A well-known passage from the last book in the Old Testament will shed some further light on this secret of "Give and Receive". "Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need [there will not be room enough to receive it, KJV]. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 3:8-11).

That is God's promise to Israel in the Old Testament. And I believe that anything God did for Old Testament people, He does better and greater for New Testament believers. The book of Hebrews teaches us this. God has for us better promises, better covenants, better results. So whatever God promised in Malachi, He is not going to give me anything less than that, for the Word declares that His intentions towards us are far greater.

"You are robbing me", God said to them. That is Old Testament terminology. The nation of Israel were robbing God because they had not given Him their tithes and offerings. In New Testament terminology, the emphasis is not on robbing God when you fail to give. In actual fact, you are robbing yourself, because you have failed to sow a seed, you have failed to make an investment in your own future. Some people get uptight when the preacher starts talking about money. And the reason is usually that their attitude towards money is wrong. The true preacher is encouraging you to get a greater benefit out of your life. I want you to do something positive with your life. And God's way to do it is to sow a seed, to "give, and it will be given to you".

There are some other things in Malachi I would like to show you. Do you have a pencil? Underline the verbs, and we will see their impact. In verse 10 it says "Bring". That's a verb, a word of action. Then further into the verse you have the word "Test" or "Prove" (KJV). These are the two things we must do -- "Bring" and "Prove". Then God says, "I will open." He says, "I will pour." And in verse 11 he says, "I will rebuke." Underline those three verbs -- "Open", "Pour", "Rebuke" -- all three are God's part. Those five words you have underlined will give you the key to God's secret of success: Bring, Prove, Open, Pour, Rebuke.

Let us look at the first two words, the actions that you and I have to do. "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse." The Jewish people were told that they should give the first 10 per cent of everything they received, whether it be animals, produce, or whatever, to the priest in the synagogue. In addition to that, they were given the privilege of bringing offerings over and above the tithe. The minimum was 10 per cent.

In New Testament terminology, Jesus says, "Give, and it will be given to you." The amount you give can be proportionate to your income if you wish, but attitude is more important than amount. Paul taught that people should give to the church where they were getting fed. He told the Corinthians that he did not want a collection when he came, but every Sunday, every first day of the week, they should "put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper" (I Corinthians 16:2). So Christians were encouraged to give on the first day of the week, and we also practice that principle. The verb "to bring" demands an action on our part.

The next word is "Prove", and this is incredible. God says, "Prove me now, put me to the test". Some scholars say it is the only place in the Bible where God invites us to put Him to the test. How do you test God out? By sowing the seed, by applying the principle. Do you want to see how the principle of gravity works? Stand up on a chair and take a step forward, and see if you hit the ground or not. If gravity is working, you will hit the ground, won't you? If gravity is not working you might hit the ceiling! Yet we know that the principle of gravity always works, and we apply the principle all the time. "Prove me now", God says. That is a great challenge to humanity. We want to receive. God is saying, "Start giving and watch it work!" Let's apply God's principle, let's sow the seed.

Now God says He will do three things. First, He says, "I will ...open the windows of heaven for you" -- the lattices of heaven. What does this mean? The expression was first used in Genesis 7:11, in the time of Noah and the flood. Some believe that this was the first time that it rained on the earth. When it rained the ground got wet, and then it could not soak up the water and there was a flood. And the flood was so great that the ark finished up on Mount Ararat. That was quite a flood to produce so much water! Now that is the same term that God is using in Malachi. He says, "Prove Me now... if I will not open for you the windows of heaven." You had better watch out. When you give there is going to be a flood.

The next verb that God uses is "Pour". Lamsa's translation has it, "I will... pour out blessings for you until you will say, ‘It is enough'." Oral Roberts has said it will be not a trickle, not a stream, not a river, but a flood! A flood happens when so much rain has been given that the earth can no longer absorb it. That is what God is talking about when He says that "there will not be room enough to receive it" (KJV) or "until there is no more need" (ESV). You only have to give, and God said He will pour out to you so much that you will not be able to contain it. It certainly implies health, wealth, and happiness to me! "I will... pour down for you a blessing..." Your need is not just money. There are other things in your life that you need, such as better relationships, improved health, peace of mind, to name a few. God will pour out for you such a blessing.

The third verb God uses to describe His part of the agreement is "Rebuke". He says, "I will rebuke the devourer for you." He will rebuke those limiting circumstances that are dragging you down. The devourer I take to be the enemy of God. Satan always wants to drag you down. Satan wants you to have poverty, Satan wants you to have sickness. God will rebuke the devourer and everything you touch will grow and produce the fruit that you are expecting. I'm glad that I'm on God's side!

These Old Testament verses from Malachi are a powerful way to illustrate God's secret of success, Give and Receive. If He did so much for Jewish people under Jewish law, who were bound to a works-based consciousness of their relationship to God, what will He do to New Testament Christians who belong to the family of God? We are brothers and sisters in God's family, and we are operating under a grace-based relationship with God. We do not have to work at it, for it is freely available to us. God requires us to do one thing, and that is to apply the principle and give! If you want the kind of blessing that causes you to say, "Lord, hold off a little, I can't contain all I have right now", then Give and Receive.