Moses declared, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah” (Deut. 6:16). This is a reference to “the quarrel of the sons of Israel” against both Moses and God, when Israel found no water in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1-7). When their thirst increased, they grumbled and rebelled rather than wait and pray patiently. They demanded action on their schedule. “They tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD among us, or not?’”
Later, when Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself from the temple, Jesus quoted this passage—“you shall not put the Lord Your God to the test.” Jesus had to accept by faith that His Father would save Him from danger and death—specifically the cross—without putting God’s promises through a dry run first (Matthew 4:7).
Thus, it is important for us, most of the time, to learn to trust God without demanding or expecting confirmation, and to accept hardship as God’s benevolent will rather than evidence of His inability.
How surprising it is, then, to read in Malachi of a situation where God invites us to do that very thing—to put Him to the test!
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land” (Malachi 3:8-12).
God has, throughout His dealings with mankind, invited us to participate in His works. God needs no human effort to accomplish His will, and yet almost always works through His children. He didn’t need Joshua’s troops to defeat Jericho, yet that’s how He did it. God doesn’t need evangelists to preach His word, yet that’s how He does it (Rom. 10:15). God doesn’t need the church to fight Satan, yet that’s how He does it (Rom. 16:20).
Likewise, God does not need money (Acts 17:25, Haggai 2:8), yet He invites us to use our own resources to glorify Him. Obviously preaching and fighting and working and giving in coordination with God’s commandments are all activities that are beneficial for us!
Christians who are growing in their relationship with God learn to give a freewill offering on Sunday. “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper” (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Christians recognize this as an act of worship (Deuteronomy 16:16-17), the offering of our first and best (Leviticus 23:10-14). No set amount is prescribed, only in proportion to our means (Luke 21:1-4), and as we purposefully consider our blessings and are moved to be bountiful (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). Everything we give to God came from Him in the first place (1 Chronicles 29:14)!
And yet that offer to participate in God’s work is linked to a promise: “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). One of the most counter-intuitive things a Christian will ever do is give regularly to the work of the Lord, and expect to increase in blessings. But that’s what God promises, and most of us can testify that’s exactly how it works out. God invites you to give it a try. Go ahead, put Him to the test! Give to the Lord, and see if you don’t find your blessings on the upswing. Without a doubt, you’ll sense “the profit which increases to your account … a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:17-18).
—John Guzzetta