MALACHI 1-4 CORRECTING GODS CLUELESS PEOPLE2011 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Malachi 1-4 Correcting Gods Clueless People

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2011. Well, we're in the book of Malachi, chapter 1, verse 1, it says this. The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. Malachi.

Here we have our introduction to Malachi. We really don't know much about him. He's not mentioned elsewhere in the scriptures. We gather from the things that he's writing about in this prophecy that this was given probably around the time of Nehemiah.

It was either during Nehemiah's reign or, you know, his ministry there in Jerusalem, or soon after Nehemiah that Malachi came on the scene to deliver this message from the Lord. And as that is the timing, well, it makes him the last of the Old Testament prophets. It's not just the last book of the Old Testament, but chronologically, he was the last voice of the Lord to the people before John the Baptist.

And so if you kind of backtrack a little bit, you might remember Judah, the nation of Judah, was taken into captivity by the nation of Babylon because they were rebellious against God, because they refused to repent under Jeremiah's ministry and these other prophets that were sent to them. God brought Babylon, conquered Judah, and they were carried away captive. The land was left desolate for 70 years.

And then after the 70 years, the Jews were allowed to return back to the land. And under Ezra, under Nehemiah, the city was rebuilt again.

A little bit before that was Zechariah and Haggai, who we studied in the previous weeks. The temple was rebuilt, and so the Jews are back in the land. Their city is being rebuilt. There's a new work that's going on. And it was soon after that that Malachi comes on the scene, and he begins to prophesy to the people.

Because the people were really in a backslidden state. Although God had brought them back into the land and the temple was rebuilt, their hearts were still not right with God. And so there was some serious corrective issues that God had to bring to the forefront of their understanding in their mind. He had to highlight for them because really they were completely clueless.

They, you'll see throughout the chapters this evening, they kept asking, well, we don't understand. How have we done this? How is it that you're accusing us of these things? They did not understand how far away they were from God. And so God is using the prophet Malachi to call to attention the issues in their lives and in their hearts. And he's calling them to repentance, calling them back to him.

And so these are the words of the Lord to Israel by Malachi the prophet. And we begin these prophecies here in verse 2. It says, 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, but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness. 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. Verse 5. Your eyes shall see and you shall say, the Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel. Here as we begin the book of Malachi, the people are asking, how has God loved us?

We're looking around. We see difficulty. We see opposition. We see bad things happening in our life. And they're questioning, does God really love us?

God says there in verse 2, I have loved you, yet you say. And throughout this book, he'll tell them, here's what you guys are saying. Here's what you have said. And sometimes it's with their words that they're saying these things. But sometimes it's with their actions and their behavior that they are saying these things. God says, look, the way that you're acting, the things that you say, you're declaring, you're accusing me of not loving you.

And so in order to prove to them his love, he calls to attention the relationship between Jacob and Esau. And he says, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.

Now, the Apostle Paul talks about this portion of Scripture and explains it a little bit more in detail in the book of Romans chapter 9. I would encourage you, if this is an interesting portion to you, you want to find out a little bit more about what this means, to check that out later on in Romans chapter 9, because Paul has some important words to consider. But basically, here's what God is saying.

Babylon conquered both Judah and Edom. Judah was the descendants of Jacob and Edom, the nation a little bit to the south of Judah, they were the descendants of Esau. And these two brothers, you remember, they were fighting in the womb and then later on they became, they both became nations. Jacob, also named Israel, became the Israelites and then Esau became the Edomites.

Well, both of them were conquered by Babylon as a result of their rebellion against God. But here's what God is saying.

I have brought you back into the land. I have shown you love by bringing you back into the land. I've given you favor that you didn't deserve. I haven't brought Edom back into the land, God's saying. And even if they try, it's not going to work. Their buildings are not going to last. I'm going to cast them down. And so God says, you're saying, how have you loved me or how have you loved us?

But God says, look at how I've loved you. I've brought you back from captivity, back to the land that I've set apart for you and allowed you to be planted here once again in the land of Israel. And so God is declaring he has loved them

By his deliverance and his establishing them back in the land. And so God is saying there in verse 5. He says, look, you're going to see that the Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel. You're going to see that I'm in control of all things. And my name is magnified. And I'm the one who brought you back. I've shown you this great love by bringing you back into the land that I have promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We continue on in verse 6. It says...

A son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I am the father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my reverence? Says the Lord of hosts to you priests who despise my name. Yet you say, in what way have we despised your name? You offer defiled food on my altar. But say, in what way have we defiled you? By saying the table of the Lord is contemptible.

And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor. Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts.

So now God goes on to address a different issue. First of all, the people are saying, God doesn't love us. I mean, we look around, we see the difficulties. We think God's abandoned us. He's not showing us the love he's supposed to show us. Why is God allowing these things? Why isn't God loving us? And God expresses to them, look, I am loving you. The fact that you're back in the land is proof that I love you. But now he goes on to address a different issue. They're related because, well,

They're offering things to the Lord that are defiled, that are not worthy to be offered to the Lord.

