The Study of Malachi | Lesson 2

[01:00:01:00 - 01:01:27:06]

Let's pray. Lord God we do thank you Father for all the ways that you love us. I thank you Lord for each of these women in this room. I thank you Lord that you brought us together so that we can look more like Jesus. That is our goal. We want to look more like him. And we thank you for this book of Malachi. It's one of those books that sometimes we don't even read till we're 70. But Lord help us to learn from it. Show us the truth that you have for us in this book so that we can be lights and darkness and hope when there's not any hope. Again Lord I thank you for loving us. Thank you for saving us. I thank you for bringing us together. And may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. In Jesus name. Amen. So when we read Malachi over and over we see this very odd situation that these folks are in. The prophet Malachi speaks only what God leads him to speak to the nation of Israel. It's like he tells them the truth over and over again. And what do they do? They turn the same death ear to the truth that God has for them. God wanted them to embrace the truth so that he could use them and his message and his love for them would go would grow.

[01:01:28:15 - 01:03:01:18]

These people have been back in their homeland for a hundred plus years after their great-grandparents spent 70 years in Babylonian captivity. Remember the north to the the north kingdom to the northern kingdom went to Assyria the southern kingdom went to Babylon and they were in they were just separated and they were dispersed all over that part of the world. Malachi was God's chosen messenger to those stubborn children of Israel. The Oracle of the Word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi. I looked at I was reading in King James too because y'all know I always have to have J. Vernon sitting beside me and he's got everything in King James right. So in King James the word burden is used instead of Oracle. A burden is a judgment from God. Y'all gonna have to excuse me I can't hardly see anything. Okay a burden is a judgment from God and it will be a very strong and rigorous rebuke that God will give them. It's it's he's trying to get their attention because they're not listening. So I mean that's kind of like what we do with the kids right. If they don't listen you get a little bit louder each time a little bit louder a little bit more forceful and that's that's exactly what God is doing and he's doing this through Malachi. So before we even start we know that God has a lot to say to his wayward children.

[01:03:03:00 - 01:04:47:14]

They're chosen but they're wayward. I mean this is Israel this is this is his possession and everything that God instructed Malachi to say had to be so important because this little book is God's final word to the children of Israel for 400 years. So everything that God gave Malachi to say to speak had to be it's like the last thing you tell your kid before they go out the door right. Make wise choices be careful make wiser choices. It's the final word that the children of Israel would hear. So the further we go into this book we see how God's own children seem to be just going through the motions of worship without obedient hearts that seek his will. Do you ever feel like that? You ever feel like you're spinning your wheels or just going through the motions even today even as grown-up women who love the Lord? I think so. I just think that that's part of it. But in Malachi's case in Israel's case at this point it's the priesthood who has defiled them. Israel's priesthood is defiled. Malachi 1 6 tells us a son honors his father and a servant his master if then I'm a father where is my honor and if I'm a master where is my fear says the Lord of hosts to you Oh priest who despised my name. But you say how have we despised your name? Again it's like talking to a teenager with him they say what did I do? I didn't do anything but they're saying how we despise your name.

[01:04:49:22 - 01:06:48:18]

There's no people group on this earth who can fool or confuse God. It's just not one not even his own not even Israel and that includes them they cannot fool him. At this point in the history of Israel it looks like things are going well for the nation. They're I mean they've returned everything's going good but this generation of God's people are much like the ones who wandered in the wilderness and double and doubted God's love and provision. Think about that group of Israelites that wandered when the Lord brought them out of Egypt and they wandered through the through the wilderness and they wondered oh what's gonna happen next? We don't have any water to drink. We don't have any food to eat or the ones who decided that a human judge or king was a better fix for them than allowing God to be their king of kings. Remember that group when they demanded kings they had to have a king and God said you want a king you can have a king. Malachi teaches us that they were all upside down with their trust and dependence on God. God points out to them and their priests that it was their leaders who despised God's name. Wouldn't that be frightful for some for the Lord to show you that it was your leader who despised God's name and that's what he had to tell them and they can't even identify this sin in their daily lives. Israel is puffed up about the new temple. The sacrifices that they bring and they think they are in pretty they are in good shape. They think they're pretty good folks. They think they're right on the right road. The people were going into the temple and bringing their sacrifices. They were going through the motions of worship but as we read further it is plain that they were actually moving away from God because their worship did not glorify God. It

