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What do you expect from God? What should it look like if you are one of God’s people? What should you expect? Is it ease? Is it a comfort? Should the Christian live an untroubled life? Will the good be blessed and the bad be punished? Do we expect to see justice around us? Just what should we expect from God?
Israel’s expectations are high, and in Malachi they’re disappointed with God. They’re God’s people yet they are just another outpost in the empire, they are not significant. They are Israel back from exile yet they are little more than Jerusalem and its suburbs, they are not strong. They are descendants of Abraham, the nation of promise in his place yet the land is not flowing with milk and honey, in fact their crops are being devoured and they’re economy struggling, they are not prospering. And the question they have been asking is what is God doing?
(13-15)And now they are speaking out against God, if this is what it means to be God’s people what is the point? Why bother, it’s futile. Here we are keeping the law, bringing our offerings, going to the temple looking (14) appropriately worshipful and what benefit does it bring us. All that hardship and sacrifice for nothing. And yet those who ignore God, who do what they want, who never spare him a thought seem to be thriving. It’s just not worth serving God, there is no justice.
Can you sympathise with Israel? Do we ever feel like that, we’d never say it but its there in the feeling that somehow our experience of Christianity is just not quite what it should be. In fact looking around us it can seem life is harder if you are a Christian and serve God than if you are not! We’d never say it but that nagging thought is there and subtly it can affect our actions, we live less distinctively, we make small compromises, we don’t ignore but we downplay holiness, maybe even justifying our actions.
For both Israel and us the question boils down to this: what should God’s people expect from life? Why don’t we see a distinction between those who serve God and those who don’t?
Part of the answer is found in 2Peter3v9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises -he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
Malachi says something similar to Peter as he points the people to a day when they will see justice, when they will see the difference. As he points them to that day there is a negative motivation and a positive motivation to keep on serving God.
1. A day of judgement is coming (4:1)
What does this verse tell us about that day? It is certain, comprehensive and complete.
There’s nowhere to hide for the wicked and those who ignore God. Those who want life
without God will get it - they face hell. Where there nothing good, no speck of enjoyment,
nothing to be longed for, and no hope of a better future, there is nothing left for them
because it is utterly Godless. It is a place to be feared and avoided at all costs.
To those saying what’s the point in serving God, let’s just live as we please. God warns them you don’t want to face judgement. Don’t abandon serving God because he will bring justice a day is coming, it is certain.
Maybe you find the idea of a God who judges to be hard. There are plenty of people who agree with you, God is a God of love surely he would never judge anyone would he.
God is a God of love. Indeed it is his love that compels him to punish injustice, it is his love that demands a reckoning for all the pain and suffering caused. Is God a God of love if he doesn’t punish injustice? No, he would be an uncaring monster. God must punish injustice, and the biggest injustice of all is our ignoring our creator.
It is his love that sends messenger after messenger to warn Israel, to warn us. It is his love that sends his son when all the other messengers have been ignored to warn, but also to show us how we can be forgiven, to show us how we can escape this judgement.
God is God of love, but he is also a God of light, he is holy and pure and he must judge sin. Don’t give up serving God because he will one day come and judge. Are you ready for that day?
2. A day of redemption, reward and restoration is coming
The positive motivation is (16-18, 4:2-3). What does God say to encourage the faithful?
(16)God listened, he heard, it is recorded, and when he acts they will be his treasured
possession.
It’s the image of the king getting his scribe to record in the royal archives the actions of loyal subjects to be rewarded for their faithful actions at a later date. It’s the image from Esther - which sees Mordecai honoured and ensures he and his actions are not forgotten. God doesn’t forget his faithful people and one day they will be rewarded.
Because God remembers those who fear him can look forward to the day he comes. Fearing God doesn’t mean being terrified of him.
There are 2 ways to fear Niagara Falls, there is terror that means you never go near it, you never just stand and admire its beauty. But there is a healthy fear that means you can admire its beauty and appreciated its majesty and power but you wouldn’t take it on.
That’s what it means to fear God, it is to relate to him rightly, to serve him as he deserves to be served. It is a relational word.
Those who fear God and serve him can look forward to the day when he comes. But notice it’s not because of anything they have done (17), it is because of God’s grace "I will spare them" They haven’t earned their salvation they have been given it by grace and responded rightly to it. In fact God himself is coming to make people acceptable (3:2-4).
But there is more in store than just being spared. Just watch this clip from Lord of the Rings - Aragon on the others are trapped in Helm’s Deep facing defeat. What is their hope? How are they saved?
Dawn, Gandalf’s coming, brings victory. It brings an end to the battle.
I think that is something of what Malachi writes of here. God’s faithful people (4:2-3) will be restored and rejoice. It’s the image of dawn breaking through darkness, of light piercing the gloom and despair. It’s the image that Zechariah picks up in Luke as he sees the divine bearer of salvation coming from heaven. Jesus the light of the world come to heal and restore God’s children to a right relationship with him. It’s a day when God brings justice, when everything that is wrong with the world is overturned, when every pain and injustice is healed. It’s a day when God’s people’s service of him will be vindicated when we will rejoice.
Don’t give up serving God because the faithful will be redeemed, restored, rewarded and will rejoice. That’s what that image of the frolicking calves is about - they are set free, they are revelling in their new status, new life, safety, security and all because the son has come.
3. So what? Live with your eyes on the future.
Malachi is a book of warning, it is a message of grace from a loving God to his
wandering people, return to me; reform your half hearted worship. It is a call to their
leaders to rejoice in their privileged position and to return to relating rightly to God
and his word. It is a gracious cry to a people who need to be faithful to God and one
another. It is a call to remember God loves them and he is sovereign. And it is a call
to look to the future and the wonderful plan God is unfolding when he comes to his temple.
Do you feel hard pressed? Discouraged? Do you sometimes feel like abandoning your faith? You are not alone. But we need to listen to Malachi - God loves you it is seen in his actions in the past - in his salvation in his rescue of you from slavery. God is sovereign he sees and knows even as you feel your faithfulness to him is worthless. And he wants his people to know that the day is coming, it is sure, it is certain, he hasn’t forgotten, he is patient. But there will be a day of reckoning.
So what? So live in the light of it. (4)Malachi calls Israel to live by the law - that isn’t to be legalists - the law was the covenant that established Israel’s special relationship with God, it is a call to live pleasing the God you know, while looking to the future. To live in relationship with God because the Son has come and is coming.
When we are expecting guests we get everything ready don’t we, we clean, dust and prepare. We may even keep checking the door or the window to see if they are here yet. Are you ready for the day when Jesus comes again? It is certain and it will be a day of distinction between those who know and serve God and those who don’t. Be warned and be encouraged to serve God faithfully with your eyes fixed on the day when there will be no more injustice, when there will be restoration and reward, when every instance of suffering and struggle will seem worth it.