Relentless Love

Malachi 1:1–5 NKJV

1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; 3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.” 4 Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. 5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’

God's Love Declared v1-2a

Illustration: There are many ways people try to show love. You all heard the story about how a few weeks ago Ragan was out of town and I decided I wanted to surprise her with a gift. The only problem was I accidentally got her a gift that was 10 sizes too big.

God is not speaking of love as in, “Hey Israel, I’m the Creator who takes care of all the creatures and I created you.” kind of sense. Instead, He is speaking of His love for them as their God who is covenantally faithful to them. This is a love that belongs to His chosen people only. In Deuteronomy 7:6, God tells Israel that His love for them is an unprovoked love. Deuteronomy 7:6-8

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 NKJV

6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

In Jeremiah 31:3, we read:

Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV

3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

The phrase, “I have loved you” – a perfect tense in the Hebrew, which means it is something that was settled in the past and it’s effects last till today.

Notice also, that the everlasting love of God is the catalyst for Him drawing us. He doesn’t love us because we came to Him, He draws us because He loves us.

So the first thing we need to notice about the love of God here today is that the love of God is unprovoked and unending.

God's Love Doubted v2b

C.S. Lewis said, "God's love for us is a much safer subject to think about than our love for Him."

What are some things that cause you to doubt God’s love for you?

Israel had been delivered and is now back in Israel just as Jeremiah said. But throughout this book you'll see that even though they're back in Israel they're still upset about being under Persian authority, and yeah they have a temple but it's not as nice as Solomon's temple was, and now there's a plague that's wiping out our crops so God you may say you love us be we're not seeing it!

Life’s difficulties made them question whether or not God is being truthful when He says He loves them.

This is ridiculous to think of here! The Jews would wear these little boxes around their necks where they would store Scripture to remind them of the Law and they would repeat the Shema throughout the day which is Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 NKJV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

And these very people who taught themselves daily about how they were to love the God who loves them act as though He doesn't care for them at all!

God's Love Demonstrated v2c-4

Illustration: During the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, sentenced a soldier to be shot for his crimes. The execution was to take place at the ringing of the evening curfew bell. However, the bell did not sound. The soldier's fiancé had climbed into the belfry and clung to the great clapper of the bell to prevent it from striking. When she was summoned by Cromwell to account for her actions, she wept as she showed him her bruised and bleeding hands. Cromwell's heart was touched and he said, "Your lover shall live because of your sacrifice. Curfew shall not ring tonight!"

Dr. Arno C. Gaebelein, said, “I have a serious problem with Malachi 1:3, where God says, ‘Esau I have hated.’ ” Dr. Gaebelein replied, “But I have a greater problem with Malachi 1:2, where God says, ‘Jacob, I have loved.’

The question this text should cause us to have isn’t, “Why would God hate Esau? Rather it is why would God ever love Jacob?”

The reason this should blow our mind is because we know that our God is a holy, righteous and just God. Furthermore, we know that we are a sinful and rebellious people. So, the question for us shouldn’t be, “Wow, that’s so rude of God not to love Esau.” Rather, we should say, “Wow! I cannot believe that God would love someone as sinful and wretched as Jacob!”

God's Love Historically Displayed

Let's take a look at this. These were twins, both were unworthy of God’s love and yet God showed His love for Jacob by placing His love on Him. Malachi is saying, “You want proof of God’s love? Let’s look at the fact that God loved Jacob at all!”

Deut. 7:6-8 is worth visiting as it lets us know that this favor that they have was not earned by the works of Jacob as it says,

Deuteronomy 7:6–8 NKJV

6 “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the Lord loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

In Genesis 25:22 we find that God’s choice of Jacob was revealed before he was even born. So Jacob did nothing to earn the love of God.

Genesis 25:22–23 NKJV

22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.”

And this is the same story with you. In Romans 9, Paul takes the story of Jacob and Esau and uses it to prove the point of individual election. God has made an oath, not with our fathers like Deuteronomy says, but with Jesus and it is the promise of our redemption. Ephesians 1:4; 2:4-9 says,

Ephesians 1:4 NKJV

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

Ephesians 2:4–9 NKJV

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

God’s Love Displayed In Ruins

In 552 BC, Edom, Esau’s descendants, is destroyed. In 587 BC Israel, Jacob’s descendants, is destroyed. Both of these countries were destroyed by Babylon. Now, in 539 BC Cyrus defeated Babylon. God set up Cyrus as ruler and to allow the Jewish exiles to return to Judah and build the temple which all takes place in Ezra 1. Now, the land of the Edomites remained in ruins even when they tried to rebuild it. So, when Israel looks over it’s borders as the land of Edom and beholds the destruction, they were to be reminded of God’s faithful love to them.

I believe you and I today may also be able to consider the love of God as we think of Christ who was crucified outside of the city. To go outside the camp was to bear reproach, thus Christ bore reproach when he was crucified outside of the city. Paul tells us in Romans 5:8

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Furthermore, when we look at the destructive influence of sin, we shouldn’t be jealous of the lost, but should be reminded of how kind and loving God is to save sinners like us!

God’s Love Displayed in the Future (5)

Though many of the Jews didn’t appreciate God’s love then, in the future God would deal with the nations all over the Earth and He will bring the Gentiles to Himself. And we are living testimonies to that today. We didn’t have anything to offer God, but God chose us to be His people by faith in His Son. Romans 8:29-30

Romans 8:29–30 NKJV

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.