Integrity for the King

Big Idea: Live with integrity, for the King is coming.

Introduction

Have you ever been confronted or warned about something, whether you were warning to be careful abut something or confronted about how you were acting, and failed to head the warning? Have you ever stumbled into trouble because you failed to listen to some instruction or advice given to you? Or have you ever narrowly escaped trouble or oncoming danger because you perhaps listened to the advice given to you?

Well, I was faced with a situation similar to these last semester while at home. See, during the school year I help teach the drumline back at my old high school on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Drumline practice usually runs from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM, but often runs a little late because of loading equipment and getting everyone out of the school.

Well, my girlfriend lives across the street from the high school, so I naturally would stop over after practices to say hi to her and her family, sometimes even giving a ride to her brother who was in the drumline. After talking to some people outside of the high school for a while, I arrived to her house around 10:00-10:30 and she was watching a movie, so I figured I’d stay a while and finish the movie with her.

Time passed and it was time for me to go. However, at this point it was about 2:00 AM, and so I began to leave tired from the long day. However, her mom and dad had offered for me to sleep the night on their couch, as it was very late and they didn’t want me to drive too tired.

Well, I admittedly can be a little stubborn, and the idea of my own bed was too appealing to pass up in the moment, so I listened to their offered, politely declined, and set out for about a 45-50 minute drive back to Cairn.

I’d say about 30 minutes in, right before I would pass Buck’s County Community College, my eyelids grew very, very heavy. I would find my attention drifting off as my eyelids felt like they weighed 1,000 pounds. My parents always told me that if I was too tired to drive, that I should just pull over and take a nap so I can finish the drive successfully.

Well, of course I was too close to my destination to pull over at this point, and I was (mostly) certain I could do it. Right before the community college, there is two large bends, then leading to a long, straight road. Well as I approached this first bend, my eyelids drooped, and drooped, and dropped, and I fell asleep.

Yes, I’m not proud about it, but I fell asleep going about 45 mph approaching a curve. Well, my car started to sail right off the edge of that curve towards a line of trees, and by the grace of God the underside of my car hit a small ridge of dirt and bounced back onto the road, leaving no damage to my car and waking me up with the shock of my life.

Suddenly I couldn’t fall asleep even if I tried, and all the advice and warnings that I was told flooded back to my head. Lets just say, I now listen to the advice and make sure not to drive tired anymore.

Our text for tonight is Malachi 3-4, and the spirit of the text carries a similar feeling of confronting stubbornness, with the outcomes of heading the warning or not being well defined, and a prophecy that I have a feeling we will be quite familiar with.

Tonight we will learn about how Malachi confront’s the disobedient Israelites, what God is teaching them through the rebuke, and why their service is so important to God and their own lives.

It is my hope that we can walk out of here tonight understanding that we ought to live with integrity, for the King is coming. Live with integrity, for the King is coming. But before we begin, would you pray with me?

Context

Well, Malachi is an often overlooked book as with many of the minor prophets, as we often see the minor prophets in our Bible studies and devotionals but not so much in our sermons of services. However, Malachi is an interesting book, as it is the last book in the Old Testament, almost as a mini-prelude to the New Testament.

The time between the Old and New Testament is about 400 years, which means that this book is the last written revelation we know of before these 400 years of silence. Because of this mysterious period of silence, it’s important that we read this book, understand what it’s saying, and why it’s message preludes the New Testament.

There isn’t much known about Malachi himself, but there is quite a bit we can piece together in terms of the timeline of the book itself. Scholars generally believe that this book was written about 100 years after the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their exile. There are four pieces of evidence that can help us come to this conclusion.

Firstly, the type of Hebrew used in Malachi is late biblical Hebrew, which is the same that we find in Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles (which occured around the same time as Malachi despite their canonical positioning).

The second piece of evidence for the timing of Malachi is the fact that the problems that Malachi confronts in the first couple chapters are the same that Nehemiah finds when he too returns from Jerusalem. This suggests a proximity between the two prophets.

