – it is not love to accept sin in a person’s life.

(v. 22) “how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel,” – “It is not that Timothy serves Paul, as ancient fathers would expect to be served by respectful sons; rather, Timothy serves with Paul in the gospel.”[6] The word for served here, refers to the service of slaves (1:1 “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus”).

In recruiting people to do the work that needs to be done in the church, I have heard it said many times, “Can you come and do this for me?” Or “I’m going to help out so-and-so do this task of that task.” The danger of this way of saying something is that the person is going to do this to serve the person. We all serve the Lord with each other – side-by-side. If a leader asks you to do something, they are asking you to come along side them to serve the Lord. We have leadership, like Paul was Timothy’s leader, but Timothy and Paul served together, with each other (just on different roles).

By Paul describing Timothy as a son, serving with him, “assures the Philippians that Timothy would have the same concern as Paul for their welfare: he will show genuine concern for their welfare.”[7] They share the same heart and concern for the gospel and for the church’s health. Why does Paul emphasize this?

 He has already mentioned earlier, that 1:15 “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry,” that they “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me (Paul) in my imprisonment.” Timothy is not like these leaders, he has the same heart as Paul in wanting them to be unified in advancing the gospel (and to solve this, is to root out sin).

The Example of Epaphroditus (vv. 25-30)

25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Paul wanted to wait until he heard the decision from the emperor (either his death or his release from his “chains”) until he sent Timothy back to Philippi. However, he wanted to send Epaphroditus back immediately. As soon as the ink dried on the letter – he would be sending him back.

Paul refers to Epaphroditus as “my brother and fellow worker (yokefellow) and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need.” In discussing him with the church the emphasis is on their relationship, Paul says that Epaphroditus is my brother, etc. There is a closeness that comes from being a fellow brother, worker, soldier, messenger, and minister in Paul’s ministry of expanding the gospel. As Christians serve together, each seeking to do their best for Jesus, there are relationships that grow and develop.

He had delivered the church’s contribution toward Paul’s expenses while he was in prison, and stayed to help Paul in other ways. In that service he became deathly ill, and the church had heard about it and were concerned. Paul doesn’t want the church to think that Epaphroditus was working against Paul, no he was like a brother he didn’t slack in the work, no he was a fellow worker; he did not cower in sickness, no he was a fellow soldier – he was faithul in delivering what was sent, he was their messenger and ministered to Paul on their behalf.

Epaphroditus was sent by the church to help Paul (he was representing those who could not go and help), however he was returning sooner than expected. Paul wanted the church to know that he was returning in good standing, he did what he was supposed to do – he almost died twice.

There are different ways to interpret Paul explaining what happened while he was with Paul, but I believe that best explanation is that Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippian church to take the money of support to him, to stay and help with the gospel – but instead of helping, he was deathly ill (twice), and Epaphroditus was concerned that the church would be disappointed in his service to Paul. So, Paul is explaining the seriousness of Epaphroditus’ condition.

Why would God allow Epaphroditus to be sent to help Paul, only to have battle two life-threatening rounds of sickness, and then to be sent back sooner than expected?

https://trotters41.com/2013/09/28/sometimes-missionaries-get-sick/

https://www.alifeoverseas.com/how-does-physical-health-impact-a-missionarys-decision-to-leave-the-field/

(v. 27) “But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” The theme of joy runs throughout the story of the Philippian church. Remember how Paul and Silas were singing hymns and praying after they had been beaten and thrown into prison. Paul expresses the joy that the church has brought to him – but here there is mention of the reality of ministry – Those that allow themselves to feel deeply for others, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ do experience sorrow in the work. So Paul is saying that for him to lose Epaphroditus to death/illness would have been “sorrow upon sorrow.”

It would have been a wave of sorrow (these other preachers that Paul describes as “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry,” and how they “proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment) the near death of a dear friend, his imprisonment, what ever that first wave was, to then have it followed by another wave of sorrow would have been overwhelming for Paul.

