Christopher L. Scott

One of the benefits of a vacation—in my opinion—is that it gives you something to look forward to enjoying in the future. The trials and struggles of today are easier when we know we will escape them on vacation. A difficult job becomes easier to bear when we plan a vacation from it. A chaotic household of kids is easier to withstand when we know we have a weekend getaway planned with adult friends and no kids. Knowing there is a vacation in the future helps us endure the trials of today. That’s true for us that endure suffering on earth now while waiting for heaven in the future.

            Malachi tells the faithful followers of God that had been enduring hardship, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall” (Malachi 4:2, NASB).[1]

            These verses remind us that earth is not our permanent place. It reminds us that we have something better waiting for us. The text describes “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” The people Malachi was writing to might have felt like they were in a dark world where there was no hope. We too sometimes feel there is no end in sight to the world’s evil and wickedness. But when Christ comes and ushers in the Day of the Lord, it will be like the sun with its sunrays shooting out appearing as “wings.” The image here is one of a dark cloudy day when the clouds break and you see some light shining through as a strong straight line. These are the “wings” of sunlight that God brings.

            The text also describes “and you will go forth and skip about like calves from a stall.” In other words, we will be free! We will be released from the bondage of this world where bad things happen to innocent people because of the Fall, because of the role of Satan in our world, because of the mistakes others make, and because of the mistakes we make.

            At a future time God’s people will be spiritually renewed and restored. This will be as clear as bright sunshine in a dark sky and like animals freed from their restrictive stalls.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

At one of our men’s Bible study events one of the guys made a startling (but accurate) statement when he said, “We are going to suffer.” That’s true! But how do we overcome suffering? How do we overcome the evil in this world? Based on the last parts of the book of Malachi, I believe there are four ways we can overcome the evil and suffering in this world.

FEAR THE LORD

            “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. . . But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Malachi 3:16, 4:2).[1]

            These verses tell us that we should have a respectful fear of God. He created the universe, He knew us before we were born, He sent His son to die for us, and He chose us to be part of His spiritual family. And because of that we have a relationship with Him. This leads us to fear and revere Him. When it says “those who feared the LORD” the word for “fear” there can be translated as “revere” or “to give credit, to give him his proper due.”

            These two verses also tell us we are recognized by God when we fear Him and stay the course. “and the LORD gave attention and heard it” (Malachi 3:16). God remembers the Israelite’s faithfulness to Him. God still listens to them, watches them, and focuses on them even when He is punishing everyone else.  We must remember that God knows us and sees our faithfulness no matter what situation we are in. At work when other people lie, steal, and cheat their way to the top, we need to remain steady and faithful to God. When we are tempted to cheat on our taxes like everyone else does, but we “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” Or when we have to be the only one that works to pay the bills or discipline the kids, remember that God sees our faithfulness.

            And because of this small remnant of faithful believers the text says in Malachi 3:16 “the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.” In other words, God won’t forget their correct response to Him. This was a permanent remembrance of their faithful and reverent response kept in heaven. In this verse the noun zik-ka-rown (זִכָּרוֹן) is used to describe acting on what is being remembered, not simply a record to keep in mind. Now of course, God does not need a scroll to remember who is loyal to Him. But the writing on the scroll emphasizes for us the permanence of God’s intention to deliver these people in the future.

GROW IN THE LORD

            Second, to overcome evil in the world we grow in the Lord. “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.” (Malachi 4:4).

            To grow in the Lord we need to read His Word. In Malachi here “the law of Moses” describes the Torah that God had Moses write down (Genesis through Deuteronomy), but that phrase is also sometimes used to describe all the books of the Old Testament.

            To grow in the Lord we need to listen to his Word. Most people at that point in time did not read. So to “remember” the Word of God meant they had to hear it read. That’s why it’s good for churches to designate a specific part of the worship service to read a Scripture passage aloud each week for everyone to hear.  

            To grow in the Lord we need to do what His Word says. The Hebrew word used here is the verb zakar (זכר) which means “remember” but means more than just “memory.” It implies acting on what is remembered. So to remember the Law was to do what it says. If a mom that normally picks up her kids from school needs the dad to pick the kids up from school, there are two important elements for that change of routine. The dad needs the knowledge that he was expected to pick up the kids and he needs to do the action of going to pick up the kids from school. There was an action tied to that knowledge. That’s the same idea here too. To remember God’s Word means we need to do what it says.

            There is evil all around us in the world, but we can overcome evil by growing in the Lord. And we do that by reading His Word, listening to His Word, and doing what His Word says.

SERVE THE LORD

            Third, to overcome evil in the world we serve the Lord. Malachi tells the small righteous and faithful group of people in Israel, “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” (Malachi 3:18, NASB). As we look at the importance of serving the Lord we must note two things.

            First, we need actions because intentions and emotions are not enough. Just saying “I follow God and believe in God” is not enough. There needs to be actions that match those declarations. Most of us learned in school that “intention” to do homework was not accepted by our teachers. The teachers required “action” of completing the homework in order to get credit. For us believers, we can’t just intend to live a life different than the world around us, but we have to act different than the world around us.

            Second, we need actions so that God can distinguish us. In Malachi 3 we learn that God distinguishes between the people that are “arrogant” (Malachi 3:13, 15) from the ones that “fear the Lord” (Malachi 3:16) and “esteem his name” (Malachi 3:16). God makes this distinction because of their service of Him. The NLT puts it this way saying you will “see the difference.” In other words, it should not be a secret that you are a follower of God (not because of your words, but because of your deeds).

            Yet another way we overcome evil in the world is doing good things that show we are different than the evil people in the world. These good things—actions not just intentions—mark us out as separate from the evil world in which we live.

WE LOOK FOR THE LORD

            Fourth, to overcome evil in the world we look for the Lord. Malachi tells those faithful followers of God, “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. . . Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:2, 5–6, NASB95)

            These verses remind us that earth is not our permanent place and that we have something better waiting for us which we look forward to experiencing. One of the best benefits of a vacation—in my opinion—is that it gives you something to look forward to enjoying in the future. The trials and struggles of today are easier when we know we will be free of those trials and struggles in the future. Knowing there is a vacation in the future helps you endure. That’s the same for us that endure suffering on earth now while waiting for heaven in the future.

