Israel was a proud nation, but the only reason they continued to exist was because the Lord does not change. The call of "return to me and I will return to you" still applied. And it still applies. The only reason Israel continues to exist is the Lord's promise, and peace will only come when they return to the Lord.
God then makes the "return" specific. There is a general call to all of us to repent, but in each one of us there will be a specific area or areas that epitomises our rebellion and so will epitomise our return. In the time of Malachi it was the failure to offer tithes. The people thought they had to look after themselves and so could not afford to pay the tithes. The same could probably be applied to many in the church today. Nothing could be further from the truth. If only they brought the whole tithe to the Lord then they would find they had everything they needed, and much more. They would also be protected from various pests and disasters. It is the Lord who provides, and our giving is a symbol of our trust in Him.
There are debates today about whether tithing is still applicable. Many of these debates are silly, and behind much of it is the attitude "I don't want to give that much", ie the same attitude of the Israel of Malachi's day. Tithing is no longer a "legal" requirement, but the more Christlike we are the more we will give. Tithing is an excellent place to start and we should increase our giving from there.
At the same time we need to beware a "giving so God will give to us" attitude which is often promoted by those who advocate tithing. This is equally legalistic and equally wrong. We are in a relationship with the Lord. I provide for my children because I love them, not because they give. But because I love them I want them to be generously minded. We need to grasp that giving is part of kingdom living, it is a joy and privilege.
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