The third piece of evidence is that Malachi mentions defiled offerings in Malachi 1, suggesting that the second temple has been completed and is in full swing. This places the book after 515 BC, as we know from the book of Ezra.

Finally, and a point we will come back to is the fact that the word that Malachi uses for “governor,” which is פֶּחָה (pechah), is a word that indicates the Persian rule over the prior Babylonian Empire, including the region of Judah. This empire was the Achaemenid Persian Empire (c. 539–330 BC), and left no king over Judah, but rather established Persian appointed governors over certain regions.

I know that was a lot of information, but this is where we find ourselves in this book. We are about 100 years free from Babylonian captivity, living in a period of Persian rule with no king over Judah, but a Persian appointed governor. But what is the point of this book? Why is Malachi called to preach to the people?

The Issue at Hand

Well, as with practically every prophet, there is an issue in Malachi (or 4 in Malachi’s case) that Malachi is called to confront. Bare with me, as I’m going to briefly mention each one so that we can get to the text for tonight.

The first of these issues is that Israel was doubting the love of God. They are described in Malachi 1 as questioning how God has loved them, also doubting the covenant that he has upheld with them and with their fathers.

The second issue was that they were offering corrupt and defiled sacrifices upon the altar! Malachi 1 also shares that Israel was offering blind, lame, and sick animal sacrifices upon the altar. We know that sacrifices were to be spotless and healthy, which is not what was happening. God even tells the people to present their corrupt sacrifices to their פֶּחָה to see how he reacts, for if they wouldn’t even present their governor with these offerings, why would they present them to the LORD?

The third sin of Israel was that their priests were corrupt and teaching falsehoods. Malachi 2 reveals that these priests were leading the people astray, corrupting the covenant of Levi.

The last of the sins that Israel was committing was intermarriage with idolators and divorce. It’s made clear in Malachi 2 that there is intermarriage with people of “foreign Gods” occuring and that the men of Israel were leaving the wives of their youth (meaning that they were divorcing their wives).

However, there is a question that is posed in Malachi 2:17 that prefaces the text we will be looking at tonight. I will simply read this verse, and I’d like you to keep it in mind as we read through tonight’s text.

Malachi 2:17 ESV

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Why Is Thorough Service Important?

That last question that the people ask (“Where is the God of Justice?”) brings us right into chapter 3, as this question is answered right away in Malachi 3:1-5 in which God says,

Malachi 3:1–5 ESV

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

There are two individuals we are presented with in these verses, the messenger and the Lord. Does this messenger’s description in verse 1 ring any bells in your mind? I would hope it does! Well, the Jewish audience hearing Malachi’s prophecy would have thought this messenger to be an Elijah like figure that would probably prepare the way for the messiah to arrive. However, we know through the gospels that this is most likely referring to John the Baptist.

Yet the verses continue to describe the Lord coming to His temple to cleanse and refine. For us New Testament readers, this should remind us of Jesus coming into to the world, and specifically entering the temple to cleanse it of the unrighteousness that was occuring inside.

Yet verse 5 seems to describe a more intense and judgmental portrayal of the Lord, as being a witness to the evil of those who stray from the Lord and judging them accordingly. Many scholars believe that this refers to the second coming of Christ, where he comes not to simply serve, but to rule and judge over what is rightfully His.

But why does God remind them of his imminent and very near coming? Well, this section would have been the beginning to a call to action and repentance for the Israelite people. While the people were stuck in their chronic disobedience, they needed the reminder that the Lord was coming.

This reminder would cause them to reflect on their own ways. Have you ever had a guest coming to your home that you esteemed fairly high, so you felt the need to tidy up your house? This is the exact feeling that the Lord is trying to invoke in the people of Israel. Yet the the Lord continues speaking in Malachi 3:6-15 as He says,

Malachi 3:6–15 ESV

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts. “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ”

Not only did God remind them that He would come to refine, rebuke, correct, and cleanse, but now He is doubling down and reminding Israel how sure His promises really are. He reminds them that He is unchanging, and even reminds them of the disobedience of their fathers.

