Take a little stroll with me, if you dare, through the book of Malachi. It's really a love story. God is pleading with His chosen ones to come back. He so longs for them to turn back to Him so that He can bless them and keep them safe. But they are clueless! "What did I do wrong?" they said. How can they not see? The old testament is full of the Israelites falling over and over again. Surely...
But wait. Maybe I'm not so unlike those Israelites. I get so caught up in my own life - "me, me, me, stuff", that I don't always see how far I'm slipping away from my Lord. I let so much meaningless stuff crowds Him out of my life. "I just don't have time!" LORD forgive me!
If we're honest, I think most of us would have to agree that we're not much better than those awful Israelites. we, too, "honor Him with our lips but our hearts are far from Him."
Malachi is a love letter to me. Do you see your name written in those pages, too?
This video is not easy to watch. But it helps me to remember just how much HE loves me. The Israelites asked "How have you loved us?" Well, they may not have got it, but I know how He's loved me. I can't watch this video without feeling a little ashamed at how easy I let things push Him out of my life.
http://youtu.be/e4uZn5gLIY8 - Remember Me - Mark Schultz
Malachi is a very short book. It's the last book of the old testament. Once that book was written, 400 years went by before God spoke to His people again. As I read Malachi, I thought of how thankless the Israelites were. God had done so much for His "chosen people" and they repeatedly turned their backs on Him. But is there a message there for me, too?
Malachi is a dialogue between the Lord Almighty and His people. Listen to the first thing that comes out of His mouth:
"I have loved you deeply, " says the Lord.
Their answer: "How have you loved us?"
I cannot imagine saying that to God! After all He had done for them, they dared to question His love, His provision?
He loved them all right. Just like He loves me even when I dishonor Him. He loves me when I fail to obey His directions. He loves me enough to discipline me, purifying my heart of anything that would take me away from Him. Sometimes, that process is not fun. I don't necessarily like being "refined", but I'm glad He loves me enough to stay with me during those times when I take my eyes of Jesus.
Malachi describes Israel's unfaithfulness and how they are worthy of punishment. God has had enough of their disobedience and the day of judgment is coming. As he offers this final warning, once again He provides an option; one more time He gives them hope. If they will just return to Him, He will return to them.
Malachi 4:2 - "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture."
Malachi gives us some guidelines for honoring our commitment to God. He deserves my very best - not the left overs. He sacrificed His own Son for me. Living for Him seems like a reasonable thing to do, such a small "sacrifice".
Malachi 1:7-10 - "You have despised my name by offering defiled sacrifices."
The Israelites were offering lame, blind, diseased animals to God as a sacrifice. This worship was no longer from their hearts. They were just going through the motions of "offering a sacrifice to the Lord". It meant nothing to them.
How do I do that? I give God my left over time, my left over money (at least part of the left overs), and I don't give Him a place of honor and respect in my daily life. When I live like that, so unaware and unconcerned about all He's done for me, I dishonor Him. And He wants no part of my "sacrifices". He doesn't need my left-overs.
Romans 12:1 - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
Isaiah 29:13 - And so the Lord says,“These people say they are mine.They honor me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
How do I change my behavior? What can I do to show God the respect He deserves? I can choose each day to live the way He wants me to live. I can listen to His commands and guidance and obey Him out of trust. I know who He is. I know His love for me is immeasurable. I know He has saved me from my sins. I'll live for Him because He died for me.
Malachi 2 - They lived by their own rules - marrying women who worshipped idols. The men divorced their wives for no better reason than they wanted someone else.
15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth. 16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”
God hates divorce. Marriage is a holy covenant and this bonding relationship was to illustrate the union of God with His chosen people. Instead, the Israelite men were disloyal to their wives and ignored the vows they had made before God. God's intention was for these marriages to result in godly children who would love the Lord. But how could the children learn faithfulness from a unfaithful father?
If I walk away from my marriage, not only am I dishonoring my spouse, I'm dishonoring God. "So guard yourself; always remain loyal to your wife." means to have the same commitment to marriage that God has to His promises for His people.
God is so good and kind. Divorce is not the unforgivable sin. I'm so thankful for His mercy. After having gone through a divorce, I know too well why God hates it. How do I show God that I'm sorry for my sins? I confess them to Him, and I do my best not to make those same mistakes again. I commit my marriage and my heart to the Lord.
Malachi 3 - God called the Israelites to repent.
"Now return to me, and I will return to you, " says the Lord Almighty." The Israelites had lived life their own way for so long, they couldn't even see their sins. "How can we return when we never went away?" they said. "What do you mean? How have we spoken against you? What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying His commands or by trying to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry for our sins?"
They were selfish - always expecting God to give them something. They had a sense of entitlement - not unlike ours sometimes. When we pray, we expect God to give us our heart's desire. But shouldn't we all serve God, not for what we can get, but because He is God and worthy of all our praise and worship? Shouldn't our heart's desire yield to be His Will- however that needs to look?
Malachi 3:8-12 - “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
One of the reasons for tithing was to provide support for the tribe of Levi. The Levites were assigned the role of taking care of the tabernacle/temple, serving God and ministering spiritual help and direction to the Israelites. When the people didn't tithe, there was no money for the Levites to live on. So the Levites were forced to take jobs to earn a living, which caused them to neglect their God-given duties and responsibilities. They no longer provided spiritual leadership and the people looked to their own wisdom - choosing to worship idols.
How can I avoid this pitfall? God doesn't ask me to give what I don't have. But HE has given me so much - He has given me all I do have. He wants me to give from my heart - not because I have to.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
We get hung up on the 10% tithe but the Israelites really ended up giving much more than 10% when you think of all the giving they were required to do. And 10% percent for someone on a very low income is much harder to give than for someone with a six figure income. Don't you agree? Yet the widow gave her last mite. It was all she had and I'll bet she had the right heart about it, too.
God says it's not how much I give, but the condition of my heart when I give. I give because of how much He has given me. And if I really think about it, it's all His anyway.
God was pleading with the Israelites and He pleads with me, too. "Come back to me and I'll come back to you." If I don't see what I've done wrong, or if I chose to disobey, because He is my Father, He will purify my heart.
Malachi 3:1-5 - “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 4 Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past.
In the process of refining metals, the raw metal is heated with fire until it melts. The impurities separate from it and rise to the surface. They are skimmed off, leaving the pure metal. Without this heating and melting, there could be no purifying. As the impurities are skimmed off the top, the reflection of the worker appears in the clear, pure surface. As we are purified by God, His reflection in our life will become more and more clear to those around us. (Life Application Bible)
Sometimes that process is painful, but the results are worth the pain. God has a purpose for me. Sometimes, I get so caught up in my own desires. I try to do things my way, with my own understanding instead of looking to God. Then I fall. But God is so good. He is always ready to reach down and pick me up. All I have to do is return to Him. He is so worthy of all my praise and thanksgiving. He deserves all honor and glory.
Father, I want people to see Your character and love reflected in my life. I want to be a living sacrifice that brings You honor. You bless me over and over again, and I worship You. I honor You because You are my Father who loved so much You sent Your only Son to die for me so that I could live. If that were the only blessing I ever received, it would be more than enough. I'm sorry for all the times I've dishonored You by living life my way. Please forgive me. Purify my heart so that I will be more like Jesus. It's in His Name that I pray. Amen.
http://youtu.be/9Y8zP34AhuU - Refiners Fire
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold
Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for You, Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for You, my Master
Ready to do Your will
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sin
Deep within
