Malachi: God Calls the Remnant to Repentance

Malachi: God Answers the Challenges of His People

This morning, we will close our series on the minor prophets by considering the book of Malachi .

As far as we know, Malachi was the final literary prophet sent to God’s people. He prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah. Other than this, we do not have a lot of clues in the text to help us with dating the book. Malachi talks about sacrifices and the doors of the temple, so we know that he probably prophesied after the temple was completed during the reign of Darius I.

In chapter one, Malachi also encourages them to give the blemished animals they were sacrificing to the governor as a gift and see if he would accept them. This may show us that Malachi did not prophecy during the time that Nehemiah was the governor of Judea because he would not accept gifts from the people (,). Nehemiah was the governor during a 12 year period, and then he returned to King Artaxerxes for some time before he returned later on to govern the people. This leads many to assume that Malachi came during the time Nehemiah was away (approx. 432-425 B.C) or that he prophesied after Nehemiah stopped being governor altogether, which if this is the case, would mean that the book could have been written in the late 300s or very early 400s.

THE STATE OF THE PEOPLE .

The people at these times had been through a lot. They had rebuilt much of the nation while they were receiving opposition from their enemies. They had made many changes religiously as they were being taught the law by Ezra and the priesthood. There were some big changes they had to make morally also to be faithful to the covenant, which included many men sending away their nonJewish wives.

Along with these things, they were still awaiting the time when God would fulfill His promises to the remnant to bring the Messiah to them and to judge their enemies. By the time that Malachi came and prophesied to the people, it seems like they were doubting that these promises would come about, and they had starting falling away from the things they learned in the law as it was taught to them. They were setting aside the covenant they made with God, and their approach towards God’s law had become lax.

This is why Malachi came to the people. He needed to call them to repentance, to remind them of the special position they held as God’s chosen people, and to reassure them of the promised that he had made earlier to the remnant.

Let’s go ahead and get into the text to see some of the things the people were doing — some of the accusations or assertions that the LORD makes about His people.

YOU LOVE US?

Let’s begin in verse 2 of chapter 1:

“2 I have loved you,” says the Lord. But you say, “How have you loved us?” (, ESV)

The book opens with a direct statement by God, I have loved you, says the Lord (1:2). But yet it appeared that the people doubted that love, and this is indicated by the objection in the middle part of 1:2. It seems like they have this “what have you done for me lately” type of attitude before God and that if He was not meeting their timetables in fulfilling His promises and blessing them that this showed that God really didn’t love them. This is such an ungrateful approach to have towards God.

But what we see in this book is this: there is a very good reason why blessing is being withheld at this time: they are not doing what they needed to be doing, and they were neglecting God’s law.

THEIR OFFERINGS

If this was not bad enough, look at verse 6:

“6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ 7 By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised. 8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?…” (, ESV)

God makes the accusation that they are not honoring Him, and they seem to have no idea how they are doing this. This shows how far that they have gotten away from loving God’s law. They were offering polluted food on the altar. Blemished animals — animals that were blind, sick, and deformed. This is not what God said He wanted! God wanted the sacrifices to be without blemish — the best of their flocks, and they instead were just trying to give enough to get by, thinking their blemished animals were enough to receive God’s mercy.

God’s response to this attitude is: “Man wouldn’t even accept such animals as a gift. Give it to your governor and see how he rejects it. Why should God, who said He wanted something else, accept it?” This type of worship made God sick. He says in verse 10, “10 Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.” (, ESV)

Worship is vain if you are not going to give God what He requires. He doesn’t want this worthless worship from His people. He deserves better than this! He must be honored.

And their response to these words in verse 13: “Oh, what a weariness…” They act like what the Lord requires is burdensome. That He is asking too much. They are wearied by His word.

CHAPTER 3 - THEIR TITHING

And it wasn’t just in this area that they were not giving what God required: Let’s skip ahead to chapter 3. Let’s read verses 7-10:

“7 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?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse.…” (, ESV)

God wanted His people to give a tithe of the produce of the land to the temple — the produce that belonged to the LORD and He blessed them with. But they were not doing so. They were giving less than God required. This is the theme in this book in regards to their worship. They were not giving God what He required them to give. And God says that, when they were doing this, they were robbing Him! They were stealing off of Him.

