Basic Training
Farrell's Bible Notes

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Day 1-30 | 31-60 | 61-90 | 91-120 | 121-150 | 151-180 | 181-191 | 192-210 | 211-240 | 241-270 | 271-300 | 301-330 | 331-360 | 361-365 | Search by Book || 1-365


Day 361: Zechariah 1-4 (2012)
Day 362: Zechariah 5-8 (2012 incomplete)
Day 363: Zechariah 9-12 (2012 incomplete)
Day 364: Zechariah 13-14 (2012)
Day 365: Malachi 1-4 (2012 incomplete)


Day 361: Zechariah 1-4

.Zechariah (Dec.10.2012) | Zechariah was a priest that was stoned for the word of God, we see in 2 Chronicles 24:20-21. In 2 Chronicles 21:1-2 we see that he was the son of King Jehoshaphat of Israel, and the brother of Jehoram, Azariah, Jehiel, Azariah (two Azariahs or listed twice), Michael, and Shephatiah. 2 Chronicles 26:5 tells us that Zechariah had understanding in the visions of God. In 34:12, we see that in the 18th year of Josiah's reign (verse 8) that Zechariah was an overseer of the people repairing the house of the Lord. Not only was he a priest and son of the king, who was stoned to death, he was also known to be a prophet, we are told in Ezra 5:1, but which we also know from this book, the book of Zechariah. Zechariah is also mentioned in Ezra 8:3,16. I'm pretty sure Zechariah is one of the people Stephen thought about in Acts 7:52 before Stephen himself was likewise stoned for speaking the truth.

.Zechariah 1:1 (Jan.7.2010) | It is said that Zechariah wrote this book, but since it says "came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah" is doesn't sound like Zechariah actually wrote it. Perhaps he had someone else write this as he told it to them. (Dec.9.2012) From verse 7, we see that this Darius is a king. This may be the same King Darius who took the kingdom in Daniel 5:31 and set Daniel over the presidents and princes in Daniel 6. Darius is also mentioned in Haggai 2:10.

.Zechariah 1:2 (Dec.10.2012) | This is expounded upon in 2 Chronicles 21:12-20.

.Zechariah 1:4 (Dec.10.2012) | 2 Chronicles 21:12-13

.Zechariah 1:7 (Dec.10.2012) | Three months later

.Zechariah 1:8 (Dec.10.2012) | Although he calls him "a man" here, we see in verse 11 that he was an angel. Angels are sometimes referred to as men. Altogether here there are four horses. (Dec.11.2012) Okay, now let me quote a rapper who said "I'm thinking I see four horses, but I don't though..." After reading the beginning of chapter 6 again, I looked back at this verse and see there is no mention of how many horses there are here.

.Zechariah 1:10 (Dec.10.2012) | "These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth." So we see that Satan is not the only one walking to and fro throughout the earth, which we heard of in Job 1:7.

.Zechariah 1:11 (Dec.10.2012) | This angel is called a man in verse 8. Underlined that the angel said the earth "is at rest." This may be referenced in verse 15. Perhaps people are feeling too comfortable in their sin.

.Zechariah 1:12 (Dec.10.2012) | Threescore and ten years is 70.

.Zechariah 1:15 (Dec.10.2012) | This may be what the angel was speaking about in verse 11. God notes how the heathen are just chillin, taking it easy like nothing is wrong, and God clearly doesn't like that. Just because you see people at ease, don't assume the Lord is pleased with them, or that they are pleased with Him.

.Zechariah 1:16 (Dec.10.2012) | Remember, I spoke about this in my Ezekiel 40:2-6 notes, which is tied to Zechariah 2:1-2.

.Zechariah 1:20 (Dec.10.2012) | Four carpenters

.Zechariah 2:1-2 (Dec.10.2012) | We heard about this man/angel who appeared to be the Word of God in Ezekiel 40:2-6, as I pointed out in my notes. This measuring of Jerusalem with a line of flax is also mentioned in Zechariah 1:16. Verse 2:3 calls him an angel, but he is also called a man, which was common for angels to be called.

.Zechariah 2:4 (Dec.10.2012) | "...And said unto him, Run..." I'm pretty sure he's being told to run, not that his name was Run. Now, there have been people named Run in the history of the world, whether it was their real name or nickname, but I'll stop right there.