The challenge of just living life, especially being a Christian and living life is you don’t know where people are in these storms. Have they been hit by a wave of sorrow, that you just didn’t see? Are they recovering from a wave of sorrow that has been life changing for them even from years ago? Are they about to enter a storm where they will be hit wave upon wave? God has called us to stand by eachother, to love one another in these storms.

When I was younger my family went to Mexico Beach, Florida every summer for vacation where we would spends many hours at the beach. My dad would take a folding chair and book and to cool off would wade into the water. But because I was little I couldn’t go as far as he could – so I would swim out into the deeper water, and I would put my arms around his neck and I was completely safe – even though the giant waves would sweep over us, no matter how big the waves that came, one after the next. Sometimes in life we need someone to hold on to when the big waves come.

Sometime we Christians will say to someone experiencing a wave of sorrow, ‘“You need to claim the peace of God to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. You need to learn to be content even in the time of death.’ But Paul’s admission of sorrow is not a confession of sin. The emotion of sorrow is a God-given, Christ-like emotion, especially in the face of death, ‘the last enemy to be destroyed’” (1 Cor. 15:26).”[8] Often times we need a person just to be there during the storm.

God has given us the church to be there when those waves of life come.

 Paul mentions Timothy and Epaphroditus as fellow servants who are there with him, and have faithfully served beside him to advance the gospel. “In the NT, approximately one hundred people are named as associates with the apostle. If we narrow the list to those mentioned in his letters with some form of ministry designation or a particular role, we have a group of about thirty-six, who are referred to with nine different designations; coworker, servant, brothers, etc.”[9] Paul always had people with him in the ministry, and they were sent from a particular church. Living for Christ and doing the work of the church is a group activity.

When I graduated from highschool I took some money that I was given for graduation and bought scuba lessons. I went through the process of taking the classes, we practiced in the pool and for the final test we went to Panama City, Florida, went out in a boat and went diving off of a jetty. You are told constantly “stay with your dive buddy,” well I was swimming along and turned around and my buddy was gone, and about that time I was swept up in a strong current.

It’s like trying to walk in a hurricane – no matter how hard you swim you are being swept backwards. Head over heals (or flipper) – disoriented and freaking out. Eventually, I just relaxed and let the current carry me, and I made my way to the surface to see if I could see the boat and the other divers. When I got to the surface, I was way away from everyone. But if I had continued to fight the current I would gotten tired, ran out of air, and bad things could have happened.

Paul had to be willing to let go of his strategies, ministry plans, and to be led by the Holy Spirit. Timothy had to be willing to let go of control and go or stay with Paul. Epaphroditus was willing to give his life for the sake of the gospel but Paul wants to send him home (he has to let go of the pride of staying and return) – he was a faithful servant, who probably wanted to stay until the end, but his health would not allow it. All of these examples had to be willing to let go of their plans and to be guided by the Holy Spirit. It is our nature to fight the current, but God has put us in a church family so that we can support and be there for each other.

It is service to Christ in the local church that helps us to grow in our faith and accomplish the mission that God has set before us.

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[1] http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/e/example.htm

[2] Frank Thielman, The NIV Application Commentary, Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan, 1995) 151.

[4] Dennis E. Johnson, Reformed Expository Commentary, Philippians (Phillipsburg, New Jersey; P&R Publishing, 2013) 175.

[5] George H. Guthrie, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 2023) 205.

[6] Johnson, 178.

[7] G. Walter Hansen, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, The Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009) 194.

[8] Hansen, 206.

[9] Guthrie, 208.

“The Heart of Giving” Malachi 3:1-12

How We Grow

Sermon Series on Spiritual Disciplines

“The Heart of Giving”

Malachi 3:1-12

Introduction

Discuss 4 G’s (Gather, Grow, Give & Go)

One Sunday morning because the mother was sick she sent her son on to the country church without her.  The said now “You go straight to church.”  Before the small boy left his mother gave him two quarters.  She said “One quarter is for you to get some ice cream on the way home and one quarter is for God.”

