The Changeless God: Malachi 3:6-15 (Sermon)
WELCOME/STRETCH
Thank you, Worship Team. All right, here is an exercise. Let’s all stretch. Everyone, grab a pencil or pen if you have one, and reach for the sky. Good work. Hold your bulletin with your other hand if you have one or a journal, but not your neighbor’s. Now, write down one issue you have. It is private. Don’t worry. I won’t collect them. Do that right now. You can even say your problem is that you don’t like group exercises where the leader directs you to stretch your arms to the sky and grab a pencil or pen and something to write on. We will use that answer later. What is one concern, problem, difficulty, or trial you have in life? Are you done? Do you have it? Okay, let’s go.
TEXT
We are continuing our series on the prophets in the Old Testament. This is our sixth sermon on Malachi. The book’s point is: The LORD’s covenant love preserves those who fear him. God was talking to the spiritual leaders of his people, but the message relates to us all. [PAUSE] Let’s look at today’s passage. [PAUSE] Turn to Malachi, Chapter 3, verses 6 through 15. I am going to have J.B. read for us. Would you please stand with me in honor of God’s Word?
For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 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?” Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 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. 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. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, “How have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.” (Malachi 3:6–15, ESV)
PRAYER
Thank you, let’s pray. Heavenly Father, help us to understand your Word. Guide and teach us about you and ourselves for your glory; in Jesus’s name, we pray, amen. You may be seated.
CONTEXT
Let’s go over the context. Malachi was written 2,400 years ago in the land of Israel. Israel spent seventy years in exile. Invaders destroyed the capital, walls, and temple. They captured and enslaved God’s children, removing them from the land. Time passed, and God’s people returned to rebuild. Israel had become the size of a postage stamp compared to the good old days of King David and his son. Edom, their southern enemy, prospered while they suffered. Persia, the oppressive superpower and protector, protected their interests, not Israel’s. Israel had no
King (1:8),
Great land,
Fantastic commodities,
Or international fame.
All of which God had promised their forefathers. They likely felt cursed, forgotten, and not loved. God spoke a word of affection, and he told them why. His love was a result of mercy, not their merit. But they didn’t get it. They were reaping what they sowed. They experienced a curse and would continue to be cursed if they didn’t change their empty worship and laissez-faire stance on God’s instructions. God called them to love him with everything in them and their neighbors as themselves. They didn’t. They were experiencing God’s tough love.
STRUCTURE
For those taking notes, here is a formal structure of the verses we will look at this morning:
3:6 Though God doesn’t change,
3:7a-12 He responds to change,
3:13-15 And confronts complaints.
These points summarize what is going on in the verses. Though God doesn’t change, he responds to change and confronts complaints. God called his people to return to him and bring the right offering. But they contended that obedience was pointless. Our verses spotlight God’s character, his offer, and some people’s failure.
GOD DOESN’T CHANGE
Let’s dive in to learn more. Look at verse 6.
“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6, ESV).
This verse tells us two things. First, God is immutable. That is a theological term for what Malachi 3:6 says. It means his character is stable:
God is not immortal one day and mortal the next.
He is not all-powerful one day and vulnerable the next.
He is not honorable one day and diabolical the next.
He is changeless. Psalm 102, verses 25 through 27, states,
Of old you [God] laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
but you are the same, and your years have no end. (Psalm 102:25–27, ESV)
Consequently, God made a connection between his unchangeable nature and the preservation of his people.
JACOB IS NOT CONSUMED
Look back at verse 6. Here is the second thing we can learn:
“For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed” (Malachi 3:6, ESV).
What does it mean that the “children of Jacob are not consumed?” Jacob was the ancestor of Israel. God renamed Jacob Israel. Malachi begins talking about Jacob. And this little verse meant that God wasn’t planning on destroying them like the pellets of my pellet stove. He was preserving his people. Why? Why would he do that? He preserved them because he loved them. Why? Why did he love them? It wasn’t because of their resume. He loved them before they accomplished anything. He loved them, even knowing they would stray. It was because of his mercy, not their merit. They deserved his fury and retribution. They didn’t deserve affection and protection. This verse stands out as a neon marquee promoting God’s nature. He is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger.
