Day 273 – Malachi

Talking Points

• About 100 years after the Jews returned to their homeland, they are found again in a state of spiritual lethargy. The once exuberant praise of thankful people has faded into a half-hearted attempt at worship. God is displeased and dishonored. He truly knows our hearts and is not fooled by outward appearances. In His compassion and grace, God raises up a prophet to call His people back once again.
• Several markers of a backslidden society stand out. First, the priests had failed to uphold the standard of God, serving themselves instead. While they were responsible for calling God’s people away from sin, they turned a blind eye and allowed them to be comfortable in it. Second, there was a low view of marriage. Instead of seeking to honor God, the people disregarded His directions and intermarried with the pagan neighbors. Because they didn’t seek to honor Him in their marriages, they had little commitment to them and divorce was common. Last, we see the exaltation of money and wealth. People’s hearts were revealed as they stole from God in the matter of tithes and offerings. Some things never change.
• Consistent with His nature, God promises restoration in exchange for repentance. He says the faithful are remembered and will be blessed. Most profoundly, God promises a forerunner who will lead the way for Christ. The next time God will speak will be 400 long years later, when the birth of that forerunner, John the Baptist, is announced.
• The stage is set! Our gracious God is faithful!

Thoughts

I don’t have a great scientific mind, or even a good one for that matter! I did read, one time though, that the second law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of entropy, loosely follows: Things naturally gravitate to their original state. For example, a body builder loses all his hard-earned gains once he stops working out. Or, more fitting for me, a piping hot cup of coffee, left unattended will gradually head toward room temperature. Blech. Decay and decline are evidently normal.

This phenomenon was certainly true for Israel. God’s people, marvelously and graciously delivered from captivity, had wept and sung thankfully in worship. They had declared their promise to be obedient in honor of their great God. They had vowed that this time, their hearts would not forget. They really meant it.

And then, they fail. Comfort resulted in apathy. Apathy led to compromise. The cycle repeats.

The Old Testament ends matter-of-factly: Alone, man is doomed. Though we try and try, it happens again — we fail. Determined to do better this time, resolved for a different outcome, we still head back to our original state. As Malachi closes, it is redundantly, sufficiently, and abundantly clear — we need God to act on our behalf. We need God to do what we have proven and will continue to prove we cannot. We need a Savior. I need a Savior.

And, the next recorded words of Scripture? “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). We have our Savior!