malachi “major” thoughts from a “minor” prophet M

A Recap of Malachi 2:10-16 Our earthly relationships do matter when it comes to our ability to engage in relationship with God. We cannot divorce our earthly relationships from our worship of God … it’s all part of the same package. God desires access to our marriages to create new life within our marriages. We are to seek to offer our marriages and our other human relationships to God as objects of worship, bringing glory, praise and honour to God through them.

Injustice It’s difficult not to become hardened to the reality of injustice in our world.

Malachi 2:17-3:5 “You have wearied the L ORD with your words. “How have we wearied him?” you ask. By saying, “All who do evil are good in the eyes of the L ORD, and he is pleased with them” or “Where is the God of justice?” “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the L ORD Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears?

For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the L ORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the L ORD, as in days gone by, as in former years. “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the L ORD Almighty.”

God indicates that He is wearied by the twisted, doubting words of His people. God indicates that He is wearied by the twisted, doubting words of His people. Specifically, the people of Israel seem to be either misunderstanding who God is or are ignorant to His presence with them. Specifically, the people of Israel seem to be either misunderstanding who God is or are ignorant to His presence with them. Justice is central to the nature of God and as such, He requires justice from those who follow Him. Because God is a God of justice, we are to be people of justice. Justice is central to the nature of God and as such, He requires justice from those who follow Him. Because God is a God of justice, we are to be people of justice. This would have come as no surprise to the people of Israel at the time of Malachi, for God is evidently clear in the Law regarding the requirement to behave justly. This would have come as no surprise to the people of Israel at the time of Malachi, for God is evidently clear in the Law regarding the requirement to behave justly.

The Year of Jubilee In essence, every fifty years, the year of Jubilee would accomplish a total redistribution of wealth: In essence, every fifty years, the year of Jubilee would accomplish a total redistribution of wealth: 1.If someone had been cheated, they would receive it back. 2.If someone had become extremely wealthy, they would not get wealthier. 3.If someone had been oppressed, they would be feed. 4.If someone had been made a slave, they would be freed. 5.It would become a year of rest. There was only one problem with the plan: in all the years, the Israelites occupied Israel, they never once observed a year of Jubilee! There was only one problem with the plan: in all the years, the Israelites occupied Israel, they never once observed a year of Jubilee!

God informs them of the immanent sudden arrival of a messenger, followed by His coming to be among His people. God informs them of the immanent sudden arrival of a messenger, followed by His coming to be among His people. The messenger will come and prepare a way before God - God is coming to His people, that justice will accompany His arrival and that one will come before Him to herald His arrival. The messenger will come and prepare a way before God - God is coming to His people, that justice will accompany His arrival and that one will come before Him to herald His arrival. When God arrives, He will refine and purify the priests, as a silversmith refines silver When God arrives, He will refine and purify the priests, as a silversmith refines silver God indicates that upon His arrival, He will expose the priests to a similar refining process, enabling them to eventually offer sacrifices which God will find acceptable. God indicates that upon His arrival, He will expose the priests to a similar refining process, enabling them to eventually offer sacrifices which God will find acceptable.

The Messiah: one who would come as a great and mighty leader of his people, sent of God to restore Israel to a place of prominence in the world. The Messiah: one who would come as a great and mighty leader of his people, sent of God to restore Israel to a place of prominence in the world. Isaiah 61 tells us that the Messiah would come to confront injustice and proclaim both God’s favour – jubilee! – and God’s righteous judgement. Through his work, His people would be made priests and ministers of God, and God who loves justice, would make an everlasting covenant of blessing with His people. Isaiah 61 tells us that the Messiah would come to confront injustice and proclaim both God’s favour – jubilee! – and God’s righteous judgement. Through his work, His people would be made priests and ministers of God, and God who loves justice, would make an everlasting covenant of blessing with His people. Jeremiah 31: A New and Eternal Covenant Jeremiah 31: A New and Eternal Covenant

Central to the ministry of the Messiah is an engagement with injustice – through the Messiah, God is coming against injustice and the unjust. Central to the ministry of the Messiah is an engagement with injustice – through the Messiah, God is coming against injustice and the unjust. Lumped in with sorcerers and adulterers, we find those who pay their employees dishonestly, those who treat widows and orphans unfairly, and those who withhold justice from immigrants and foreigners. Lumped in with sorcerers and adulterers, we find those who pay their employees dishonestly, those who treat widows and orphans unfairly, and those who withhold justice from immigrants and foreigners. Special provision was made in the law for each of these groups, yet it would appear that these laws were being neglected by the Israelites of Malachi’s time. Special provision was made in the law for each of these groups, yet it would appear that these laws were being neglected by the Israelites of Malachi’s time.

When Jesus showed up on the scene some 430 years later, one of the first things He did was enter a synagogue in Nazareth and begin reading from the Scriptures. When Jesus showed up on the scene some 430 years later, one of the first things He did was enter a synagogue in Nazareth and begin reading from the Scriptures. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.“ (Luke 4:16-21) "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.“ (Luke 4:16-21) Jesus leaves out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God” from Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus leaves out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God” from Isaiah 61:1-2. Christ came to confront injustice, to speak out against it, and to provide a framework by which injustice can continually be confronted. Christ came to confront injustice, to speak out against it, and to provide a framework by which injustice can continually be confronted. By Christ’s death and resurrection, and by his teaching and precepts as John 15:3 indicates, we have been made clean. By Christ’s death and resurrection, and by his teaching and precepts as John 15:3 indicates, we have been made clean.

Because Christ came against injustice, we too as His people are to be against injustice. Because Christ came against injustice, we too as His people are to be against injustice. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Our attitude and actions towards those who are in marginalized or vulnerable positions affects our ability to relate to God. Our treatment of those in vulnerable positions is an act of worship and a statement of our relationship with God. Our attitude and actions towards those who are in marginalized or vulnerable positions affects our ability to relate to God. Our treatment of those in vulnerable positions is an act of worship and a statement of our relationship with God. When Christ returns, not only will injustice be satifactorally and fully addressed – praise God – but each one of us will be judged by our actions. When Christ returns, not only will injustice be satifactorally and fully addressed – praise God – but each one of us will be judged by our actions.

In the end, this passage makes a simple statement to us: if we are going to call ourselves the people of God, then we must act justly, for we serve a God of justice. In the end, this passage makes a simple statement to us: if we are going to call ourselves the people of God, then we must act justly, for we serve a God of justice.