            These verses at the end of Malachi tell us we have good things to look forward to. The text describes “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” The people Malachi was writing to might have felt like they were in a dark world where there was no hope. We too sometimes feel there is no end in sight to the world’s evil and wickedness. But when Christ comes and ushers in the Day of the Lord, it will be like the sun with its sunrays shooting out appearing as “wings” like on a dark cloudy day when the clouds break and you see some light shining through as a strong straight line.

            The text also describes “and you will go forth and skip about like calves from a stall” (v. 2). In other words, we will be free! They will be set free from the effects of the fall, from the role of Satan in our world, from the mistakes others make, and from the mistakes we make. God’s people will be spiritually renewed and restored. This will be as clear as bright sunshine in the sky and like calves freed from a stall.

            These verses at the end of Malachi also show us we have signs that will show us when he’s returning. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5–6)

            There are two events described here. One is the coming of Elijah the prophet (v. 5). “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet” (v. 5). John the Baptist is identified as being Elijah because he came in spirit and power just like Elijah did. And his job was to get the people’s hearts ready. And in the same way, there will be a second future Elijah who will be like John the Baptist, to get the people’s hearts ready for the return of the Lord.  This matches what we see in the Transfiguration of Moses and Elijah with Jesus (Matt 17:9-13). Jesus told his disciples, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things.” What Jesus was telling the disciple here was that Elijah would come in the future to restore things and get things ready (just like John the Baptist had gotten the people ready for Jesus).

            Second, “before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD” (v. 5). That will be when Christ punishes the world at the end of the millennial kingdom for it’s defiance and rejection of him.

            There is evil in the world. Even humanists and secularists admit that and wrestle with answers to that evil. But we as Christians are told how to overcome evil by fearing the Lord, growing in the Lord, serving the Lord, and looking for the Lord.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Most of us know ungodly people that mock God, cause harm to others, and refuse to repent of their sins. The small faithful group of believers in Israel had those same people in their time and were wondering what God had prepared for those people in the future. Malachi records what God says about these ungodly people, “’For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.’” (Malachi 4:1, NASB)[1]

            God has future plans for the arrogant people in Malachi’s time and God wants to make sure we don’t miss this by saying, “For behold.” This Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hin-neh) can be translated as, “Look!” or “Take note!” or “don’t miss this.”

            God tells Israel here that evil people will endure a fire on earth.The text says that at some point in the future the day of judgement is coming “burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze.” There are three descriptions here. First, the day is going to be “burning like a furnace.” Fire of a furnace describes extreme intensity that is controlled and contained. God has a purpose for this fire and it is judgement. Second, who will be burnt up is described, “all the arrogant and every evil doer will be like chaff.” These are the self-righteous people that say they don’t need God. They have also claimed in Malachi 3:13-15 that to serve God was pointless and worthless because nothing returns back to them for their deeds. Third, this will be a future event. “and the day that is coming will set them ablaze.” These evil people will be set on fire and will be consumed by the fire sometime in the future.

            God alsotells us now that these evil people will endure a fire in hell forever. The Bible teaches that hell is terrible and painful. There will be physical torment with burning fire (Jude 7; Mark 9:43; Revelation 21:8), a fiery furnace (Matthew 13:41-42), a place of flames (Luke 16:24), and a place of death and destruction (Matthew 7:13; Luke 6:49; Romans 9:22; Philippians 3:19; Revelation 2:11; 20:6, 14, 21:8). The Bible also teaches that hell is permanent and eternal. The people sent there will experience “everlasting” (Daniel 12:2) “eternal fire” (Matthew 18:6-9; 25:4; Jude 7), smoke that rises “forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, 14-15), “eternal” destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9), they will “forever” be separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9), and people will be doomed “forever” (Jude 13).

            We should feel comforted that we are going to heaven.We don’t have to worry about our performance because Jesus already did the work for us. The price of admission has been paid. We have our ticket that says “Paid in Full.” Among all the crazy things going on in the world, among heartbreaks we endure and the pain we have to drudge through, we should enjoy security in our hearts that we won’t be judged like unbelievers. Instead we will be in heaven with our Lord forever with our loved ones that are already there waiting for us.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

A common question I receive from people—and I’m sure people ask you too—is, “Why do evil people prosper in the world?” Other forms of this question are asked as “Why do good things happen to bad people?” Or “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Scripture reveals four reasons evil people prosper in the world.

            The first reason evil people prosper in this world is because of the Fall. When Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree God told them not to (in Genesis 3:1-6), they invited evil to enter into the world. As a result sin entered the world and a sin nature is part of every person (Psalm 51:3-5; Romans 5:12).

            A second reason that evil people prosper in the world is because of the role of Satan in our world. Satan’s position is “god” of this world. Paul tells us, “Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4a, emphasis added).[1] John tells us, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19, emphasis added). In other parts of Scripture we learn that Satan’s activities in this world are to tempt and seduce (Genesis 3:1-6; Matthew 4:1-11), to deceive, falsify, and counterfeit (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Revelation 20:3, 7-8), to destroy (1 Peter 5:8-9; Luke 8:12; Revelation 12:13-17), to war against believers and the church by sending false workers (Matthew 13:36-39), to thwart God’s work (1 Thessalonians 2:18), to send pain and physical ailments upon believer’s lives (John 2:4-7; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10), to through defame and slander (Revelation 20:10), as well as to persecute and oppress believers (Revelation 2:10, 13).

