Divorce and Robbery
August 31, 2020 at 4:23 pm | Posted in Malachi | 2 CommentsTags: commentary on Malachi, John 1, Luke 1, Malachi 2, Malachi 3, Malachi 4, Matthew 11, Matthew 17, Revelation 22, Sunday School lessons on Malachi
The prophet Malachi dealt with the sin of dishonoring God’s name. Another sin that he had to deal with was divorce
Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.
Malachi 2:11
Divorce was a violation of God’s covenant. It involved the breaking of vows, and hypocrisy.
And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
Malachi 2:13-14
Divorce also violated God’s standard of purity.
And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Malachi 2:15-16
God’s will is to conform us to the image of His Son. He is the God of providence. We must use our garments to cover our families, and not tear the garments. God joins people together, and the tears can’t be patched with worldly cloth.
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; or, Where [is] the God of judgment?
Malachi 2:17
This was the cry of a people with a strange attitude – especially people whose heart should have been changed. They were demanding what they THOUGHT they deserved. Do we really believe we are doing God’s will and obeying His law, but somehow He has failed to bless us? “Know Jesus, know peace” is a popular slogan, but to know Jesus is to also know mercy. When we have sinned, we should beg for mercy instead of demanding justice.
Malachi also addressed the sin of robbery. The people had robbed God Himself.
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:8
They had also robbed themselves.
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.
Malachi 3:12
Finally, they had robbed other people.
And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 3:12
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Malachi 4:5
The Old Testament prophets were also preachers, and they are still preaching today, through the Bible. We need to remember their messages more than their personalities or even their miracles.
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
John 1:21
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Matthew 17:10
And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
John 1:25
John the Baptist was not Elijah, but he did come in the same spirit as Elijah.
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Luke 1:17
And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
Matthew 11:14
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:3
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Matthew 17:3
Some Bible students think the two witnesses of Revleation 11:3 are Elijah and Enoch (Genesis 5:24), based on the fact that they were both taken to Heaven without experiencing death (II Kings 2:11).
The Old Testament ends with a curse.
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Malachi 4:6
But the New Testament ends with an end of curses.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Revelation 22:3
The Name of the Lord
August 11, 2020 at 9:27 am | Posted in Biblical names, Malachi | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Malachi, dishonoring the Lord, Lord of Hosts, Malachi 1, Malachi 2, Revelation 2, Sunday School lessons on Malachi
After the nation of God’s people became divided, the northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah. Israel was the first to fall into apostasy. The capital of the southern kingdom was Jerusalem. The Temple was there. Jersusalem was ultimately conquered by the Babylonians, and most of the people there were taken captive. Later, the Persians (Medo-Persians) conquered Babylon. The king of the Persian empire who issued a decree saying the Jewish people could go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and the Temple was Cyrus, and this decree was issued in 538 B.C. The rebuilding of the Temple was completed in 515 B.C. The Jewish leaders who oversaw the repair of the walls and gates, and the rebuilding of the Temple were Ezra and Nehemiah. The High Priest during this time was named Joshua. The governor was Zerubbabel.
The conditions described in the Book of Nehemiah are addressed in the Book of Malachi, and that’s why it is believed this was the time period in which the prophet Malachi ministered. Malachi’s name meant “My messenger,” and his message is more important than his biography. The conditions in the land at that time were poor crops and an extremely poor economy. Jewish men had divorced their Jewish wives and married pagan women. There were also serious problems in the priesthood.
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Malachi 1:6
The poor people were being oppressed by the wealthy and powerful, and people were failing in the obligation to financially support the proper worship in the house of the Lord. We can hear the weariness in Malachi as he addressed the sins of people who should have learned their lessons. He already knew what their excuses and complaints were. Before something is properly painted it must be stripped and rubbed smooth. This is the job of a prophet.
Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Revelation 2:4
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Malachi 1:2-3
God identified a coldness in His people in their love for Him. God’s electing grace is evidence of His love. As true Christians, we love Him, yes, but we love Him because He first loved us (I John 4:19).
The title “Lord of hosts” is used in Malachi 1:4 and 24 times in the Book of Malachi. The English word “host” comes from the same root word as “hostile.” Malachi didn’t really use the title as a threat, but the threat is there in “Lord of Hosts.” We would do well to remember there is no middle ground with God. We are for Him or against Him. He deals with those who are both hot and cold, but He has less patience for the lukewarm – He spits them out.