.Zechariah 2:6 (Dec.10.2012) | The word "ho," used in this context, may be short for "behold."

.Zechariah 2:8 (Dec.10.2012) | "...he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye" is similar to what Jesus was saying in Matthew 25:40.

.Zechariah 2:10-11 (Dec.10.2012) | He will dwell in the midst of them before and after nations join with the Lord.

.Zechariah 3:1 (Dec.10.2012) | This is not Moses' Joshua. He was in a different time period. This Joshua is a high priest, and son of Josedech, we're told in Haggai 2:2.

.Zechariah 3:2 (Dec.10.2012) | Satan getting rebuked by God. It almost sounds as if God is rebuking him in Jesus' name (sort of).

.Zechariah 3:3-4 (Dec.10.2012) | Isaiah 64:6

.Zechariah 3:4 (Dec.10.2012) | He was still high priest although his iniquity was with him. Similar to how the priests received a change of raiment (clothing) in Exodus 28:4,15, which ties in also with Ephesians 6:14 and surrounding verses.

.Zechariah 3:7 (Dec.10.2012) | Notice that God uses the word "if" here. It is conditional, based upon their obedience. There are many other things God tells us that are conditional also, but we mistakenly believe they are unconditional, and get upset with God without just cause, because we think He was supposed to do something that He was not obligated to do, and made no unconditional promise to do.

.Zechariah 4:4-5 (Dec.10.2012) | I thought this was particularly funny. Have you ever had this happen to you? You ask someone a question like "what is that?" and they ask you "You don't know what that is?" and you're thinking "No! I don't know! That's why I asked you. If I knew what it was, I wouldn't have asked you what it was." Sorry, I had to laugh at that. It's good to know that humans aren't the only ones who do this. I've done it to people myself. I don't know why we do that instead of just answering the person's question. I guess that's one of life's mysteries.

.Zechariah 4:6 (Dec.10.2012) | "This is the word of the Lord..."

.Zechariah 4:14 (Dec.10.2012) | "the two anointed ones"; Remember, in Genesis 1:26, God says "us."
Day 362: Zechariah 5-8

.Zechariah 5:4 (Dec.11.2012) | "...him that sweareth falsely by my name..." God says. (i.e. I swear to God... I swear by God)

.Zechariah 5:7-8 (Dec.11.2012) | This is evidence that in the spiritual realm, wickedness is tangible. So doing wickedness and trying to act like you are innocent would be like a child with cookie crumbs on their face, telling you that they didn't eat the cookie.

.Zechariah 5:9 (Dec.11.2012) | They had wings, but were called "women."

.Zechariah 7:5-6 (Dec.11.2012) | Romans 14:6

.Zechariah 7:9-10 (Dec.11.2012) | Remember, this "judgment" is referring to them judging whether they fit the requirements that gives them a right to receive a portion of the tithe in the third year. Remember what God said in Malachi 3:5 about turning these people away from receiving what is rightfully theirs.

.Zechariah 7:11 (Dec.11.2012) | They stopped their ears like the people in Acts 7:57, John 8:47, and 2 Timothy 4:3, instead of like the psalmist in Psalms 85:8.

.Zechariah 7:12 (Dec.11.2012) | The law that they don't want to hear includes the law of tithing. It was a law, not just a good idea or a suggestion. This verse reminds me of Hebrews 3:7-8 when the Holy Ghost said "To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts," and verse 13 tells us a reason why.

.Zechariah 7:13 (Dec.11.2012) | Wow! This is speaking about them not hearing Zechariah cry when it says "as he cried, and they would not hear;" God will not listen to them because they would not listen to Him through his messenger, Zechariah.

.Zechariah 8:5 (Dec.11.2012) | God is okay with children playing in the street. This signifies that there is safety. Of course, we're not talking about cars zooming by though.

.Zechariah 8:10 (Dec.11.2012) | high unemployment rate
Day 363: Zechariah 9-12

.Zechariah 9:3 (Dec.11.2012) | Silver and gold is useless against God. In fact, He made it, and until this day, He's the only one who has ever been able to make it.

.Zechariah 9:9 (Dec.11.2012) | This is speaking of Jesus. We see this by reading Matthew 21:1-5. Genesis 49:11 appears to be a related scripture as well. These verses are also evidence that Jesus, when He was walking the earth, intentionally did things like this to show and prove that He is the one who was being spoken of in the Old Testament.