            A third reason that evil people prosper in the world is because of the mistakes others make. This is the context of Israel in the book of Malachi. In Malachi 3:16-18 and Malachi 4:2-6 we learn about a righteous group of believers that have been faithful to God, but most of the nation had abandoned God. Most of the nation were bringing blemished and poor sacrifices to God that didn’t meet the criteria required in the Law for offerings (Malachi 1:6-14). The priests were not following their call to lead the nation of Judah in a way that brought the people close to God (Malachi 2:1-9). The men were divorcing their Jewish wives and marrying ungodly pagan wives from neighboring nations (Malachi 2:10-16). The people were not giving their tithes and offerings to God as they were supposed to do (Malachi 3:7-12). The Israelites were experiencing problems because of their many sins, but the remnant of faithful believers in Israel were experiencing problems that they did not cause. This small group of people faithfully followed God but suffered because of the ungodly actions of others. That is true in our day sometimes too. Bankruptcy, health problems, broken marriages, loss of jobs and income sometimes fall on us because of the ungodly behavior of other people related to us.

            A fourth reason that evil people prosper in the world is because of the mistakes that we make. Sometimes bad things happen because we have played a part in it. God talks to Israel and says, “Your words have been arrogant against Me”(Malachi 3:13). These were shameless words of harsh criticism against God. The Message puts it this way, “You have spoken hard, rude words against me.” And this is what the people said, “It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the LORD of hosts? So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.” (Malachi 3:14-15). These people were saying God was either too weak to stop evil or He was not interested in punishing the wicked. They were accusing God of being apathetic and disinterested in them. Like the Israelites, sometimes there are things that we have done to bring about the problems we have.

            Why evil people prosper in the world is a common question. The answers are not easy to hear, but the answers are true to Scripture. I pray God’s Word will comfort you and minister to you as you wrestle with God’s Word and His answers to your questions.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Good things occur when we give gifts to others. Often the person we give to will share a verbal “thank you” or a personal thank you note sent by email. Sometimes the person will give us a gift in return as a thank you. In Malachi 3 God is urging the nation of Israel to give to Him like they were supposed to give.

            If Israel was to give a gift to God He says He will“’open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:10b–12).[1]

            Israel was struggling because their crops were not growing. They were withholding their tithes and offerings from God, and God was withholding the rain that sustained and grew their crops. But if they tithe to God it says so much rain will come that it will “overflow.” That overflow of rain will lead to abundant fruits of the ground (v. 11a), flourishing grapes (v. 11b), and a blessing from other lands (v. 12). When we give to God, God blesses us.

            God not only blesses us when we give to Him, but God also gives us peace. While you might be kind to others, pray, read your Bible, and attend church, if you are not giving to God my guess is that you have spiritual uneasiness. I know this from all the people that have told me as their pastor, “I just can’t tithe” or “I know I need to tithe to God but it hasn’t happened yet” or “I know that I’m committed to start tithing this year.”As a pastor I never bring it up but they do because they feel guilty.

            Giving to God blesses us, gives us peace, and also gives us protection.Something was eating and devouring Israel’s crops. God says if they give, “I will rebuke the devourer for you” (Malachi 3:11a). The word “rebuke” here means to “stop” or to “prevent.” The word “devourer” here is the Hebrew participle, בָּֽאֹכֵ֔ל which means “the eater.” This was a term for any kind of threat to crops and livelihood. The NIV calls them “pests” and NLT calls it “insects and disease.” If Israel gives to God, then God promises to protect the Israelite’s crops growing.

            Giving to God blesses us, gives us peace, gives us protection, and gives us recognition. “All the nations will call you blessed for you shall be a delightful land” (Malachi 3:12a).This was God’s original plan for Israel in Exodus 19:3-6. God wanted to bless His people and as a result of blessing His people, all the neighboring nations around Israel could look at Israel and say, “God is doing something there. God is blessing them and protecting them. There’s no way that they could accomplish all of that on their own.” And this too, should be our goal as Christians living today in our world. People should see us and think, “She’s got something I don’t have, and it’s not related to the number of digits in her bank account, the size of her house, or the logo on her car. It relates to the inner peace and tranquility she has in spite of the circumstance she’s in or the state of the economy that we live in.”

            Tithing is a blessing. God was hoping that Israel would learn about that blessing here in Malachi 3:10b-12, and I hope that we can learn about and experience that blessing too.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

We often think of the word “tithe” as 10 percent and that’s what the word means. The Hebrew word, מַעַשֵׂר (ma’aser) usually describes one tenth of a person’s goods dedicated to God. But what if I told you that God’s description of the tithe was much more than just 10 percent? What if I told you God called the people of Israel to give to Him as much as 40 percent of their goods or income each year?

            In his commentary on the book of Malachi Allen Ross makes a strong case that a faithful Israelite who followed the Law would give 40 percent of his family income to God each year. Ross says that when you add up the giving expected for the priests, for the temple, for the annual pilgrimages, for the third and fifth year tithes to the poor, for the three festivals (Pentecost, Purim, and Passover), for the sin and trespass offerings, for the Sabbath year of rest for crops, and when you add up the cost of leaving the corners of crops unharvested so the poor could glean, that total “would exceed 40% a year.”[1]

            When God was addressing the Israelites in the book of Malachi one of His issues with Israel was that they were not giving like they should have been giving. God says in Malachi 3:10, “’Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’”[2]

            As I’ve shown you earlier, the “whole” gift for Israel was a significant percentage of their income. Here God says, “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” The whole tithe was likely about 40 percent.

            So that describes what Israel was supposed to do in the Old Testament and in Malachi’s time (400 BC), but what about for us now? How much do we give now? When we read the New Testament we might expect the apostles Paul, John, James, and Peter to affirm what the Old Testament taught about giving a tithe, but they don’t. And they don’t because Christ fulfilled the Law. Because we live in the age of grace—not under the rule of Law—giving for us is very different than for the Israelites in Malachi’s book. As Gentiles (that’s you and me because we are not Jewish) we give a portion of our income to God and that amount is different for each person.

            As New Testament believers living in the time of grace, we are supposed to give generously and joyously. Paul told the believers in Corinth, “On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collection be made when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2). So what we do is pray about what God wants us to give and allow Him to lead. If we are in a place where we are giving a very small amount, perhaps we should pray and ask God if He is leading us to give more. If our giving is sporadic, perhaps we should pray and ask if God is leading us to give more consistently.