God specified in his law the types of animals and the quality of animals that were to be offered to him. And they were to be animals without blemish. You couldn't offer a deformed animal. God would not accept it. Or an animal that was lame or blind or, you know, something that was second class. He wanted the best of the best. And when you brought your offering to the Lord, he wanted the best. And

And so God is asking the question there in verse 6. He says, look, a son honors his father and servants honor their master. But where is my honor? You guys aren't honoring me. You're not giving to me the honor that I deserve. He says, where is my reverence? Now notice who he's talking to there in verse 6. He says specifically, to you priests who despise my name. And so this was an issue among the people.

But it was specifically an issue that God was addressing with the priests. Now the priests were the ones who were to represent God to the people and the people to God. But they'd grown really lazy...

In their ministry. And so as they're offering things to God, they're like, eh, that's fine. It doesn't matter. You can offer the lame lamb to the Lord. You can offer this. They're not holding the standards of God. They're not accurately representing God. And they're essentially saying that, well, his altar is contemptible.

That's what he says there in verse 7. The table of the Lord is contemptible. It's not really worthy of the best. It's not really worthy of what you can bring that's honoring and glorifying to God. And yet, so God is saying this is what's happening. Yet you say, in what way have we despised your name? You see, they're pretty clueless. They don't even fully understand what they're doing and what their actions are declaring.

They're like, what? We haven't despised your name. What are you talking about? And God says there in verse 7, you offer defiled food on my altar.

The altar was to be dedicated to God. It was to be devoted to the things of God. And they were just throwing up there whatever they felt like throwing up. Whatever the people brought. It has problems. It has deformities. It has illnesses. It's okay. It doesn't matter. We'll just throw it on there. They were carefree. They were careless in their ministry.

They weren't bringing their best. They weren't giving their best. They weren't holding the altar of God in high regard. He says, look, when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, it's evil. It's evil. You're wicked in your laziness. You're wicked in your devotion. You're wicked in the way that you are treating my altar. He says, look,

If you don't think it's evil, then offer that to your governor. So your governor gives you a tax. Okay, I need four lambs from you. So give your governor four blind lambs and see if he takes it. See if he likes it. See if it's pleasing to him. His point is, look, if you're not going to offer that to your governor, to your leaders, why would you think you could offer that to me?

You see, you've defiled my name. You've defiled my altar. You've treated it as if it's contemptible. And so God is addressing here the issue of their heart. He's addressing their faithfulness, their devotion to him. And it should bring us to the question of asking ourselves, do we have the same kind of heart? Now, of course, you know, we're not going to

volunteer and say, oh yeah, yeah, this describes me exactly. Yeah, I'm a good example of this. Now, probably like the priests in that day, we'll probably be a little bit clueless, that we don't fully understand. And so I would ask you to ask God to show you if you are offering to him less than your governors. Are you giving to God second best or leftovers?

And keeping the best for yourself or using the best for something else. Now I'm not specifically talking about money here because that's really not what God is addressing. He's talking about the offerings, the worship of God. And as they were coming to worship God, they were not bringing their best. I would ask you to consider your time. Are you giving your best time in your relationship with the Lord?

Or does your time with God just get whatever's left over from the rest of your day? The way that you approach spending time with Him in the fellowship of believers as God has commanded in His Word and not forsaking the gathering together. Do you approach it in giving your best and making sure that you're here to spend time in worship? To make sure that you're here to spend time in fellowship?

There's a way to come to church that is not really giving God your best, you know? You come in in the middle of worship and you leave right at the end of the message. You miss out on the fellowship, which is a big part of why God's called us to gather together. You miss out on the worship, which is a big part of why God has called us together. Do you give God your best? How about your own personal time reading through the scriptures?

And we've talked about it so many times. It's so essential for us. But so many times it's on the back burner. It's on the shelf. It's all dusty. It's, well, I just don't have time. If I have time left over from all my other responsibilities, then I'll spend time with God. That's the same type of mentality that these priests had.

Do you come to God with leftover time, leftover attention, leftover devotion, leftover passion, leftover dedication? Does God get your leftovers? Do you hold back the best for yourself? You know, when it comes to the things that you like and you want, man, you're fully engaged, you're there, you know, your mind is there, you're focused, you're paying attention. But then when it comes to the things of God, you're like in la-la land.

Are you giving God your best in your devotion, in your passion? The priests had become so casual, so lazy. They were just throwing up anything, whatever, it doesn't matter, and offering it to God and thinking, hey, we're good, we're offering to God. But God says, no, no, no, you're missing the point. It's not just about throwing something on the altar. It's about giving of yourself, giving your best to me, being passionate for me.

And so it's a call to us as well as the priests to wake up and to give God our best. Verse 9. But now entreat God's favor that he may be gracious to us while this is being done by your hands. Will he accept you favorably, says the Lord of hosts?

Verse 12. Verse 12.

Verse 1.

But cursed be the deceiver who has in his flock a male and takes a vow, but sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great king, says the Lord of hosts, and my name is to be feared among the nations. Here God gives some really strong and powerful words to the people. He says, look, these are the kinds of things that you're offering, and yet you're entreating me for favor. You're saying, God, be gracious to me.