.Zechariah 9:10 (Dec.11.2012) | If we look at the worldwide dominion of Jesus, this verse gives even more evidence that this is speaking of Him. Of course, there are those who want to defy the King, but like we see in the Bible, the year is named according to who reigns. Jesus walked here about 2012 years ago, and we all call this 2012, knowing that the earth is more than 2012 years old. Why else would the count of the years have started over and not happened again since then. More specifically, the year is called 2012 A.D., which stands for "Anno Domini" and is translated to mean "The year of our Lord."

.Zechariah 9:11 (Dec.11.2012) | This pit where there is no water sounds like Hell, but I'm not so sure. From Hebrews 9:14-22 we see that the blood of Jesus shed on the cross was for a blood covenant, which we know as "The New Covenant."

.Zechariah 9:12 (Dec.11.2012) | This "hope" may have some relation to the hope spoken of in Ephesians 4:4 and 1 Timothy 1:1.

.Zechariah 11:13 (Dec.11.2012) | Matthew 27:7 talks about the potter's field, which was bought with the thirty pieces of silver that Judas betrayed Jesus for.

.Zechariah 11:14 (Dec.11.2012) | Verse 7 mentioned this staff, Bands, and also the other staff, Beauty, which is also mentioned in verse 10. Ezekiel 34:27 mentions "bands," but it really doesn't sound like it's talking about this Bands, but instead like literal bands which function probably like handcuffing someone or something to a yoke. Ezekiel 37:15-25 talks about the rejoining of this brotherhood, as does Hosea 1:11.

.Zechariah 12:1 (Dec.12.2012) | The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel which stretches forth the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man, sounds like Jesus, since we already know from John 1:1-3,14 that He is the word of God that came to dwell among us, the same word that made everything. We also know that Jesus is called an Apostle, and from other scriptures that apostles are often responsible for laying foundations, although it is not the only function, nor a required function that an apostle lay some new foundation. However, I admit, it may be a bit of a stretch to say that the apostle reference is really related to this verse, but previously I considered that it may be relevant when I read "layeth the foundation." I also thought it was interesting that it mentions man's spirit being formed within him. We take it for granted that the spirit of something must always be limited to remaining in itself. But apparently, it doesn't go without say. We must admit that it's possible that God's spirit may not have to remain within Himself. How did we ever end up thinking that God's spirit was limited to some laws of physics and could not be multiplied, divided, rejoined, omnipresent, and whatever else we can and can't imagine while it still remains unified and one with Him? Perhaps we look at the limitations that may or may not apply to our own spirit within us, and try to apply those same limitations to God's spirit. It's quite probable or probably certain that God's spirit cannot be understood in that way. In fact, we have a hard enough time even understanding man's spirit.

.Zechariah 12:3 (Dec.12.2012) | I don't completely understand what this verse means yet, but I'll tell you what I've got. In Matthew 27:25, concerning Jesus being crucified, the all people demanded "His blood be on us, and on your children." They wanted Him crucified so bad that they asked for this burden to be placed on them, which sounds like it goes with the description in the text here that says "all that burden themselves with it..." When God says here in Zech 12:3, "in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for al people" He could be either saying that He will make a burdensome stone for Jerusalem, or that He will make Jerusalem itself to be a burdensome stone.

.Zechariah 12:5 (Dec.11.2012) | "...the governors..." Matthew 27:2,15,17,20-25 talks about Pontius Pilate, who is probably the most famous governor of all time, if not Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:14).

.Zechariah 12:10 (Dec.11.2012) | This shows that the Father and Son are one. The Father says here "...and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son." In John 19:37 quotes God saying some of these same words, but speaking from a third person perspective, instead of a first person perspective. And we know from John 3:16 that Jesus is the only begotten son of God. He's not the only son, but the only begotten (biological) son of God.
Day 364: Zechariah 13-14

.Zechariah 13:1 (Dec.13.2012) | This "fountain opened to the house of David" points to Jesus in two ways. First, Jesus was literally a fountain opened up, when they pierced Him in his side in John 19:34 (Leviticus 14:14). Secondly, Jesus speaks of Himself as the giver of living water in John 4:10,14, which thing we also see in the Old Testament in Numbers 20:8, all which refer to running water. This is important, because running water is what God instructs to use for cleansing unclean people and things, which we see in Leviticus 11:24,34,36; 13:54; 14:5 (and surrounding scriptures) where God gives what appears to be very basic instructions on cleanliness and hygiene. There are other scriptures concerning this running water, but I don't have the time to search for them today, but generally we see that running water was to be used for cleansing. We know now why it's better to cleanse with running water, but they were on training wheels back then concerning hygiene, just following what God told them. This all ties into what the second part of this Zech 13:1 verse says about this fountain being for sin and uncleanness. Also read Hebrews 9:11-28.

