Malachi 3v13 – 4v6. Responding to God's love: living hopefully

Malachi prophesied late in the history of God's people.  They had been carted off as exiles to Babylon, then after seventy years had come back to rebuild the ruins of their country: broken down city walls and a derelict Temple.   Their enemies were constantly looking for trouble. God said he loved them and was in covenant with them – but it didn't always look like it. Life was a struggle and even when they re-opened their temple, there were no signs of God coming down as there had been when the temple was first opened. So the people were not responding to God's love with the respect and submission to him or the care for one another that he expected.  They got sloppy and lazy and careless

And in fact, some of them were really angry at God:  He says “You have done some tough talking; you have squared up to me...”  People have begun to say “What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.”   There is anger here.  And “Genuine dismay” that doing what God wants doesn't seem to make a difference.  There's a sense of futility (NIV) The people were claiming, “It is vain, empty, a deception, to serve the Lord and go about with a long face being sorry for your sins.” And  “Vain” is the word that was used of false Gods.  The people are in effect suggesting that the Lord is as ineffective as these idols.  They are tempted not with paganism but with atheism.  For some of them, hope as almost gone. 
 
Then something happens. Malachi 3.16 says “Then those who feared the Lord talked to each other.”  So who are the people who have been complaining, and who ones who “feared the Lord”?  It's quite possible that some of them at least were the same people!  When God challenged them they began to "Talk to each other,"  to encourage one another to renewed faith. Our words matter. We can either be talking negatively, and undermining one another's faith, or we can be talking positively and building up one another's faith.  We need to respond with repentance when God challenges us. 

When we speak encouragement to one another, God responds... God hears his people's words and a  “book of remembrance” is written. It's  He's a record of what we have done; it is a record of who are his people.  He never forgets about us!  And he never will. He says “On the day when I act, they will be my treasured possession.” (3. 17)  That's a phrase that comes from the earliest days of the nation.  (Ex 19.5; Dt 7.6; 14.2;  Ps 135.4 “For the Lord has chosen Jacob to be his own,  Israel to be his treasured possession.”)  God promises on that Day to fulfil the promises he has made to his people.  As an act of grace, and not because they are anything special, God has chosen his people.  And as an act of grace, he will fulfil his promises to his them.

God says “I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.” The Father-Son relationship isn't perfect.  As a Dad I know that.  Kids make mistakes.  Dads make mistakes too.  But a loving Dad doesn't write off his son or daughter when they make mistakes.    Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Not our sin; not the enemy.  

In 4.1f The "Day" is surely coming when God's rule shall be established.   Three blessings in particular are mentioned:-
1. Healing:  On the Day of the Lord, The sun rises:  for the wicked it start a bush fire that will “burn like a furnace”.  But for “you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing – health – in its rays.”   Wholeness and healing are part of the Kingdom that God promises through Malachi.
2. Freedom.  God's people “Leaping – or growing – like calves released from the stall.”  Jesus says in John 8: 32 Then “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (v. 32) and “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (v. 36).  The Hebrew word “leap” is connected with the idea of “growing” (KJV)  Some of us need to be set free so that we can grow!
3. Victory over their enemies. “You shall trample down your enemies: squeeze the juice out of them”  God is always the one who wins the battles for his people but he calls us to be part of his victory. 

Don't you long for the day when God acts?    "The Day" in 4:3ff  is “The great & terrible day of the Lord...”

Malachi ends the OT on this note that looks forward. John the Baptist is the "Elijah"that Malachi said would come.  That’s what the angel said to John's father Zechariah (Lk 1. 17) and how Jesus described John (Mt 11. 14)  So the fulfilment of the prophecy, the fulfilment of all prophecy, the fulfilment of the purpose god has for his people, comes through Jesus.  Jesus brings the Day of the Lord, the Kingdom of God, God's rule.

From Malachi's perspective the judgement & the release seem to come at the same time.  The same sunrise starts the fire that burns the wicked, yet has healing in its wrings.  It's a matter of perspective.  In this picture it looks like there is something badly wrong with the steamboat on Lake Geneva: it has water spouting from its funnel.  But of course the boat is in fact sitting in front of the huge fountain called the“Jet d'eau”.