While you're offering up these defective animals to me. You're reserving the best for yourself. You're giving me the leftovers and you're saying, all right, God, now grant me favor. Now be good to me. Now be gracious to me. He says, are you expecting me to accept you favorably? He says, who is there even among you who would shut the door so that you would not kindle a fire on my altar in vain? He says, look, it's better to shut down the altar than

And stop offering to me, rather than offering to me leftovers. Remember what Jesus said to the church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation? He says, you're not hot, nor are you cold. And I wish you were one or the other. You're lukewarm. It's the same type of thing here. God says, look, shut the fire off. You're not on fire. You're not passionate. You're not engaged with me. You're just kind of going through the motions and giving me the leftovers. You're lukewarm.

Where's the fire? Where's the passion? Hey, it's better just to shut it down. Don't offer anything else to me if that's what you're going to offer. Who is there who will shut the doors, who will turn off the altar so that nothing else is offered in this way? He says, I'm not going to accept an offering from your hands. Just because it's offered to the Lord doesn't mean that the Lord accepts it. We saw that from the very beginning, right, with Cain and Abel. They offered to the Lord, but

That doesn't mean it's accepted. That doesn't mean that God receives it as worship. It needs to be our best. You know, we can fool other people, right? When we come here, since we're talking about worship and offerings, but let's talk about singing worship. And I can sit next to you and you can sit next to me and we can hear each other singing and we can think, wow, they're worshiping. We can see the hands raised, but God sees the heart.

And He knows where your mind's at. He knows what's really happening within. Are you really connected with Him? Are you really worshipping Him and giving Him honor and glory to His name? Are you really engaged in His presence? Or are you just kind of getting through because that's what Christians do. Because you've got in the rut and in the routine. God wants our best. He deserves our full attention, our full devotion, our full passion. And the priests had gone way far astray in this regard.

He says, look, my name will be great among the nations. You've forgotten. I am a great king. God is a great king. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. My name will be great, God says. But what are the people saying there in verse 13? You also say, oh, what a weariness. Oh, man, it's so much trouble. It's so hard. Oh, tired. It's difficult. Oh, tired.

Gotta find a good lamb. Gotta bring my best. Oh, they're sneering. They're grumbling. Oh, it's a weariness. Man, woe to us if we approach our relationship with God in that way. And we open up the Bible. Oh, what a weariness. What a burden. Oh, it's Sunday morning. Gotta wake up to church. Oh, what a burden. Times of worship. Ah, I don't like this song. What a burden. Woe to us. Really?

We've forgotten he is a great king, says the Lord of hosts. And my name is to be feared among the nations. There is a great closeness that we can have to God where we call him Abba Father. But beware of the casualness where we forget that he is a great king. And he deserves, he requires all of us completely, 100%. We can't be half-hearted.

We can't have one foot in the Lord and one foot in the world. He doesn't accept that. You can offer that to Him, but He will not accept it. What did He tell the church of Laodicea? Because you're lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I'll spew you out of my mouth. I will not accept that. And so He's calling them to that passionate relationship with Him, where they're giving Him their best. The best of their time, the best of their flock, the best of their passion, their devotion.

He's calling us to the same. We must give Him all and be completely sold out to Him. God accepts nothing less. God says, I am a great king. Oh, what a weariness. Is that your heart? You need to make sure He's receiving from you the honor that He deserves. As we head into chapter 2, we...

Continue to look specifically at the priest. In verse 1 it says,

Verse 1.

So he feared me and was reverent before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth and injustice was not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and equity and turned many away from iniquity. And so he's continuing to address the priest and he says, look, here's the command for you. This is what I want from you. Hear what I'm saying and take it to heart. Give glory to my name.

God's saying, give me the honor I deserve. Give me the glory that I deserve. He says, if you don't do this, if you don't respond to this message, I will send a curse on you. And he says, in fact, I've already sent a curse on you because you've not taken heed. You've not listened to what I'm speaking to you. You've not paid attention. As I'm calling you to repentance, as I'm calling you to devotion and passion towards me,

You're not responding. Your hearts are hardened. You're not saying, wow, that's right. I need to repent. And I need to give my best unto the Lord. He says, look, if you don't respond, I will send a curse upon you. I will curse your blessings. I'll rebuke your descendants. I'll spread refuse, that's human waste, on your faces. It's not a good thing, what God is talking about here. You're going to be cast out.

You're not going to be allowed to continue. Again, if we don't give ourselves to God completely, God says, that's not acceptable. Jesus said, look, if you're not willing to forsake everything and follow me, that's not acceptable. You cannot be my disciple. We must surrender ourselves completely to the Lord. He reminds them of the covenant that he made with Levi. Now, Levi was one of the sons of Jacob.

And it was from his family, the descendants of Levi, that God says, that family is going to be the priests of my people. And so God made a covenant with Levi that his descendants would serve the people and would be the priests for the nation and represent God to the people and represent the people to God. And he says, look, my covenant was with Levi. He says there in verse 5, my covenant was with him as one of life and peace.

And I gave it to them that they might fear me. And they feared me, he says. They gave me the honor I deserve. They recognized me as a great king. It started out well. But now, you guys, you priests, you've gone away from that. And so I will bring a curse upon you. I will bring judgment. I will bring correction. He says there at the end of verse 4, that my covenant with Levi may continue.

God says, I'm going to bring this upon you so that the covenant continues. That there will still be priests who will be able to bring the people into right relationship with God. Who will be able to minister to the people the way that they should. He says, when I brought this covenant with Levi, he says, look, this is a good example. He says, the law of truth was in his mouth there in verse 6. Injustice was not found.