.Zechariah 13:2 (Dec.13.2012) | It's interesting to note that God says He'll cause the unclean spirits to pass out of the land. They will still exist, but just not in that place. It's like He's saying, "you don't have to go home, but you have to get the Hell (literal) out of here."

.Zechariah 13:3 (Dec.13.2012) | Parents killing false prophet children.

.Zechariah 13:5 (Dec.13.2012) | "...an husbandman..."

.Zechariah 13:6 (Dec.13.2012) | "...what are these wounds in thine hands?" is perhaps a question asking about scars like the hands of Jesus' after crucifixion or questioning why a man who kept cattle from youth would have such superficial wounds like that, since it's likely he would have tough calloused hands from working.

.Zechariah 13:7 (Dec.13.2012) | Notice that He says "the" shepherd, speaking of a shepherd in particular.

.Zechariah 13:8 (Dec.13.2012) | Revelation 9:15 also speaks of thirds.

.Zechariah 13:9 (Dec.13.2012) | Revelation 9:18 specifically speaks of a third being killed by fire, although this here says this third will be brought through the fire and refined, so this really doesn't sound like the same third.

.Zechariah 14:3 (Dec.13.2012) | This is a second fight, or perhaps "day of battle" is a reference to anytime the Lord helped His people win in battle.

.Zechariah 14:4-5 (Dec.13.2012) | This sounds like the mountain will split from an earthquake, like what we see mentioned in Revelation 16:18-20.

.Zechariah 14:8 (Dec.13.2012) | The "living waters" mentioned here could be a reference to what Jesus says in John 4:10,14, but also sounds like regular rivers... almost. The reason I say "almost" is because it says "half of them" will go one way, and "half of them" toward another way. When was the last time you heard anyone mention rivers as if it's a whole bunch of them? Or maybe it could be creeks and streams, but still, it sounds strange to me that half of the water travels one way, and the other travels the other way, unless there's a sea on both sides of a mountain range. But still this sounds like it's talking about this being for a specific time frame.

.Zechariah 14:9 (Dec.13.2012) | Not a bunch of different names for one Lord

.Zechariah 14:16 (Dec.13.2012) | This sounds like it's speaking of God, not a man king. God is often referred to as "the Lord of hosts." And if you turn the page from here, you'll see that God calls Himself a great king in Malachi 1:14.
Day 365: Malachi 1-4

.Malachi (Dec.9.2012) | The name Malachi is said to mean "My Messenger."

.Malachi 1:1 (Dec.9.2012) | It is said here that this is the word of God to Israel. It may be speculated that this is, at least in the beginning, being written/spoken to the people in general, but outside of verse one saying "to Israel by Malachi" there appears to be no solid evidence that this is directly to the people at all. However, in verse 6, God begins speaking to the priests, and it appears that He remains talking to the priests throughout the rest of Malachi.

.Malachi 1:2 (Dec.9.2012) | "...I hated Esau..." God says. God doesn't love everyone, unless He hates them and loves them at the same time, but I don't think that's what He's saying here.

.Malachi 1:6-8 (Dec.9.2012) | God knows that they despise His name and that they won't offer garbage to the governor. Don't offer it to God.

.Malachi 1:6 (Dec.9.2012) | Underlined "father" and "master." In Matthew 23:9-10, Jesus says "call no man your father upon the earth; for one is your father, which in in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even Christ." In Exodus 20:12, God commanded the people to "honour thy father..." I also have underlined "...priests, that despise my name." Read Malachi 3:8,14; Malachi 2:10

.Malachi 1:7 (Dec.9.2012) | In this verse, God specifies some ways they despised His name. Highlighted "bread." "...wherein have we polluted thee?" sounds like "wherein have we robbed thee?" in Malachi 3:8. Malachi 3:14 may be applied to verses 7 and 8.

.Malachi 1:8 (Dec.9.2012) | Malachi 3:14. Highlighted "lame and sick."