“My name” is another common phrase in Malachi (1:6,11,14; 2:2,5; 3:16; 4:2).
Dishonoring God’s name was another big sin that Malachi addressed. Giving less than our best dishonors God’s name. Service, time, finances – all must be done to the glory of God. Breaking vows dishonors God’s name. Doing the Lord’s work merely for wages or for what we get out of it dishonors God’s name.
Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
Malachi 2:9
Turning Up the Heat – Part 3
March 30, 2010 at 1:37 pm | Posted in Bible Studies, Malachi | 7 CommentsTags: 2 Timothy 2, Acts 5, Ephesians 2, Hebrews 10, Jesus the Refiner, Luke 18, Malachi 3, refined silver, refiner's fire, silver
Previously we examined:
1. The position of the Refiner
2. The purpose of the refining.
Now, let’s look at:
3. The product of the refining
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3, emphasis added
The end result of the refining of silver should be what? Refined silver. Pure silver. And not just so the refiner can say, “Okay, it’s pure!” No, refined silver is ready to be used for something – to be offered up. The Master Refiner – the Lord Jesus – wants the purified silver to be an offering in righteousness, but not an offering of something just to be put up on a shelf and admired. A righteous offering is something that can be used for the glory of God.
Now, let’s be clear, the Refiner doesn’t take a lost person, somebody who’s never been born again, and put him in the Silversmith’s cauldron, and turn up the heat and keep it up until he does enough good works to earn his way to heaven. No, we are not saved by works.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
The Bible is very clear on that. But, as believers, sometimes we start to abuse the idea of grace. We read Ephesians 2:8-9 and we say, “Oh yeah, uh-huh, I’m a child of grace – grace has set me free… Now don’t talk to me about works! I’m all about grace, and I don’t want to hear anything about works!” And we fail to read what comes next:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
The Bible says we are created unto good works. You can not work for your salvation. But you should certainly be motivated to work because of it. God ordained some works for you to do – some good works – before you were ever created.
The purpose of the refining is to make us fit – suitable – to accomplish good works for the Refiner. Are you being refined today? Is the Refiner turning up the heat because you are holding on to those last few impurities?
The first time I taught this lesson, someone asked me, “How long will the refining last?” The refining will last until we are purified. But if you are asking me what can we do to shorten the refining process, my answer would be to let go of sin we are stubbornly holding onto. Now, that answer may feel like me stepping on your toes. And what’s even worse is that I highly recommend Bible study, prayer, church attendance, and Sunday School to help in your refining. If you don’t like those recommendations, your issue is not really with me. Your issue is with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God. If a person is stepping on your toes, it’s easy enough to get some protective foot-wear. But if the Holy Ghost is stepping on your toes, the best way I can think of to stop getting your toes stepped on is to move your feet – move them right in line with the Word of God. That’s the path – the only safe path – for your feet to go.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
II Timothy 2:15
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Luke 18:1
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Acts 5:32
Let us thank God that our refining is not for vanity. You want to know how long a refiner refines and purifies silver and gold? The answer is, as long as it takes. I doubt the truthfulness of this illustration, since I suspect that looking into a pot of molten silver over extreme heat could cause blindness, but it makes a good point: A silversmith determines that the silver he is refining is pure when he can look down and see his own reflection in it. In the same way, the Lord Jesus is refining us until He looks down and sees an image of Himself looking back.
1. The position of the Refiner: sitting
2. The purpose of the refining: purified faith and obedience
3. The product of the refining: believers conformed to the image of Christ.
Turning Up the Heat – Part 2
March 26, 2010 at 11:39 am | Posted in Bible Studies, Malachi | 8 CommentsTags: 1 Peter 3, 2 Corinthians 9, Deuteronomy 11, dross, faith and obedience, Isaiah 1, John 14, Malachi 3, Matthew 3, refiner's fire
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3
The Refiner in this verse is Jesus Christ. Previously we examined:
1. The position of the Refiner
This time we will look at:
2. The purpose of the refining
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3, emphasis added
The sons of Levi were the priests of Israel. They were dedicated especially to serving the Lord. From them the Book of Leviticus gets its name. Out of their ranks, the one high priest went into the place behind the veil, into the Holy of Holies. Those who serve the Lord in the most important ways, and who are closest to Him, must be especially pure. As a husband and a father, I am called in a special way to be especially obedient to God. I can’t be the husband God wants me to be or the father God wants me to be if I am not especially separated unto Him, and pure before Him.
