Sermon Tone Analysis

While in college, I had to take a class entitled “Dynamics of Family and Marriage.”

Dr. Steven Hunter was my professor and did a fantastic job.

One of the things we had to do while in that class was take Gary Chapman’s “5 Love Languages” test.

Gary identifies 5 modes by which we share and receive love.

Some of those modes are more responsive than others.

Those languages are—Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.

I don’t really remember what my preferred love language was, but I retook the test recently and so did my wife and discovered that my preferred love language is words of affirmation, Jamie’s is receiving gifts.

One of the things that you discover regarding your love language is that tends to be the way you express love.

So for me, since I love being loved with words of affirmation, I tend to love with words of affirmation, but Jamie while Jamie appreciates affirmative words, she recognizes love by received gifts, things that let her know that I am thinking of her.

So while I would like her to understand how I show love and receive love, I also need to learn and appreciate how she receives love.

In the book of Malachi, God is addressing a post-exile community who is gradually collecting themselves.

With all that happened following 586 B.C. at the hands of Babylon, Israel had many questions regarding their place and status with God.

But He also had questions for them, and confessions need to be made.

While Israel has there temple restored and cultic practices taking place, were they truly committed to their covenantal relationship with God? Were they prepared to love Him sacrificially and devote themselves wholly?

In this book, there are seven questions that God addresses His audience with.

Each of these questions are stated as objections to God’s assertions, and each one is followed by a response from God. God first asserts to Israel that He loves them, and that assertion is true for even us, but like Israel, we might ask...

How has God loved us?

Background to Malachi (V.1)

The opening of Malachi sets the stage and tone for the remainder of the book.

The very first word, “An oracle,” is derived from a word that means “to carry.”

So this term conveys a notion of a message that is burdensome—this is an ominous, foreboding message.

The author states that this heavy message is a divine word from God to His covenant people Israel.

The aspect of covenant is crucial for this book and deserves some attention.

For quite a while, we were taught and it was shared that covenants in the Bible, based on covenants we have seen in the ancient Near Eastern culture was either one of two things—Conditional or Unconditional.

This meant that some covenants had conditions, e.g. the Mosaic covenant, but then other covenants were unconditional, that God would fulfill them no matter what—so the Abrahamic, Davidic, and even New Covenant would fit in this category.

However, when you study the nature of covenants, in that culture, and simply within Scripture we find that this is simply not the case.

Covenants both in the ancient Near East, and within the Bible were based on Obligations and promises.

So even the Noahic covenant has promise—that God would not flood the earth with water—but also obligation—if man sheds someone else’s blood, his blood is required.

Abraham was given eternal and exciting promises, but he had an obligation to get up and obey.

Even we who are a part of the new covenant find that their are obligations—we are obligated to follow Jesus and obey His commands.

As we recently learned, we do not simply say magical words in prayer, gain eternal life, and then live however we want.

We would if the covenant were simply unconditional, but even with the promise of eternal life, we find that we must under obligation, abandon this world in order to pursue after Jesus.

The image that we will find often used in the Old Testament and even here in Malachi is that of marriage.

Consider that marriage is a covenant.

It is not one built on conditions.

Jamie and I did not enter this relationship saying that we would stay together based a certain set of conditions.

When we exchanged our vows they were not, “I Joshua, take you Jamie to be my wife on the condition of good and not for bad, for health and not in sickness, and so on...” Likewise, it is not simply unconditional.

After we walked the aisle and pledged our love, I did not turn to her and say, “Well we’re married now, I’ll see you around.”

Imagine how well that statement would have turned out, I married a cajun!

No, we made promises—that we would love each other for better or worse, rich or poorer, sickness and in health, as long as we live.

Now, those promises also demand obligations.

What is the obligation?

That I would love, support, and pursue her in each and every one of those situations.

All of sudden, love takes on an altogether different kind of meaning, which we will get to in a moment.

But for now, bear in mind that God is addressing His covenant people Israel, and Malahchi has an urgent message for them.

