Malachi 1 – 4
Verse 1:2 starts this last book of the Old Testament in defining God’s love for Israel:
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob
Interestingly the next few words in verse 3 are “but Esau I have hated.” I read this in disbelief for two reasons, one how God can keep a covenant with a rebellious people who even now after 200 years is rebelling against God. Esau’s nation was the Edomites which had many conflicts with Israel. Now Esau was Isaac’s first born who gave his birthright to Jacob, the younger twin.
There is no mention in Genesis about the hated of Esau, but a 1000 years later Obadiah did mention God’s hatred for the idolatry of the Edomites. It’s odd that this text would bet the first mention of God’s hatred for Esau. What it appears to be is something lost in translation, although the CJB is worded almost the same way (CJB is the Complete Jewish Bible and is my “go to” for OT interpretations). The NLV words it as God rejected Esau so there may be some slight loss in translation. The “study” part of my ESV defines the “love” as “choosing for intimate fellowship” and “hate” as “not choosing this intimate fellowship.”
Verse 1:14 describes the expectation and reality of why God is currently mad at the Israelites:
Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.
They are rejecting God by just following his Law’s and have distanced themselves from a relationship. They no longer look at God as personal, but rater some distant being who they must follow a procedure to gather a “blessing.” No longer are they giving their best but rather the least. God does not want us to move from God being a “big deal” to “no big deal”. We need to fervently work on that relationship to maintain it and develop it. Sure there are low times, you have seen them in me over the years where I’m just a “monkey pounding the keys” yet even in those times I get encouragements and quickly turn from the funk.
Verse 3:10 is probably the most preached verse out of Malachi:
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
I am really confused on how we did tithing before. I have gotten slack where we are “splitting” our tithe between the church and another charity. The problem is both are being short changed and we are struggling cash wise. It seemed odd that our money was going farther when we were tithing that today, and I cannot explain it through my detailed accounting process. I am struggling to get my accounts in order to ensure the tithe is going to God, not the dregs.
Now I don’t like this verse because it gets abused by churches making people feel they will prosper if they give their 10%. Basically they are being sold a false bill of goods since man cannot guarantee this. Now the preachers often point to this and people who reject it point to Jesus saying do not test the Lord in the wilderness. I like 12 Stones approach to this test where they say try for 90 days and if there is a problem they will refund 100% of your tithe. That way you can test God at no risk.
I can go on but look at two verse n your own. The first is verse 2:3 and not for any major spiritual revelations but more humor as God spreads dung on their faces. The second is verse 4:5 who most Christian scholars agree points to John the Baptist. The scripture specifically references Elijah who was the only other man to be taken up to heaven alive, so he would be a logical choice to announce the coming king. Most Christians believe Elijah came back as John while some believe this event is announcing the “second coming”.