“Don’t test me right now!”—All parents everywhere at the end of their proverbial ropes

All kids have heard this phrase uttered by their parents, and all kids know the tone that goes along with it. Don’t push the boundaries. Don’t try my patience. Don’t test the limits. Just … don’t.

Testing those in authority is almost never a good idea. Moses, who was a kid once, knew this phrase as well; even as an old man and a leader of the Israelites, he answered to his heavenly Father. He wrote in Deuteronomy 6:16, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”—a line that is repeated in the New Testament by the Son of God himself. When Jesus was facing the devil’s temptation to throw himself off the temple to see if the angels would save him, he answered the devil by saying, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:7).

So it jumps off the page at us the one time God does say, “Test me.” However, you might never have read this phrase because it is contained in a lesser-known book by a minor prophet—Malachi—tucked away at the end of the Old Testament. During this time, the Jews had returned from exile and had rebuilt the temple, but there was a general malaise about religion and the covenant promises. The people had once again become complacent about their worship and sacrifices, and Malachi was called upon by the Lord to admonish and remind the priests and people alike of God’s promises and sacrifices to them.

He writes:

But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years. (Malachi 3:2-4)

Let’s pause and look at the word acceptable. What makes an offering acceptable to the Lord? The apostle Paul answers that for us, saying, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable” (2 Corinthians 8:12). It is not the size of the offering; it is the heart motivation of the worshiper.

Malachi continues, speaking words straight from the Lord Almighty:

“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.

“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.” (Malachi 3:6-9)

Wait, what? What does giving back to God have to do with worshiping God? Answer: everything. God does not separate the two. Offerings are worship. The two are so connected; I know it is taboo to talk about money in our society, and I know there have been abuses in many churches that have made members nervous about giving. But we cannot separate worship from giving. Because God doesn’t. And we do ourselves a disservice when we do. We are robbing God but also robbing ourselves of the joy and growth that a healthy giving life can bring to us. Malachi continues, speaking words of truth from God:

“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 there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:10-12)

Wow! God says, “Test me! Try me. Push the limits. See if you can outgive my generosity. Betcha can’t. Test me. See if I don’t open the floodgates of heaven.”

Now, this is not a call to “prosperity gospel.” Malachi is not saying that every person who gives generously to God will be financially blessed here on earth. This is not a guarantee of material wealth or an insurance policy against bad times. Rather, it is an invitation to put God to the test. To watch God work. To “let him cook,” as my kids say. To trust so fully in our generous God that our love and our worship naturally overflow into an outpouring of gifts. A small sacrifice to the One who sacrificed everything for us. Who blesses us in so many ways with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Who opened the floodgates of heaven so wide that he even sent his Son.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

We often look a bit more like Malachi’s congregation than we’d like to admit. Complacency. Malaise. Excuses. People are scared about the economy or their retirement funds or that the church might abuse their offerings. We have separated our worship from our giving; we avoid the topic of money so we don’t offend anyone. But God connected giving and worship for our good. God talked about money for our good and the good of his kingdom. God asks us to test him, and in testing him, we are putting our full trust in him. Just watch out for those floodgates!