VERSE 7
Let’s keep reading. Verse 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” (Malachi 3:7, ESV).
God’s unchanging nature didn’t mean he didn’t respond to people. Verse 7 acknowledges Jacob’s wayward past and God’s willingness to bless them if they return.
TRACK
I ran track in high school. And around the inner part of the course, there was an inner circle. You couldn’t cross it. If you did
For your advantage,
To interfere with another runner,
Or, deliberately, the judges would disqualify you.
Even though the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, if a person went off course purposely to cut a corner, the race wouldn’t count. It will be over for that person. Israel did just that, but in verse 7, God gave them a second chance. He was inviting them to return to him. And if they did, he would come near (in a good way). How would that work? Isn’t God omnipresent everywhere? There was a way that he stood on their side when they aligned themselves with him. James 4:8 states, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” How we treat God impacts how we experience God.
REACTION
How did they react to this invitation? Look back at verse 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?’” (Malachi 3:7, ESV).
Was that an honest question? Did they care what God would say? Would they return if he answered their question? No. It was a smokescreen, just like the earlier questions and the ones to follow. They were questioning their need to return. They didn’t think they had done anything wrong. In our previous passage, they thought God was wrong. What impudence!
VERSE 8
But our patient God gave them an answer. Look at verse 8. He responded,
“Will man rob God? (Malachi 3:8a, ESV).
God answered with a question. What did he mean? Will a person rob God? Do you think a person could rob God? God is everywhere and has everything. God goes on to explain his question.
“Yet you are robbing me” (Malachi 3:8b, ESV).
His people robbed him. How? They asked another question, 8c.
“But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’” (Malachi 3:8c, ESV).
This question again smacks of insolence and disrespect if we add up their questions. God responded again with clarity:
“In your tithes and contributions” (Malachi 3:8d, ESV).
They had stolen from God through their tithes and offerings. Weren’t tithes the same thing as contributions? Yes and no. Tithes were contributions, but not all contributions were tithes. Some offerings God named guilt offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings, and sin offerings. A tithe meant ten percent. God’s people were supposed to give God ten percent of their wealth and then more. Where did those resources go? A portion cared for the priests, whom God prohibited from owning land, and they worked in ministry. Some of the wealth went to care for the worship facilities. Some of the offerings were merely for worship. That was costly. Sometimes, we give out of our abundance without feeling it or thinking about it. I picture some of the offerings as a bit hard to watch. The people sometimes offered up silver and gold but also gave up their produce and animals. It was like taking a couple of hundred bucks, putting it on an altar, and burning it. That would be hard to sit back and think about. My mind would race through what I could spend that money on. “Wouldn’t the money be better spent doing x, y, and z?” Yet. God gave this command to make sacrifices to symbolize their need to satisfy his anger for their sin. He gave them the command to sacrifice to show their priorities and praise. It was an act of faith, trusting Yahweh to supply what they needed for the next day, month, or year. Offerings were an expression of gratitude. Proverbs commands,
“Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce” (Proverbs 3:9, ESV).
Offerings were ways for people to thank God and acknowledge their dependence on him. The sacrifice before Jesus stood in the gap for what was to come 400 years later. Hebrews tells us,
But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:3–10, ESV)
Jesus became the final sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. And we remember that sacrifice with communion once a month.
VERSE 9
Verse 9 goes on to describe the consequence of this robbery.
“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you” (Malachi 3:9, ESV).
The people were cursed for their disobedience.
VERSES 10 - 12
Let’s go to verses 10 through 12. God was not done. He doubled down on his command to bring the whole tithe.
“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10a, ESV).
