Malachi 3 - Serve God righteously
Outline
- Judgement & consequences of wickedness (Mal 3:1-12)
- Remember the first love of serving God (Mal 3:13-18)
Background
Two possible dating
- Some believed that Malachi’s ministry was during the time of Ezra & Nehemiah post Zechariah.
- Some minority placed him after Ezra-Nehemiah period.
Timeline of second temple period
- Plundered by Babylonian empire
- Remnants exiled to Babylon (Chronicles, Jeremiah)
- Persian empire take over (Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Isaiah, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel)
- Remnants return to Jerusalem (Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah)
- Rebuilding of the temple (Ezra, Nehemiah, Zechariah)
Reformation by Nehemiah
Nehemiah 13:4–14 (NRSVue) 4Now before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God and who was related to Tobiah, 5prepared for Tobiah a large room where they had previously put the grain offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. 6While this was taking place I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon I went to the king. After some time I asked leave of the king 7and returned to Jerusalem. I then discovered the wrong that Eliashib had done on behalf of Tobiah, preparing a room for him in the courts of the house of God. 8And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the room. 9Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back the vessels of the house of God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. 10I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers who had conducted the service had gone back to their fields. 11So I contended with the officials and said, “Why is the house of God forsaken?” And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. 12Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses. 13And I appointed as treasurers over the treasuries Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant Hanan son of Zaccur son of Mattaniah, for they were considered faithful, and their duty was to distribute to their associates. 14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and do not wipe out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.
Devotional meditation
Continue from the previous chapter, where the text encourages the reader to be faithful to the Lord, this chapter paint the illustration of cleansing, purifying & refinement. Think of the end result what comes out after this process. Like gold refine by fire becoming pure gold that shines, better conductivity, increased value. With this in mind, let it be a preparation of heart & let our mindset be transform and renewed by the Holy Spirit that this process is beneficial in our walk with God.
From the context of the historical background in the second temple period, it was messy and chaotic in rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. By reading about the reformation in Nehemiah 13, it was obvious that Eliashib the priest & Tobiah, the governor of Ammon, who opposed Nehemiah’s rebuild of Jerusalem’s wall were corrupted by misusing the funds that were meant for the house of the Lord. So with that back story in mind, now it makes much more sense to connect it back to Malachi 3:8. Logically, if the people knew that if there’s corruption, normally the resources will stop flowing to it or in a more oppressive condition, people were not given any choice even when they are against corruption strongly. So here God called them out thru Malachi, rebuking them in the hope that they will repent & turn back to the Lord.
As for those who serve the Lord & under oppression by the wickedness around them, Malachi’s exhortation from the Lord was a reminder that God is not blind as it will be even more obvious in this darkness who are the ones that truly serve God from the heart. Let us take solace in knowing that God knows and that the process of refinery is beneficial in the end. As for those who are under oppression, trust in Him for He is faithful. Let it also be a reminder that there’s a way back to the Lord thru repentance & to also shun from wickedness.