            I believe we should give to God proportionately and consistently. The late theologian Charles Ryrie once said, “Every believer owes 100 percent of what he is and what he has to God. The question, then, is not only how much I give, but also how much I spend on myself.”[3] Remember that the New Testament teaches the percentage is not as important as the principle that we give proportionately and consistently.

[1] Allen Ross, Malachi Then and Now (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 160-161.

[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[3] Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1969), 89.

Kids are excited to receive gifts, but mature adults are excited to give gifts. But sometimes people don’t like the gifts we give them. Sometimes the gift is cheap. Sometimes it’s not something they would enjoy using. Sometimes it’s inappropriate for that person’s past history (alcohol for a former alcoholic, chocolate for someone on a diet, etc.).

            Israel had been giving gifts to God, but God was not pleased with the gifts that He was receiving. Instead of giving a portion of what Israel was earning back to the Lord as a tithe, they were keeping it for their personal needs.

            The truth is that we are all tempted to keep for ourselves what we know belongs to God. We all are tempted to use money we know we should give to God for our own personal bills. We have house payments, medical bills, car insurance, and groceries we need to buy. Additionally, we know we should give to God and we want to give to God, but we have desires for things that prevent us from giving to God. Maybe we want some new piece of technology, a nicer car, bigger house, or lavish vacation. And because we spend our money on those things we are not able to give to God like we want to or like we know that we should.

            Giving to God follows similar principles to how we go about giving gifts to a friend or member of our family. First, in order to give a gift that is pleasing to another person we must know that person. What does she like or dislike? What does she enjoy or hate? We know that God is gracious, loving, and patient. “For I, the LORD, do not change” (Malachi 3:6).[1] God tells Israel that He does not change or deviate from His promises. God is also willing to accept us when we return to Him, “Return to me and I will return to you”(Malachi 3:7b). The Israelites had left God, but if they return to God, He will return to them.

            In order to give a meaningful gift to a person we have to know the person, but we also have to actually give the gift.            God tells Israel, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10a). As God says this I can almost hear the objections of Israel as they are told they need to bring their offerings: “But we don’t have enough money to give?” “I just put a layer of mud and straw on my roof and I can’t afford to give.” “I just bought a new donkey to help me plow my fields.” “We don’t have enough to feed ourselves, how are we supposed to give to God?” These were valid complaints because Israel had spent 70 years in captivity in Babylon and when they returned back to Judah they were trying to rebuild their way of life. They didn’t have much and were trying to grow their crops, to rebuild homes, and to establish life again in their land. But God’s command to Israel was clear: give.

            After we’ve considered what would be a good gift for a person and after we’ve given the gift, we need to accept the good things we receive as a result of giving a gift. This usually is a verbal “thank you” or a personal thank you note sent by mail. Occasionally a person will give us a gift in return as a thank you. If Israel was to give a gift to God He says He will“’open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land’” (Malachi 3:10b–12). This likely describes rain. The famine and the struggles that Israel was having were because their crops were not growing and they were struggling to survive. Israel was withholding their tithes from God and because of that He likely was withholding the rain that sustained and grew their crops. But if Israel tithes to God it says that so much rain is going to come that it will “overflow.” That overflow of rain would lead to abundant fruits of the ground (v. 11a), flourishing grapes (v. 11b), and a blessing from other lands (v. 12). 

            When we are kids we get excited to get gifts from others., but as we mature into adults we get excited to give gifts to others. And as we grow and mature in our faith we become less focused on God blessing us and more concerned with giving to God. As grown mature adults we know it’s better to give than to receive. And giving gifts to God means we need to know Him, give to Him, and accept the blessing we receive when we give to Him.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

God wants His people to follow Him. When addressing His people in Malachi He initiates a plan for them to know Him and follow Him rightly. God declares, “’Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,’ says the LORD of Hosts” (Malachi 3:1).[1]

            God says He will send two messengers. The first will be a human messenger we now know would be John the Baptist (Matt 11:2-15). As the first messenger John the Baptist will “clear the way” for God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

            The second messenger will be a heavenly messenger. This is how God is coming. God says He “will suddenly come to His temple.” The word “suddenly” does not mean fast but means unexpected.

            In Jesus’s life on earth we saw two fulfillments of this verse which we call “the day of Christ.” The first fulfillment is when Jesus arrived at the temple and someone asked Jesus why He didn’t pay an annual tax that supported the temple (Matt 17:24-27). When Jesus approached the temple He said He was exempt from paying the temple tax because He was God and He owned the temple. But He still paid it as a way to keep the peace, but made it clear He didn’t have to pay it.

            The second fulfillment is when Jesus announced the new covenant in the Upper Room. In Matthew 26:28 Jesus told them He was making a new covenant with the people (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Isaiah 54). These two events describe “the day of Christ” that we live in now and which is often called the time of grace or the era of the church.

            The third fulfillment is when Jesus approaches the earth at his second coming. The first and second coming are separated. This second coming of Christ in the end times is what is called “the day of the Lord.”

            But there is one more messenger described here in Malachi 3:1 in addition to John the Baptist and Jesus Christ: the third is us reading it and who have a responsibility to proclaim it.

            We tell this message about Jesus Christ as the Savior. It is our responsibility to tell people about Jesus’s love, how He gave his life as a sacrifice on behalf of others, in order to cleanse them from their sins and provide a way for them to live forever in heaven with God.

            We are also God’s messengers because of our day-to-day activities that we do and how we do them. Are we kind, respectful, and courteous to all people in all walks of life regardless of their economic status and skin color? Do we deal honestly with people and have integrity in our dealings with other people? Do we do what we say we will do and follow through on our commitments? These might sound like basic things, but non-Christians are watching Christians all the time. They are watching us to see if we really practice what we preach.

            Our works also involve the things we do to other people. Are we good friend to people that need our help? Are we considerate to our neighbors? Do we bring people food that are sick when they need help? Do we help people that are elderly to work on their house or mow their lawn?

