DEFILED OFFERINGS
"You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord
of hosts. “And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus, you
bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord."
Malachi 1:13
The sanctity of what you brought before God as an offering matter.
In the above passage of the Bible: "AND YOU BRING THE STOLEN, THE LAME, AND THE SICK; THUS, YOU BRING AN OFFERING! SHOULD I ACCEPT THIS FROM YOUR HAND?" SAYS THE LORD" (Malachi 1:13 NKJV).
This shows that you cannot just bring anything as an offering to God. The money gotten through prostitution, swindling, stealing, looting, misappropriation of company's account, and the like would not be acceptable to God if such is brought as an offering in this contemporary time.
People most of the time ridicule and insult God by playing on His
intelligence. God knows whatever is hidden to any person. If the way
you make your money is shady or dubious; it may be accepted by the
leadership of the church or ministry you attend, or where you give it as an offering. However, in God's sight, it is considered a stolen money that should not be brought to Him as an offering.
In the old testament the annoyance or wrath of God might be made known easily or instantly, but today it might be hidden a little bit and not instantaneous. But God surely would react to such gifts and the givers, there might not be any blessing given back to the person who
brought such a defiled gift.
There are sex workers, those who are into prostitution, who claim to be
born-again. There are internet fraudsters or defrauders who also claim to be born-again. All these would make money and would want to give
tithes and offerings through the money they made by their illicit, unlawful, and wrongful, acts or works.
God would not accept defiled offerings!
In God's kingdom, being or who you are precedes the doing, whatever you do for Him. In other words, whatever you want to do for God, you must first of all be a kind of vessel He intends to use for His purpose:
"NEVERTHELESS THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDS, HAVING THIS SEAL: “THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,” AND, “LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY"
2 Timothy 2:19 (NKJV)
If the means through which you make your money is dubious, you would have to repent today: “LET THE THIEF NO LONGER STEAL. INSTEAD, HE IS TO DO HONEST WORK WITH HIS OWN HANDS, SO THAT HE HAS SOMETHING TO SHARE WITH ANYONE IN NEED”
(Ephesians 4:28 Christian Standard Bible).
Peace.