Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
4, 2015
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words
Next book: Luke
The person
We don’t know anything about him as a person.
He talks a lot about the priesthood, and some have suggested that Malachi
might have been a priest.
Malachi = “my messenger”
His name comes from the word for “angel” or “messenger”.
The time
Malachi is the last of the Old Testament prophets who would tell of the
coming of the Messiah.
Malachi ministered around the time of Nehemiah.
You will see some of the same problems dealt with in Malachi that Nehemiah
faced – defilement of the priesthood, marriages to foreign wives, and neglect
of tithes and offerings.
We would place his book as having been written somewhere between 450-400
BC, about 100 years after Haggai and Zechariah.
The Temple had been rebuilt, Temple worship had been restarted, but the
people had begun to once again fall into spiritual decline.
The things developing spiritually
in the nation would eventually develop into the sects of the Pharisees and the
Sadducees.
There is a subtle sense of
rebellion and hard-heartedness towards God, reflected in the phrase we will see
throughout the book where they answer an accusation with “In what way …”.
It’s a little like a rebellious
teenager questioning a parent’s authority.
There are eight issues that God
brings up:
Questioning God’s love
(Mal 1:2 NKJV) —2 “I have
loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
No reverence for God
(Mal 1:6 NKJV) —6 “A son
honors his father, And a
servant his master. If then I
am the Father, Where is My
honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of
hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
Polluted sacrifices
(Mal 1:7 NKJV) —7 “You offer
defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table
of the Lord is contemptible.’
Marriage problems
(Mal 2:14 NKJV) —14 Yet you
say, “For what reason?” Because
the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your
wife by covenant.
Confusing what is right and wrong
(Mal 2:17 NKJV) —17 You have
wearied the Lord with your words; “Yet you say, “In what
way have we wearied Him?” In that
you say, “Everyone who does
evil Is good in
the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them,” Or, “Where
is the God of justice?”
Straying from God’s laws
(Mal 3:7 NKJV) —7 Yet from
the days of your fathers You have
gone away from My ordinances And have
not kept them. Return to
Me, and I will return to you,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what
way shall we return?’
Tithes
(Mal 3:8 NKJV) —8 “Will a
man rob God? Yet you have robbed
Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
Harsh words against God
(Mal 3:13 NKJV) —13 “Your
words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, Yet you say, ‘What have
we spoken against You?’
1:1-5 Loved by God
:1 The burden of the word of the Lord
to Israel by Malachi.
:1 burden – massa’
– load, bearing, tribute, burden, lifting
This is a “heavy” message from God.
:1 to Israel
The message is directed to all
twelve tribes.
:2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord.
“Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s
brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet
Jacob I have loved;
:3 But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For
the jackals of the wilderness.”
:2 I have loved you
This is the last book of the Old
Testament, and it begins with a reminder that God loves Israel.
(Dt 10:15 NKJV) The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to
love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as
it is this day.
(Dt 33:3 NKJV) Yes, He loves the
people; All His saints are
in Your hand; They sit down at Your
feet; Everyone receives Your words.
:3 Esau I have hated
Sometimes in the Bible the word
“hate” carries the idea of “loving less”.
(Gen. 29:30-31; Pr. 13:24; Luk
14:26; Mat. 10:37)
(Ge 29:30–31 NKJV) —30 Then Jacob
also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served
with Laban still another seven years. 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved,
He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
(Dt 21:15–16 NKJV) —15 “If a man
has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they have borne him
children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the firstborn
son is of her who is unloved, 16 then it
shall be, on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, that he
must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to
the son of the unloved, the true firstborn.
(Pr 13:24 NKJV) —24 He who
spares his rod hates his son, But he who
loves him disciplines him promptly.
(Mt 6:24 NKJV) —24 “No one
can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or
else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God
and mammon.
(Lk 14:26 NKJV) —26 “If anyone
comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
(Mt 10:37 NKJV) —37 He who
loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son
or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Paul quotes this verse to talk about God’s choices in whom He loves.
(Romans 9:13–16
NKJV) —13 As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” 14 What shall
we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says
to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it
is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.
In our society, we appreciate the freedom to love who we want. We wouldn’t
appreciate it if someone picked out our husband or wife for us – we want to
have that choice to ourselves.
God has a choice who He will love. God can love whomever He wants to love.
He can also choose not to love whomever He wants.
God chose to love Israel (Jacob)
Be careful here of getting
sidetracked on what it means for God to “hate” Esau. The whole point in our text is to point out
that God loves Jacob (the Jews).
