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0112/2. Malachi. God’s Messenger. … and Ours !. Where is God? What Kind of God is He? What Will He Do?. SUMMER SERIES — 2012. Review. A. 1:1 Title: What, who and how. B. 1:2-5 Introduction: God’s covenant love for Israel affirmed.
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Malachi God’s Messenger … and Ours! Where is God? What Kind of God is He? What Will He Do? SUMMER SERIES — 2012
Review A. 1:1 Title: What, who and how B. 1:2-5 Introduction: God’s covenant love for Israel affirmed C. 1:6-2:16 Leaders and Followers — Some Straight Talking: •1:6-2:9 — The failures of the priests — the leaders •2:10-16 — The failures of the people — the followers D. 2:17- 4:6 The Lord will Come: • 2:17 — God’s ways had been misunderstood • 3:1-5 — The promised Messiah would come • 3:6-18 — God’s covenant demands remained unchanged • 4:1-6 — The Day of the Lord
Summary of 1:1-5 — Title and Introduction • This was a message for people who had been through tough times … when many had lost their faith • God spoke again to his people … this time through Malachi • God still loved his people … even when their faith failed • God still remembered his covenants … being faithful to his word, both in blessings and in curses • God still reigned in the world … despite the failures of his people
The Passage for Today A. 1:1 Title: What, who and how B. 1:2-5 Introduction: God’s covenant love for Israel affirmed C. 1:6-2:16 Leaders and Followers — Some Straight Talking: •1:6-2:9 — The failures of the priests — the leaders •2:10-16 — The failures of the people — the followers D. 2:17- 4:6 The Lord will Come: • 2:17 — God’s ways had been misunderstood • 3:1-5 — The promised Messiah would come • 3:6-18 — God’s covenant demands remained unchanged • 4:1-6 — The Day of the Lord
1. The Failures of the Priests — the Leaders (1:6 to 2:9) • A son honoured his father • A servant respected his master 1:6 “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.” • The priests (God’s sons and servants) showed contempt for their Father and Master (nohonour or respect)
1. The Failures of the Priests — the Leaders Their response to the statement came as a question … 1:6 — “It is you, O priests, who show contempt for my name.” But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt …?’” Answer … • 1:7 — “You place defiled food on my altar” • 2:8 — “… you have caused many to stumble”
1. The Failures of the Priests — the Leaders (a) 1:7 “You place defiled food on my altar” Lev. 22:20 “Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted.” . . . but they failed • v. 8 — They wouldn’t offer blemished animals to the Persian governor, yet they offered them to God. • v. 10 — Better to close the temple than offer unacceptable sacrifices. Perfect animals pointed to the coming perfect sacrifice — Jesus. • Compare vv. 6 & 14: God was their Father — to be honoured, their Master (Lord) to be respected, their King — to be obeyed.
1. The Failures of the Priests — the Leaders • 2:1 — “if you do not …”, “if you do not …” disobedience resulted in curses. • v. 3 — Life would be like the garbage tip … blessings turned to curses. • v. 4 — Yet for Levi the way had been … curses turned to blessings. Jacob said, “Simeon and Levi … have killed men in their anger … Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel.” Gen. 49:5-7 Moses said, “[Levi] teaches your precepts and your law … He offers … whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless all his skills, O Lord”Deut. 33:10-11 God is unchangeably God He is to be honoured, respected and obeyed, and his laws cannot be disregarded.
1. The Failures of the Priests — the Leaders (b) 2:8 “… you have caused many to stumble” • 2:7 — “A priest ought to preserve knowledge… because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.” Scripture is God’s word to humankind, and must not be neglected. • 2:8 — “But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi” says the Lord Almighty.
2. The Failures of the People — the Followers (2:10-16) • God was Father to his people … their status as the family of God • God was Creator of his people … their origin in the purpose of God • This unique relationship was formalized in covenants But … 2:10 “Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?” (profane = misuse, defile, treat with contempt)
2. The Failures of the People — the Followers How did they “profane the covenant”? 2:11 “Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.” • They broke covenants with God by distorting the use of their God-given sexuality 2:14 “You have broken faith with … the wife of your marriage covenant.” • They broke covenants with each other by distorting God’s requirements to suit their own ends
2. The Failures of the People — the Followers They broke covenants with God by distorting the use of their God-given sexuality 2:11 “Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.” Marriage does not only involve two people… it matters to God as well • Detestable = revolting or vile. Desecrated = violated or profaned. • Such behaviour desecrated God’s temple and so disgraced God. • God did not condemn marriage, but marriage to someone who served a foreign god (idol). • The practice seems to have become widespread.
2. The Failures of the People — the Followers They broke covenants with each other by distorting God’s requirements to suit their own ends 2:13 “You weep and wail because [the Lord] no longer pays attention to your offerings …” 2:14 “You have broken faith with … the wife of your marriage covenant.” 2:15-16 “Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith …” • Some had divorced their Jewish wives to marry foreign women. • Marriage was a significant covenant between people, with God as a witness — but that covenant had been broken in those cases. • Covenants depended upon exclusive, loyal and consistent love. • These people tried to adapt God’s laws to suit their own ends.
SUMMARY — of this Section The ineffective Leaders — • failed to obey covenant requirements about sacrifices … they had a low view of God • failed to teach the law … they neglected God’s word But that was in 450 BC … What does it mean today? The disobedient People — • failed to understand their sexuality … and tangled up their marriages • failed to follow God’s ways … and slipped into ugly self-centredness
SUMMARY — of this Section What About Today? • Under the New Covenant … “Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength.” “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Mk. 12:30-31 • God seeks our exclusive, loyal and consistent love • What we believe and how we behave … depends on our worldview, and marks us out from others
WORLDVIEWS — One With God, One Without God GOD A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW THE WORLD PEOPLE GOD OR A HUMANISTIC WORLDVIEW THE WORLD PEOPLE
SUMMARY — Challenges for Us (a) Regarding our Leaders • Pray for them as those responsible to God for us. • Assess their work in the light of the bible. • Gladly follow them.
SUMMARY — Challenges for Us (b) Regarding us as Followers • Understand and express our God-given sexuality in the context of God’s creative purpose for us as his people who bear his image. • Commit ourselves to wholeheartedly love God and each other, particularly with respect to our marriages, our families, and God’s family. • Resolutely resist the insidious pressures of humanistic worldviews to twist God’s purposes to suit our own desires. • God loves (and so disciplines) his people, but hates the tactics they use to try and get their own ways.
MalachiGod’s Messenger … and Ours! Part 3: THE LORD WILL COME 2:17 – 4:6 NEXT WEEK
Personal reflection and prayer . . . Our leaders … Ourselves … Our marriages … Our families … Our church family ...