Malachi 1-4 • Faithful Hearts Embrace God’s Love

Do you tend to question God’s love? How does that influence your actions and your view of those around you who seem to prosper while challenging God? When you embrace God’s love for you, you will keep His commands. You want to obey God because you are grateful for all that He has done for you. And Jesus fills you with joy, His joy, complete joy. In the last blog, we learned from Nehemiah chapters 7-13 how rebellious hearts spurn God’s grace even when they know better. This is post #11 in the Ezra to Malachi blog series. In this post, we will learn from the book of Malachi how faithful hearts embrace God’s love.

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from our Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Bible Study covering the last 7 written books of the Old Testament.

Questioning God’s Love

Several years ago, I did some research on some of the most asked questions on the internet. One of the top questions was this, “Does God love me?” That is a natural question for anyone to ask who does not already know the Bible’s teachings. And very few people, especially women, really know that God loves them. Do you?

Most of the time, we equate love with blessings of an easy life. Financial wealth. Satisfying relationships. Good health. Yet, if you do not see those things in your life, you think that God does not love you as much as He loves your neighbor, friend, or that woman in your church who seems to have no struggles. Maybe you feel you do not deserve any better because of really bad mistakes you have made. Or you wonder how many good deeds it takes to get back into God’s good favor so He will love you again.

Stop it! Grasp the fact that as a Christian you are dearly loved by your God. That is what God thinks about you. And God loves all of His children equally.

The Jewish people at the time of Malachi’s messages to them were thinking like we do today. And they were acting like we do today based on their appreciation or ignorance of God’s great love for them. Let us explore the way to embrace God’s love for you and contrast that with hardhearted responses to God’s love.

“I Have Loved You”

The first message of God through Malachi to His people was this in chapter 1,

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ (Malachi 1:2)

God declared first and foremost to them that He loves them. And He has loved them all the time of their existence, all the way back to their ancestor Jacob. So, why were they questioning His love?

The answer comes as you read Malachi chapters 1 and 2. God was not accepting their sacrifices. So, they were not receiving His blessings. According to the Mosaic covenant, obedience to God’s commands would bring great harvests, abundant rain, large families, and peace.

Why wasn’t God accepting their sacrifices? It is because they were spurning God’s love for them and living life according to their own standards of what was okay—not His way.

Cheating God

First, they were cheating God. Instead of bringing their best to Him, some of the people were bringing defective and diseased animals as offerings to God for sacrifices. This was dishonor to God. And the priests were showing partiality in matters of the Law by accepting these filthy offerings and burning them on God’s altar expecting God to be pleased. They were all cheating and thought they could get away with it.

I read this intuitive observation:

It is very interesting that often God’s chosen means of rebuke is to remove His hand of protection and allow us to run sin’s course. In Romans chapter 1, Paul talks about God giving rebellious people over to their sins. The net effect is that we experience the reality of life outside of God’s care, and it is not pretty. The worst punishment that could come to us is not active disciplining, but rather God pulling back and allowing us to indulge in our sin and experience life apart from Him. (Martin MacDonald, Frisco Bible Church)

That is so true. When I pray for prodigals to return to the Lord, I ask the Lord to remove His hand of protection so they can see what life without Him is really like.

According to God in Malachi chapters 1 and 2, the priests and those people who were bringing the defective animals were showing contempt for God’s name by their stingy and selfish actions. Instead of giving their best in response to God’s love, they were giving their worst, even complaining that they had to do it. What a burden it was to them!

God reminded the priests of their purpose and what they had chosen to do instead. He says this in Malachi chapter 2:

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 2:7-8)

The priests were the messenger of the Lord Almighty. They were to instruct the people how to respond in faithfulness to God’s love by following God’s way of living life. They chose to follow their own way instead and brought others with them. Not good!

The faithful Jews were noticing this selfish, ungodly behavior of the priests. God spoke His judgment on them,

“So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.” (Malachi 2:9)

Someone was watching their unlawful behavior and despised the priests for despising the God who loved them. Faithful hearts embrace God’s love and want to follow His way.

Breaking faith in marriage

Besides being stingy, the Jews were not following God’s way regarding marriage. God called it “breaking faith” with Him. Some translations say “being unfaithful.”

