Malachi 3:10 - Misused for Money

Malachi 3:10 - Misused for Money

Tithing, Testing, and Twisting the Word: The Real Message of Malachi

Introduction for Beginners: Why This Verse Matters

If you've been in church for more than a few weeks, odds are you've heard a sermon on Malachi 3:10. It usually goes like this: "Bring the full tithe, and God will pour out a blessing from heaven! Try it! Put Him to the test!" Sounds exciting, even foolproof. But is it biblical? Or better yet—is it rightly applied?

For many sincere believers, this verse is presented as a blank check from God. For many false teachers, it has been misused for money. But the full context reveals something entirely different. Malachi isn’t speaking to faithful givers eager to bless the Lord—he's speaking to rebellious covenant-breakers who are robbing Him. This isn’t a prosperity promise; it’s a prophetic rebuke.

Context Is King: Who Malachi Was Really Addressing

The book of Malachi is a scathing indictment against a spiritually complacent and corrupt generation. The priests were offering diseased and blemished sacrifices, showing open contempt for God's name (Malachi 1:6–14). The people were unfaithful in marriage, accusing God of injustice, and wearying Him with their empty words (Malachi 2:11–17).

When God confronts them, their arrogance is staggering:

• “How have we ever shown contempt for your name?” (Malachi 1:6)

• “How have we ever wearied him?” (Malachi 2:17)

• “How can we return when we have never gone away?” (Malachi 3:7)

By the time we reach Malachi 3:8–10, God is accusing them of theft:

“Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.”

The Hebrew word for "cheat" here is qābaʿ (קָבַע, Strong’s H6906)—used for criminal theft.

This is the context for "Put me to the test" (Hebrew: bāḥan, בָּחָן, Strong’s H974). It’s not an invitation to experiment with God’s generosity. It’s a challenge to rebels to finally do what they were already obligated to do under the Law.

Testing God Is Normally Forbidden

Using this one Old Testament verse to build a theology of giving contradicts the rest of Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:16 is clear: "You must not test the Lord your God."

Jesus quotes this directly in Matthew 4:7 when Satan dares Him to throw Himself off the temple. The Greek word used there is ekpeirazō (ἐκπειράζω, Strong’s G1598) which means to tempt, provoke, or try.

In other words: God’s one-time challenge to lawbreakers in Malachi 3:10 does not override the clear and consistent biblical command not to test God.

When the Wicked Test God: A Warning from the Same Chapter

Here’s the irony that gets completely overlooked by prosperity preachers: the same chapter that contains Malachi 3:10 also explicitly condemns the very idea of testing God as something the wicked do.

“And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!”— Malachi 3:15 (LEB)

So get this: The same people being told to “test God” in verse 10 are later described as arrogant, wicked testers in verse 15. This isn’t a contradiction—it’s a progression. God is exposing the condition of their hearts. He isn’t rewarding their rebellion; He’s challenging it.

Using Malachi 3:10 as a permission slip to “put God to the test” completely misses the point: testing God is what the wicked do.

How This Verse Gets Weaponized

This is where it gets dangerous. Pastors often quote Malachi 3:10 right after preaching grace. They tell their congregations they’re not under the Law—then reach right back into the Law to impose a yoke of tithing. That’s not just double-tongued; it’s deceptive.

They are doing what Jesus condemned in Matthew 23:23:

“For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income... but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith.”

If the tithe were truly binding on the New Testament church, we would expect the apostles to reaffirm it clearly. But they don’t. Instead, we find generosity, not legalism:

• Acts 2:44–45: Believers sold possessions to give to those in need.

• 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (LEB)

No fixed percentage. No temple tax. No testing God.

What the Law Really Said About Tithing

Malachi was addressing people still under the Mosaic Covenant. The tithe wasn’t cash for the church budget; it was part of a complex agrarian system that supported the Levites, festivals, and the poor (see Leviticus 27:30–33, Deuteronomy 14:22–29).

When pastors pull Malachi 3:10 into the New Covenant era without qualification, they’re not just misapplying Scripture—they’re re-instituting shadows of the Law that Christ fulfilled.

When the Wicked Test God

Here's the irony: Malachi 3 is not about faithful people giving generously. It's about wicked people testing God's patience. They treated God like a vending machine—and many modern prosperity preachers do the same.

Using Malachi 3:10 to teach Christians to "give to get" turns worship into transaction and faith into superstition.

Give Like the Early Church

The early church didn’t give because the Law demanded it—they gave because the Holy Spirit moved them. This is one of the least talked about miracles of Pentecost: radical generosity. They sold everything, laid it at the apostles’ feet, and met each other’s needs without compulsion (Acts 2:44–45; Acts 4:32–35). Compared to everything, ten percent isn’t the ceiling—it’s the floor. The Spirit doesn't prompt bare-minimum giving; He prompts sacrificial love.

The New Testament model is clear:

• Give in proportion to what you have (2 Corinthians 8:12)

• Share with the body as there is need (Acts 4:34–35)

• Give cheerfully and voluntarily (2 Corinthians 9:7)

  
  

Final Thought: Worship, Not Wagering

If your motivation to give is to get more, you are not worshiping God—you are worshiping gain. And if your pastor uses Malachi 3:10 to preach conditional blessing, they’re not proclaiming the gospel—they’re hawking Old Covenant leftovers.

God’s storehouse is not a slot machine.