He walked with me in peace and equity. He had a real relationship with God. And there at the end of verse 6, he turned many away from iniquity. And so as the covenant began with the Levites, with the priesthood, they were obedient to God. They turned people away from sin. They walked with him. They spoke the truth. They held fast to the word of God.

But you priests, he says, you're just lazy. You're not holding fast to the word of God. You're not upholding my standards. You're not proclaiming righteousness. You're just doing whatever you want to do. And you've forgotten that I am a great king. You do not have the fear of the Lord. That's when I first made this covenant with the Levites. Levi feared God. He was reverent.

And he turned many away from iniquity. We'll see here in the chapters this evening that God is very serious about his covenants. He takes them seriously. They are meaningful to him.

And they were despising this covenant, this privilege that they had to serve God in this way. Well, he continues to address them in verse 7. He says, For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But you have departed from the way. You have caused many to stumble at the law. You've corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts.

Therefore I also have made you contemptible and base before all the people, because you've not kept my ways, but have shown partiality in the law. He says, look, the whole idea, the whole purpose of the priest is that he would keep knowledge, that he would know God, that he would know God's word, that the people would come and seek the law of God from his mouth, that they would be instructed in the ways of God, that they would be instructed in what God desires.

The priest was meant to be a messenger of the Lord of hosts. That was the whole purpose of the priesthood. But they'd gone away from that. They'd strayed. They'd wandered. He says in verse 8, you have departed from the way. And instead of instructing people in the law and turning them away from iniquity, he says in verse 8, you've caused many to stumble at the law. You've corrupted the covenant of Levi. And so instead of helping people get right with God, you've helped them

Walk away from God. You've caused them to stumble. You've led them astray. And so God says, I've made you contemptible because you've not kept my ways. Because they wandered and strayed from God's commands to them. Verse 10. Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers? Judah has dealt treacherously with

Verse 13.

And this is the second thing you do. You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and crying, so He does not regard the offering anymore, nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. Yet you say, for what reason? Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have dealt treacherously. Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But did He not make them one?

having a remnant of the spirit and why one he seeks godly offspring therefore take heed to your spirit and let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth now god is addressing a new but related issue and that is the covenant of marriage all of these things are related it all boils back to their relationship with the lord and that's what caused them to say does god really love us i mean look what's going on it's what caused him to say yeah who cares just throw it on the altar it's fine

It's the issue of their heart that they're not sold out to God. They're not in love with the Lord. They're not devoted to Him completely. And as a result of that, it's affecting their marriages. It's affecting their spouses. It's causing them to break the covenants that they made with the wife of their youth. He says, look, God has created all of us. Why do we deal treacherously with one another by profaning the covenant of the fathers?

You see, when we deal treacherously with someone else, we're dealing treacherously with someone that God created and someone that God loves dearly. Specifically within the context of marriage, we're talking about husbands and wives. And husbands, when you deal treacherously with your wife, you're dealing treacherously with the daughter of God. And wives, when you deal treacherously with your husband, you're dealing treacherously with the son of God. We are all created by God. He's our father.

And he loves the person that we're maligning and slandering and, well, being so treacherous against. He says, look, Judah has dealt treacherously. An abomination has been committed in Israel. This is serious stuff, God's saying. This is not a light matter. Why? Look at verse 11, the last part of the verse. For Judah has profaned the Lord's holy institution which he loves. What is the holy institution which God loves?

It's marriage. And Judah has profaned it. How? He's married the daughter of a foreign God. They've profaned the institution which God loves by engaging in idolatry. The whole idea here is not that

They weren't to marry other nations or other races. God gave that command, but it was a specific command for the nation of Israel so that they wouldn't practice idolatry, that they wouldn't worship those gods. There are exceptions to this. In fact, you can look at the example of Ruth, who was of the nation of Moab, but she turned away from her God. She turned to the God of Israel, and then she married Boaz. And so it's not that they could never marry someone of a different race. It's just that they were not married to the God of Israel.

But that they weren't to involve themselves in relationships where the other person was not seeking God. It's really about being unequally yoked. And they have profaned the institution of the Lord. The institution of marriage which He created, which He loves, by entering into a marriage with someone who does not love the Lord. Who does not worship God.

By being unequally yoked. It's a serious issue. It's not just a matter of preference. You know it's preferable if you marry someone who is also a Christian. Who is a believer. Who seeks after God. It's not just a matter of preference. This is a serious issue. God wants his people to be united together with those who are his. It's a holy institution. Because it's God's institution. It's God's creation. He sets the parameters. And that is why...

That is why we don't have the right to say, well, now two men can enter into a marriage relationship. Is that just a legal issue? Is that just a state of California, you know, Supreme Court thing? No, no, no, no. Marriage is God's institution. He created it. He set the parameters. It's not up to us. We don't have the right or the ability to change it. And even if they call it marriage, it's not marriage.

Because it's a holy institution that God ordained, that God established, and He expects us to recognize it as such, to keep it holy, and to not deal treacherously with one another.

