Partway decent bible scholars would know at least one of the few times the word ‘devourer’ occurs in the Bible. And if you attend one of these modern-day churches, you do not even have to be familiar with the book to know where it is. Someone once said that Prophet Malachi daily regrets having included the warning about tithing in his book. And yet, that warning on how to avoid the devourer in your life is spot on.
Malachi (sorry, old man) records one of only two places in the Bible where we see the devil doing his thing – devouring. In Peter 5.8, the Bible describes the devil as looking around for a victim. Because our God is good and considerate, the warning comes well ahead of the description of the devil’s activities. In other words, avoid the devourer in your life so that he does not succeed in his search.
The Bible says in Malachi 3.10, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground. Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.” This is a powerful promise of God. Even if the first sentence were the entire promise, it would still be wonderful. Imagine never having to factor the devil into any aspect of your life. If that were the case, I know that Pentecostal prayers would not be so long or so loud. And that is because a good seventy-five percent of those prayers are against the devil.
One Major Way to Avoid The Devourer In Your Life
But because God is lavish, there is more. The devil will not be able to destroy the work of your hands (fruit of your ground). In addition, when you avoid the devourer in your life, all your effort will yield expected results. I can live like that! And I am sure you do not mind the sort of life either. Don’t forget that when God made plans for us at the start, they did not include the devil. It was sin that brought satan into the picture of our lives. And, would you believe it, sin is still doing it today.
In this case, it is the sin of disobedience – filling His storehouse with meat that invited the devourer. We know that God is not hungry. Jesus went so far as to say that even if He were hungry, He would not need to tell us. So, why did God ask us to bring the tithes in? It is so we can have a decent meeting place in which to worship Him. The Levites (pastors) also need to be relieved of financial concerns and to give themselves to the study of the Word.
Never mind that there are several alterations to God’s plans; that was the reason for the tithe. In the post on the meal ticket in the offering basket, we saw a display of such distortions. But here, we concern ourselves more with what God says than with how pastors abuse the word of God. We want to be like God: Let every man be a liar and let God be true. If we are faithless, God remains faithful, and on and on.
You Can Not Command The Devil
So, we focus on the word of God, regardless of who might be misusing it. Therefore, the position now is that a major way to avoid the devourer in your life is to tithe. Prosperity is an integral portion of God’s promises to His children. What glory does our poverty bring God? None. Besides, although the Gospel itself is free, the logistics of sharing it can be quite expensive.
Taken together, these points mean God is quite interested in the prosperity of His children. With that at the back of our minds, we read Malachi 3.11 again. God declares that when we pay our tithes, He (not another) will rebuke the devourer on our behalf. Have you ever wondered why God does not tell us to command the devil the way we command the mountain?
We can even command other creatures. So, why is the Almighty God having to rebuke the devourer here? Is God not busy enough? Why not leave you to figure out how to avoid the devourer in your life? It is because giving money is the easiest thing to do for a God who gave His son.
Other Gods Do Not Allow You To Avoid The Devourer In Your Life
Think of the other gods you have heard of. Some require you to climb up 2000 steps on your knees to prove your allegiance. Others expect you to walk around town with your begging bowl, regardless of how wealthy your family is. Some of the more ferocious ones require your blood, as in a blood covenant. Still others, like in the Jonestown incident, need you to die for them.
However, our God is the opposite. He sent His Son to give His blood for us. He serves our needs even now. And all He asks is filthy lucre. Yet, we find ourselves disobeying such an easy rule. Therefore, He said in Leviticus 27.31 that if we are reluctant to give money, there would be a punishment. We would have to add 20% to it later.
We shall not quote it here, so you can decide if you are tired of financial suffering. If you are, study all of Leviticus 27. It contains the search warrant that the devil uses to punish all who do not obey God by paying their tithe. That is the reason it requires God to rebuke the devourer in the life of a tithe denier. The choice is yours.
Maranatha!
