Malachi 3:14

The Lord obliged them. They had said that serving the Lord and obeying Him did not benefit them, that it did not pay to serve Yahweh. When they mourned over their sins, their physical conditions did not improve.

"Some of the people who made the complaint (Malachi 3:14) were guilty of the myopic legalism that eventually led to Jewish pharisaism in the first century A.D. This legalism concentrated on performing certain rigorous activities and not doing other things as the means of vindicating themselves before God. But this actually stifled the full expression of inner righteousness required by God (Matthew 5:20-48; Matthew 23:1-36)." [Note: Blaising, p. 1586.]

"So-called good works that do not arise from genuine faith and gratitude to God are simply ’hot checks’ drawn on an empty bank account. They may provide a temporary sense of self-satisfaction, but God recognizes their true value-zero, and he will eventually bring to justice anyone who tries to live on them." [Note: Clendenen, p. 437.]

"I hear this complaint from some believers about their churches. ’We’re not getting anything out of it!’ But a church is like a bank or a home: you don’t get anything out of it unless you put something into it." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 487.]