Well, he says in verse 12, may the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob, the man who does this, being awake and aware, yet who brings an offering to the Lord of hosts. Listen to what he's saying. He says, look, someone who's awake and aware, they're paying attention. They know the difference. They know right from wrong, but they enter into a relationship with someone who is not of God. And then they go and they bring their sacrifices to God. Again, they're trying to be in the Lord and in the world.

And God says, I will not accept that. That is profane. That is an abomination. That is, it's not of God. He will not accept it. He says, this is the second thing you do. You cover the altar of the Lord with tears. So then you come to the altar, you're crying, you're weeping. But I don't regard it anymore. I don't receive that type of offering. Why? Why?

Verse 14, yet you say, for what reason? Why don't you receive our offerings? That's not fair, God, because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth with whom you've dealt treacherously. Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Now he's dealing not just with the unequal yokes, but those who have left their wives, those who have divorced their wives, those who have dealt treacherously with their wives. The Lord has been witness.

between you and the wife of your youth. Is that a scary thought to you? You can hide all kinds of things from people, but you can't hide anything from God. He is witness. He sees, He knows how you're treating your spouse. He knows what's really going on. He knows what's happening in your heart. He knows what's happening in your car. He knows what's happening at work. He knows what's happening in your mind. He knows what's happening.

He is witness between you and your spouse. He sees, he knows. He says, look, you've dealt treacherously with the wife of your youth. Now this idea of the wife of your youth, the practice of the day was they'd trade in the old model for a younger model. Dealing treacherously, yeah, just kind of up there, not that attractive anymore, so I'm going to deal treacherously. I'm going to involve myself in a relationship with this other woman. Dealing treacherously.

With the wife of their youth. But he says, she's your companion and your wife by covenant. Remember, God takes his covenant seriously. This is his holy institution, which he loves. And this is how you're behaving. God says, look, but did he not make them one? The two shall become one flesh. This is a real relationship. This is a reality. The two are one. He says, why? Because he seeks godly offspring. Why?

So take heed. So watch out. So pay attention. And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. Verse 16. For the Lord God of Israel says that he hates divorce. For it covers one's garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. Therefore take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously with

God now goes on to make it very clear. There's no watering this down. God says, I hate divorce. It covers your garment with violence.

So take heed to your spirit that you do not deal treacherously. This word for treacherously that we keep seeing over and over again, it means to be deceitful, to offend, to act covertly or fraudulently or secretly, to be deceptive. And so of course it can refer to divorce, but divorce is not just the legal action, it's what happens in your heart.

When you're being deceptive, when you're being fraudulent, when you're not being real with your spouse. Listen, God hates divorce. And this idea of treacherous being deceitful, offensive, unfaithful. These are apt descriptions of divorce. And you and I have all seen it. We've seen the damage that it brings, the violence that it brings, the destruction that it brings. God says, I hate divorce.

Now God, of course, does allow for divorce. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 19, He allows it because of the hardness of your hearts. And because of the hardness of our hearts, there's a couple occasions where He allows divorce. The one specifically mentioned in Matthew chapter 19 is in the case of unfaithfulness. If your spouse is unfaithful, then He allows for you to get a divorce, to be free from that covenant, and then divorce.

If God allows for you to divorce, He allows for you to be remarried. That's biblical. That's what the Bible teaches. Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 that if you have a spouse who is an unbeliever and they leave, then you're free in that situation as well. You're free from that covenant. You're free to divorce. Those are the two specific instances that the Scripture teaches.

But just because your spouse is an unbeliever doesn't mean God wants you to get a divorce. And just because your spouse is unfaithful doesn't mean that God wants you to get a divorce. God's preference is for you to stay together. God's preference is for there to be forgiveness and reconciliation. And so it's not an automatic you're supposed to divorce in those situations. You have to hear from Him. But understand, God hates divorce.

Well, now we head on into chapter 3. And we begin in chapter 3 looking at the messenger that God will send.

In verse 1 it says, Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like a launderer's soap.

Verse 4.

Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord as in the days of old, as in former years. And I will come near you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien because they do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

For I am the Lord, I do not change, therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers you've gone away from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you said, in what way shall we return?

Now God announces there's a messenger coming. Listen, you're in a poor condition. Your hearts are far from me. You're dealing treacherously with your spouses. You're not being faithful in the offerings. Your hearts are not right. You're thinking that I don't love you, but I'm going to send a messenger. I'm going to do a work. He says, I'm going to handle this situation. Basically, I'm sending my messenger and he will prepare the way before me.

Now, this verse, verse 1 of chapter 3, is applied by Jesus to John the Baptist in Luke chapter 7 verse 27. And so we can be certain that here in chapter 3, he's talking about John the Baptist who prepares the way of the Lord. But this also is one of those many prophecies that have dual fulfillments. And we'll see at the end of chapter 4 here that God is still promising to send a messenger before him.

Elijah the prophet. And so the messenger prepares the way of the Lord. And so that has partially been fulfilled in John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ. But it will ultimately be fulfilled in the prophet Elijah during the tribulation period who will prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus.

And he says that he's talking now about the second coming there at the latter part of verse one. He says, even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight. So he's sending a messenger to prepare the way. And now there's a different messenger, the messenger of the covenant, which is a reference to Jesus in his second coming. And he will come, says, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming?