Some of them were marrying pagan women. We saw this in Ezra chapter 10 and Nehemiah chapter 13. This was an ongoing problem. Every time someone tried to clean up the mess, it laid low for a short time then reared its ugly head again. Embracing God’s love should give you the desire to surround yourself with others who love Him also. So, loving God means you do not marry someone who does not love God.

Some of them were breaking their marriage covenants and divorcing their wives. God called this a violent action to the family. And it seems to have been without just cause. Embracing God’s love should lead you to stay committed to your marriage covenant as far as it depends on you. We know that is hard in today’s world. God gave some instruction for that as well in Malachi 2 verse 16:

So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. (Malachi 2:16b)

Robbing God

Another way the rebellious hearts were rejecting God’s love is by robbing God of what is already His. God tells them this in Malachi chapter 3,

You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:9-12)

God asked them to trust Him with their security. They were in His land. He was the one providing the crops that sustained them. The covenant promises were related not only to obedience but also to dependence on God more than on themselves.

This is surely a challenge for us today. Turn to any channel or book or internet news site and be quickly driven to fear that you will not have enough to sustain you in your future. Save, invest, and store up more provisions—as much as possible. Live in fear of the future as you watch your investments gain and lose in the stock market. That is not embracing God’s love for you and trusting Him with your future.

Is giving to God and His work today a burden for you? We do not bring animal sacrifices, praise God for that. But we are to sacrificially give to the work of Christ as a response of love and gratitude for what He has done for us. You can read 2 Corinthians chapter 8 for the most beautiful illustration of this response of love for God.

Getting back to the Jews, they looked around and basically asked, “Is it really worth it to serve God and give sacrificially to Him? See all the rich people around us who care nothing for God and His love?” Okay, this is what they actually said:

It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it. (Malachi 3:14-15)

Oh my! It is so easy to get into this mindset. Look God, they are not doing life your way, and yet are prospering. It is easy to question why we should follow God’s way instead of what the world tempts us to do to provide for ourselves and our future! The answer is that always staying faithful to God is better.

Faithful Hearts Embrace God’s Love

Joining together

Some of the Jews did not have rebellious hearts looking for ways to spurn God’s love. They had faithful hearts. And they joined together. I love these verses in Malachi chapter 3. They are some of my favorite verses:

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (Malachi 3:16-18)

Those who feared the Lord. God sees a recognizable difference between them and the faithless priests, between them and the unfaithful in marriage, and between them and the arrogant who prosper and challenge God! God notices those whose hearts are faithful to Him. Not perfect. Not sinless. Just those with faithful hearts who embrace His love for them.

Talking with each other

Faithful hearts talked with each other, sharing their concerns. The Lord listened and heard as they were talking. I love that. When we share our prayer needs with one another, we do not need to repeat them to God. He already heard them. That means we should have an awareness of His presence in our meetings. Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 18,

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20)

Truth.

Then, a scroll of remembrance was written in His presence. Their prayer requests? Their concerns about what was going on?

Being God’s treasured possession

God answered by saying they are “my treasured possession.” Think jewels. Valuables. And God said that one day He would act to bring judgment on the wicked. They will not escape. One day, there will be a visible distinction between those who serve God and those who do not. Faithful hearts as they embrace God’s love choose the right side and should not be envious of the prosperous wicked and openly arrogant who seem to be getting away with their rebellion. God knows.

Then, God goes on to say in Malachi chapter 4,

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. (Malachi 4:2)

Isn’t that a beautiful picture of joy? Have you experienced the joy of receiving righteousness and healing through faith in Christ?

Receiving God’s joy

Jesus said this to His disciples and to us in John chapter 15,

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:9-11)

When you embrace God’s love for you, you will keep His commands. You want to obey God because you are grateful for all that He has done for you. And Jesus fills you with joy, His joy, complete joy. Doesn’t that make you want to kick up your heels?

In the next blog, we will learn from Daniel chapters 8-12 that God’s plan is for us to rest then rise to receive our inheritance.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with complete trust in Him so that you will follow His way of living life instead of the world’s way or your own way.

All of the above information is covered in the  Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Bible Study  covering the last 7 written books of the Old Testament.

Related Resources:

• Identity: Sticking to Your Faith in a Pull-Apart World Bible Study
• Satisfied Series 18 Podcasts (Ezra-Malachi)
• Perspective Bible Study of 1 and 2 Thessalonians
• When Heaven Comes to Earth

AI was not used to generate this post.