            We are God’s messengers when we serve other people with love in these ways just as Jesus served us in love by dying on behalf of us.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

“I’m unhappy. I want a divorce.” Those are the words my friend heard from his wife after ten years of marriage. My friend asked if they could work it out. She reluctantly agreed and went to a few counseling sessions with him but still she replied, “I’m done. I’m unhappy. I want a divorce.”

            My friend is a good guy. He has a good job, he regularly spends time with his kids, and he was a good husband. Was he perfect? Of course not, but he was always faithful to his wife, committed to her, and committed to his family. I’ve known him almost twenty years now.

            But marriage is hard. It’s not easy. Anyone that tells you it is easy is either lying or has not been married for very long. God addresses two issues related to marriage in Malachi 2:11-16. The first was about spouse selection in which the men in Israel were marrying spouses from outside of their nation. The second issue was marriage dedication because the men of Israel were divorcing their wives.

            As God focuses on marriage, He tells the Israelites that He rejects the people’s offerings because they have rejected His commands. “He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand” (Malachi 2:13).[1]

            God then gets more specific about what commands the people have rejected. “the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14).

            God reveals there is no one who has done marriage right. “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15).

            God reacts to the divorces that are occurring in Israel. “’For I hate divorce,’ says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘and him who covers his garment with wrong,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously’” (Malachi 2:16).

            Here God gives a reason for this rebuke. God does not want anyone to get divorced. God makes it clear, “I hate divorce.” One of the reasons God hates divorce is because a divorced man “covers his garment with wrong” (v. 16). This is figurative and it symbolizes marriage as in Ruth 3:9 and Ezekiel 16:8. A man covering himself with violence or wrong describes violating the marriage relationship. The garment was supposed to be a symbol of protection, but when a man divorces his wife it is actually “wrong” or “violence” that is done to the divorced wife. The NIV translates this phrase as the man “does violence to the one he should protect.” When a man divorced his wife it removed her protection and treated her cruelly.

            But God gives direction for this people. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously” (v. 16c). The people were supposed to avoid divorce at all costs. God hates divorce, and we should hate it too.

            God’s desire for marriage is for a man that loves God to marry a woman that loves God and that they stay married until death temporarily separates them from each other. Sadly, that doesn’t occur as much as it should in our culture.

            This passage makes a strong statement about God’s attitude toward divorce: He doesn’t want it to happen. There are passages in the Bible that concede divorce and strictly regulate it. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 allows divorce in special circumstances and that teaching was affirmed by Jesus in Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-12, and Luke 16:18. Paul further elaborated on the concessions for biblical divorce in 1 Corinthians 7:10-16. When reading those passages it’s important to note that God conceded divorce and regulated divorce because of the hardness of man’s heart and because of our fallen sinful nature, not because God thought divorce was a solution. The Bible permits divorce in these situations, but never mandates it. Divorce is allowed if a spouse commits adultery or if an unbeliever abandons his spouse.

            The focus of this passage in Malachi 2:11-16 is that we need to carefully select a spouse that loves God and we need to remain committed to the spouse we have married. Here are two practical tips to do that.

            Live out your faith together. Read Scripture, pray, be in a small group together, read a marriage book together, or attend a marriage conference together. Most of us work in jobs that require us to spend time each year doing continuing education, learning new things, and staying sharp on our skills. But when it comes to our marriage sometimes we just go with the flow. Instead, we should be intentional to grow in our marriage just as we are intentional to grow in our career. For a marriage to remain strong we have to live out our faith together and grow together.

            Lean on help when you need it. This might be help from a parent, a pastor, or a professional counselor. Don’t be scared to ask for help. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign that you recognize you want things to get better. Tough times come and when they come we often need help. There also are organizations like FamilyLife or Focus on the Family that have professional counselors you can talk to over the phone. The best help might come from the people in your church that have already been through what you’re experiencing and that can talk with you, listen, let you know you’re not alone, and pray with you through it. 

            (If your marriage is healthy right now, you need to look for others that are struggling and need help because you might be the person they need to lean on during these difficult times.)

            I hope you have seen from this look at Malachi 2 that God’s desire is for us all to be married to one spouse. That was God’s plan from the beginning and is His desire for us now. But we live in a fallen world where sin has corrupted marriage. A poor work-life balance, abuse of alcohol, drugs, gambling, emotional abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and many other sinful habits inhibit healthy marriages and sometimes leads to divorce. Sometimes this means we endure a divorce that we don’t want, just like my friend. But God hates divorce and He wants us to select a godly spouse and commit to marriage.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Marriage is hard. Anyone that tells you it is easy is either lying or has not been married for very long. We know that marriage is hard because we all have been effected by divorces in our lives. The topic of marriage comes up in the book of Malachi because God is concerned about the people the Israelites were marrying. The men in Israel were selecting spouses from people outside of their nation. In God’s message to Israel—delivered by Malachi—God describes the principle for selecting a spouse. “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?” (Malachi 2:10).[1] One God created us in Genesis and when He created us in Genesis He gave Adam and Eve to each other. One man, one woman, brought together by one God. And not just in marriage, but God also formed Israel into one nation at Mt. Sinai, which is likely what this is referring to here as well. When it says, “why do we deal treacherously” we need to define “treacherously” because it’s not used often. It means “guilty of or involving betrayal or deception” (Concise Oxford Dictionary) or “likely to betray trust” or “proving insecure footing or support” (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). These people were betraying God in their actions.

            God describes the problem in how Israel has been selecting a spouse. Judah has violated God’s covenant by violating the marriage covenant. “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” (Malachi 2:11). God places the blame squarely: “Judah . . . Israel . . . Jerusalem . . . Judah.” This is the nation that God has called to be His own special people (Israel), along with the country they live in (Judah), as well as the city that was supposed to be their capital (Jerusalem). As a parallel we could say this, “You Americans, living in Washington state, in which Olympia is your capital city.” After a general description of “treachery” in verse 10 and pointing to who was doing the treachery, God now moves on to identify the exact problem. “Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.”This was a problem for two reasons. It was a problem because God had told the nation of Israel that they were His chosen nation and that through the nation of Abraham (through Israel) eventually one day a Messiah would be born out of that nation to bless Israel and bless the nations (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6). That meant the nation needed to stay together, to stay holy, to stay pure, to stay undefiled. It was a problem also because if an Israelite married someone from outside of Israel that worshipped a different God (Chemosh, Baal, etc.), then that spouse could turn the Israelite’s heart away from God. Marrying a person from a different race was not the problem. It was not even illegal. For example, Boaz married Ruth (a Moabitess), but she was a believer in God. The problem was if the spouse was loyal to her own gods (like Jezebel or King Solomon’s wives) and the Law prevented this. It was the religion of that person that was the problem, not ethnicity.