Because up to His coming, what's going to happen? The seven years of tribulation. There's going to be trouble and turmoil in the world before Christ returns for seven years. And so through the process of that, in verse 3, He says He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. He's going to be purging the earth of sin. Purging the earth of those who are rebelling against God. So the end result?

There at the end of verse 3, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. See, right now they're offering to the Lord whatever's left over. But through the tribulation period, there's going to be a refining, a purifying, so that at the end of it, those who survive, those who come through, they will offer to the Lord a real sacrifice, a real offering. Heartfelt, meaningful, righteous. And so God says, look, I'm going to address this issue. I'm going to address this situation.

I'm sending a messenger. There in verse 4 again we see the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the Lord as in the old days, the former days. It'll be pleasant to the Lord again. He says, I'll come near you for judgment. I'm going to be dealing with those who are involved in sorcery, those who are involved in idolatry, those who are lying, who are extorting, and so on and so forth.

Verse 6 is noteworthy. He says, I am the Lord, I do not change, and that's why you are not consumed. Listen, if I could change, if I was the one or the type who changed, I would have given up on you. It's a good thing God's not like us. God says, I don't change, and that's why you're not consumed. That's why I haven't given up. That's why I'm being faithful. You and I, we go back on our word. We make a commitment and it's like, oh wait, never mind, you can't do it.

God says, I'm not like that. I don't change. And that's why I haven't done away with you altogether. He says in verse 7, from the days of your fathers, for a long time now, you've walked away. You've gone away from my ordinances. You've not kept them. But notice what he says, return to me. You see what he says there? This is amazing to me. The mercy and grace of God.

He says, look, you've been disobedient and rebellious and it's because I don't change that you're still alive. But then he also says, hey, come back to me. Come back, return to me. The mercy of God is amazing as he calls us to repentance. Hey, even if you've been walking in rebellion for a long time, even if you've known God and walked away, even if you spat in his face, even if you've run from him, he says, it's because I don't change that you're not consumed.

Now come back to me. Return to me. Get right with me. And he says, this is what's even more incredible, and I will return to you. You turn around. You repent. Turn from your sin. Come to me and I will return to you. Again, the grace and the mercy of God is incredible. You've run from God. You've rebelled against God. But God says, I'll still love you. Come back and I'll return to you. Amazing God's grace.

Well, the people respond, well, how can we return? We don't understand. How are we supposed to return to you? How are we far from you? And God answers the question in verse 8. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say, in what way have we robbed you? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.

So how can we get right with you? What is it that we need to do? He says, stop robbing me. Rob you? How do we rob you? How can we be robbing God?

The idea is a little bit ridiculous, right? I mean, how do you go into heaven and steal from God? Well, God says, look, I've given you everything you have and I've commanded you to give back to me tithes and offerings. And you rob me by not giving back

What I've given to you. Everything you have is mine anyways. I've given it to you. You're a steward. You're a manager of my funds and my resources. And I've commanded you to give a certain portion to God. You could think of it this way. Your work, your employer gives you a check. It's not your payroll. It's a check to go purchase supplies. And you take that check and you go use it on something else. That's stealing. Stealing.

That's taking something that your employer gave you for a specific purpose and using it for something else. That is illegal. In the same way, God says, look, I've given to you, I've entrusted you with resources. I've given you instruction how certain parts of those resources are to be used and you're robbing me, you're stealing from me by not using the resources the way that I've commanded you. You're not following my instruction.

And so he says in verse 10, bring all the tithes into the storehouse. There's an emphasis there on the all the tithes. They were bringing some. They were bringing a little bit. But they weren't being obedient. They weren't bringing all the tithes. They weren't following what God had instructed. They were giving partially. Much like the other offerings. They were just kind of half-hearted. I'll give a portion. I'll give a little bit. I'll give a little bit of what I have. But I won't give it all.

And so God says, look, I've given you instruction. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. The purpose of the tithes was to provide for the priests and the Levites who were serving the Lord there at the temple. It also was to provide for the poor and those who were in need. So God says, bring it so that there'll be food in the storehouse. And he says, try me now in this. This is an incredible portion of scripture to consider. Try me now in this. Test me in this, God says.

If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. Like you obey me, God says, and you won't be able to contain the blessings. I'll bless you in your obedience. It's amazing the way we rationalize the way that we think, you know, because we think, well, I'm going to hold back a portion because I need the extra money, right? And so because I need the extra money, I won't give God what he's instructed me to give.

And so we're thinking, this way I have a little bit more money. But God says, give to me as I've instructed to you. Now, it doesn't mean give whatever you want, however you want. It's as God has instructed. And so as God puts upon your heart, as God speaks to you, then give as He instructs. And you think, oh, but if I give, then I'm missing out on this money. God says, now then I'll bless you and you'll have more than enough. You'll have what you need.

But we think, ah, I need, so I'm not going to give. God says, you need because you're not giving. And when you give, as I've instructed you, then you will receive. Then I will bless you. I will provide for you. Not only that, but verse 11 is key too. He says, and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes. It's kind of a double blessing. Not only will I bless you and provide for your needs, but I'll also hold back the devourer.

