Friday, October 05, 2012 - Malachi

Friday, October 05, 2012
Malachi

The book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. It's not
the last book of the OT in our chronological Bible, but in traditional
Bibles, it's the last book of the OT. Written almost a hundred years
after the reconstruction and dedication of the second temple, the book
of Malachi reveals an Israelite nation that had once again, strayed
from God. The people had lost their heart for God and as a result, had
fallen deep into sin. A few of these sins are as follows:

1. The priests offered blemished sacrifices to God. In other words,
the priests were giving God the injured, lame, and diseased animals –
the ones that were useless to them in the first place. The priests
thought, "Here you go God, you can have our scraps. We're going to
keep the choice animals for ourselves." The priests had become
arrogant and developed a casual attitude towards the worship of God
and observance of His Holy standards. By not putting God first and
giving Him their best, the priests had become selfish and the people
they shepherded followed suit.

2. With careless insincere spiritual leaders, the people as a whole
naturally fell away. Divorce became rampant. Sound familiar? Between
40-60% of new marriages in the US today will end in divorce. In
Malachi 2:16, God said that the man who divorces his wife "does
violence to the one he should protect." Violence. Only God can teach
us genuine faithfulness. When you know in your heart that "We love
because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19), then you gain the ability to
love selflessly, not selfishly.

3. The people withheld their tithes from God. By not giving God 10% of
what God had given them in the first place, the people demonstrated
where their allegiance rested; on themselves. They failed to see God
as their provider. They failed to see that by withholding their tithe,
they were showing God who there god was – money. Their heart was
attached to their money, not God.

All of these sins are an issue of the heart. Thankfully, the book of
Malachi doesn't just end at exposing a sinful heart. It also speaks
about restoration through the coming Messiah. Christ would come and
refine and purify the hearts of those who believed in Him. In the time
of Christ's birth, the prophet Simeon said, "This child is destined to
cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that
will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed." (Luke 2:34-35) Let's not allow sin to harden our hearts, or
we will fall. Let's allow Jesus to refine and purify our hearts so
that we may walk in peace and uprightness.

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise
with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed
calves." (Malachi 4:2)

God Bless,
Anthony