So putting the quarters in his pocket, he left for church.  On the way he stopped momentarily at a bridge on leaned over the side to see the water.  When he did this one of the quarters fell out of his pocket and fell into the river below.  He jumped down and checked for the other quarter.  Having found it he said “which I sure am glad I didn’t lose my quarter for ice cream!”

Often times we have the same attitude toward giving as the little boy.  When we have gotten what we wanted we have nothing left to give.  God is warning the Israelites through the prophet Malachi that they should prepare because a king was coming who would judge them on how they worshiped God, specifically on how they worshiped Him with their giving.  This morning I want you to understand that this is not a message on tithing, but a message on how we are to worship and show loyalty to our Lord.

In terms of the number of verses on a topic, the subject of money and wealth is the second most dominant theme in the Bible, second only to idolatry. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2000 verses on money and possessions.  Jesus talked more on money than heaven and hell combined.

Why?  Because we hold money very close to our hearts.  God knows that money is the chief rival for our heart’s affection.  Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”

This is an Old Testament passage, aren’t we under grace now? First tithing was done before Moses and the Law.  In Genesis 4:1-8 Cain and Abel tithe off of their first fruits. In Genesis 14:20 Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of God. This was before the Law was given.

Secondly, in the New Testament Christ had the perfect opportunity to do away with the tithe when talking with the Pharisees.  Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Jesus encourages us to continue to tithe, but with the right heart.

Prayer

 Our Hearts as it Relates to Worship (vv. 1-5) 

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.”

(v. 1) “my messenger” is a reference to John the Baptist.  Jesus 400 years later referring to John the Baptist says in Matthew 11:10 “For this reason is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

“prepare the way” It was custom of the Near Eastern kings to send messengers before them to remove obstacles to their visit.  He would go through the towns and the people would fill in any holes In the road, clean up, etc…

God is giving the people a warning, to get their lives right, to repent and turn from their evil ways before the king comes in judgment.  He had sent messengers like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  God had sent many messengers, but now the king was coming Himself.

“suddenly” does not mean immediately, but instantaneously and unannounced.  When all things have been prepared Jesus will return to rule (Matt. 24:40-42).

We are now in between the messenger of the covenant, and His second coming in judgment. We are in a state of grace. It is a day for repentance (or turning from our sin) and salvation.

“whom you desire” is likely sarcastic. They are saying that they are seeking him but in reality this is shown to be false because of their actions. According to the prophet, the people were guilty of many serious sins.  The priests were offering blemished animals in a formal but insincere religious ritualism.  They were going through the motions.

Many were divorcing their wives to marry unbelieving women. Most had been disobeying God’s laws by withholding tithes of their harvest. And they were accusing God of loving them only halfheartedly and of being unjust in his dealings with them – because he had had not prospered them adequately.

In essence they were saying “God look at all this we are doing for you, what have you done for us lately?  We believe that we should have much more material possessions for as much as we serve you.”  (Do you see the irony?  They were doing nothing that pleased Him.)

(v. 3) “a refiners fire” and “a launderer’s soup” — fire is a reference to burning off dross of silver or impurities and launderer’s soup is a reference to alkali that whitens fabrics. When a silver smith would work silver he would heat up the metal to a boiling point where the impurities would rise to the surface.  He would then skim off the impurities.  He would do this until all the impurities were gone and he could see a perfect reflection of himself in the silver.

If God is not pleased with our worship of Him he will heat up our lives to remove the impurities until he can see His Son in us. A launderer would use the harsh and abrasive alkali to whiten cloth.  When we go to heaven we will wear white because we have been cleansed by Jesus’ death on the cross.

It is only when those who present the offering have been cleansed that the offering would be acceptable. This is also a reference to the motive behind the offerings. Simply presenting the offering to God is not enough. It must be done with a clean heart, a pure motive, and obedience to God.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

The Pharisees would bring their tithe of everything down to the spices in their cabinets, but their motives were so that people would see them and say “wow aren’t they religious!” They did it for the glory it gave them from others.

“swiftly” Jesus second coming will happen suddenly in “the twinkling of an eye.”  His judgment will be quick as well. He will testify against “I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, . . . and do not fear me” In other words those that do not respect or fear the Lord.