[01:06:49:23 - 01:16:04:05]

might have looked good to the passerby but not to the God who loved them and knew them. One of the things I think that we have to learn from this part of the study of Malachi is that we have to be aware of that same thing. What about our worship? Does it come from our heart? Do we do it in rote or do we worship God and praise him because he has called us to do just that? But they were just going through the motions and that is scary. Malachi wrote, "O priests who despise my name." That's a strong word. To look down upon as in contempt to scorn to disdain. That's what it means and that's what Malachi is saying those priests were doing. They were looking down upon him. They were in contempt of him. They scorned him. So how did they despise God's name? What were they doing? These people really didn't know why Malachi was writing this to them. Those chosen people were blind to the truth of God and Satan had deceived both the priest and the people. It would be a scary thing to sit underneath a priest who was deceived and it would be a scary thing to sit under a teacher who was deceived. That's why we have the book. That's why we have the word. Malachi goes on, "By offering polluted food upon my altar but you say how have we polluted you by saying that the Lord's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals and sacrifice is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick is that not evil? Present that to your governor. Will he accept it or show you favor?" Says the Lord of hosts. They were bringing less than perfect sacrifices to the perfect holy God and he saw that just like he sees what we bring. I don't mean what you put in your offering all the time. I mean what do you bring in your heart? He sees what's in our heart. He examines it and he knows. So with the Israelites what exactly was happening? First of all they offered polluted food upon the altar. They declared that the Lord's table was despised and they offered blind, lame and sick animals and their sacrifices. Malachi said, "Try giving that to your governor. Will he accept you or show you favor?" Take it to that person. Take it to the boss. Will he take that? Those sick lame and lazy animals? Will he take that? Again the truth is that they were more fearful of not pleasing their governor than they were fearful of not pleasing God. These Israelites had forgotten the words Moses spoke to God's people but if it the animal sacrifice has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. They knew that. They knew that truth. Nothing but a perfect animal was an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord. The priest would offer these blemish animals upon God's altar and show contempt. That was an act of contempt. So do you ever think about when you walk in there to the worship center and we're listening and we're singing and then Brochuck starts preaching and we're do you ever think about the Lord looking into your heart and seeing what's in there? You know he's the only person in the world other than you that knows what goes on between your ears. I mean he's the only one. Do you ever think about him looking into you as we are supposed to be worshiping? That is kind of scary and most the time if that happens it's because we're unprepared. We're not prepared for worship but in that time if the animal sacrifice had a blemish if it was lame or blind or had any serious blemish you shouldn't sacrifice it to God. So as we look at that hour that we sit and we worship together or your hour of quiet time at home God sees it. God knows it. He knows what's in our heart. He knows what's in our mind. Nothing but a perfect animal was acceptable to God. The priest would offer those blemish animals upon God's altar and show contempt to him and Malachi wrote and now and treat the favor of God that he may be gracious to us. With such a gift from your hand will he show favor to any of you says the Lord of hosts. Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors that you may not kindle fire on my altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you says the Lord of hosts and I will not accept an offering from your hand. No pleasure. So what is it what is what is Malachi what would do we take from Malachi today. We don't bring sheep and lambs and whatever but we bring our hearts we bring our our minds we bring our ties we bring our offerings we bring our eagerness or we bring our visions. We have to examine our own gifts we have to examine what we bring. Is it possible that we give gifts from our hands and yet not from our hearts. Is it possible that we bring our time of service or or our gift but our hearts aren't right with him that we're not in line with him. Let's consider our gifts just like Malachi as God's people to do so long ago and these verses the Lord had forbidden the sacrifice of animals with any defect or blemish and God was looking for just one person who would shut the door because that wasn't happening. Shut the door because of the unworthy offerings he was just looking for one. We don't bring blemish animals to God but let's consider our worship both private and public. Do we come to worship with the intent of adoring God? Do we come do we walk into that worship center with the intent of praising him and honoring him and loving him. Sometimes do we get all the way through church that whole hour and we haven't and we fail to consider what Jesus did for each one of us. Do we keep our promises to God? Are we obedient in his directions in our everyday lives? Would God accept the offering that's in your hand today right now? Could he accept that offering or would he ask you to be the one to shut the door? You know the fact is our holy God expects us to come to him with pure offerings or maybe even a gift of sacrifice. In the study book Amy wrote this, "The sacrifice of giving up something of value to you giving without giving up something of value is meaningless." Whoa y'all God expects that. He is do that. We love him, we honor him, we serve him. He deserves the very best we've got. Malachi was showing us just how corrupt the priest had become. The priests were too busy offering impure sacrifices to lead the people closer to him. Remember God no longer had pleasure in those people or in those priests. In verse 11, "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations and in every place incense will be offered to my name and a pure offering for my name will be great among the nations says the Lord of hosts." What is our part in making the Lord's name above the nations? Among the nations great. And we think about his name, we love to speak his name, we love those songs about his name. There is no doubt about the greatness of the Lord's name. There will be no place on earth that the name of the Lord will not be revered. One day that'll happen no matter where we are on the earth or the new heavens. There will be no place where the name of God is not revered. It's not honored or it's not glorified. Every place will be that way.

