What are the 4 signs (possibly among others) that tithing is a covenant?
1. We have identified in Genesis 14:18 that the High Priest brought forth bread and wine as a symbol of a covenant. This symbolism was repeated by Jesus at the last supper.
We mentioned in Part 2 that adhering to the terms of a covenant bestows a blessing, while its breach bestows a curse.
2. Malachi 3:9 NLT, says " You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me". We see clearly that God stipulates the breach of a covenant and thus a curse.
3 . Likewise in Malachi 3:10 NLT, God says, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heavens Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!"
Here we see God proclaiming a blessing on those who adhere to the covenant.
4. We mentioned in Part 1 of the series that God is a God of covenants. Another evidence of tithing as a covenant is the exhortation for us to test him in V10. Nowhere else in His Word does God permit man to test Him. We are usually expected to accept His word in faith. But curiously as concerning tithing, God says, "Test me"! This can only mean God is operating as he has always done over centuries of engaging His chosen. Through covenants.
Children of God today need to understand that true abundance is sustained through 2 primary and complementary means.
The first is God's unmerited blessings through Grace. This is the "receiving" end of abundance.
1Cor 4:7 NLT, " For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?"
As we see, abundance is freely given from God. It is a gift.
The second arm of abundance comes through preventing the enemy from devouring it. We will all agree that it is one thing to receive abundance, but it is another entirely to successfully retain it.
We may have an extremely fast gushing tap of water in our backyard, but if we only have baskets to fetch the water, then we cannot enjoy the abundant water, and when the tap stops running we are as starved as those who never had a tap!
It is crucial spiritually to be able to retain God's blessings in order to enjoy abundance. And the only way to achieve that as a child of God is through the faithful payment of our COMPLETE tithes.
Note that the passage in V10 says "bring ALL the tithes into the storehouse". This is an indication of the importance God places on it. God can only protect the abundance you declare through tithing. It's just like insurance. The value you declare as the worth of your property, which is signified by the premium you pay, is indicative of the payout the insurance company will pay should there be a loss on that property.
The devourer mentioned in V11 refers to spiritual forces working directly against God's children. They are aware of all that goes on with God's children and always seek out a means to shortchange us.
When we omit fulfilling the terms of any covenant with God, it is these forces that point out the clauses in the spiritual contract which we have breached. God cannot go against His word and therefore is legally forced to permit the repercussions for the breach.
I will repeat here again that the covenant of salvation of man from the consequences of sin is NOT negotiated between man and God. Therefore nothing can erase our salvation accepted through faith in Christ and spiritually affirmed through baptism (full immersion in water as done by Jesus himself). Our salvation was negotiated between Jesus our High Priest and God the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Therefore our salvation is sealed and untouchable by any spiritual force in existence, period. We have eternal life whether the enemy likes it or not!
However there are other covenants that we must adhere to if we must fulfil all the potential that Christ placed in us through his death on calvary's cross. Tithing is a crucial one of them.
Our secret weapon in all these legal maneuvering is the Holy Spirit. The truth is that we may not be aware of many of the pitfalls and potential errors we can commit especially in the spiritual, but it is the Holy Spirit that let's us know how to manoeuvre and fulfil our spiritual obligations in order to achieve our destinies as mapped out for us by God.
"Walk in the Spirit ", says Galatians 5:16 NIV, " and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh".
Let us not just follow blind instinct and be carried away by our physical needs to the extent of neglecting our spiritual obligations. This is where complete reliance on God is key. Your income may not be enough to meet your monthly needs even without tithing, but it is very foolish to dig ourselves into spiritual holes which lead us into physical debt while applying human logic to our situation.
Debt in a child of God is an indication of a spiritual problem.
"Walk in the Spirit" brethren. Tithes should be paid FIRST!!! Especially for business men and women, this is extremely crucial. There is the temptation to want to complete a transaction before calculating the profit. As a businessman I understand this perfectly. But tithes must be paid immediately income is received! This will enable us spiritually rebuke the devourer and ward him away from our abundance under the authority of Jesus Christ.
"To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace " Romans 8:6
These admonitions may sound illogical, but so go spiritual things. They often seem to turn logic on its head.
To be continued
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