We looked at this in the book of Haggai as the people were putting money into their pockets, but it was like their pockets had holes because it would just disappear. And they would reap in a crop, but there would be a devourer and they would get like a tenth of the crop that they had reaped and it was just gone. It was vanishing. God says, look, I'll rebuke the devourer. I'll hold back the decay, the corruption, the missing money, and I'll bless you. I'll provide for you.

Bring all the tithes and offerings into the storehouse. God says, try me in this. And I would encourage you to consider trying God in this. Watch what he does. Remember though, the book of Haggai makes it clear in Haggai chapter 2, the blessing that is received from the Lord is not always, often not, I would say, overnight.

So it's not like, you know, you give to God, you bless that homeless person, you give to him as he puts upon your heart whatever avenue he chooses to use, and then the next day, you know, you get a check in the mail. Sometimes God does that. But many times, as he told the people in Haggai chapter 2, it was in the next season that they would receive the blessing.

God would provide for them and meet their needs today and the next season would hold the blessing. It's a way that God tests our faithfulness. Are we really trusting Him or are we just trying to get something for ourselves? And so test God. Try God in this. He invites you to do so. Give to Him as He has instructed you and He will meet your needs. He'll provide for you and He'll rebuke the devourer. Verse 13.

God says, you guys have been harsh. You've been speaking harshly against me.

And how do the people respond? Hey, we haven't been speaking harshly. How have we been speaking harshly against you? And here's what God says in verse 14. Here's what you said. It's useless to serve God. That is harsh to speak about God that way. It's useless. What profit is there in serving God? Careful, those are fighting words as far as God is concerned. Those are harsh words.

Here's what the people are doing. They're looking around at the other nations. They're looking around at other people and they're thinking, man, that guy doesn't serve God. He doesn't follow the things of God. And look how blessed he is. And look at here I am in poverty. Look, I don't have hardly nothing. It's useless to serve God. I don't get nothing for it. I have to struggle to make ends meet. It's difficult. It's useless to serve God. God says, ooh, those are fighting words. Those are harsh words. God's promised to us

Is that He will provide for us and He will meet our needs. He will meet our needs. Jesus makes it very clear in Matthew chapter 6. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things. The things that you need, those will be added unto you. God will provide for you. He will meet your needs. But you have to put Him first. Seek first the kingdom of God. Now the people are looking around and thinking, oh man...

These guys have it way better. It's useless. Why am I working so hard to serve God when I don't get much reward and I could be crooked and I could lie and I could cheat and I could steal and I could just pursue these other things that aren't really of the Lord and then I could have much more. I could be more blessed. I could be wealthy. I could have success or whatever it is that we're pursuing. God says, oh, those are harsh words. You're accusing me of not providing for you.

They're looking around and they think, man, those guys aren't punished for their lying and their stealing. It's probably better for us to be like them. There's a couple problems with that. First of all, these people are not faithful to the Lord. So God says, look, you're not getting a blessing because you're not being faithful to me. So that's one problem. That's why you're in the predicament you're in. It's not that you're being faithful to God and I'm not meeting your needs. You're not being faithful to me and I'm not meeting your needs. So be faithful to me. Seek God first.

The other problem with this is, well, faith looks at eternity. They were speaking much like the psalmist in Psalm chapter 73. Remember that where there's a Psalm of Asaph where he says, look, my feet had almost slipped. I had almost stumbled because I was envious of the wicked. I mean, they live in luxury. Their deaths are easy. They don't have any problems. But then he comes to the conclusion that

in verse 17 of psalm 73 he says until i went into the sanctuary of god then i understood their end so their problem was they were looking at the here and now and not at eternity they weren't looking at the eternal perspective and so yeah they might be living in luxury right now and you might be envious you might be looking around oh wow look at that person look at those superstars or whatever and all envious they have it easy they don't serve god

Maybe serving God is useless. Those are harsh words. Because their end is destruction if He is not their God. Well, for those who are faithful to God, we find some encouraging words in verse 16.

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them. So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

Here God says, there's a book of remembrance that's written before me. And in it is recorded those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name. There's a lot of corruption. There's a lot of people who are not right with God as Malachi is prophesying. But God says, there are the faithful. And I know who they are. And I'm going to take care of them. I'm going to provide for them. Verse 17, they shall be mine. They'll be my jewels, God says. I know who they are.

There's a book of remembrance. Listen, are you in that book? Are you in the book of remembrance? Those who fear God and meditate on His name, those who are faithful to the Lord, those who are passionate in their relationship with God, who are not half-hearted, one foot in the Lord and one foot in the world, but those who are wholly devoted to Him, are you in that book? God says, you're my jewel. You're precious to me. I'm taking care of you. I've got you. I'll provide for you.

But we finish it up in chapter 4 looking at the great day of the Lord. Verse 1 says, For behold, the day is coming.

burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear my name, the son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts."

He finishes up by looking at the day of the Lord. He says, the day is coming. We talked about the day of the Lord last week. It's not just a 24-hour period, but it refers to a span of time that includes the tribulation period, the seven years of trouble and turmoil. It includes the second coming of Jesus. It includes the thousand-year reign of Christ. And so he says, look, this time is coming. This day is coming. There's a burning. There's a fire.