Something wrong with this boat? Picture by G Lilly

The “Last Days” or the “Day of the Lord” is a staged or phased event.  Jesus brings God's Kingdom.  In that Kingdom, nothing can separate us from the love of God.  In that Kingdom, there is healing; there is freedom, there is victory over Satan.  In that Kingdom, there will be complete healing and victory; there will be justice for all; there will be an end to all the violence and fear and oppression that is part of our world now.   The different stages are all part of one thing. They belong together; but they don't have to happen at the same time.   We are living in the midst of it.  Jesus has won the victory.  And the victory will come.  

In the film Force 10 from Navarone, Mallory and Barnsby set charges in the dam, while Weaver and Miller watch from the hillside. Weaver is angry and disappointed when he hears an explosion but the dam still stands. Miller, the explosives genius, is serenely puffing on his pipe, knowing that once the charges have exploded, it is only a matter of time, before the shock waves produce cracks in the dam and the huge pressure of water does the rest.  I think that’s a great picture of the Kingdom of God as brought by Jesus. He laid and exploded the charges. It’s only a matter of time before the whole of history collapses to give place to God’s Kingdom.

So lets hope! Let's speak faith & hope to one another. Let's See the Sun rise. Let's leap like calves from the stall, and tread on the enemy.  And let's speak hope to our broken world.

© Gilmour Lilly June 2016

Malachi 3. 6-14. Responding to God's Love: Surrender

In last week's “Feedback” someone said they have never heard Malachi preached on. Today's section is the one place in Malachi where preaches do go, especially if they are looking for a good text about Christian giving! But the way it is written forces us back to the beginning of the book, and makes us read it as part of the whole book of Malachi. There are a number of echoes from the rest of the prophecy: the Lord's character, mention of Jacob, and the repeated pattern of arguing with God, saying “how have we...?” We need to read this passage, not on its own, but in the context of the rest of the prophecy of Malachi.

And the basis for God's challenge to the nation, is “I have loved you” This section begins “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” It is only my steadfast nature, my constant love, that means you descendants of Jacob the cheat, who are so like your ancestor, are not just greasy spots on the carpet. God's love doesn’t change, even if we do. That is why we have not ceased – to exist, to be people in a covenant relationship with the Lord. So this call to return to how things were, how things should be, is based on a response to God's love.

“OK”, the people ask, “How are we to return to you?” God says “Well, you are robbing me, mugging me” And the people say “How are we?”

God says “in the business of tithes and offerings.” Tithes is an old-fashioned way of saying “tenths” – and reflects a farming community. One tenth of the harvest, one tenth of the flock, had to be given to the Lord. Offerings means in particular those parts of the sacrificed animal that was to be given to the priest (Lev 7. 32)

So what was that all about? It sounds like rules and regulations creating a kind of “tax” that was used to support the Priests and Levites in their work. Yes, the tithe was part of a system that supported the whole structure of priesthood. With God, nothing is wasted! The tithe was part of the income for the Levites who had no land – and therefore no income – of their own (Number 18. 23-24) . And that is how many churches and ministries want to understand the tithe: they see it as a God-given instruction for Christians, so that those in ministry can be supported financially. But the idea of the tenth simply being a tax to support religious professionals, is miles away from the original plan.

So what was the original plan? Let's go back to that farming society in the Old Testament.

When the crops began to be gathered gathered, the people were to bring the “first-fruits” to God. Every first-born animal belonged to God anyway. And when they brought the first-fruits, Dt 26. 5-10 tells us the prayer that they used which ends “ [God] gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; now I bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, Lord, have given me. (Dt 26. 9f). The first-fruits are a recognition that the fruit – and the livestock – came from the Land that God had given – or more correctly, lent them. They made the whole harvest “holy”. The first-fruits says “God owns all the do-nuts.”

And by the time the people brought their tithes, they had already given the first-fruits. The tithe is the tribute that is due by the tenant farmers, to the landowner. So what the tithes are all about, firstly, is surrender. It's not “Here is your share”; it's “All I have is yours!”

But that is not the full story. It was more than that: when the tenth was brought to the Tabernacle or Temple, some of it was eaten – in a shared family celebration that included those who brought the tithe, along with the Levites, – all as the Lord's guests! (Dt 14. 22-27) They were even allowed, if they lived too far away, to sell their tenth for cash, and with the cash buy “whatever they wanted” when they got to the place of worship. One scholar (Walther Eichrodt) says “Sacrifice represents God's gifts to man as well as man's gifts to God.” So there is a sense of Celebration in this practise. God is good, and just loves to bless us and look after us.