.Malachi 1:9 (Dec.9.2012) | The publishers of my Bible put the beginning of this verse in capital letters to specify that it is God speaking, but I don't think that's correct. The second half sounds like God speaking, but the first half sounds like Malachi, saying "And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us:" It does not make much sense to me that God would say that, and this error (if it is one) is not an error in the Bible, but an error made by the publisher, or whoever was placed in charge of putting God's words in red (or CAPS).

.Malachi 1:10 (Dec.9.2012) | This verse offers us further evidence that this was being spoken directly to the priests, not the people, because the people don't kindle fire on the altar. That was a duty of the priests.

.Malachi 1:11 (Dec.9.2012) | highlighted "incense." Underlined "My name shall be great among the heathen"

.Malachi 1:14 (Dec.9.2012) | underlined "cursed" and "My name is dreadful, among the heathen." We also see here in this verse that God calls himself a king, saying "I am a great king".

.Malachi 2:1 (Dec.9.2012) | This verse starts with the words "and now," which to me signifies a slight change in what's being said. At first, I thought this change was that God was speaking to the people before, but now He's speaking to the priests specifically. However, chapter 1 seems very much to be directed toward the priests as well. I believe what the change in direction is, is that now, He is giving them a commandment. Before, He was addressing the state of affairs, and now He's giving them a commandment, being the reason God says "And now, o ye priests, this commandment is for you." This verse does also serve the purpose of letting us know that God is definitely speaking directly to the priests, if we had any doubt before. And He never appears to switch who is speaking to through the rest of Malachi, which leaves me to conclude that all of Malachi is likely speaking directly to the priests. There may be a possibility that He may be speaking to Israel in general in 3:12. Malachi 4:2 also sounds like He may be speaking to the people in general, although He never expressly specifies, as was done in Malachi 2:1.

.Malachi 2:2 (Dec.9.2012) | Remember that 3:9 also speaks of being cursed by God, and we know for sure that here in verse 2:2 He is speaking directly to the priests, not the people, saying "...I will curse your blessings: yeah, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart."

.Malachi 2:3 (Dec.9.2012) | "...solemn feasts..." - Isaiah 1:13 speaks of a "solemn meeting."

.Malachi 2:6 (Dec.9.2012) | God says that Levi walked with Him in equity.

.Malachi 2:8-9 (Dec.9.2012) | these verses correlate with 3:7-9. Romans 14:13; Galatians 3:10-12

.Malachi 2:10 (Dec.9.2012) | "...one father..." Malachi 1:6; Matthew 23:9.

.Malachi 2:16 (Dec.9.2012) | God hates divorce. 1 Corinthians 7:11.

.Malachi 2:17 (Dec.9.2012) | "Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them..." God addresses this type of thing also in Malachi 3:15.

.Malachi 3 (Dec.9.2012) | MY NOTES IN MALACHI 3 ARE VERY EXTENSIVE, BUT MY TIME HERE TODAY IS VERY LIMITED, SO MY NOTES WILL BE LARGELY LEFT INCOMPLETE FOR NOW ALTHOUGH I WILL INCLUDE MANY SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. CONSEQUENTLY, MY SCRIPTURE REFERENCES WILL LIKELY BE TACKED ON, UNREVIEWED (possibly mislinked), AND UNEXPLAINED, BUT I WOULD RATHER POST THEM ANYWAY TO AID IN YOUR OWN STUDIES, SO THAT YOU CAN USE THEM TO REACH ANY NECESSARY CONCLUSIONS.
Leviticus 5:15 (money is used for trespass offering)

.Malachi 3:2 (Dec.9.2012) | Revelation 2:18

.Malachi 3:5 (Dec.9.2012) | God is still speaking to the priests, saying "those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right..." As we see in Deuteronomy 26:12, Isaiah 10:1-2, and Amos 5:12, the stranger, the widow, and fatherless have a right to a portion of the tithe. This was their right, not something to simply be given at the priests' discretion. If the priests collected it, which they were required to do, and they didn't give it to them, which they were also required to do, then they were basically committing embezzlement. God says here at the beginning of this verse "I will be a swift witness against" them and the sorcerers, adulterers, and false swearers.
Amos 4:1-4
Ezekiel 22:29
1 Corinthians 13:3
James 5:1-6
Zechariah 7:9-12
Psalms 82:3-4
Deuteronomy 27:19
Exodus 23:9