[01:16:05:12 - 01:19:36:10]

There are a lot of things about the future that we cannot fathom but one thing we can count on, God's name is going to be great. It will not be diminished, it will not be faded, it will be great. And it will be great throughout the whole world from the rising of the Sun to its setting God's name will be great. The Psalmist writes, "I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth, my soul makes a boast in the Lord. Let the humble hear and be glad, oh magnify the Lord with me and do what? Let us exalt his name together." Does that not give y'all gooseies? I mean think about it. We have the opportunity, the privilege and the ability to magnify the Lord's name and to exalt it together to bring glory and honor and praise to him. It brings me a lot of hope to know that one day God's name will be great among all the nations, all the nations. We revere and cherish his name, the name of God as women of faith. That's what we do. Think about how we can honor God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as we speak his name to those people who don't know him or don't believe or as we speak his name to that seven-year-old grandchild that's got a question for you about God that is glorifying his name girlfriends. He gives us the opportunity to share the truth. Y'all realize that? Every day he gives us breath, God gives us the opportunity, the opportunity to share the truth about who he is and what he's done in our own lives. The precious, precious name. "Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name for as high as the heavens are above the earth so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." Y'all, nobody else could ever do that. Nobody else could remove from us our transgressions or forgive us from our sins and not just take them away but take them away forever and ever. "As a father shows compassion to his children so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him for he knows our frame and he remembers that we are dust." Is that not wonderful? He knows everything about you. He knows what you're capable of. He knows when you bite off more than you can chew and he still helps you swallow it. He just does all those things. That is who he is. Our hearts long for steadfast love. Now I think my husband is probably the greatest man that ever lived but steadfast love that never fails, that never gets sick, that never gets tired, that never gets old, I'm not sure but God's love is steadfast. So who has the first place in your heart? Who has the first place in your heart?

[01:19:40:01 - 01:21:06:13]

Think about this. God knows everything about each one of us in the room. He dots every I, he crosses every T, he knows everything you ever did or everything you shouldn't have done and he still has chosen you to be his child. Malachi says, "But you profane it when you say that the Lord's table is polluted and it's fruit that is its food may be despised but you say what a weariness this is and you snort at it says the Lord of Hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick and this is this you bring as your offering. Shall I accept that from your hand says the Lord." We cannot escape the fact that the priests were polluting the Lord's table. Instead of correcting the situation regarding the offering the priests ignore that there's a problem. They just pretend like it wasn't happening and they never tried to correct it. Their offerings meant nothing. The priests believed their dedication to God was a burden. The priests were just sick and tired of the Lord's work because they said what a weariness that is but you say what a weariness that is and you snort at it that's what the priests were saying.

