PART 13
By
Pastor Roger Anghis
March 27, 2011
NewsWithViews.com
Our last verse in the Old Testament is Malachi 3:10-12 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. (12) And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. This verse is giving instruction on laying the foundation for prosperity. Creflo Dollar says that tithing is the covenant connector. This verse reveals this plainly. Verse 10 states that we are to bring the tithes into the storehouse. The literal translations uses the phrase ‘house of stored goods’. The word used for house is bayith and means temple, house.
The word used for ‘stored goods’ is owtsar and means treasure house, storehouse. We have to remember that in these days the church, or synagogue, was the center of government. The poor were taken care of through the church. Legal matters were decided by the rabbi’s. God has established that man is to pay a tithe to Him to establish the covenant connection. As believers we are saved and always have direct access to Him, but God has established the tithe as an act of obedience. Many people do not tithe and they never see any major move of God in their life. The tithe is a way of storing up treasures in heaven. If you don’t put anything in the bank, you don’t have anything to withdraw. If you don’t tithe, you have no foundation for God to begin to return anything to you.
The rest of verse ten gives us the only time in scripture where God says to prove Him. The literal translation uses the word “test”. God dares us to see if He will keep His Word. He states that He will open the windows of heaven and “pour you out a blessing”. The word used for “heaven” has a double meaning. It means the sky where the clouds form meaning that God will supply the necessary rain for abundant crops, but it also means the celestial heavens meaning, God’s storehouse which has no shortages and is abundant in all things that man may need. The word used for “pour” is ruwq (rook) and means to pour out, to empty. The word used for “blessing” is berakah a word that we have seen many times in this study and means prosperity. Webster defines prosperity as advance or gain in anything good or desirable; successful progress in any business or enterprise; success; attainment of the object desired.
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This is material increase and wealth. Then God states “that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” The literal translation states “until there is no sufficiency”. I questioned this interpretation because it almost sounds like a contradiction of all that we have been learning. When I looked it up in the lexicon it states that the meaning of the phrase “until there is no sufficiency” is a reference to God’s supply. “I will pour out a blessing until My abundance can be exhausted or, which can never be, forever.”
Then God states that He will rebuke the devourer. Webster defines rebuke as to chide; to reprove; to reprehend for a fault; to check by reproof, to check or restrain, to chasten; to punish; to afflict for correction, to check; to silence. When we obey Him and take our tithes to His house then He will stand guard over our property, family, possessions and our businesses. Kenneth Copeland says that God stands at our borders and will not allow the devil to cross over. The word for “devourer”is akal and means to waste, to consume. What the devil tries to do is steal what you have worked for. This verse tells us that we do not have to put up with that. God promises that He will not let the devil destroy what we have diligently worked for. Then God states that the nations shall call us blessed. The Hebrew word used for “blessed” here is ashar and it means happy, prosperous. All nations shall acknowledge that God has placed His Hand on those that call on His Name.
So far in this study we have seen what Gods intent for man is. It is for His children to live obediently and then they will be able to live abundantly and without lack. Jeremiah 29:11 states For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. The word “peace” here is shalom and as we have seen throughout this study it means favor, good health, perfect peace, prosperity, rest, safety, welfare, be well, be whole, completeness, soundness. These are Gods thoughts for us. He states that He doesn’t have thoughts of evil. The Hebrew word for “evil” is ra and it means adversity, affliction, bad calamity, distress, exceedingly grievous, harm, wickedness, wretchedness. None of these describes peace and wholeness. God has peace in mind for those that call upon Him and those that call upon Him can expect His protection, His favor, His prosperity and not the calamity that the world experiences.
Our view of prosperity has always been skewed by ‘religious’ teaching that has not defined properly the true Hebrew meaning. Our view must be re-learned according to what was originally intended. Paul commanded us in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” All too often we have simply listened to what the preacher has said without doing our own due diligence.
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God has called us to do great things and many of these great things requires great sums of resources. Worldwide television via satellite is very expensive. Traveling from city to city and from nation to nation is very expensive. God can afford it but He uses man as the conduit. When we give as He directs He is responsible for the harvest. 2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)” All we have to do is be obedient and God will do the rest.
Click here for part -----> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
� 2011 Roger Anghis - All Rights Reserved
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Pastor Roger Anghis is the Founder of RestoreFreeSpeech.org, an organization designed to draw attention to the need of returning free speech rights to churches that was restricted in 1954.
President of The Damascus Project, TheDamascusProject.org, which has a stated purpose of teaching pastors and lay people the need of the churches involvement in the political arena and to teach the historical role of Christianity in the politics of the United States. Married-37 years, 3 children, three grandchildren.
Web site: RestoreFreeSpeech.org
E-Mail: editor@restorefreespeech.org
