I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Malachi (which may not be the prophet’s actual name, since it translates as “my messenger”) confronts the people of Israel for failing to honor and respect God. He tells them that they show their lack of respect by offering animals that are crippled and/or diseased as sacrifices and by bringing detestable food as offerings to God. They dishonor God by their actions. Malachi tells them that God will not accept such sacrifices. God would rather they closed the Temple rather than continue such unacceptable offerings. People from other nations offer (or will offer) acceptable sacrifices. They honor (or will honor) God in ways which the people of Israel are no longer doing. People from other nations recognize how great and wonderful God is, why won’t the Israelites?
The prophet goes on to condemn the priests and Levites for not teaching the people to live good and righteous lives. They failed the people to live such lives and failed to live such lives themselves. He warned them that if they did not change their ways and begin honoring God, God would curse them. Priests should preserve knowledge of God and people should be able to come to them for instruction on doing God’s will. Instead they have left God’s path and their instruction has caused people to stumble into sin. As a result, people hold the office of priest in contempt. This same prophecy applies to Christian pastors who behave similarly. We cannot dismiss this passage because it refers to practices and offices which we became obsolete with Christ’s death and resurrection.
The prophet continues by condemning the people for their unfaithfulness. They betrayed each other, even though they were all children of the same Heavenly Father. They marry those who worship idols rather than God and they fail to remain faithful to their first wives. The prophet warns us against wearying God by saying that those who do evil are good.
There is a lot in this passage for us today. When we make offerings to God, let us not make them from what is left over. Those who claim to teach others about following God’s commands should follow those commands themselves and relay those commands accurately. Everyone who claims to be a child of God should not bind themselves to those who do not worship God and once they have married they should remain faithful to the one they have married. Finally, we must not pretend that those who do evil are good people who are merely misunderstood (or perhaps not even that).
After destroying the current heaven and earth, God will create a new heaven and earth. In this new creation God will make His home among the people. He will comfort them and there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain. All things will be made new and God will live among us as our Father. However, those who refuse to believe, who refuse to turn from their sins, will be cast into the lake of fire in what John calls the second death. There will be no Temple in God’s new creation for God will live among the people and they will be able to meet with Him and worship Him directly.
Let us praise the Lord with singing and dancing and instruments. Let us use all of the skills which God has given us to praise His name. He will delight in those who He has made His people. He will give victory to the humble. Let us praise God as He executes judgment against those who continue to do evil. I will praise the Lord.
Finding a good wife is a challenge, but it is worth the effort. A good and virtuous wife will make her husband a happy man and together they will be a successful team who will serve the Lord in all they do.