            God describes the punishment that will occur to everyone that has wronged Him and His covenant. “As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents an offering to the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 2:12). This grave sin of selecting and marrying a spouse that did not love and follow God brought a clear rebuke from God on the men who do this. Even the one “who presents an offering to the Lord of hosts” would get punished. Just because he showed up at the temple and tried to offer sacrifices didn’t cover the sin he had at home. When it says, “everyone who awakes and answers” that’s a way to describe all the living people at that time.

            Having a God-honoring marriage starts with looking for a godly spouse. If you are a parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, unofficially adopted mom or dad or grandpa or grandma, start instilling these principles into others lives.

            First, look for a person that loves God. Evaluate that so called “love” of God with the following criteria: Does he have a church community he is part of? Does she have a Bible which has been opened recently? Does she listen to podcasts of sermons? Does he want to wait to have sex until married? Does she pray regularly? Is he in a men’s small group study? The answers to those questions will tell you if this person truly loves God.

            Second, listen to godly advice from your godly family and godly friends. This could be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, good friends, people that aren’t scared to tell you that you are making a bad decision. Listen to these people. They often are objective and can give you insight. Yes, you might be happy right now and “in love” but what potential dangers await in the future that you don’t see right now? Godly family and godly friends can tell you this.

            If you’re not yet married and you’re reading this, I pray that God will help you as you seek to select a Godly spouse. If you are married, let’s work together to disciple the people we know that are looking for a spouse and let’s help them find a spouse that loves God and is committed to God.

[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

Levi was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and his name became one of the tribes of Israel. When God gave Israel the Law God appointed Aaron as the priest and He said that the tribe that Aaron came from would be the tribe that always served as priests. That tribe was the tribe of Levi. In Malachi 2:5-7 God describes the good things the priests had done in the past when they were faithfully following God.

            “My covenant with him [Aaron] was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.” (Malachi 2:5–7, NASB)

              Here God gives us a proper picture of who the priests were and what they were supposed to be doing.

            Let’s pay attention to a few of the expectations of the priests. First, the priests were called to holy living. They were supposed to walk with God. God describes Aaron when He says, “he walked with me in peace and uprightness” (v. 6b). They taught the truth and they walked the truth personally. “To walk” is an idiom. As Bible commentator Allen Ross describes, “To walk with God is to go where he is going, to stay close to him, and to commune with him along the way.”[1] To walk with God means to live one’s life in accordance with the will of God.

            Second, the priests behavior affected others as seen in verse six, “and he turned many back from iniquity.” The word for “turned” here is the Hebrew שׁוב which is often used for “repent” as in turning back to the Lord. It appears in Hebrew in what is called the “imperfect stem” of a “Hiphil” which is causative. In other words, the priests are the ones who are supposed to cause others to turn back from iniquity.[2] Their walk with God causes others to turn away from their sin, repent, and turn toward God. They were supposed to confront people with the truth and bring them back into a relationship with God.

            In addition to those expectations, the priests were also supposed to perform specific tasks. They were supposed to worship God. “he [Aaron] revered Me and stood in awe of My name” (v. 5b). The word for “revered” here can mean “respect.” God chose the tribe of Levi to be priests but there was no specific reason God chose them. It was His decision. Life as priests was given to them as a gift and they needed to respect God for that.

            They also were supposed to disciple others. “True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips” (v. 6a). This is what the priests were teaching. Notice the adjective, “true,” that describes “instruction.” These priests were teaching truth—God’s Word—and their teaching was faithful to God’s revelation. That teaching would guide people through life as the word “instruction” describes a point in the right direction. These priests took their calling seriously. They studied the Law and found ways to regularly teach the Word to the people.

            This type of conduct should have positioned the priests as honorable members of their community. “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth” (v. 7a). This was the expected standard for the priests. They did this by studying, memorizing, and teaching God’s Word. Priests were to be righteous men that were models for others. People should see the way they lived and think, I have something to learn from them.

            Priests were also supposed to evangelize others.“for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts” (v. 7b). The priests were God’s mouthpiece. They were supposed to be speaking for God by speaking God’s Word to the people. They were supposed to declare God’s truth so people who didn’t know about God could begin a relationship with Him.

            That’s the proper picture of the priests in Malachi. But how does this job description for priests apply to us living right now?

            I hope you can see that you and I are priests, so to speak, alive today. The apostle Peter writes to Christian believers telling them, “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for god’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9–10, NASB). As priests we are supposed to pursue holy living by walking with God, worshipping God, discipling others, and evangelizing others just like the priests were supposed to do in Malachi’s day.

[1] Allen Ross, Malachi Then and Now (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 88.

[2] Ibid., 80.

We all love a good courtroom scene. Movies like The Rainmaker or Runaway Jury, and books like To Kill a Mockingbird, are popular because we enjoy the drama of a good courtroom scene where there’s the defendant, a jury, a judge, the prosecuting attorney, and of course the audience that sits in the back.

            Let’s pretend you and I are in the audience of a court case as we read a passage from the book of Malachi. Israel has left their Godly ways. They aren’t following God like they should have. God’s going to try their case in front of us.

            The accusation is stated in Malachi 1:6 when God points out the problem, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”.

            Next God presents the evidence in Malachi 1:7-13 about how the priests and the people are not honoring God the way they should.