.Malachi 3:6 (Dec.9.2012) | God says here "I change not"

.Malachi 3:7-9 (Dec.9.2012) | correlates with Malachi 2:8-9; 1:6-8,14
Numbers 18:26

.Malachi 3:8 (Dec.9.2012) | "Will a man rob God?" also speaks of robbing God of His ordinances of tithes and offerings, not just the substance brought forth by tithes and offerings. Psalms 119:57-64 (the section called Cheth) speaks about being robbed
Isaiah 61:8 (robbery)
Jeremiah 7:11 (a den of robbers in God's house)
Matthew 21:13 (making God's house a den of thieves)
Proverbs 22:22 (robbing the poor)
Matthew 25:31-46 linked to Proverbs 22:22 and Malachi 3:5 and robbing God in tithes and offerings.
Isaiah 17:14 (being robbed)
Exodus 23:11 (a rest for the poor to eat)
Ezekiel 22:29 (using oppression and exercising robbery)
Malachi 1:8 (priests giving bad offerings)
Isaiah 10:1-2 (robbing the widows, fatherless, and needy)
Matthew 23:25 (extortion)
Mark 10:21 (valuing the importance of riches and things above God's commands)
Mark 12:40,43 (devouring poor widows' houses)
Malachi 1:2,6,7,8
Proverbs 14:13 ties in with Matthew 25:31-46 and says "He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker..." (how to rob God)

.Malachi 3:9 (Dec.9.2012) | "cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. "
Jeremiah 48:10 (being cursed for doing the work of the Lord deceitfully)
Deuteronomy 27:19,26 speaks about being cursed for perverting the judgement of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. Take note that whenever you see widow, stranger, and fatherless mentioned together, it is almost always referring to them receiving their portion of the tithe that is due to them. That is because these particular groups of people were almost always without an inheritance in the land, so God required a portion of the tithe to go toward taking care of them. It was not something that was considered to be a good deed, but was actually a mandatory requirement from God. In the scriptures, you often see the term "judgement" used in relation to them, because understandably, their cases had to be judged to see who was eligible to receive such assistance. The priests could claim that many of them weren't eligible, even if they were, which would allow the priests to refrain from giving back to many who were poor and in need of it. To help understand, imagine the government today refusing to give government assistance to a poor disabled person who qualifies for it, just because the government wants to keep more money for themselves. Or worse yet, imagine if those who were eligible weren't even judged to see if they were eligible or not. It would take time and effort for the priests to take a look into these people's lives and judge whether the person really was a poor widow, stranger, or fatherless. There were times when they were denied of being judged, so that they could not ever even be considered to rightfully receive their portion of the tithes. God demands in Isaiah 1:17 to "judge the fatherless." Deuteronomy 27:26 also mentions them being cursed for not confirming all of the words of the law. so the priests must have been sharing and confirming the law with the people, but leaving out important parts of the law, such as the part that tells them that they have a right to receive a certain portion of that which was collected. And of course, if they didn't know it was supposed to be done, those who needed it wouldn't request it, or if they did request it, they would think it was done as a favor, and not something that was actually owed to them.
Deuteronomy 28 (blessings and curses for obeying or disobeying God's commands)
Malachi 1:14 (deceivers cursed for corrupt sacrifices)
Romans 8:1-4,12 (There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. not in debt.)
Galatians 3:10-11,13 lets us know that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, and only those who hold to the law, trying to be justified by it are vulnerable to being cursed. I am pointing this out, because I have seen many preachers hold people to practices semi-related to the law and scaring people with the threat of being cursed. This verse, and knowing that Christ was made a curse for us, should let all of us know that we should have no such fear of any curse, and that we are free from the law. It is those who try to practice the law, or demand for it (or some variation of it) to be practiced, who may need to fear being cursed. It is those who rob the poor, as we see in Matthew 25:31-46, who rob God vicariously.
Remember that in Malachi 2:2, God was speaking directly to the priests telling them that they would curse their blessings and had already cursed their blessings, and that even up to this scripture, God never specified that He was speaking to anyone other than the priests, who He specifically addressed in 2:1. I would also have you consider the fact that a pastor and a priest is not the same thing, so pastors are not authorized to act as priests, trying to fulfill duties that are specifically supposed to be handled by priests, such as collecting and distributing tithes and offerings.
Matthew 6:19-20,24-25