The purging, the refining of the tribulation period. All who do wickedly will be stubble. They will not survive. They're going to burn. They're going to be consumed. They will not last. But to you who fear my name, he says, you'll last. God will be with them. He'll provide for them. He says, the son of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings to those who fear God.

God says, I'm going to protect you. I'm going to provide for you. And in the end, you're going to trample the wicked. It looks like they got the upper hand right now. They got the advantage. But when I return, the day is coming. The son of righteousness will appear. He'll bring healing and you will trample the wicked. They shall be ashes under the soles of your feet. The day is coming. Verse 4 says,

And so he finishes the prophecy in verses 4 through 6 with a promise of the coming messenger, Elijah the prophet.

First of all, he says, remember the law of Moses, my servant. Go back, remember the word of God. Hold fast to the word of God. And he says, pay attention, the day is coming. It's at hand. I'm going to send Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This is the second coming of Jesus Christ. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. This is another prophecy. It's partially fulfilled in John the Baptist and the first coming of Jesus. But it's ultimately fulfilled in

Through Elijah the prophet in the tribulation period. Who is one of the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11. Those who prophesy during the tribulation period before the return of Jesus Christ. Here's what's awesome to me. These are the last prophetic words to the people of Israel. After this, there's silence for 400 years. The silence is broken forever.

As you turn to the Gospels, when John the Baptist comes on the scene, he promises Elijah will come. Partial fulfillment, John the Baptist. And then the Messiah comes. He prepares the way of the Lord. Amazing to me. Only God could put this together. Only He could orchestrate it. It's kind of like a pause for effect. You know, here's a really important point. And you pause. Catch people's attention. Okay, what is it? He says, look, pay attention. Elijah's coming. And then he's quiet for 400 years.

And then John the Baptist appears to catch the people's attention. Up to this, there's a lot of prophecies, a lot of prophets, a lot of things going on, but then there's silence. So that when the prophet appears, when John the Baptist comes on the scene, well, the hearts of the fathers are turned to their children, the hearts of the children to their fathers. God does a renewal, a revival as people look to Jesus and find salvation. Incredible.

And that brings us to the end of this prophecy. The end of the Old Testament. The end of a great work that God has done here in this place over the past 20 years. What a great joy. How exciting it is to know that these words are still true. To know that we have looked at these words of God. Why? Because the same message given through Malachi is given to us today.

Remember the word of God. Remember the law of Moses, he told them. He wants us to hold this in high regard. He wants us to spend time in it. Why? Because the whole point is relationship with him. We know God. We hear God. We have relationship with God through his word. And he's calling us to him.

He's calling us not to a half-hearted devotion to Him, but a full and complete passionate love on fire, 100% completely sold out relationship with Him. Not giving Him leftovers, not just giving Him second best, but giving Him everything we are, surrendering completely to Him. This evening I want to encourage you to take the challenges that God gave to the people through Malachi. If you're in a place where you're not recognizing God's love, you're like, shh,

Does God really love me? I mean, look what's happening in my life. Look what's going on. Hey, be careful. God has loved you. He sent His only begotten Son to die upon the cross for you. Remember that. Or if you're like the priest where your devotion is not really there, it's kind of half-hearted. One foot in the Lord, one foot in the world.

When it comes to other things, you're all there. I mean, you're engaged. All right. You know, my favorite sport, my work, my career, my family. You're all there. You're 100%. But then it comes to the things of God. It's like, well, I don't know if I have time. You know, I don't know if I can make it. Think about it this way. If you approached your work the way that you approach your relationship with God, would you be fired? You know, you're always late. You're kind of half-hearted. You kind of, you know, do it when you feel like it. Sometimes you don't.

You're off and on, back and forth. You're not faithful. You need to be giving yourself completely to the Lord. Full surrender. Or, the other issue he dealt with is dealing treacherously with the spouse. Are you dealing treacherously with your spouse? Is there deceitfulness? Is there deception going on? There's secrets? You're hiding things? You're being unfaithful? Maybe physically, mentally, emotionally, however the case may be?

God says, I'm a witness between you and your spouse. I know what's happening. This is my holy covenant. You better take it seriously. Don't ignore the warning. But give yourself over to the Lord completely and wholly. Don't rob Him. Pay attention to these warnings. Pay attention to His words. Remember the law of Moses. Remember the word of God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your word. Lord, these reminders, these corrections, these exhortations that we need.

Lord, even we remember that you're so gracious to us. Even though we do fall, we do wrestle, we do wander, we do become lukewarm. Yet, Lord, you've loved us with an everlasting love and your mercies are new every morning. So, God, thank you for your faithfulness even when we're unfaithful. And I pray, God, that you would pour out your spirit upon us to help us, God, to not be half-hearted. Lord, we repent.

We repent from the things that are not of you in our life. The things where we're devoted to instead of you. We repent of our treachery in our marriage relationships. We repent of our unequal yokes. We repent of...

Lord, these things that you've spoken to our hearts, we turn from them, God. We ask that you would help us not to turn back to them, but to stay faithful to you, God. Enable us, equip us, strengthen us to hold fast to your word, to be excited about you, to be completely surrendered and devoted to you. Lord, that you would be first, that you would be our God, and that we would be your people.

And so, God, I pray that you would work this in our hearts, breathe fire upon us, Lord, that we would have a passion for you like never before. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.