            When God points out His evidence against Israel He lists the actions they were doing that were violating His name and holiness (Malachi 3:7-8). They were “presenting defiled food upon [God’s] altar” (v. 7a), they were presenting “the blind for sacrifice” (v. 8a), and were giving “the lame and the sick” (v. 8b)

            God also lists the attitudes the Israelites held about what they were doing and how those attitudes violated God’s name and holiness (Malachi 3:12-13). They profaned God’s name when they said, “the table of the Lord is defiled, and it’s food is to be despised” (v. 12b). They showed their laziness for the sacrifices saying, “My, how tiresome it is!” (v. 13a). And we learn about their apathy for the sacrifices when God says, “You disdainfully sniff at it” (v. 13b). When we read this we need to ask ourselves if God might have any evidence against us.

            We need to ask ourselves if there are actions we’re doing that violate God’s name and His holiness. Are we spending more time scrolling on Facebook than we do reading God’s Word? Do we talk badly about other people, gossip about them, and put them down? Are we watching things that are harmful to us and to others such as r-rated movies, porn, or inappropriate reality shows that encourage sinful behavior rather than a sanctified life?

            We also need to ask ourselves if we have any attitudes that violate God’s name and holiness. Are we apathetic about attending a church service? Would we rather stay home on a Sunday than be with God’s people singing in worship to Him and spending time with other believers? Are we lethargic about reading God’s Word? When we see a person from church call us do we feel annoyed that they are calling to bug us and ask for prayer?

            While God lists the shortcomings of the Israelites, He also provides a way for Israel to be right with Him. God might be prosecutor, judge, and jury, but He is also loving and merciful. Here He gives them a way to get out of the trouble they are in. He provides a way for them to be “declared innocent” even though they are guilty.

            God wants dedication from his people, not perfection. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” (Malachi 1:9). Now in the middle of God’s evidence presentation, He gives them a chance to be set free from their charges. As the judge, prosecutor, and jury, He takes the defendant into the back court chambers into his private office. He sits Israel down and says, Look, if you just try to do what is right, all is okay. I know you haven’t been perfect in the past, and you aren’t going to be perfect in the future. But if you just start making that effort, everything will be okay. The sacrifice presupposes that they weren’t going to be perfect. That’s okay. God doesn’t expect them to be perfect, otherwise the sacrifice wouldn’t be needed. But that sacrifice does need to be perfect because a perfect sacrifice is evidence of our dedication to Him. God knows we aren’t going to be perfect, but He wants people that are dedicated to Him.

            God wants no offering at all if it’s not with the right motives. “’Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘nor will I accept an offering from you’” (Malachi 1:10). This verse reminds us that God does not need our offerings. He is complete and sufficient without us. And He does not need us to worship Him. But He wants us to worship Him as a sign that we are committed to Him. Those offerings were a sign that the people were indebted to God for life and every blessing. Giving Him offerings was a way for them to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness. 

            God wants dedication from a people even if it is not Israel. God says, “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations” (Malachi 1:11). Notice the “for” here at the beginning of the verse. What follows describes what God is going to do because of Israel’s repeated disobedience and disregard for God. This verse predicts a future time when Gentiles will see the light of God and become worshippers of God (this occurs in the book of Acts). Because at this time—in the Old Testament—God’s focus is on the nation of Israel as His nation He’s chosen to display His glory. But after hundreds of years of the nation of Israel rebelling against Him, He will eventually turn to the nations for proper worship.

There was a problem in Israel. The people were not giving God the honor He deserved. This was evident in the poor quality of sacrifices that the people were bringing to the temple in Malachi’s time (400 B.C.). Because of this, God speaks through the prophet Malachi, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’” (Malachi 1:6)

            The problem starts with the priests. God addresses them here, “O priests who despise My name.” The message here is addressed to the priests directly, but because of their failures the nation of Israel was also guilty. And Israel invites God to present the case here when they respond, “How have we despised Your name?” So God says, You asked, let me tell you.

            The regular sacrifices the people brought God were supposed to praise Him for what He had done for them as well as cleanse their sins before Him. The sacrifices had different purposes. Some were for forgiveness and acceptance while others were for dedication and celebration. We don’t know exactly which sacrifices Malachi is describing here (Sabbath offering, New Moon, Passover, Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur). But the occasion or specific example was not important. What was important was doing the sacrifices in the right way.

            The offering had to pass two important tests that only the people bringing them and God would know. It had to be the first of the flock and it had to be the best of the flock. To bring God a poor-quality offering revealed that you thought of God in a poor manner. In other words, “the quality of the gift indicates the value the giver places on the one receiving the gift.”[1] The sacrifices had to be perfect, also because those sacrifices pointed to the perfect Lamb of God who would in the future die for the sins of the world (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 10:1-14). If those sacrifices weren’t perfect how could they predict the perfect sacrifice: Jesus Christ the Son of God!

            It’s important to note that no one was ever saved in Israel because they brought sacrifices to God. The sacrifices were a way to maintain their relationship with God. Nowhere in the Old Testament does it say that someone followed the Law and he or she was saved. The Law and sacrifices were a means of sanctification, not salvation. Salvation came through faith in God (see Gen 15:6). Sanctification came through animals and offerings.

            While we who live under the new covenant and not under the Old Testament Law no longer bring sacrifices to the temple to atone for our sins, we are still expected to bring the best of what we have to God. We must give God our best. We should dedicate a portion of our time where we are the most awake, alert, and attentive to Him to read His word and to pray to Him. We need to make it a priority to give financially to church as one of the first things we do when we are paid. We need to make it a priority in our week to gather with God’s people—the church—in fellowship each week. We do these things because God deserves our best.

[1] Allen Ross, Malachi Then and Now (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 51.

Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament with some enduring messages for us. While Israel was sad that they were not the prominent nation that they used to be, God tells the Israelites that He will punish the foreign nations in the future because of what they have done to Israel (See Malachi 1:3-4).

            Then God tells them, “Your eyes will see this and you will say, ‘The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!’” (Malachi 1:5). Israel and their descendants will praise God when they see His goodness and love for them. Hopefully the people will no longer doubt God’s love for them.      

