Stewardship Teachings

from the book of Malachi

Malachi ministered in the Fifth century B.C. about 100 years after the decree had been issued which permitted the Jews to return from exile to Judah. The Jews who had returned had rebuilt the temple (515 BC). Houses had been reconstructed and the wall of Jerusalem was being rebuilt.

Life was not easy. The Jews were under the rule of the Persian Empire. Harvests were poor and subject to locust damage. Many of the people had hardened hearts and were resentful to God at what had happened to the Jewish people. Both the priests and the people were violating the stipulations of the Mosaic Law regarding sacrifices, tithes, and offerings. They intermarried with pagans, divorce was on the upswing and there was general moral ambivalence.

Malachi’s message was that covenant blessing required covenant faithfulness. Obedience to the Law was rewarded with blessing in the land of promise; disobedience brought a curse on the people and eventually exile. There was a lack of proper perspective on God’s covenant faithfulness. This led to widespread unfaithfulness, affecting the people’s worship in the temple and marital relations in their homes. Malachi pointed to God’s past, present, and future dealing with Israel in order to renew their perspective, reestablish their hope, and motivate them to proper covenant faithfulness.

(The above was extracted from “The Bible Knowledge Commentary” written by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck)

Malachi 3:10-12 reads (NIV), “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit, says the Lord Almighty. Then all nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land, says the Lord Almighty."

It is significant that in the last book of the Old Testament just before 400 years of silence ending with the coming of Jesus, Malachi writes about faithfulness in tithing and God’s faithfulness with blessings.

The Stewardship Commission