.Malachi 3:10 (Dec.9.2012) | This verse says "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
Since God is talking to the priests, which we see in 2:1, it is conceivable that the priests were not bringing all of the tithes into the storehouse. I underlined "all" and the "s" in "tithes" to point out the fact that the scripture says "tithes" (plural, not singular). And furthermore that it says "all" of those plural tithes, not "all of your tithe" (singular). Seeing that it's not possible for a person to bring part of a tithe, because it's not yet a tithe until it (the tenth) is given. A tithe is literally a tenth. If it is not a tenth, it is not a tithe. Therefore, it is not possible to bring part of a tithe, because if someone brings anything less than a tenth, it is something other than a tithe. It is not a tithe. So this verse must be speaking to someone that has more than one tithe under their control (tithes - plural). Here, the word "all" would not be talking about all of the tenth (or 10%, we might say), but rather, all of the tenths (or all of the 10 percents). Again, I say that because one person can't pay part of a tithe, because that would never be considered as a tithe in the first place. Eight percent is a twelfth and a half, and a twelfth and a half is not a tenth/tithe, and not considered a tithe/tenth.
The priests, on the other hand, when they collected the tithes (plural) would have many tithes in their possession, and would be able to not bring all of those tithes(tenths) into the storehouse. They could stuff some in their pocket or hand some off to a Judas type and embezzle money. And we know from many scripture references that the priests were not doing what they were supposed to be doing with the tithes anyway, such as giving all of it to the stranger, widow, and fatherless in the third year (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). Yes, tithes had years. Ask a preacher today what year of tithes are they collecting, and they will probably look at you with a blank face. The scriptures tell us that tithes were collected in seven seven year cycles, with the seventh ending in the 49th year (7x7), and the 50th year is the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:11). The only type of tithing cycle most of us hear anything about today is "bring ten percent of your monetary income (gross or net) every week or month," which practice cannot be found in the Bible. Again, I point to Deuteronomy 27:26. Should we return to be in bondage to the law? Read Galatians 4:4-5,9; Romans 8:1-2; Matthew 12:7; Romans 8; Romans 7:1-6; Romans 6:11-14.
Isaiah 10:1-2
Proverbs 22:22
Mark 12:40-43
Matthew 23:2-4,14,19,23
Matthew 23:25 (extortion)
Matthew 25:31-46
Amos 5:12
2 Chronicles 32:26-28 let's us know that a storehouse is not a treasury, seeing that Hezekiah made treasuries for... treasures (go figure), and storehouses for food and animals and things of that sort. What we see mentioned here in Malachi 3:10 is that the tithes were stored in storehouses, which may provoke you to ask a modern day question: "why would people store money in storehouses with food and animals, instead of in the treasury?" I call it a modern day question, because people far back in Old Testament knew that tithes were not money. There are several scriptures that point this out, but one in particular I'd like to reference is Leviticus 27:31-32, which says that the tithe of the herd or of the flock (not money) is the tenth that passes under the rod, and can be redeemed by the person adding a fifth (20%) to it (see verse 27 also). So you can redeem your tithe by paying money (120% of what it's worth). If the tithe was money, that's saying you could choose to pay $120 if you want to keep your $100, which makes no sense to anyone who knows how to count. We also see from Lev 27:32 that it speaks of the tenth that passes under the rod, which may mean that if you only had nine, then you couldn't pay the tenth, meaning no tithe for you. Again, this is a thing that can't apply to money. If you will allow me one more, I'd like to also point to Deuteronomy 14:24-26, which is really the scripture I was looking for in the first place. This scriptures says that if the place where God told them to take their tithe was too far, then they could turn it into money, then go to that place and buy whatever their soul desires. That tells us a lot. We know the tithe wasn't money, because God wouldn't tell you to turn money into money so you could carry it to where He told you to take it, because money is already money. And if it was already money, you wouldn't have a problem carrying it. It also tells us that they did have money then that was readily available. People got paid money to work also, just like now. There are some who say nowadays that we primarily use money for everything now so it's okay if we use money as a substitute for what they tithed, but God never said that. And where in the Bible did God ever give anyone the authority to change His tithing system? This is the only scripture, and if your tithe ended up being money, you spent it, you didn't give it to the priest, and especially not a pastor. We're not allowed to just make stuff up, making up our own rules as we go along.
Nehemiah 13:12 - Although God does say for the tithe to be brought into the storehouse in Malachi 3:10, we do see that in Nehemiah 13:12, all of Judah did bring the tithe of the corn, new wine, and oil into the treasuries. However, it still is very clear that it was not a monetary tithe money that they brought into the treasuries.
Luke 12:24 (mentions storehouse)
Genesis 41:56 (mentions storehouses)
1 Corinthians 3:22 - God says in Malachi 3:10 "mine house," but 1 Cor 3:22-23 says that all things are ours, and we are Christ's and Christ is His, which also goes for us being His temple as well, which we are told earlier in this verse, in 1 Cor 3:16-17.
1 Corinthians 13:3 tells us that there's something even more important than giving "all" of our goods to feed the poor. It's charity. God is not just concerned about what's coming out of our pockets and storehouses and what we do for people, but what's coming out of our hearts and how we treat people.
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 (God's blessings for doing His commandments; storehouses also mentioned in verse 8)
1 Timothy 6:5 warns not to suppose that gain is godliness, despite the fact that God does pour blessings. We can't suppose that everyone we see with some sort of gain has been blessed by God, or even blessed for their obedience.

