Malachi 3:6-12 God’s covenantal love and relationship with His people obligates Him to give blessings. One of His attributes is His faithfulness to the covenant. As His children we must respond to God’s faithfulness through worship, thanksgiving and generosity. We are a worshipping community and God is interested in our hearts and attitudes as we bring our worship to Him.
In our scriptural texts today, we will continue with the disputations between God and His people Israel (Malachi as God’s Messenger reads a charge against the people, they object and challenge God to prove it by using the word “how” and God restate His case and gives evidence of their violation). Note that this dispute will not continue forever. God is calling the people to repentance and faithful worship otherwise judgment will be inevitable (4:1). They had been charged with breaching the covenant through withholding their Tithes. It is important to know that Malachi’s audience included priests, religious leaders and people who outwardly appears religious but inwardly were doubters (1:2-3), cynics (1:7,2:2), the Unfaithful (2:16), fraudsters (3:5), the Indifferent (3:14-15),the faithful (3:16-18) and the arrogant evildoers (4:1) The real issue here is not God’s love and faithfulness to His people but the people’s love and faithfulness to God
God’s Covenant Faithfulness – Malachi 3:6
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” God is steadfast but the people are disloyal The people are not destroyed even though they deserved it.
God is Unchanging
-One of God’s attributes is His immutability- unchanging in His Holy nature and eternal purposes. However, God is not unchanging in His actions as verse 7 will show us. God responds to our repentance through forgiveness and restoration. -God maintains His integrity as a covenant maker and faithfulness as a covenant keeper. God is committed to the covenant promises He made to His people and does not renege on them. Deuteronomy 4:31 “For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.”
Divine Preservation Because of God’s integrity and faithfulness, His people are not destroyed but preserved even when they are unfaithful. Remark God is constant, consistent and faithful. We can trust in Him at all times. This is significant because in times of crisis as we face presently we need an anchor that can hold, one that is sure and secure. In Christ Jesus we can find rest for our souls. Jesus’ final words to his disciples was “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Read Isaiah 41:9-11 In Psalm 91:1-13 God assures anyone who seek for shelter a place of safety. In Verses14-16 God assures His devoted ones security. God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
Call To Return to the Lord – Malachi 3:7
-The people have turned away, ignoring or scoffing God’s commands. -Trans generational sin and long history of disobedience -The people like their ancestors have continued in disobedience -“Return to me and I will return to you” There is a position of established relationship. God is still there. He has not moved away from His people but the people have moved away from God. God demands the first move that is repentance from the people and promises forgiveness, restoration and blessings. God is merciful and offers hope to the prodigal.
Objection: How are we to Return? This seems to be a protest of innocence that disguise a rejection of God’s call to return. The people have become arrogant and so blind to their sins that they could gloss over what God called evil. The people arrogantly question God’s call for repentance and insisted they had not gone away from the Lord. Acknowledging sin is the beginning of restoration and healing. The writer of Proverbs admonished “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 Remark When confronted with our sin do we make excuses or make light a wrongdoing?
God’s evidence “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8(NIV) God invites the audience to be astonished that a mere mortal will presume to rob God! Yet the people were audacious to rob God. You are robbers!
How are we robbing you?, was their arrogant protest of innocence. This sarcastic question demonstrated greed and selfishness in the heart of the people. They failed to see themselves as stewards of the blessings of God. Remark Do we give joyfully to God as stewards of His material blessings.
God responds with evidence. In Tithes and offerings the people have cheated and robbed God. Tithes refers to the tenth part of earning from the people’s produce which they were obligated to give to God for use by the Levites. Leviticus 27:30-32. Offerings are gift the people voluntarily or sometimes by obligation bring to the Lord. These gifts were necessary for the upkeep of the Temple worship. In our text, the people of Israel have neglected to provide for the upkeep of the Temple and the Levites through withholding their tithes and offerings. God treats this as “robbing me” and there are consequences- curse. Nehemiah 13:10-14 Remark Robbing God is punishable by a curse Remedy Bring in the whole tithes to the storehouse -treasury. Implication is that there will be food (provisions for the priests and the Levites) in my house.
God challenges the people to put Him to the test Promises -Superabundance of blessings. -Protection from the devouring pests. -No pre-mature loss or miscarriage of fruit -Nations will call you blessed because they will blessings of God manifested in the people of Israel. -Your land will be delightful
Application Trust in our Unchangeable God. His promises never changes neither does the recipients who fulfill the terms of the covenant through faith and obedience. Return to God with words of repentance Hosea 14:2-9 Testing the Lord through your fulfilling your obligation to God
