1:3 - This verse has caused people some serious doubts over the years - how can a loving God choose to hate people He created? The Apostle Paul actually uses this verse in his explanation of God's sovereignty in Romans 9:14-23. The thing that we need to understand is that "hate" as used in this passage in the Hebrew world was not an emotional thing...it was not a feeling that God was having towards Esau or the Edomites (Esau's descendants). Hate as used in this passage is simply the opposite of the meaning for love. God confirms His love for the people by reminding them that they are a part of His covenant community. God says He "hates" Esau as a way of saying that they are outside of His covenant community. This does not mean that God hates Esau as current day Christians understand hate...it means that Esau and his descendants did not fit into God's plans for a priest nation. The things we need to understand by looking at both passages from Malachi and Romans is that this is not really a salvation issues that God is referring to...it is about calling. Just because He doesn't call on the Edomites to be His people does not mean He wants them all to burn in hell. Actually God's grace and mercy are on display in both passages, because the people that He chooses to bless with special expectations are in no way shape or form deserving of that calling. The Israelites, as we have seen over and over, were every bit as corrupt as other people groups around them, but they were chosen to be priest nation from which the Messiah would emerge (The Messiah who happens to make salvation available to all of humankind...does it get any more gracious than that?)
1:6 - The priests of Israel and the people call God, "Father" and "Lord," but they do not show Him that kind of respect. Faith without faithful actions is dead. Christians do a good job of calling God our Lord, Savior, Master, Friend, etc...but are we living like we really believe those things. Lords demand obedience and respect - do you give those to God on a daily basis? A savior is one who you are greatly indebted and would do anything for - does that reflect your relationships with God? Think about it.
1:8 - These are very stinging words to hear...it is sinful to offer God less than your best. How many times have I done that? How many times have I offered mediocre worship, service, teaching, sacrifice? This is a good reminder for ministry leaders to hear...am I thinking every day as I head into work about giving God my absolute best effort?
2:2 - The priests have been doing their duties in the temple...but they have just been going through the motions. God does not just want people to perform religious actions...He wants His people to actually care about what they are doing. The heart condition of the priest and the worshippers absolutely matters to God.
2:3 - Well, it looks like I just found my two sons' favorite new Bible verse. What is this verse talking about? God is using a disgusting metaphor to get His point across. If God smeared excrement all over the faces and bodies of the priests, they would become religiously unclean. They would be unable to perform their duties (doodies?) and work in the temple. They would also be utterly shamed and sent outside of the community so that they would not make other people unclean as well. This is a stern warning that God is giving to men who are supposed to be leaders who are basically doing a crappy job of being spiritual guides - "Get you act together or you will be cut off from community with me and Israel!"
2:7 - On the other hand, Malachi gives an example of what the priestly leadership should actually look like. They should have a wisdom that comes from the Word of God that sets them apart. They should be so consistent in the ways that they live their lives that people turn to them for teaching and encouragement. This type of leadership is totally opposite of the apathetic corruption that they were bringing to Israel. What kind of message is your life preaching? Wisdom from God? Or Apathy?
2:10 - This is a great verse that speaks to the respect that is due to people in faith communities (and human beings in general). Every single one of us has one God and Father - that is the source of our value...being the children of God. People should be treated with the respect that the children of God are due.
2:14-15 - Malachi places responsibility for marital commitment firmly on the shoulders of the men of their community. Their marital unfaithfulness had affected their relationship with God. God understands what it feels like to be rejected in a covenant relationship...over and over His people had chosen to prostitute themselves out to other gods. Now the men in their culture were abusing the power they had to divorce the wives they had made covenant commitments to, and God is calling them out for it. He implores them to guard themselves in the spirit - to guard the mind and the internal desires so that they could remain faithful to their vows. Husbands and wives must be certain to do whatever it takes to strengthen the commitment they have made to their spouses.
2:16 - This is actually a better translation than the old, "God hates divorce." The ESV says, "For the man who hates and divorces...covers his garments with violence." While I think the case can be made that God hates divorce and what it does to people's lives, this translation fits more closely to the point that God is trying to make here. The man who divorces his wife is doing so out of hatred...which is dead wrong. He has not guarded his heart like the other passage said and now he has allowed his selfishness to stir up hatred for the women he committed himself to, and nothing about that is okay! This hate filled man will begin to wear violence as a cloak...he is morphing into a person who lives in opposition to God. There is a strong case to be made through this passage that domestic violence is actually a form of divorce, because the husband is breaking the marriage covenant. Sadly for years, the Church has preached only that God hates divorce and has sent women covered in guilt back to their abusive husbands. This is dead wrong...the man who abuses his wife has broken his covenant vows to her and placed himself in opposition to God - he is a cancer that must be cut out of the woman's life. Ephesians 5:25 tells us very specifically that husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church, and I don't remember Jesus raping and violently beating the Church. A man who tries to use scripture to oppress and abuse his wife is not Christian and in my book is NO man.
3:10 - The priests and the people have basically been robbing from God because of their selfish giving. God is shocked that people would actually try to steal from Him - Everything is His! Everything anyone has was given to them by God...why should it be difficult to offer God a full tithe with a glad heart? God tells them that if they want to experience the full blessings of relationship with God, they must bring a full tithe, given from a heart of worship. The people of God should give in such a way that no one in their community would ever have any needs. Imagine what it would be like if the Christians of the world pooled their resources and went about the business of meeting needs...there would be no starvation...to death from drinking diseased water...it would be a picture of the promised kingdom of God.
3:14 - This shows how corrupt the attitudes of the people of Israel are at this point in history. They don't see the point in living for God and seeking His presence because it does not bring them anything of worldly value. How many "Christians" today make decisions based on this kind of flawed logic. Well, I would love to serve more but I just can't afford to take the time off. Can't? Or won't?
4:2 - A beautiful future prophecy...a new world order will rise up like the sun in the morning. But this sun will be the Sun of Righteousness...it will be God himself and His light and warmth will fill the earth. He is depicted here as having wings because those symbolized protection (like a mother hen, shielding here baby chicks with her wings)...and under the umbrella of God's care we will experience healing and freedom. Amen!
4:4 - The people of Israel are called to remember. To remember the laws of the Lord...to remember the great story of God's love for them. We are called to remember as well. We are called to remember to live our lives in the Way of Jesus Christ. We are called to remember the Gospel and the difference that truth has made in our lives. We are called to be a reminder to the world about what the freedom that comes from knowing God.
4:5-6 - According to Jesus himself (A pretty reliable witness - lol), this prophecy was fulfilled in the life of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14). John came as an Elijah-type figure preaching about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Messiah. Now Jesus has come...lived...died...risen...what are you doing to tell the world about it?
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