Let’s read one more passage before we talk about some applications for us. .

“13 “Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ 14 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? 15 And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’ ” 16 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. 17 “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. 18 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.” (, ESV)

There is a mixed reaction to the prophesying of Malachi. You have the group who said “Serving God and giving Him what He prescribes is vain.” But then you have a group of people who responds favorably, and the LORD keeps record of who these people who fear His name are. This group represents those who are really God’s remnant — those who are truly God’s people. It is this type of person who will receive the blessings of the covenant that God will make through the Messiah who is prophesied about in chapters 3 and 4.

APPLICATION .

Now, in the time we have remaining, let’s consider some applications. When is it the case that we can be like Israel at this point? When can it be that we have an attitude that, when put into practice, leads us to rob God.

WHEN WE DO NOT HONOR HIM AS GOD

We are guilty of robbing God when we fail to treat Him as God and fear and honor Him as God. God is inherently deserving of honor because He is the God of all creation. He is the God of Heaven, and He needs to be honored and served with this in mind.

We recognize the importance of honor — of valuing someone based on the role they have. Husbands are to honor their wives. Children are to honor their parents. We are to honor the governing authorities God has placed over us. We understand what it means to honor and respect in these relationships. But how much more should we try to understand what it means to honor and respect the God of all? “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts… (1:6).

It may be the case that we show less honor to God than we do to others we have relationships with. We may honor our wives, our parents, and our authorities, but then we treat God as though He is not the Holy God who deserves respect and fear. God is often portrayed as the grandfatherly type who spoils you regardless of how you live. He is portrayed as a close friend or even a parent who overlooks your faults. He is portrayed as one who, when we get to Heaven, we can just causally walk up to Him and give him a hug. But this is not the God of glory that the Bible portrays. These are not illustrations that honor God and respect Him.

May our mindset never be casual in regards to God. May our words speak honor to God. May we show fear and reverence as we live before Him.

GIVING GOD LESS THAN HE REQUIRES

How often may it be the case that we give God less than He requires in our service to Him — that we neglect commands of scripture given to us as His people or that we give Him something different than He requires?

We come to worship, but we don’t consider how we can encourage someone while we are here. We may come to worship, but we don’t listen to His word attentively so we can obey it and be changed by it. We come to worship, but we have bitterness or anger in our hearts toward our brethren or towards our neighbors. God requires us to make Him our highest priority in life, but we just try to fit Him in where we can and serve ourselves in every other area of life. We rob God when we do not give ourselves fully to God. Once again, consider :

“8 When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.” (, ESV)

We can be just like those who God is speaking of here. God tells them what kind of sacrifice He wants, but then they give Him less than He requires and dishonor shim in doing so. What is the principle here for us? What kind of sacrifice does God require of us?

A full self-sacrifice. — Paul tells the Christians in Rome to “present [their] bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [their] spiritual worship.” (, ESV) Paul gives them a picture of a burnt offering — they are to be wholly consumed on the altar for God, giving themselves to Him and His will. To offer God anything less is theft. Anything less is not good enough for God. He deserves better. He deserves the best — and the best we have to give is to fully surrender ourselves to His Lordship in our lives.

God has shown such great love and mercy for us. He deserves nothing less from us than full submission. When we worship Him inside this building, and when we live before Him on a daily basis as His people, we need to make sure we are NOT giving God less than He requires. The best we can give to Him is all of our heart. We need to make sure, spiritually speaking, that we are not giving to God sacrifices that are blind, deformed, and less than He requires. If our lives are not given fully to God, then we are robbing God. If we half-heartedly serves Him, and then we come and worship here, we are deceiving ourselves thinking that God is going to accept our worship and be pleased with what we offer, even if we do the right things in worship while we are here.

Once again, God deserves that we give ourselves fully. As the great hymn “When I survey the Wondrous Cross” closes, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Does this describe your life? Do you give God your all and do you honor Him as God?