Here are three pointers that I, as a royal priest, a servant of God – as someone who wants to be closer to God and to really get something out of the refining experience – will want to do. They have to do with obedience:
A. Obey immediately.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:15
If I see one of my children standing in the road, in danger of being struck by a speeding truck, and I say, “Move now!” – I don’t want a debate about the reasons for moving now. I want immediate obedience. There are many good reasons for attending church services, but the best reason is that God has commanded it. When God commands it, I do not need an explanation. Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience.
B. Obey completely.
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 11:13
When I tell my child to sweep the floor, I do not mean simply sweep everything into a corner and leave it there. I mean sweep it into a dust pan, pick it up, and get rid of it. It is good to give out Gospel tracts, but it is not a substitute for verbally telling someone (preaching) the Gospel when God gives us that opportunity. Partial obedience is the same as disobedience.
C. Obey sweetly.
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isaiah 1:19
When I tell my children to pick up their toys, they often sulk while doing it grudgingly. Sometimes I am guilty of praying like it’s just a chore, or reading my Bible like it’s just a chore. Giving is a command – cheerful giving is truly pleasing to God. Grudging obedience is not really obedience. Obey immediately, obey completely, and obey sweetly.
One purpose of the refining is to make us more obedient, but the main purpose of the refining is the purifying. When the silver is heated, the impurities rise to the top. The refiner, who is sitting, who is patiently and attentively – even lovingly – watching, immediately scrapes off the impurities. This is called the dross. The dross is discarded – thrown away. This is similar to the symbol of the branches that bear no fruit.
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Matthew 3:10-12
John the Baptist pointed to the ministry of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I baptize with water, but He will baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”
We look at that and we get all excited. We tell people, “When you get saved, He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and you will be ‘on fire,’” meaning “fired up” or excited. Then the person who has been saved can’t understand why he’s suffering. He thinks, “God must be mad at me.” Or he thinks, “The devil tricked God, and took away my joy… If I could just find somebody to give me an emotional experience to make me feel better – somebody to laugh or cry with me… I need to feel something positive.”
Friends, that “feeling” is going to last about as long as it takes you to get to your car in the parking lot after a church service. As I’ve heard attributed to Martin Luther:
Feelings come and feelings go
And feelings are deceiving
Our warrant should be the Word of God
Nothing else is worth believing
When we see where Matthew 3:10-12 is placed – in the middle of three examples of useless, nonproductive things – we can better understand its context.
The axe cuts down the trees which don’t bear fruit, and they are good for what? Burning. The winnowing fork picks up the wheat, and separates the chaff, and the chaff is good for what? Burning.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
I Peter 1:3-7
Many of us are scared to death to have our faith tried. “Oh Refiner,” we say, “I think you made a mistake! The fire’s too hot! Get me out of here now – I’m purged, purified, and refined! I’m proclaiming my faith!” But the truth is our faith is on trial every day. What kind of faith do you have at home? What kind of faith do you have when you don’t feel like serving the Lord? What kind of faith do you have when the Holy Ghost says, “Your body is My temple, and you are taking My temple places – and putting things in My temple – that make Me uncomfortable?” Does your faith go into action in the form of obedience?
I have never seen the bank where I send my monthly mortgage payments, but I write a check to them (almost) every month. Because I have a fear of being foreclosed on and evicted. I have faith in that bank. I believe it exists and that it can do what it says it can do. Do I fear God? Do I have faith in God? My mouth talks, and my actions talk – but when it comes to faith, my actions talk louder than my talk talks. The purpose of the refining is a stronger faith and a true obedience – purified, refined, purged of impurities.
