May 13, 2016 A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE
Malachi 3:14-17: “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of Host? ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and escape.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. “And they will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day I prepare My own possession, and I will spare as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
There is a time period of approximately four hundred years between Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. In Malachi, we hear a theme that sounds familiar in the day in which we live. The ones that Malachi was addressing were saying that “it is vain to serve God” and those who do evil do not receive any consequences for the wrong they do. It sounds like the Israelites were having a real pity-party because God was not doing what they wanted Him to do! It is not uncommon in our culture to hear believers expressing their disappointment in not seeing God work as desire to see Him work. Our culture, as a whole has rejected God and we are at a point where many call what is evil good, and what is good evil. Just as in Malachi, some have concluded that it is vain to serve God, and it appears that there is often no consequences for the “doers of wickedness.” Even as believers, we may sometime wonder if God is observing, or paying attention to the evil perpetrated by those who have rejected, or denied Him. Is God just?-we ask. It is interesting that in the last book of the Old Testament, God gives us an insight, or truth that we would do well to heed. No matter what is the norm in our culture, no matter how many reject God and turn to evil, we are to maintain a healthy fear of the Lord. Be assured that God is keenly aware of everything taking place in our culture; He is not taking a nap; and He is not dead! To have a fear of the Lord does not mean that we “fear” God, but it means that we do have a respect for Him, the all-powerful God who created us. A healthy fear of the Lord tends to keep us from sinning against Him-so that kind of fear is a good fear to have. Some in the day of Malachi, feared the Lord and they “esteemed His name” and because of that, a book of remembrance was written before God! In our day, let us not buy into the culture, but let us speak to one another about the Lord; let us fear Him; and let us esteem His name. Our confidence and our joy is not to be based on whether or not we like or understand what God is doing, but is to be based on the character of God and His word. God says of those who fear Him and esteem his name: “They will be Mind!”
Malachi 3:18: “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Malachi 3:14-17: “You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of Host? ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up, but they also test God and escape.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. “And they will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day I prepare My own possession, and I will spare as a man spares his own son who serves him.”
There is a time period of approximately four hundred years between Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, and Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. In Malachi, we hear a theme that sounds familiar in the day in which we live. The ones that Malachi was addressing were saying that “it is vain to serve God” and those who do evil do not receive any consequences for the wrong they do. It sounds like the Israelites were having a real pity-party because God was not doing what they wanted Him to do! It is not uncommon in our culture to hear believers expressing their disappointment in not seeing God work as desire to see Him work. Our culture, as a whole has rejected God and we are at a point where many call what is evil good, and what is good evil. Just as in Malachi, some have concluded that it is vain to serve God, and it appears that there is often no consequences for the “doers of wickedness.” Even as believers, we may sometime wonder if God is observing, or paying attention to the evil perpetrated by those who have rejected, or denied Him. Is God just?-we ask. It is interesting that in the last book of the Old Testament, God gives us an insight, or truth that we would do well to heed. No matter what is the norm in our culture, no matter how many reject God and turn to evil, we are to maintain a healthy fear of the Lord. Be assured that God is keenly aware of everything taking place in our culture; He is not taking a nap; and He is not dead! To have a fear of the Lord does not mean that we “fear” God, but it means that we do have a respect for Him, the all-powerful God who created us. A healthy fear of the Lord tends to keep us from sinning against Him-so that kind of fear is a good fear to have. Some in the day of Malachi, feared the Lord and they “esteemed His name” and because of that, a book of remembrance was written before God! In our day, let us not buy into the culture, but let us speak to one another about the Lord; let us fear Him; and let us esteem His name. Our confidence and our joy is not to be based on whether or not we like or understand what God is doing, but is to be based on the character of God and His word. God says of those who fear Him and esteem his name: “They will be Mind!”
Malachi 3:18: “So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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