Malachi: Robbing God

by VILES, D. | Category: Minor Prophets? Major Issues! | Apr 2006

Malachi - a message for our times

Scripture provides few clues to the context of Malachi’s message. Clearly, he was writing some time after the events narrated by Ezra and (possibly) Nehemiah, when the fervour surrounding the rebirth of the nation and its worship following the return from Babylon was already a distant memory. Times were relatively easy; Israel was entering its long waiting period for the promised Messiah. To those who remained faithful, revering the Lord’s name, was promised the sight of ‘"the sun of righteousness [that] will rise with healing in its wings"‘.(1) But for many, and particularly the leaders of the nation, fervour and faith had been replaced by weariness and cynicism. The prevailing moral and spiritual tone is reminiscent of the ‘scoffers’ of our age – ‘"Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?"‘ (2) Neglect of God and of His priorities was leading to pernicious spiritual and moral decline. Does any of this sound familiar?

Spiritual decay

The structure of Malachi’s message - an extended dialogue between God and His people - is unique to this prophet. The questions which Malachi attributes to the people may have represented their unspoken thoughts, but they went to the heart of the national spiritual malaise: robbing a loving God of His due and in the process robbing themselves of the joy of the covenant.

‘"How have you loved us?"‘ (3)

What a breathtaking question! But it can and does still happen - we have it on divine authority - that our love may grow cold.(4) As rank godlessness increases in our cultures, so may robbing God through ingratitude and wilful neglect of our reasonable service(5) in response to God’s covenant love. Failure to strive daily to become rooted and established in love(6) will lead inevitably to a life which is spiritually withered and blasted. It’s that basic!

‘"How have we shown contempt for your name?"‘(7)

One of God’s names is ‘Jealous’.(8) Sadly, it was the priests who were giving the lead in robbing God by despising it. ‘Harsh things’ were being said about that name - such as the futility of serving the Lord if it meant being different from the world.(9) Like many others today, God demands respect(10) - and disciples hardly need reminding that friendship with the world is enmity with God.(11)

‘"How have we defiled you?"‘ (12)

Well, it was barefaced robbery! Withholding of the tithe, and the offering of crippled, blind animals for sacrifice to the Lord of creation, drew from God words of utter condemnation of their ‘"useless fires on my altar"‘.(13) Better no worship at all than sacrifices like these. For us today, this extreme example forces very personal and searching questions - what priority are we prepared to give to serving God and to the quality of that service? "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him".(14)

Post-Christian morality

Many contemporary pundits propound the view that western societies have outgrown the need for God. But without Him, there is no need for moral absolutes - the ‘rightness’ of what we do is relative only to the effects it has on ourselves or on wider society. There is nothing new about this; in Malachi’s society, as in ours, the process of robbing God leads inexorably to the results we see today - men and women robbed of the peace and fulfilment of living in acknowledgement of personal accountability to God.(15)

‘"Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?"‘(16)

Although that covenant had been with God, the responsibilities of each to his neighbour had been clearly stated.(17) Leave God out of the equation and the result was - and is - the cult of the individual. Sorcery, perjury, defrauding and oppression are some of the malign results enumerated by Malachi18 - we can add many more.

‘"Why?"‘(19)

There was no obvious blessing from God, despite the crocodile tears of restored Israel.(20) God focuses a searching light on the reason - faithlessness in marriage relationships. ‘"I hate divorce"‘ (21) is an unequivocal statement - by God - as relevant in today’s social conditions as then. The social consequences of divorce are painfully evident in the spread of dysfunctional family relationships throughout western society, robbing children and adults alike of the security and fulfilment of loving family life as God intended it. Malachi also highlights the return of the old sin of intermarriage with the surrounding peoples, bringing ‘foreign gods’ into the home environment.(22) The frequency and the vehemence with which the Old Testament addresses this practice(23) surely emphasise the force of Paul’s injunction to our own time not to be yoked together with unbelievers, in marriage as in other relationships.(24)

‘"Where is the God of justice?"‘ (25)

Speaking through His prophet, God highlights the ultimate consequence of this process of declension - an inversion of moral values, whereby wicked conduct is praised and the arrogant admired.(26) With no sense of accountability to God, and no reliable inbuilt moral compass, justice is perverted and the poor and the weak are left to go to the wall. It’s all as fresh as tomorrow’s newspaper headlines!

‘"How are we to return?"‘ (27)

Some at least of Malachi’s contemporaries were asking this question. The answer was the same as it ever was, and is now – ‘"Return to me and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty’.(28) Instead of robbing God and devouring each other there is held out an amazing promise – ‘"See if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it"‘.(29) The challenge for us as disciples comes earlier in the verse: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."

(Bible quotes are from the NIV)

References:

(1)Mal.4:2 (2)2 Pet.3:3-4 (3)Mal.1:2 (4)Mat.24:12 (5)Rom.12:1(RV) (6)Eph.3:17-19 (7)Mal.1:6 (8)Ex.34:14 (9)Mal.3:13-14 cf.2 Cor.4:10-12 (10)Mal.1:6 (11)Jas.4:4 (12)Mal.1:7 (13)Mal.1:10 (14)C.T.Studd(1860-1931) (15)See 2 Cor.5:10 (16)Mal.2:10 (17)Mark 12:30-31 (18)Mal.3:5 (19)Mal.2:14 (20)Mal.2:13(21)Mal.2:16 (22)Mal.2:11 (23)See especially Ezra chapters 9 and 10 (24)2 Cor.6:14 (25)Mal.2:17 (26)Mal.2:17-18; 3:14-15 (27)Mal.3:7 (28)Ibid. (29)Mal.3:10

VILES, D. | Apr 2006
Minor Prophets? Major Issues!