This mentioning of their fathers should have reminded them of the countless stories they most definitely were taught of their fathers’ disobedience, the Lord’s judgement, and the Lord’s faithfulness in spite of the disobedience. But God doesn’t simply remind them of their wrongdoing and speak on His near approaching, but He then instructs the people on how to turn from their ways and “make it right” with Him in a way.

The Lord tells them to bring their full tithes, and give to the Lord what they are commanded to give. There is a huge emphasis on tithing in this section of the passage, and God even describes their lack of tithing as robbery. But does God really need their tithes as it would appear in this section of the text? Well, the answer is no. God doesn’t truly need their tithes, as God has no need for anything.

The point here is that the tithes is what God deserved, as tithing one’s possessions and earnings is a form of worship unto the Lord. It’s a way to say, “You have given me all I have, and so I now give up what I have to honor You and bless your holy Name.” We’re told that the people did not see a point in serving God, but the Lord makes it clear that He ought to be served with integrity.

Application/Conclusion

So what happened after the LORD declared all of this? Well, we see this in Malachi 3:16-18 which says,

Malachi 3:16–18 ESV

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

This is the climax of what the LORD has been trying to teach the people of Israel. And this is where we can begin to see parallels between the Israelite’s situation and our own faith lives as Christians. Though they could not see it, those who feared the Lord and listened to what He had to say to them had their faith seen by God. The Lord saw their faith and mark them down in a book of remembrance with a blessed reward promised to them, that they would be spared from judgement and be the Lord‘s.

There is a bit of debate on whether the book mentioned here is a reference to the book of life we see mentioned in Exodus, the Psalms, Daniel, Philippians, and Revelation. There is no clear distinction as to whether this is the book of life, some separate book of remembrance, or a metaphorical marking of the people as belonging to God. The book seems to share a nature with the book of life, recording those who belong to the Lord and are spared from judgement, but seems to have some specificity to this situation, as it is described as being written before Him when He saw their faith. I could break down the theological implications of each view, yet the point is that these people were remembered as faithful by the Lord and marked as His because of their faith and integrity in response to what He had proclaimed.

Family, we are no strangers to this situation, as we are in the same boat as these Israelites. Though our culture and time is far different than the Israelites, we too as followers of God can often struggle with living with integrity in regard to our faith. We frequently wrestle with submitting ourselves fully to God, giving over our lives entirely to the Lord, doing what God convicts and teaches us to do even if its uncomfortable or inconvenient, and growing lazy in our faith.

We ought to see that the Israelites were not worshipping or obeying God’s commands with integrity, and reflect on our own faith and obedience to God. This exposure of sin and call to repentance that we see the Lord speak to Israel through Malachi should be a call of repentance to us too.

If someone claimed to love you and you asked them to do certain things for you, yet they did the bare minimum of what you asked or flat out did not listen and did it completely wrong, that wouldn’t show any degree of love or respect for you. It would almost appear as if the one who claims to love you saw service to you as a task rather than an outlet to show their love and appreciation of you. The same applies to God. If we do not live with integrity, stewarding the life He gave us as He intends for us, we do not show that we love Him.

And we are reminded in Malachi 4 that we ought to have an urgency to live with integrity. I would like to finish out with God’s reminder in Malachi 4 that He is returning to judge the wicked, heal the faithful, that we should listen to His commandments, and that we can choose whether to have integrity and turn our heart to our true Father or be disobedient and turn away into destruction. Though these last verses are filled with Old Testament language, I encourage you to also see these verses in relation to your own faith. Malachi 4 reads,

Malachi 4 ESV

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Live with integrity, for the King is coming. (Pray)