1. The position of the Refiner: sitting
2. The purpose of the refining: purified faith and obedience
Next time, let’s look at:
3. The product of the refining
Turning Up the Heat – Part 1
March 19, 2010 at 9:30 am | Posted in Bible Studies, Malachi | 21 CommentsTags: Charles Spurgeon, Jesus the Refiner, Lord Jesus, Malachi 3, Proverbs 21, refiner's fire, refining, Romans 12, suffering, the refiner
Lord, let us hear from You. Thank You for Your patience, for Your love, for Your saving grace. One of the benefits of our salvation is having ears to hear. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. In the precious name of Christ I pray. Amen.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3
This verse says He shall sit, and the “He” is the Lord Jesus. It is partially a reference to a time when He shall come to defeat the Antichrist, and shall establish His kingdom on Earth for 1000 years. Not all theologians believe in this, but many of those who do call it the Millennial Reign. But Malachi 3:3 also speaks of the work of Christ in the lives of believers today.
If you have been born again – if you have been saved – if your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life – if you have trusted Christ as your Savior – then this verse applies to you. I want us to notice 3 things about this verse:
1. The position of the Refiner
2. The purpose of the refining
3. The product of the refining
The Position of the Refiner
When we look at the position of the refiner, we are a little concerned: “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver…” Sitting is a position that we usually equate with laziness or a lack of concern.
[Let me pause here for a brief tangent on the topic of “sitting.” If you are a Christian boy or man – especially a teen-aged boy or young man – do not let yourself be caught sitting while someone else is working in front of you. A lady who is carrying something heavy should never have to excuse herself to get by you because you are loitering in her way. As someone who has been frustrated in the past by the failure of unbiblical church “youth groups,” I have seen this happen numerous times. If you are in a position of leadership in church youth ministry, or, more to the point, if you are a Christian parent or elder, please stress to teen-aged boys and overgrown “youth group” males that they are to be:
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Romans 12:11
The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
Proverbs 21:25
Slothful is the Bible word for lazy. A Christian should be diligent, not lazy.]
Okay, back to the point: We see the that the Refiner in Malachi 3:3 is sitting – sitting before a hot cauldron or pot of molten silver. In this illustration, you and I, as Christians, are the silver. And we are in the heat, but the Refiner is just sitting. We are tempted to ask, “What do you mean He’s sitting? I’m in the fire! Things are really getting hot for me! I’m having troubles – troubles at work, trials at home, suffering in my body! Why is He just sitting? Doesn’t He care?”
The temptation to think this way comes from a misunderstanding about the nature of God. God is not a nervous parent, up at 2:30 a.m., pacing the floor, wringing His hands, waiting for the phone to ring, and muttering, “Why won’t My son call me if he’s in trouble? Why won’t My daughter come home – I don’t know where she is?” Nor is He snoring soundly while His children are getting into all sorts of trouble beyond the realm of His consciousness. No, the Refiner of silver sits because He’s in it for the long-haul.
I work in an office, and when I have some very important paperwork to attend to, I sit down and pay attention. The Refiner must pay close attention. He will not let the refining fire He’s attending cool down too much or get too hot. Our Lord sits as a Refiner because He is determined to do a thorough and complete job.
Another reason the Refiner is sitting is because He is the King, and is in total control. He’s sovereign. When an earthly king receives his subjects, he sits and they stand. They are nervous and stressed. They want their requests granted, but they are uncertain. The king is sure. He is calm and regal. He knows he has the power. If he declares it to be, it is so. Our Lord Jesus, the Master Refiner, is sitting because He paid a high a price for us, and He wants us to be pure. He’s not sitting because he doesn’t care – He’s sitting because he does care.
I believe it was Charles Spurgeon who used the analogy of an infant with a dirty face. This child is crying because his mother is vigorously scrubbing his face clean. The child is greatly agitated, but the mother is smiling, calm, and humming a merry tune. The mother has the peaceful and purposeful assurance that a clean face is the best thing for her child at that moment. How often we cry to the Lord to be relieved of our sufferings! We do not realize that the relief we are crying for would not be good for us. Our Lord loves us too much to let us stay defiled. He paid too high a price for His silver and gold to let it remain full of impurities.
That is the position of the Refiner: sitting. Next time, we will delve a little more into the the purpose of the refining.