But God also expects us to use the good things he has given us, to support the poorer members of society. So every third year, the tenths were to be used specifically for not only the Levites but the “foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns” (Dt 14. 28-29) .., No wonder Malachi's message is “bring the full tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house!” The tithe is also about solidarity with all who have need within the community.

So, when the Lord says “Bring the full tithes into the storehouse,” this is more that a demand that people “pay their dues”. It is more than a temple tax. It is a moment of surrender to God; a moment of celebration in his presence; and a moment of solidarity with the least among his people. The meaning of the tenth – the principle behind it, is about surrender, and celebration, and solidarity.

How does that work out for us in the new Covenant? In Jesus' own day, those who recognised Him as their Messiah, would give a tenth of their income – not to the Church but to the Temple. Both Jesus and Peter paid the “temple tax” (Matthew 17. 24) although as Jesus says normally it is the servants, not the sons of the King who pay tax to the King. Peter and Paul continued to observe the Jewish law so we can guess that they brought a tenth to the Lord from what they earned. And that meant, to the Temple. The NT Church doesn't appear to have consciously swapped the tenth over from the Temple to the Church. They certainly didn't buy the idea of a “tax” to support the work of a professional religious class. Rather, they started fresh.

Firstly, they kept the same principles: the old Covenant always prepares the way for the New Covenant. In the Kingdom that Jesus brought, the same principles apply: we respond to God's love – shown to us with such amazing generosity in Christ – with Surrender, Celebration, and Solidarity. We hand our lives over completely to God. “Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul my life, my all.” We celebrate, because we don't give to Jesus, he gives to us. We don’t feed him, he feeds us. When Christians break bread together, Jesus invites us to share a sacrificial meal at his expense. And we express solidarity with one another; with those in full-time Christian work; with those involved in mission; with those who are struggling to survive.

Secondly under the New Covenant, the price was radical: Jesus commended the widow who put in the offering, everything she had to live on. (Mark 12. 41-44) He told the rich young ruler to sell all he had and give to the poor. (Lk 18. 22) The early Church sold up and shared their resources. Lots of people didn't do what the Acts 2 church did. Lots of people ran businesses, carried on a trade, even had slaves – but still took that attitude that everything they owned belonged to God.

And finally, they took practical action. Although it wasn't the Old Testament “tenth”, Paul told the Christians in Corinth to “Set aside each week as God had prospered them” (1 Cor 16. 2) in solidarity with the struggling Church in Jerusalem. There is still something good about a planned and committed approach to giving.

So, should we “Tithe”? Should we give a tenth? Do we have to? That would be legalism, a temple theology won't work when our life together is the temple and Jesus is the high priest. But a tenth is a good starting point. Something to aim for. It's a lot easier to work out than an eighth, or a twelfth!

Blessings. Things were tough anyway in the period after the exile, and drought or a swarm of locusts would have made things worse. Giving their offerings was an act of faith. But God promises to people who are faithful to him in this area, that he will open the windows of heaven, send the rain that they need, so the next years crops will grow; and he will keep the pests away! All their neighbours will see what God has done for them. (verses 12-13) “The nations will call you blessed” – it was to Mary who used these words in the New Testament.

And she was pregnant with the Messiah, because she had said to God's angel “let it be to me according to your word!” God is promising material blessings that are not to be spiritualised away. But just as the tenths and offerings have a deeper spiritual significance, so do God's material blessings. And I believe that as we trust god, respond to his love with surrender, celebration and solidarity, worked out in our giving, God will open the windows of heaven, and pour out blessings – his Spirit flowing into our lives, and his provision of our daily bread. And the world will notice.

© Gilmour Lilly June 2016

Malachi 2. 1 – 3

Who is this guy Malachi and what does he have to say to us?  He speaks to God's people struggling to rebuild their land after 70 years of being deported to a foreign country.  He reminds them that God loves them and actually has looked after them.  And that reminder in chapter 1 is a key to the whole prophecy as Malachi challenges the people to respond to God's love; to keep faith with God.   And in this section he tells us to respond to God's love by loving one another;  to keep faith with God in how we treat the people around us.  