What did that indicate about what they were doing? [They were short-changing their offering.] Earlier in Malachi, we read that they brought animals to sacrifice, which were the rejects of their flocks: the blind and lame. They were unsellable, sick, and dying. God was displeased. Yet, he offered an opportunity to change course.
If they did, God’s house, the temple, would be full of food. Imagine what would happen if we did what God wanted all the time. Picture what it would be like if every person stopped saying mean things about others. Envision what would happen if we prayed for the lost every day. Think about the lack of guilt and freedom we would have if we stopped lusting. What would it be like if we were more grateful to everyone for everything? God was casting an extraordinary vision of the fruit of a life of faithfulness to his instruction.
The verse continues to extrapolate the vision:
“That there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:10b, ESV).
What was that testing about? Isn’t testing God a bad thing? I recall that Jesus confronted Satan and said we shouldn’t put God to the test.
TEST TO BLESS
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy, which states, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah” (Deuteronomy 6:16, ESV, italics mine). So, does the Bible contradict itself? No, the context of these “tests” is different. The concept for Malachi here is trust. When we give back to God an offering, we believe that God will make up the difference. That was not the test at Massah. The people of God didn’t have water. I picture the kids complaining, the babies crying, and the parents afraid. They were thirsty. The people implied it was Moses’s fault, and his intention was genocide. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst.” That was not true. They slandered him. They assumed the worst.
Moses asked God for help. And God miraculously provided water from a rock! It was incredible and went down in history as a reminder of God’s provision and his people’s fickle hearts. They tested God’s patience with their slanderous murmuring. Malachi 3:10 through 12 was not a call to join the chorus of whining, mutinous forefathers. Instead, it was a call to trust and revere. If they did, God would bring blessings. Look at 3:10:
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. 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. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:10b–12, ESV)
That means,
The children of Jacob’s enemies and calamities would vanish.
All the nations would call Israel blessed,
And the land would be productive.
God promised to fulfill Genesis 12 and 17. A side note: Did that come true? Not yet. We still haven’t seen the nations call them blessed. It will happen one day but on God’s terms and timing.
WORD OF FAITH
That being said. How does it work? They give a full tithe and find a blessing someday. Proverb 3 states,
Honor the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine. (Proverbs 3:9–10, ESV)
Is the Bible teaching that our refrigerators and pantries will become miraculously full if we give to the church? Was that what God was promising? No. Let’s remember the genre of Proverbs. They are pithy truisms, principles, not promises. Malachi is not a Proverb but a prophecy. However, the prophecy of God is different than creating a perfect NCAA bracket for March Madness. Prophecies are future facts, but God cloaks the order and specific details in metaphor, simile, and poetic drama. Will this physical blessing be literal or metaphorical? I believe both. When will it happen? It might find some fulfillment in part in the immediate, but the rest later.
CAUTION
Some pastors, spiritual leaders, and life coaches will claim that you will have special blessings if you give their organizations money immediately. I read that a few weeks ago, one popular teacher stated,
I believe that when you honor God on Passover starting on April 12th at sundown
through Good Friday on the 18th and concluding on Easter Sunday, you can receive these seven supernatural blessings for you and your ‘house… [Some examples of such a blessing are] God will assign an angel to you. He’ll be an enemy to your enemies. He’ll give you prosperity. He’ll take sickness away from you. He will give you long life. He’ll bring increase in inheritance, and He’ll give a special year of blessing.
This minister, who claimed to be a Christian, went on to offer unique gifts like an “Olive Wood communion set from the Holy Land” for $100. For a gift of $1000 or more, you could get a “10-inch Waterford Crystal cross.” That is not what Malachi, Proverbs, or the Bible teach! If you hear teaching like that, run, run away, fast.
RESPONSE TO FALSE TEACHING
If people in Israel’s day obeyed God, they couldn’t make God give them what they wanted. In generosity, God still could,
Find that cancer takes a loved one.