.Malachi 3:11 (Dec.9.2012) | "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts." I underlined "he" and "your ground". This verse seems to be speaking literally because it speaks very specifically, mentioning vine and ground, which coincides with Haggai 1:11 which mentions "that which the ground bringeth forth" while mentioned certain things that we see were tithed in other scriptures.
Leviticus 26:16 (having the fruits of one's ground devoured)
Devourer - Some people believe that the devourer spoken of here is not Satan, which may hold some validity. I will share some scriptures, but am not for or against that claim, because I don't really think it matters whether it's Satan or not. What matters is whether you're being obedient to God or not. He's the one you have to worry about. Well, okay it does matter a little who the devourer is. Some believe the devourer is a crop pest, such as the boll weevil, which would be proof that this verse is literally speaking of actual fruit or crops. This wouldn't really tell me much that I can't get from other scriptures, anyway.
Deuteronomy 28:38 (speaks of locust consuming seed out of the field)
Jeremiah 6:22-23 (8:16; 7:11) - human devourers
Joel 2:25 (locust, palmerworm, cankerworm, caterpillar devourers)
Amos 4:9 (1-4) - palmerworm devourer
Amos 5:6
1 Peter 5:8 - one of the few, if not only, times the devil is mentioned as the devourer. Then, he's strictly looking for whom he may devour, not what.
Exodus 10:4-6,12-15 (locusts sent by God to devour)
Deuteronomy 28:38-42 and 28:22 in reference to 29:22? (I think this is 29:22, but can't really tell because my ink faded. Remember, I'm writing these notes from my hand-written notes in my Bible.)
Amos 4:9; 7:1 (grasshoppers eating grass)
Jeremiah 12:9 (beasts of the field devour)
Habakkuk 3:14 (rejoicing to devour the poor secretly)
Matthew 23:14 (scribes and Pharisees devour widows' houses)

.Malachi 3:12 (Dec.9.2012) | Leviticus 2:20

.Malachi 3:15 (Dec.9.2012) | "they that work wickedness are set up" means they are exalted. We see this in Malachi 2:17.

.Malachi 3:17 (Dec.9.2012) | These jewels may be referring to those spoken of in Exodus 28:17-21. "as a man spareth his own son that serveth him" ties in with what we see in Matthew 17:24-27, with the focus of what Jesus says in verse 26.

.Malachi 3:18 (Dec.9.2012) | God calls for them to discern. Matthew 19:28?; Luke 22:30?; Exodus 28:17-21

.Malachi 4:1 (Dec.9.2012) | Ezekiel 22:31

.Malachi 4:2 (Dec.9.2012) | Underlined "the sun of righteousness" and "his" wings.

.Malachi 4:5 (Dec.9.2012) | This is probably why some thought Jesus was Elijah in Matthew 16:14. Well, in Matthew it's Elias, here it's Elijah (same person).

.Malachi 4:6 (Dec.9.2012) | The key is the fathers' relationships with the children.

.Malachi random (Dec.9.2012) | These are notes I'd written on a blank page after Malachi. I've been writing these notes today for hours, so I'm just going to list them out below as-is.

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