This message is literally by the hand of Malachi—Yahweh’s messenger.

Like everything else in the Bible, there is debate as to whether or not this book was written by the one whose name serves as the title.

I think that Malachi is the author, just as the other 11 minor prophets are so titled by their authors as well.

So I won’t spend too much time on this.

The name Malachi means something like “My Messenger,” or “Messenger of Yahweh.”

God uses Malachi as His personal instrument to relay a message to His people.

This is His message...

The very first words of God to His people are “I have loved you.”

You need to understand two things—first how wonderful it is for these people to hear these words.

As I had said already, Israel is God’s covenantal people, but by God’s authority, they went into exile in 586 B.C. due to their inability to uphold their obligations in their covenant with God.

So nearly 100 years have passed since the exile, and the Israelites probably had a hard time believing that God actually still loved them.

The second thing you need to understand is just how painful these words must have been when Israel heard them.

You see, Israel is returning back to their home, their land, and to some degree their way of life, but things will never be the same.

For instance, they are still under Persian oppression.

They still answer to another kingdom.

It was only by Darius’ permission that they were permitted to return home, and to begin to rebuild.

While they were able to restore the second temple in 515 B.C., it was not without challenges.

Similarly, they struggled with subsequent kings as they sought to restore their homeland.

You can read about these struggles in Ezra and Nehemiah.

So while it is so wonderful to hear the words that God still loved them, the words stung as well.

Which prompts Israel’s first objecting question—how have you loved us?

God’s love is covenant and commitment, not emotion.

God responds to Israel’s objection by serving up an object lesson, Esau.

Esau was the brother of Jacob, one of the contending twins of Rebekah.

In , God tells Isaac that his wife has two nations in her womb, a statement I would not encourage you to tell your pregnant wife.

These brothers struggled in the womb, and outside it.

Later in chapter 25, Esau sells and despises his birthright to Jacob for bread and lentil stew.

Then, in chapter 27, Jacob deceives his father and steals away Esau’s blessing.

But God had already spoken to Isaac that Jacob was to receive the covenantal blessing and that God’s plan for salvation history would go through him.

Here now in Malachi, God reminds His people just how He loved them—take a look at Esau.

God tells His people that Jacob He loved, and Esau He hated.

When we hear these terms of emotion, remember that what God is saying is relating to covenant and not emotion.

God chose Jacob to receive the covenantal blessing that promised to bring salvation to the ends of the earth through the line of Abraham.

God was and is eternally commited to seeing the obligations of this covenant fulfilled.

In verse three, God demonstrates just how He has rejected Esau by talking about the nation that came from Esau—Edom.

God says that He made the mountains of Edom a wasteland and turned over their inheritance to the desert jackals.

Time and again Israel had encounters with Edom.

When Israel departed from Egypt and sought to crossover into the land of promise, Edom denied them entry.

This took place in .

As time would go on, we would see King Saul, David, and others would contend with Edom.

But in the end, Edom would align themselves with Babylon and fight against Israel.

Yet, God would have the final say.

Near the time of Judah’s destruction by Babylon, Edom too would fall to the war machine.

In , God declared through the weeping prophet that Edom would become a desolation and promised that this wicked nation would receive the full payment of their sins.

Here in Malachi, God describes it and tells Israel to see the object lesson that is Edom.

Through Babylon, God has ruined Edom and the ones who are enjoying their land are the desert jackals.

Still, Edom will try to rebuild and return.

In verse 4, God tells Israel that Edom will rebuild and continue to rebel, but that God would ultimately crush this nation and these people will stand as one eternally cursed.

Then God says to Israel, “You have seen this to be true with your own two eyes.”

God had displayed His covenant loyalty to Israel time and time again.

This loyalty was a reflection of His love and devotion to His people.

Even as they were in exile, God did not completely do away with them, but showed them unmerited grace.

We see this with figures such as Daniel, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

God provided for Israel and preserved them, even through pagan kings.

So while Israel struggles to see and believe that God still loves them, God brings to their attention the long established covenant that He is still committed to uphold.