Hijacked Hearts
September 29, 2009 at 9:14 am | Posted in Biblical Parenting, Malachi | 7 CommentsTags: Christian parenting, Elijah, Hijackings, John the Baptist, Luke 1, make-out parties, Malachi 4, parenting principles, Satan, teenagers
It sounds like a crazy notion, but we might wonder if Satan has been reading his Bible. If he has seen Malachi Chapter 4, Verse 6, then he would know that God’s desire is to see the hearts of children turned toward, not away from, their parents. “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” And that would motivate the devil to work very hard to do just the opposite of what God wants. Does this explain the state of most of the parent-child relationships we see in the world today?
Malachi 4:6 is actually the very last verse in the entire Old Testament. Malachi is prophesying in part about the ministry of John the Baptist.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Malachi 4:5
John the Baptist was not Elijah reincarnated, but he did minister in the spirit of Elijah.
Between the end of Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament there is about 400 years of silence, as far as recorded Scripture. Then, in Luke 1:17, the angel of the Lord tells Zacharias, concerning John the Baptist: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
The devil has turned the hearts of many of our children. He has turned them to drugs, immorality, worldly entertainment, popular culture, their own vanity, and even to their peers. Dads, moms: no modern-day John the Baptist is going to catch your children at the shopping mall, rock concert, or make-out party, and convince them to repent. However, we have One greater than John the Baptist. If we can get them to Jesus, He will turn their hearts to Himself, and back to us. It’s a great thing to pray for your kids. God can protect them in ways we can’t. However, He has ordained us, parents, in a very real, personal, and hands-on way, to take the steering wheel of their hearts and guide them in the right direction.
The Deep End 
A Lesson from the Laundry
September 8, 2020 at 2:35 pm | Posted in Malachi | Leave a commentTags: 1 Peter 4, commentary on Malachi, God's justice, laundry, Malachi 1, Malachi 2, Malachi 3, Malachi 4, Sunday School lessons on Malachi
Lord, please help us to endure, and to be focused and energized, not weary. Help us to be excited about Your will, zealous for Your glory, and ready always to give an answer for the hope that is within us. Help us even to look for opportunities to give an answer, as You teach us from Your Word.
In the Book of Malachi the people were ready to argue with God about His love (Malachi 1:2), His name (Malachi 1:6), His plan for marriage (Malachi 2:14), His justice (Malachi 2:17), His plan for giving (Malachi 3:8), and His Lordship (Malachi 3:13). The people were telling God, “We came back to Judah; we rebuilt the Temple; we started worshipping. Why are we suffering while sinners are being blessed?”
Job and Habakkuk had similar questions for God, but they eventually realized that they were not God. They could not do the things God could do. Who were they to question God? The difference in the Book of Malachi, though, is that the people were forced to confront an even tougher lesson: Were they really keeping their end of the Covenant? Do we really want to try to make our claim of sinlessness a basis for our demand to be blessed? Many times we’re trying to claim promises when we need to be begging for mercy.
Malachi 3:1-2
The people were hoping that the Day of the Lord would come soon… but the Day of the Lord will bring both blessings and judgment, and where will judgment begin?
I Peter 4:17
God will wash His people like a launderer washes clothes. Agitation is necessary for thorough washing. Strong detergent is necessary for fully clean clothes. Sometimes there are things that wind up in the laundry that are not really laundry – tissues, receipts, and various debris. When I do the laundry at home for my family, I try to sort through and remove these items. Usually, they are thrown out. Laundry reminds me of Christian ministry. Sometimes my family members complain that they don’t have clean clothes to wear, and I have to remind them that I only wash the clothes they bring to the hamper or the laundry room. If they don’t put anything in, they don’t get anything out. If you are not “getting anything out of” church attendance, Bible reading, Christian ministry, it may be because you are not putting anything into them. Don’t ask for justice from God if you are dealing unjustly with others. Don’t ask for gifts from God if you are not giving to others. Don’t ask for His protection if you don’t worship and obey Him as Lord.
Malachi 3:16-18
Malachi 4:1-3
Here are links to other posts in the category on Malachi:
1. The Name of the Lord (Malachi 1-2)
2. Divorce and Robbery (Malachi 2-4)
3. Turning Up the Heat – Part 1 (Malachi 3:3)
4. Turning Up the Heat – Part 2 (Malachi 3:3)
5. Turning Up the Heat – Part 3 (Malachi 3:3)
6. A Glorious Marriage (Malachi 3:15)
7. Hijacked Hearts (Malachi 4:5)*
*most-viewed post in category