Malachi is saying that Jesus will return and He will sit in judgment of those who do not fear the Lord.  The Israelites did not fear God because they gave with wrong motives, they gave their second best, and they were unconcerned about their sin. While the Lord is a God of wrath he is also a God of mercy, longsuffering and grace. The Lord’s response to the people’s rebellion and sin was to say that he does not change.

 Our Hearts as it Relates to Money (vv. 6-12)  

6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts”.

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed Genesis 15:9 ff. God made a promise to Abraham and to his descendants that they would be His people. It is because of this promise that no matter what Abraham’s family did God would still keep his promise. It was because of this promise they had not been destroyed because of their sin long ago.

In theology this doctrine is called immutability. It means that, being perfect, God cannot and does not change.  God cannot get any better nor can he get any worse, either would mean that he was not God to begin with. It is therefore we who change.  It was because of this character of God that the people were not destroyed.

They thought that God was not being faithful to them, even tough it was them who had changed, showing disrespect and sin toward God. There is a pattern all throughout the Old Testament. God will bless the nation, and they love God.  Over time they grow complacent and forget God and that it is He who had given them all that they had.

They then become involved in any number of sins and after warnings from various prophets they are judged by God. The people would then repent and turn back to God who would then forgive them and bless them, and they would follow His ways again.

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” The people have always had the option of returning to Him through repentance and renewed obedience. God’s people asked what have they done that they needed to return from.  Did they not know what they were doing wrong? They ask “How are we to return, we haven’t done anything wrong?”  “You are the one who has been unfaithful.”

God says that they were robbing Him “In tithes and offerings.”

Well, let’s see if we can tell the difference between giving and sacrifice. What is a tithe? An offering? The meaning of the word ‘tithe’ is 10%.  God says that we are to bring the whole 10% of their income into the storehouse.  The storehouse was a section of the temple where the agrarian Israel would give their grain, animals, etc… It therefore is a reference to the Church.  Tithes are to go to the local church.  Offerings are what we give above and beyond the tithe.

The reason for the tithe is so that “there may be food in my house.”  Ministries within the Church are dependant upon the faithful giving of each member.  God has not designed any other way for fund raising than the tithe and offerings. The financial stability of the church is dependent upon the member’s hearts being right with the Lord.

God promises that if we will tithe, we will be blessed. How are we blessed?  (v. 11) “I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.”

(1) protection from destruction – plagues have throughout the Bible been a way that God would judge Israel.  Lev. 26:24, 25; Deut. 28:21; Egypt 12:29, 30.  When we choose to be disobedient we step out of God’s protective circle.  But if we are obedient we remain within God’s protective graces.

A curse therefore may be that our possessions or what we depend on for our income may be destroyed.  He would do this to strip us of what we idolize so that all that would be left is God – because He is faithful to discipline us as his children.  Discipline hurts.

(2) productivity in labor —  “fields will not cast their fruit.” Our work will yield a harvest.  When we are obedient to God our efforts will be multiplied because God is directing it instead of us.

A curse therefore would be that no matter how hard we toil we can never seem to get ahead.  We sink deeper and deeper in debt.  We become anxious and worried because we are depending on ourselves instead of trusting in God to provide.

(3) popularity – when we are obedient to God will bless us because it is His desire that His name be lifted up.  We can say when I added up all that I owe (to God and the world) and the money that I am taking in I would not have enough.  God provided the money that I needed to do both.  The blessing is that we will be able to be a witness of what God as done with our lives. There will also be joy in your household because of your relationship with the Lord.

 A curse therefore would be that we have robbed ourselves of the blessing that comes from giving.  We have no testimony of how God has done the impossible with our finances and lives.  People will not call us blessed but instead will know that we have done it our way and in our own strength.

Still not convinced about this whole tithing thing?  This is the only place in the Bible where man can test God.  “Test me in this.”

Another reason God requires a whole tithe is that tithing ultimately is a test to determine if we trust God.  It reveals the reality of whom we love more God or money.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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