God Has Not Changed
Dearly beloved of God, “Cast your bread on the waters for you will find it after many days,” is an expression that was common to the people in the lands and times that the Word of God was written. This orientalism teaches a wonderful truth.
Rice is of the same importance to the people in the east as bread is to us in the west.
The brown top of the rice is called a Pattie, and the rice is the seed in the Pattie. When it is planting time, the farmer will first till the ground. Then they fill the land with water about an inch above the plowed ground. The fields look like a lake, not a field of rice.
The farmer then takes the rice Patties and puts them in a basket that hangs around his neck, and he walks out in the mud and throws the seed from the right to the left. It looks like he is casting it on the water, not in a field, but after many days the Patties take root and grow up.
To a person that does not trust God it may look stupid to give, but the one that trusts what God teaches us about giving knows that like the rice seed cast upon the waters it will yield an abundant crop.
The Lord Jesus Christ used another eastern custom to teach this same truth. He said, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men given into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
In the market places in the east, if you bought a quart of flour for example, the merchant would fill the quart jar with a scoop of a quart of flour. Then he would press the flour down in the jar and compress it. Then he would shake the jar, and strike it on a hard surface so that it settled even more. Then he would fill the jar again with more flour until it was running over the top, and he would again press it down into the container. This was considered a good measure.
Instead of the merchant only filling the jar with a scoop that measured a quart, he would have filled your quart jar with much more than that. It would be a measure that was pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
Jesus Christ taught that with the measure we give we will receive, and not just dollar for dollar, but pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
Malachi wrote at a time when God’s people had walked away from Him. They went through the motions of ceremonialism and hypocrisy, but their hearts were far from God.
God told them that He is the LORD, and He changes not.
He said, “Return unto Me, and I will return unto you,” saith the LORD of hosts.
He told the Israelites to prove Him by giving their tithes and He would open the windows of heaven and pour them out a blessing that there would not be room enough to receive it. He then delineated what He would do to bless them. You can read the entire record in Malachi 3:6-18.
In spite of their wickedness, corruption, and hypocrisy He said that if they would obey Him and believe what He said that He would bless them abundantly as they gave. He has not changed.
God instructed the Apostle Paul to write: “But this I say, he which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
Listen to this, dearly beloved. “Now He That ministers seed to the sower, both minister bread for your food, and MULTIPLY your seed sown, and INCREASE the fruits of your righteousness.”
Cast your bread on the waters and see how it will return. Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. God will open the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings on you. He will multiply your seed sown and increase the fruits of your giving.
God has not changed, dearly beloved. You cannot out give God. As you give trust Him to fulfill His Word in your life. It was His idea to bless you abundantly. You are in partnership with Him when you believe Him and act on His Word. He will do His part: you can expect it.