Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Post-exilic Prophets (6)
Pray Psalm 72.8-11.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
Sing 72.8-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.
Read Malachi 1.1-14; meditate on verses 9-11.
Preparation
1. How had Israel regarded God?
2. How did God say He would respond?
Meditation
The book of Malachi closes the Old Testament revelation of God. Four hundred years of silence will follow, not unlike the four hundred and thirty years of silence that existed between the end of Genesis and the beginning of Exodus. The people were no longer in captivity to Babylon; no king ruled over them on the throne of David, and they were not yet free from the sins which plagued them throughout the Old Testament. And God had not changed His mind about sin: It must be judged and purged.
Israel’s failure to worship and serve God according to His Law would occasion the blessing of the nations (vv. 5, 11). God’s intention is clear: He will make His Name great among all the nations of the earth, such that the people of the world offer pure offerings to Him—worship, prayer, their very lives (vv. 11, 14). The people of Israel rejected God’s plan, since they wearied of worshiping and serving Him, and offered only what was convenient in their service to Him (vv. 7, 8). Despite Israel’s faithlessness, God’s grace continues, and His plan will not fail.
Now Jesus has become that great King over all the nations. Do we offer the Lord the very least we can, and fail to honor Him by offering our whole lives in purity and prayer? Do we take seriously His call for us to make all the nations disciples, and do we even take our own discipleship as seriously as we should? The Lord does not accept worthless offerings (v. 13). He holds in contempt those priests and pastors who encourage, endorse, or permit such a low level of commitment on the part of His people (v. 14). Jesus is a great King, and God intends His Name to be feared among the nations. If, as with Israel, He must bring His people to judgment to achieve this end, He surely will.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.Nehemiah, we recall, had success with getting the folks to build the wall around Jerusalem, but little success with getting them to build a hedge around their hearts (Prov. 4.23). Now Malachi is getting into the mix. His words of consternation were delivered to the same crowd. Oh my, how hard their hearts must’ve been.
Per the NKJV introduction to the book of Malachi, this prophet took up the charge of speaking against the problems of hypocrisy, infidelity, mixed marriages of believers with unbelievers, divorce, false worship, and arrogance. Godspeed to you, Malachi.
These folks were recalcitrant.
God said to them, “I have loved you.”
And their response? “In what way have You loved us?”
God said to them, “Where is My honor?”
“Where is My reverence?”
And their response? “In what way have we despised Your Name?”
God then accuses them of bringing lousy sacrifices to His altar. More like Cain’s, less like Abel’s.
And their response? “In what way have we defiled You?”
And God’s response to them?
“Offer it then [these crummy offerings] to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” (Mal. 1.2-8).
Can I answer for them? No, the governor would not be pleased at all.
Do we ever do this?
Do we take God’s love for granted?
Do we honor others more than we honor Him?
Do we show preference to people, are we respecters of persons, but not of God?
Is there anyone you would put on your best clothes and clean your house for?
But you cannot even manage to read God’s Word or pray?
“Will a man rob God?” (Mal. 3.8)
Will we allow ourselves to be as recalcitrant as the people of Nehemiah and Malachi’s day?
May it never be.
But may it be as Paul wrote:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,
work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless,
children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the world,
holding fast the word of life,
so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ
that I have not run in vain or labored in vain…
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Phil. 2.12-16; 4.13).
As we obey Him—becoming sanctified, doing Kingdom labor, revering and honoring God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—we rejoice in God’s requirements and His love for us.
Never questioning Him or His authority (Matt. 28.18-20)
but always rejoicing in His forgiveness, grace, and mercy.
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Is. 43.1).
Reflection
1. What are some ways we might take God for granted? How can you keep that from happening?
2. What are some ways God is making His Name great throughout your Personal Mission Field? Give Him praise and thanks!
3. Are you praying for the people in your Personal Mission Field? What do you pray?
We may rely on God’s mercy for pardon as to the past, but not for indulgence to sin in future. If there be a willing mind, it will be accepted, though defective; but if any be a deceiver, devoting his best to Satan and to his lusts, he is under a curse. Men now, though in a different way, profane the name of the Lord, pollute his table, and show contempt for his worship. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Malachi 1.6-14
Pray Psalm 72.15-19.
Pray for a worldwide revival in the churches of the Lord, that we may repent of all our sins, renew our commitment to Jesus, and take up again our mandate to make all the nations disciples.
Sing 72.15-19.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.
And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim;
and may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.
Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: We continue reading excerpts from the book, Revived! in our Read Moore column. Why not listen in? Last week’s Crosfigell letter called us to make sure we have the right priorities. And in our ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, we pray for the work of one-anothering And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise. And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