Powerful People:
In Israel, the priests were powerful people. God wanted the priests to use their spiritual power and influence to lead the people in "A covenant of life" (5-7)   They were able to pronounce blessings on God's people in the expectation that something would happen.  (As the people of God, our words matter!)
We have spiritual power. We must  use it in submission to God. We must be  "Resolved to honour”  the Lord.   And we must avoid all forms of spiritual power that don't acknowledge God. Mal 3. 5 tells us God speaks against “sorcerers””.  From star-signs to seances, from crystals to lucky charms, avoid!

And the priests had power over people - people looked to them for "Torah" - teaching based on revelation from God; and it was they who declared what was "clean"or "unclean".  They were the ones who made sacrifices. Everyone depended on them.

But they were giving "Wrong teaching" (v. 8)  I don't know what that sounded like: maybe they were not clear enough about the fact that God is one and cannot be replaced by idols or false gods.  Whatever it was, as a result people had been caused to stumble.

And they were "Showing partiality' (v. 9)   Certain people – probably the rich and powerful, were being allowed to get away with things; the law, which covered not only sacrifices and ritual cleanliness but touched every area of life, was being applied more firmly for some people than for others.  Partiality can influence teaching  – when we teach what is popular instead of what is right!   Partiality can happen when we fail to challenge – on the grounds of friendship (faithful are the wounds of a friend), or gender or money or power; or sentiment. 

The priests were in a position of power. But God is more powerful! He tells the priests they are under "the curse" (not just "a curse"... but "the Curse of 'Dt 28 v 20: "if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God". priests had spiritual power, but in the exercise of such power needed to honour God's name -or risk being daubed with the dung -the bowels of the animals sacrificed - and as that was burned outside the camp they risked being thrown out of their priesthood.

So, how do we use power?  How do we treat people who depend on us?

Family people.
Relationships matter to God - both in the Church & in other contexts. What God says about family life, he says in the context of being a community who all have "one father"(v 10). Yes, by  the time Malachi prophesied, Judah was a nation that had been a nation for hundreds of years & had been through times of serious national crisis. But their nationhood was based on kinship: they were literally related. They shared the same DNA.

For Israel / Judah, then, question of how they behaved in family life, were theological... It was an expression of their being non of the one Father, that their human family life was right.  But there were two things going wrong
1. Marrying "Daughters of a foreign God" that is to say women with a different religion.  Malachi expects that the man who did this would be cut off from the Nation. (V 12) And it is often the case that a Christian who gets into a relationship with someone who is not a Christian, will lose their way spiritually.
2. Unfaithfulness in marriage...cheating on or simply dumping the person you married when you were young. V 13: "There's no point weeping &wailing in prayer, when someone is  weeping & wailing because of the hurt you have caused them.  God's plan for marriage is "One Man, One woman, for life". Yes, God has grace for when we mess up. But what we are aiming for is to make right, unselfish, generous, wise and faithful choices.

People in society.
Finally, God says “you have wearied me with your words”   Another of those “How have we?” moments.  And God says “You have questioned my justice.”   We try to out-god God. We wonder how God can allow bad stuff to happen to god people. (Especially to us!) We follow the norms of our own society or our own convenience.  Believing that evil is rewarded, and living as though evil is good, are two sides of the same coin.  God says “I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud labourers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me. “ (Malachi 3. 5).

We've already looked at power and family life.  The other things God speaks against are about how we behave in society: speaking the truth, paying our workers fairly and at the right time; (for us that may mean paying our bills on time.)  Taking care of widows and orphans – or any who have nobody else to take care of them. Making sure that strangers, foreigners are treated fairly, instead of pushing weaker people out of the way.   God is concerned about how we treat people, in our financial & commercial dealings.

When a person became a monk or a nun, they took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.   It's about how that person relates to God and to the people round about him or her.   Someone summed that up nicely as  Money, sex and power...   This section challenges us to work our our relationship with God, in our relationships with one another.  And much of what goes wrong in our dealings with one another, is in how we handle money, sex, and power.

The people were wondering what God was up to because he had not come to their refurbished temple.  But, he says, one day he will turn up. “But who can endure the day of his coming?” (Malachi 3. 2)

He is not just coming to overwhelm the priests and be present , but to make demands, to refine!  I want to see God coming in power! But I need to be prepared for him to come like a refiner's fire!   When God turns up, we need to be treating one another right, in the areas of money sex and power.

©Gilmour Lilly June 2016