            We too should praise God in the future because of His love for us. Even though we might find ourselves in situations in which we don’t want to be, we need to remember God’s love for us and praise Him. Sometimes we don’t feel God’s love, but we still need to praise Him. Why? Because other people are watching.

            One Bible teacher I read recently wrote, “We need to remind ourselves that the trials we experience as individuals or congregations are also opportunities to glorify God before a watching world. That’s how Paul viewed his imprisonment and possible death in Rome (Phil 1:12-26), and that’s the way we must look at the testing God sends our way. Every difficulty is an opportunity to demonstrate to others what the Lord can do for those who put their trust in Him.”[1]

            The Israelites knew about the love of God, but they didn’t feel it at that time. So Malachi starts off this prophecy with God’s love for them. Even though the Israelites had done a lot of things wrong, Malachi starts his book reminding Israel of God’s love.

            And we too, at times might struggle to feel God’s love for us. Sure, we know He loves us because He chose us before we were born (Ephesians 1:4-5), He sent his Son to die for us (Galatians 2:20), He makes us sons and daughters of Him (Galatians 4:5), and His Holy Spirit lives inside of us (1 Corinthians 6:19).

            We need to remind ourselves of God’s love for us. We do this by knowing God’s Word, praying to Him, talking with Him, and keeping a list of ways we see Him working in our lives.

            We need to remind others of God’s love for them too. We do this by listening to them when they are going through tough times, bringing them groceries or medicine when they are ill, and calling them to check in on them on a regular basis.

            We know about God’s love, but we don’t always feel it. As we go about our week let’s remind ourselves of God’s love for us and remind others of God’s love for them too.

[1] Warren Wiersbe, Be Amazed (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 1996), 177.

“God loves you.” Have you ever heard someone say that to you? It’s a theme reiterated throughout Scripture. God declares His love for the people of Israel in Malachi 1:2, “’I have loved you,’ says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the LORD. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob;’” Here we see God declaring His love for His people as these people were hearing the prophecies or reading them. Pay careful attention to how God tells them that he loves them. “‘I have loved you,’ says the LORD.” God is talking specifically to Israel, not to all people around the world. But Israel doubts that love. “But you say, ‘How have You loved us?’”

            The book of Malachi is framed around a series of questions that the people ask. They ask 23 questions and “How have You loved us?” is the first question they ask God.

            They ask this because their history consisted of destruction, deportation, and humiliation. They question God’s goodness. The days of king David and king Solomon where Israel was prominent and influential in the region were gone. Now Israel was one nation of many on the long list of countries that Babylon and Persia had conquered, subdued, and reigned over.

            Israel asks if God still loves them because of what God has allowed to happen. They’ve been conquered and carried away to another nation. While David and Solomon were good kings,   Rehoboam—Solomon’s son—led the nation away from the Lord and His ways. God sent them prophets to warn them, but they didn’t return back to God. So in 586 BC God sent Babylon came and conquered them and took them into exile.

            But there was a glimmer of hope. King Cyrus of Persia in 539 BC overtook the Babylonians and allowed the nation of Israel to return to the land.[1] The people were passionate and excited to get to be back into the land. The people hollered: “God’s not done with us yet” and “He will still be faithful to us.” But when Malachi writes in 400 BC that passion had since past. No longer were they following the temple rules, being loyal to God with their offerings, or marrying Jewish women in order to keep their names and lives pure. They had wandered from God. The glory and honor they thought they would experience from being back in the land never occurred.

            As God speaks in Malachi 1:2, God reminds them of His love through their heritage and history. “’Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the LORD.” This was a rhetorical question designed to reaffirm that Esau was Jacob’s brother, which was the foundation for the next statement. “Yet I have loved Jacob;” (Jacob represents the nation of Israel.)God is saying that He loves Israel because He chose Jacob.

            Jacob and Esau were the two twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Jacob was the kind-tendered hearted younger son. He was called “a peaceful man, living in tents” (Genesis 25:27). While Esau was the wild-outside hunter gatherer older son. He was called “a skillful hunter, a man of the field” (Genesis 25:27).

            Someone might read this and say, Of course God chose Jacob. Jacob was mostly good and obedient while Esau was wild and worldly. But Genesis 25:22-23 says that the two boys were struggling against each other in Rebecca’s womb. God told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and that one would be stronger than the other. God then told Rebekah that the older child would serve the younger child. God chose Jacob over Esau before they were even born. In these verses we see God chose Jacob not because of what he had done (because he wasn’t born yet).

            The apostle Paul quotes this verse from Malachi 1:2 and further explains it in his letter to the Romans, “And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, ‘THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER.’ Just as it is written, ‘JACOB I LOVED, BUT ESAU I HATED’” (Romans 9:10–13).

            God chose Jacob and made a covenant with Israel so that they would be a holy nation. He chose them, loved them, and made a covenant with them. God’s love for Israel is seen in the fact that He chose them without reason.   

            Back to Malachi now. If we are honest we too, like the Israelites, question God’s goodness. When we have a marriage that falls apart, when a beloved family member passes away unexpectedly, when we lose our job, or when our health fades away. We all ask, God, if you love me, why did you allow this to happen to me?

            Let’s not miss this: Malachi 1:2 tells us that God loves us. We know God loves us because He chose us before we were born. Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus saying, “[God] chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). We are reminded of God’s love for us when we remember that we, like Jacob, were chosen before we were born.

            We know God loves us because He sent His son to die for us. Galatians 2:20b, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

            We know God loves us because He makes us sons and daughters of Him. The Bible says that when we place our faith in Christ we become part of God’s household. And in that way, we become sons and daughters of God as in Galatians 4:5, “God sent him [Jesus] to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children” (NLT).

            We know God loves us because He lives inside of us. 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

            God’s love is passionate and constant. But most importantly, we need to know God loves us even if we don’t feel it. The message Malachi was delivering to Israel then and the message to us now is this: God loves us even when we don’t feel it.

[1] King Cyrus issues the decree in 538 BC decree and in 536 BC the people arrive and to attempt to rebuild their temple and city walls in Jerusalem.