God’s grace, peace
and mercy be with you. My sermon today is entitled Messenger, Message and
Meaning and my focus is Malachi (3:13-18). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of
the Lord.’” Now that we are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As
we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love
deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Periodically when
our granddaughter would stay with us, we would take her to the playground at
Brady’s Run Park where she would meet other children. After an hour of playing,
we would gather Emma, leave and ask her if she had a good time. She would tell us that she did and that she met
a new friend. We would ask, “What was her name?” She would reply, “I don’t know,
but she …” This was followed by all the remembered information – what school
she attends, how old she is, her father’s occupation and so on. I mention that
because we’re not 100% sure of the real name of God’s messenger in today’s Old
Testament reading.
Malachi, the last
book in the collection of the twelve Minor Prophets and the Old Testament, is
one of those people in the Bible about which we know little. Malachi may not
even be the prophet’s name, because it is also the word for angel or messenger.
In the opening verse, we read, “The oracle of the word of the Lord to
Israel by Malachi.” Then in 3:1, we read, “Behold, I will send my
messenger,” which is the same word as Malachi. We have many proper names
that are nouns, such as Liberty, Hope, Prudence, Bob, Cooper, Mason, Deacon and
so on. For this and several other reasons, we accept that the messenger’s name
is Malachi.
We know nothing of
his life, but learn something of the kind of person Malachi was. Despite his
attacks on priests, he was favorable to Levitical priesthood, and insisted on
the people’s obligation to contribute to the expenses of the Temple and support
of the personnel.[1]
He was also a
person concerned about the welfare of others: the wife who suffered rejection
and the people of Judah who wondered about God’s love for them.[2] He also supported the
defenseless and was sure that their oppressors would receive from God what they
deserved. He understood God’s honor and the transcendence which enables God to
enforce his will wherever he wishes. In Malachi, we find new hope, for his use
of language is close to that of Haggai and Zechariah, and like them, shared an
enthusiastic expectation about the rebuilding of the Temple.
That is about all
we know about the messenger. On to my second point: What was Malachi’s message
for his people? His message has six distinct sections, each in the form of a
question-and-answer discussion. This unusual discussion technique allowed Malachi
to defend the justice of God to a community that began to doubt that justice
because its eschatological (end of the world) expectations were still
unfulfilled. Malachi called for faithfulness to God’s covenant, and emphasized
the necessity of proper worship, condemned divorce, and announced that the day
of judgment is near. Faithfulness to ritual and moral responsibilities would be
rewarded, and unfaithfulness would bring a curse.
In our passage
today, we read of the need to serve God, but the problem is the people’s
cynicism in the face of the prosperity of evildoers. They grumble and complain
that those who are prospering are not the ones who adhere to God’s wishes. Of course,
this is not the first time such grumbling occurred. In Job 21, we read, “What
is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray
to him?” (v. 21). Isaiah prophesied, “‘Why have we fasted, and
you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of
it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress
all your workers” (58:3).
In v. 16, we read
of a book of remembrance. Given that we are at the end of the church year, it’s
a fitting image to ponder. The image of a written record of the names of the
just or of those who are destined for life is found in Exodus, Psalm 69, Isaiah,
Daniel and Revelation.[3] Perhaps like Moses
decrying the sin of his people or David pleading to God not only to save him
but also to punish God’s enemies, we too who fear God should think of Him in
our daily endeavors that we are remembered in His book.
As God’s special
or treasured possession, do you pray that you and yours are spared from
punishment? I ask that because in v. 17, the phrase is applied to Israel as
God’s elect. Before Moses received the Ten Commandments, God spoke, “Now
therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be
my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you
shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words
that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (Exodus 19:5-6).[4] The idea is that God’s
most prized possession is that group of people who fear him and follow him.
Notice that Malachi’s message does not extend to all of Israel, but to that
small group which distinguished itself from all the wicked within Israel. And
so, I ask you that when you do pray that you are spared from divine wrath, how
will God recognize you from all the wicked, sinful people who surround you? And
so, Malachi’s message can be summarized in one question: Do I serve God or not?
Let’s move to my
third point, meaning. What does this message from 2500 years ago from an
obscure messenger have to do with us? What is the meaning for our lives as
Church? Do we ever doubt God’s promises? Questioning God’s promise is how the devil
tempted Cain and many others. And while Job did not sin, he must have wondered
why the arrogant were blessed while the faithful walked around like mourners
all the time. Why do evildoers get away with it? Why do the wicked test God
without getting struck by lightning?
Malachi’s people
could ask that question because they were looking at their relationship with
God as if it were a business contract. They thought they could trade their
obedience for his blessing. But God does not see his grace as something to be
earned by his people’s compliance. God wants a relationship of love and mutual
self-giving. So, he reminds them just how much they mean to him and how much he
wants to do for them.
When we reflect on
the phrase “my treasured possession,” keep in mind that you are not some random
person whom God has chosen on a whim to love. God created you out of love, and formed
you in his own image. Just as a pearl cannot cease to be a pearl, that is,
change what it is, neither can you cease to be precious in God’s eyes.
When Malachi
prophesied, “I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him,”
he meant that God loves you as his own and has made you his son or daughter.
Like any good earthly father, your heavenly Father’s love for you is not based
on your performance. He loves you even when you fail. He loves you even when
you sin! And he is always ready to welcome you back when you return to him.
Later, we read, “the
sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings,” we take it
to mean that God promised the Israelites that they would eventually see justice
done. That promise is for you too. Someday, if not in this life, then in the
life to come, you will be healed of every injustice. There will be no more pain
or sorrow, no more tragedy. All will be made right.
So, what can we
count on in this life? We cannot count on immediate solutions to our problems
and questions. But we can count on God’s love and his constant desire to draw
us closer to him. As we hold fast to him, we will receive his love – the greatest
“profit” of all.
Friends, hold fast
to God’s promises, and as you do, may the peace of God which is beyond all
understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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