Lose a job.
Or get sick.
If those things happen or worse, God’s promises remain accurate; he is good, wise, loving, and never changes. Ultimately, in heaven, we will have treasure, crowns, streets of gold, mansions, peace, freedom, singing, dancing, joy, and eternal health. The primary benefit or blessing is being with God forever. He is our Heavenly Father and Jesus, our spiritual brother. This reality of blessing can happen sometime in the future and sometimes in tangible and immediate ways. However, it is not a formulaic proposition between us and God, which we control. God is not a vending machine.
10%
On another note, some read Malachi to mean we must tithe the full amount, 10% or more. Is that what this is teaching? It is good to give financially. My target is 10%, but I don’t think that is a hard and fast rule based on this passage. I think the percentage is between you and God.
LOCAL CHURCH
Does it have to go to the local church? I think it is good to give to the local church. I am biased. Joe, Mike, and I could not do without your faithful giving. This building would not be here or continue to work unless people give to the regular upkeep of the building. It is good to give to missions and the benevolent needs as well. My family does some giving beyond our regular offerings. We have an offering box because most people give online. After today's sermon, we will take a benevolent offering by passing plates. The money will help those who struggle to make payments, are out of work, or have emergency needs. I believe that saying you need to give a whole 10% tithe to your local church because of this passage misses the point. God cares about the heart, and he is speaking to his people, whose particular sin is that they are going through the motions to look religious. However, they resent God and reject what he says. He calls them to return to him and reminds them who he is while showing them a mirror of how they are behaving.
VERSE 13
Let’s keep reading as we wrap up our section. Chapter 3 has another look at the heart of the audience. Verse 13,
Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, “How have we spoken against you?” You have said, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.” (Malachi 3:13–15, ESV)
God’s people rejected God’s offer, and he confronted them again. They have said hard things against him. Do you recall some of those things in Malachi?
They have wearied him (2:17),
They polluted his worship (Malachi 1:7),
And they despised his name (Malachi 1:6).
God patiently explained what specifically they said that grieved him. They said it was vain to serve God, unprofitable to keep his ways, and a waste to be sad in front of him. Not only that, they said that arrogant or ungodly, conceited, wicked people were blessed, prospering, and getting away with murder. They were putting God to the test. (That was putting God to the test in a way that we should not have liked Massah). God was saying that this language was hard to bear, like a parent listening to the illogical arguments of a child. Life was challenging for Israel, and how they dealt with that strayed from God’s design.
ISSUE LIST
We all will have trials and troubles in life. We began our service by writing down an issue. Do we talk to God about it? God invites us into a relationship. That involves sharing with him what is going on in our lives. Do we? Or do we pretend everything is fine when it isn’t? Do we catch ourselves complaining more than praying? Have you taken your issue to God? How we approach our issues in life demonstrates what we view about God. Let’s pause right now and talk to God about our problems quietly in our hearts.
APPLICATION
Here are some more points of application to think about moving forward:
What is your view of God? Does it match what the Bible says?
Do you go to him with your struggles? What would it look like to talk to God about it this week?
Do you trust him? How can you live and give in such a way that expresses your faith? What does it look like to give back financially to God? How do you honor the Lord with your first fruits?
Are there ways in which you don’t trust God? Where are you tempted to put your faith in others or your ability rather than Go?
PRAY
Let’s pray. We will sing as the ushers come forward to take an offering for the benevolence. Heavenly Father, we need you. Please help us to know you more. Open our eyes, ears, and hearts to fathom you. Enlighten us more and more to know you. Life is difficult. We have our troubles and trials. Help us to talk to you about them. You are our help. Help us to fear you and respect you. Help us to revere you and honor you. May we even treat your name with awe and reverence. Teach us what it means to trust you. Help us know how to live generous lives of worship. We want to worship and put our faith in you instead of worshipping and trusting ourselves. Guide us; we pray in Jesus’s name, amen.
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