What does Malachi 3 mean for Christians today?
Malachi 3 was God speaking to Israel under the Law about food for the temple storehouse. It shows God’s faithfulness, but its curse is not on Christians. Jesus took the curse of the Law on Himself.
Malachi 3 is a real word from God, and it is worth reading. But it was spoken to Israel, under the Law, about food for the temple. It is not a curse hanging over Christians who do not give ten percent.
Read it in its setting
Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, “How have we robbed you?” In your tithes and contributions.
Malachi 3:8
Who is God talking to? Look at the next verse: “the whole nation of you” (Malachi 3:9). That nation was Israel. Earlier in the book God also scolds the priests (Malachi 1:6; 2:1). And the book ends by pointing back to Sinai: “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel” (Malachi 4:4).
So this is God holding Israel to the covenant they made with Him. It was a promise between Him and one nation.
The storehouse was a room
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.
Malachi 3:10
The storehouse was a room at the temple. The tithe was grain, wine and oil, so “there may be food in my house.” It fed the Levites who served there. It was not about your bank account or a church building. When Rome tore down the temple in AD 70, the storehouse was gone.
What about the curse?
This is the part that scares people. Many sit in church and hear, “If you do not tithe, you are under a curse.” Then the car breaks down, and they wonder if God is punishing them.
Here is good news for you.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
Galatians 3:13
Jesus took the curse of the Law onto Himself on the cross. No one can strap back on what He carried away. Lifted out of its home, a word for Israel becomes a whip. That is not how God wants you to read it.
Any ministry that uses fear to get money, or says “pay us first and God will pay you back,” is wrong. Jesus got angry when people used God’s house to make money (Matthew 21:12-13).
What Malachi still teaches us
We still read Malachi and learn about God from it. He is faithful. He cares about the people who serve Him. He sees when His people drift from Him. We read it as part of the story that leads to Jesus, not as a contract we must sign.
How Christians give now
Not from fear, but from joy. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The word for cheerful is ἱλαρός hilaros, where we get “hilarious.” God does not want gifts pulled out of you by a threat. He wants your heart moved by love. And love often gives far more than ten percent.
Go deeper
This answer comes from the teaching “What About the Tithe?”. The tithe was part of God’s promise with Israel. Jesus took the curse of the Law on Himself. You do not give to escape a curse. You give because you are free.
Related questions
- Is it a sin not to tithe?No. The tithe belonged to the Law of Moses, and Jesus took the curse of the Law on Himself. Not tithing is not a sin for Christians. Refusing to love and give at all is the real problem.
- Do Christians have to tithe 10%?No. The tithe was part of the Law of Moses, given to Israel for a land, a temple and a priesthood. Christians are called to give, but freely and with joy, not by a ten percent rule.
- Are Christians under the Law of Moses?No. The Law of Moses was a covenant God made with Israel. It was a guardian that led people to Christ. Now that faith has come, believers are not under it. They live under the law of Christ, which is love.