Test Me for Dis

Person go fit rob God? E sound like question wey no make sense. How anybody go fit thief from God? But na exactly dat question God ask im people. And dem answer be: who, we?

Malachi na di last of di prophets for our Old Testament. Im name mean my messenger. E talk to di people of Judah some years after dem don build di temple again. Di joy of coming back home from exile don cool down. Di temple dey stand, di priests dey serve, but hearts don cold. People dey give God dem animals wey sick and wey no fit waka well, instead of di best ones. Dem dey keep di good parts for demself. And dem write di book of Malachi almost like argument. God talk something. Di people answer back with question. Then God explain. Today conversation na about money and gifts, and about trust.

E start with good news. Because I be Di Lord, I no dey change; na why una, di sons of Jacob, never finish. God no change. Na only dat one be di reason why im people still dey. Since di days of dem fathers, dem don dey waka comot from im ways. But God still hold di door open. Come back to me, and I go come back to una, na so Di Lord of hosts talk. And di people answer, as if dem no understand: How we go take come back? How exactly we go take come back? We no even know say we don go anywhere.

So God give dem answer wey clear well well. Person go rob God? But una don rob me. And una talk say: How we take rob you? For tithes and offerings. Tithe na one out of every ten of wetin family harvest or wetin dem earn. God law ask im people make dem bring am, to support di Levites wey dey serve for di temple, and to take care of di poor, di widow, di orphan and di stranger. But di people don dey hold am back. Dem dey keep small more for demself. And all di time, dem crops dey fail and insects dey eat di farms. Dem dey try hold tight, but e still no reach dem.

Then God talk something wey e almost no talk anywhere else for di Bible. E invite dem make dem test am. Bring all di tithes enter di storehouse, so dat food go dey for my house, and test me now for dis, na so Di Lord of hosts talk, see if I no go open di windows of heaven for una, and pour blessing for una, so tey una no go get space to receive am. Test me. Try me. See if I no go do am. God promise to stop di devourer, di locusts and di insects, make dem no destroy dem crops. Di vines no go drop dem grapes before harvest. And all di nations wey dey around go call dem blessed, because dem go be land wey people go delight in.

Di storehouse na real place. Di book of Nehemiah describe di store rooms for di temple where dem dey keep grain, new wine and oil for di Levites, di singers and di gatekeepers. For Nehemiah time, di people stop to bring dese gifts, and di Levites must leave di temple go back to work for dem own farms so dat dem go survive. Nehemiah rebuke di leaders, and then all Judah bring di tithe of grain, wine and oil enter di storehouses again.

Test me for dis. You go find dis one for di book of Malachi, chapter three, verse six reach twelve. One God wey no dey change, wey invite people wey dey hold dem hand tight make dem open dem hand and trust am. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you dey hold tight wey God fit dey ask you make you share?