We read in the books of Kings and Chronicles of the Babylonian captivity. That is where, because of their disobedience and rebellion against God, Israel was carted off in the Assyrian Captivity, and some years later, Judah was carried off by the Babylonians. At the end of that captivity, Ezra brings a group back to get the temple restored. Then Nehemiah brings a group back to oversee the wall around Jerusalem be rebuilt. It is at this time, about 400 BC, that Malachi writes this prophetic word from the Lord.
This will be God's final word in the Old Testament. God will not stop directing the course of history for the Jews, but will cease to speak to them for the next 400 years. "God wisely ordering, that prophecy should cease, some ages before the Messiah came, that he might appear the more conspicuous, and be the more welcome." (Wesley) When John the Baptist shows up in the wilderness, he causes quite a commotion, since the last prophet to be among them was 400 years prior.
We don't know anything about Malachi, other than the fact that he wrote this book. His name means "My Messenger". He was a prophet speaking the word of God to the people of Israel.
The word "oracle" here is translated "burden" in the King James. It is the Hebrew word "Mahs-sah", which is a load, a burden, something heavy to lift. The prophecy which God gives His prophets is often something heavy, something weighty. Words of exhortation or outright rebuke. When God speaks to His people through a prophet, it is because they haven't been listening themselves. And as we're going to see, the oracle, or the burden of the Lord which was to come through Malachi was no exception.
The Lord opens up the prophecy by saying, "I have loved you". These are the words that are supposed to break hardened hearts, to restore broken relationships. But what is the response? Israel says, "How have you loved us?" God proclaims His love for Israel, and Israel challenges God's love. "If God loves us, then why have we been oppressed? If God loves us, then why have we gone through such tough times?" Many people today look at the outward circumstances of their lives and say, "God doesn't love me! Look at how lousy everything is!"
What most of us don't understand is the discipline of the Lord. You can see the cycle in the book of Judges - when things were going well, God's people forsook Him and fell into sin. God brought bad times as discipline to cause them to call out to Him. The people would turn to the Lord and things would get better again. God didn't bring punishment because He hated them. He brought it because He loved them. The proverb says,
Prov. 13:24 He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
If you don't discipline your child, you're not showing love, you're showing hate. Because a child that's never disciplined grows up selfish and out of control. They'll probably end up in prison. So also the Lord disciplines those whom He loves. We read in the book of Hebrews,
Hebr. 12:5-11 ...the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."... God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline... then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
So the next time you're having one of these "God doesn't love me" pity parties because of terrible circumstances, remember that the Lord disciplines you because He loves you.
Then God gives an example of His love for them. He says, "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" The Israelites were descendants of Jacob, not Esau. And remember back in our study of the book of Genesis, God chose Jacob over Esau, even though they were twins, and Esau was older. Had God chosen Esau over Jacob, the nation of Israel would have been nothing. Yet God chose the Israelites as His people - not based on their faithfulness, but on His faithfulness. Not based on their loveliness, but on His love.
People generally have a hard time with the fact that God says that He hated Esau. Doesn't God love everyone? Not according to the Bible.
Ps. 11:4-5 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORDS throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
God hates those who love violence. And the descendants of Esau, who was also called Edom, loved violence. The Edomites violently opposes the Israelites. God prophesied to the Edomites through Obadiah,
Obad. 10 Because of violence to your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame, and you will be cut off forever.
So the Lord isn't talking about one man here, but the entire nation of his descendants. The Israelites, whom God had loved and chosen, would survive for thousands of more years. But the Edomites would not survive as a nation.
Obad. 18 "Then the house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame; But the house of Esau will be as stubble. And they will set them on fire and consume them, So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau," For the LORD has spoken.
The Lord tells the Israelites, "You even give your earthly fathers honor, but you are despising me, your heavenly Father." Again, instead of immediate repentance, there is the comeback, "How are we despising You?"
What the Jews had begun to do was to offer sacrifices that were not in accordance with God's command. About 50 times in the Law, God said that their offerings must be without defect, unblemished. Yet they were taking the worst of their flocks - the blind, the lame, and the sick. "We've got no use for this - sacrifice it on the Lord's altar."
Mal. 1:8 "...Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?"...
Can you imagine if they prepared dinner for their governor with this meat? Defiled and sick. And yet this is what they were giving to God.
How often this is the case even today, that we give the castoffs to God. There have been many times over the last five years or so that I've had to politely decline donations to the churches I've ministered in. Someone's car breaks down, and they buy a new one. "What are we going to do with this piece of junk? Give it to the church!" Thanks, but no thanks. The Lord doesn't want or deserve the worst you've got. "Hey, we're buying a new couch, 'cause our pets have torn up and urinated all over this one. Could the church use it?" Thanks, but no thanks.
God wants the unblemished first fruits. A year or two ago, when we were showing the videos of the gospel of Matthew with a borrowed VCR, someone in the church decided that the Lord deserved better. They could have done any number of things. They could have donated their VCR to the church and bought one for themself. They could have gone out and bought a $99 one. But instead, they bought a fantastic 4-head, stereo VCR, and a rolling TV stand, then assembled it all. All without being noticed or drawing attention to themself. Giving God their best without trumpet or fanfare.
After the Babylonian captivity, before Ezra showed up, the prophet Haggai spoke the word of the Lord to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Hag. 1:4-5 "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?" Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, "Consider your ways!"
Their houses were nicely paneled and decorated. They had given themselves the creature comforts that they felt they deserved. But the house of God lie in ruin. How utterly selfish, and how similar to the attitude that prevails today in the Body of Christ. Let us never defile or despise our God by giving him the worst or the last.
God would just as soon they shut the gates to the temple as despise Him with defiled offerings. "Don't start the altar fire, don't keep the gates open. You're doing this for nothing."
I wonder how many churches there are in existence today that God would say the same thing to. "Don't bother having service, don't even unlock the doors - I am not pleased with the lip-service, I am tired of the defiled offerings. It would be better that you just didn't do anything." The number of them is not decreasing, but increasing today. As we saw in the book of Revelation, there will be a church that continues through the final seven years, apostate and blasphemous. A church in name, but not in heart. I pray that none of you will be members of that church.
God would not accept their offering, but looks to the Millennial kingdom, the thousand year reign of Christ and says, "There will be a time when my name will be praised, and acceptable offerings will be offered to My name everywhere - in ever place and every nation."
So soon after the temple was rebuilt, serving God had become a burden to them. "My, how tiresome it is!" they said. That is a dangerous place for a child of God to be. Do you ever wake up on Sunday morning and think, "Man! I'm sick of going to church! I'd rather be hunting or fishing! I'd rather just work on my car!" That's a dangerous place to be in our hearts. When we get to the point of thinking that meeting God or serving God is tiresome, just a burden, we are despising the Lord.
I so look forward to meeting God in His house. Praying to Him, learning from His Word, having communion with Him at His table, fellowshipping with His children, ministering to His flock. It is not a burden, it is not tiresome. It's what each Christian here has been called to - a blessed calling, not a burdensome one.
Next week, we will see God begin to address the priests specifically as we continue through our three week study of the book of Malachi.