[01:21:08:01 - 01:23:45:02]

Please take just a minute and think about how the Lord felt when he heard his priest snort at the Lord's table. Think about it. We get busy and we get tired and we run out of energy. I do and I know most of y'all do too but we can never let our hearts stop beating for Jesus and that's the difference. They got tired they got worn out they were human beings just like every but their hearts stop beating for him. We can be tired we can be flat on our back you can have a broken hip a hip a broken head whatever and your heart can still beat for him and that's what that's what the Lord is saying. We can never let our hearts that stop beating for Jesus. What is eternal will last forever. Let's remember let's think about that. The love the eternal love that God has given us will last forever. It's not ever gonna die and then he writes about the blemished female offering. This was kind of interesting to me. Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it. In other words he promises he's gonna bring it to sacrifice and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished for I'm a great king says the Lord of hosts and my name will be feared among the nations. Cursed be he knows y'all he knew everything they did he knows everything we do every thought that goes between our ears every word that either comes out or you think about saying and don't come out he still knows it. I'm a great king says the Lord of hosts and my name will be feared among the nations. So when you look at the first part of that cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock and vows it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. How would you describe God's tone? That was one of our questions. How would you describe God's tone in that verse? First of all we can be pretty sure that God's not gonna bless the cheater. He's just not going to. He's not gonna bless the cheater. His tone let's go with those words I'm just about done with you or he or they were too tired. His priests showed just how corrupt they had become. God's own people had dishonored him so do we hear sadness?

[01:23:47:14 - 01:27:42:06]

I mean he's done with them but let's look at the heart of God. Do we hear sadness? The kind that comes when a child breaks the hearts of the two people in the world who loves them the most? I mean we all know about children and heartbreak. Think about how many kids God's kids have broken his heart. God's own people had dishonored him so we hear sadness. I love the way God finishes these verses and it's a message to each one of us today. It's like to me he's saying don't you worry daughter of the king. Don't you fret. Don't you worry. For I'm a great king says the Lord of Host and my name will be feared among all the nations. Don't worry. Don't worry I'm the great king. I've got you. So when the world seems to be crumbling with sin all around us the best place to go is not the 10 o'clock news but to the Word of God. Listen to this one more psalm. One more psalmist in these words. Clap your hands all peoples shout to God with loud songs of joy for the Lord the Most High is to be feared a great king over all the earth. So no matter what's going on around us girlfriends our God is still in control and we can trust him and we can know that he loves us and that he's chosen you before the foundation of the world to be his to be his daughter. Before you were ever born he picked you out and made you his own and he is still in control. Father God we thank you for all the ways that you bring truth to us through a Bible study. We thank you for this little book of Malachi and how we can apply it to our life today. We may not bring sick or lame lambs to you Lord but help us not to bring anything that grieves your heart. Let our hearts and our mind and our will be in line with yours so that our worship will rise to you Lord like a sweet aroma. Let us be still and know who you are so that we can make a difference in the lives of the people that we live with that we that we are with at church that we are seeing the grocery store let us make a difference because we have been close to you Lord. Help us to understand that we can't go out into this fallen world without being still with you first and I know these ladies and they love you so much and they have so much on their plate sometimes that we just jump up and run away run out before we sit with you. Help us Lord just draw us back to yourself so that we can make a difference because we've been with you. I thank you for this book I thank you for this time together I thank you for each of these women who use their time and their energy to study and come together so that we can learn more about you you are a great holy and awesome God and I thank you that you've saved the ladies in this room I thank you that you have coaxed them to yourself so that they too are daughters of the King I thank you for loving us Lord I thank you for saving us I thank you for making us your own in Jesus name and by the power of his spirit we pray Amen