“Your words against Me are harsh,” says the Lord. You ask: “What have we spoken against You?” You said: “It is useless to serve God, and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinances and walked as mourners before the Lord Almighty? And now we consider the proud blessed. Yes! The evildoers are better off; those who challenge God escape punishment.” (Book of the Prophet Malachi, ch. 3, v. 13-15*, the darker font is ours)
The Book of the Prophet Malachi is only three chapters long, and I recommend you read it today. It goes quickly, and its theme is very relevant even today. It addresses three main problems that we, modern people, also struggle with: tedium, deception, and reverence.
- Tedium
In the first chapter, God addresses the people of Israel through Malachi to reprimand them. However, interestingly, it does not start with criticism, as we might start in an argument or conflict. It starts with a message of love towards a people who literally despise Him – Him and the ministry to Him.
“The Lord has said: “I have loved you, Israelites.” But you respond: “How have You shown love to us?” To this, the Lord replies: “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have laid waste to his mountains and his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness.” (Malachi, ch. 1, v. 1-3*)
Further in the passage, God speaks of His choice of love towards Jacob’s descendants, visible in His attitude and protection towards them. Alas, they do not believe in this love. Whether they do not believe or take it for granted as something they are entitled to, we cannot know, but their actions towards God are disdainful and marked by boredom. They do not want to serve Him; there is no reverence in their hearts. They believe they can offer sacrifices to God only superficially, mimicking obedience. In other words, they say to themselves: “Fine, let it be Your way,” sighing heavily. God sees this and does not accept it; He does not accept such type of sacrifice, service, or attitude because it is not love. Have you experienced something similar in your Christian life? Do you roll your eyes with boredom when you have to do something for God? Do you consider your faith in Christ a burden or a restriction? Do you think He “owes you”? These are signals that the love in your heart has grown cold. The excitement to meet Him and please Him by doing what He would approve of is suppressed by something else.
- Deception
Surely one of the most common reasons for divorce and breakdown in a family is the deception that he/she is not enough and we can find someone better, more attentive, more beautiful, smarter, more like us, someone who can make us happier. The basis of every infidelity and unfaithfulness is precisely this – there is something or someone better for me, and I have the right to have it. This is also the attitude of the Israelites when God chastises them through Malachi. In the second chapter, the Lord points out the lack of faithfulness in their hearts – they do not know Him, they are not “in love” with Him, they do not know how to love and worship God, they set up idols and then wonder why God does not accept and listen to their pleas. They accuse Him of injustice and present a distorted image of Him. They speak in His name, but what they say is not true. Breaking the covenant with God reflects in every aspect of our lives. In relationships, in our ability to give and receive love, in the ability to rejoice and be grateful.
- Reverence
One of the most widely disappearing human values nowadays is reverence and the ability to give it. Maybe we see something humiliating or limiting in recognizing the worth and value of someone else. The problem is that we are proud and insecure, unwilling to let go of the small gods that give us some small security and to accept that there is only one true and great God, who is just, loving, and powerful. Our illusory idea of God can greatly hinder our proper attitude towards Him. If we do not grasp His greatness, goodness, faithfulness, if we do not know His character, there can be no reverence in our hearts for Him, and our thoughts, actions, and deeds will reflect this irreverence. Simply put, we will unconsciously accept that God “does not deserve” recognition. Everything He Himself says He is becomes a lie for us because we are blinded by our own opinion and understanding of Him. “Here you have worn out the Lord with your meaningless words. You ask, “What have we worn Him out with?” – With the belief that “everyone who does evil is good in the view of the Lord and He delights in them”; or, “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi, ch. 2, v. 17*)
What is the conclusion of the entire book? The Israelites, we, or you, at some point have thought and acted towards God and people with a mistaken notion of Himself. We have attributed to Him qualities and behavior that He does not possess because we have not known and understood Him. The fruit of this is a lack of faith and faithfulness, a lack of reverence and gratitude, a lack of enthusiasm and joy in our lives with the Lord. What is the good news? He has made a covenant of faithfulness and does not abandon us. He speaks to us today, sometimes reprimanding us, but in His words, we see only one thing – a strong, fiery, active, zealous, transforming, purifying, eternal love. Hold on to this love, friend, not to your own opinion, observations, not to the circumstances and perspectives of others. Allow God to convince you of His might and justice. Be still and listen to how God speaks about Himself through everything around you. Trust His justice; in the end, He will give you a full understanding.
“Those who revere the Lord spoke to one another: “The Lord pays attention and hears it, and a scroll of remembrance is written before Him for those who revere the Lord and honor His name.” The Lord Almighty says: “They will belong to Me, they will be My possession on the day I determine. I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. Then once more you will see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” (Malachi, ch. 3, v. 16-18*)
*The biblical quotes are according to the text of the Bible, new translation from the original languages ©Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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