:3 laid waste …For the jackals
The descendants of Esau were known
as Edomites.
The land of Esau’s descendants would
be laid waste in coming years.
:2 In what way have You loved us?
Lesson
Don’t question God’s love
Be careful about getting caught up in what it means that God “hates”
Esau. The point is that God LOVES
Israel. That’s who God is speaking to.
God loves us too. Jesus said,
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God’s love for the world was demonstrated in the giving of
His Son for us.
Jesus also said,
(Jn 15:13 NKJV) Greater love has no
one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 5:8 NKJV) But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
You may think that God isn’t going to love you because you
are such a jerk. Yet Jesus died for
sinners, not good guys.
John wrote,
(1 John 3:16a NKJV)
By
this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
The cross is our proof of God’s love for us.
Paul wrote,
(Romans 8:31–39
NKJV) – 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall
bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is
he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall
separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is
written: “For Your
sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all
these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am
persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You may not understand what is going on in your life, but that doesn’t change
the fact that God does indeed love you.
It was proven on the cross.
I need to face my difficulties knowing that God loves me and is for me, not
questioning it.
Sometimes God has bigger priorities in this world than my comfort.
Sometimes God’s priorities may put me in some discomfort,
but it will always be for a greater purpose.
Don’t equate your comfort level with God’s love for you.
:4 Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will
return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They
shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever.
:4 They may build, but I will throw down
The Edomites might try to rebuild, but they will never fully come back.
Nebuchadnezzar not only wiped out Jerusalem in 586 BC, five years later he
invaded Edom as well.
The Nabataeans (550-400 BC), an Arab people, would eventually drive the
Edomites completely from their territory and they would settle in southern
Judah.
Under the Maccabees, the Edomites
were forced to become circumcised and became absorbed into Judaism, though they
were known as Idumean.
The last known Edomite was Herod,
who was an Idumean.
While the Edomites would be scattered and not be allowed to recover as a
nation, Judah had been scattered by the Babylonians, and had rebuilt their
nation.
Even after being scattered again by the Romans in AD 70, they have once
again recovered as a nation.
This was a sign that God did indeed love Israel.
:4 the Territory of Wickedness
People will know that the reason that Edom has been scattered was because
of their wickedness.
:5 Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
:5 The Lord is magnified
beyond …
God is able to work outside of the nation of Israel, demonstrated by how He
would deal with Edom, their enemy.
He’s a “God without borders”. (like “Doctors without borders”)
Now that we’ve established that God loves Israel, how have they returned
God’s love?
1:6-14 Bad Offerings
:6 “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If
then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master,
Where is My reverence? Says the Lord
of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we
despised Your name?’
:6 A son … a servant
It is understood that a son honors
his father.
It is understood that a servant
honors his master.
Since God is both a father and a master to Israel, they ought to be
treating Him with honor and reverence, but they have not.
honor – kabad
– to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be
glorious, be burdensome, be honoured
reverence – mowra’
– fear, reverence, terror
:6 In what way
This is the second time Israel responds to God’s charge with a challenge like
this.
Throughout the book, Israel will repeat this phrase six times (1:2,6,7;
2:17; 3:7,8)
(Mal 1:2 NKJV) —2 “I have
loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
(Mal 1:6 NKJV) —6 “A son
honors his father, And a
servant his master. If then I
am the Father, Where is My
honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of
hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
(Mal 1:7 NKJV) —7 “You offer
defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table
of the Lord is contemptible.’
(Mal 2:17 NKJV) —17 You have
wearied the Lord with your words; “Yet you say, “In what
way have we wearied Him?” In that
you say, “Everyone who does
evil Is good in
the sight of the Lord, And He delights in them,” Or, “Where
is the God of justice?”
(Mal 3:7 NKJV) —7 Yet from
the days of your fathers You have
gone away from My ordinances And have
not kept them. Return to
Me, and I will return to you,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what
way shall we return?’
(Mal 3:8 NKJV) —8 “Will a
man rob God? Yet you have robbed
Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.
It has been suggested that this is simply Malachi’s writing style, but I
can’t help but see something else here.
Lesson
Lose the attitude
You’re going to see throughout this book that Israel has a bit of a snotty,
spoiled-brat attitude.
Remember what they've been through - idolatry,
judgement in Babylon, humility, calling on God, returning to the land,
rebuilding their Temple, and NOW - they complain and challenge God. A sequence
we can all fall into.
Every time God points out something, they challenge it.
It’s important to stay “teachable”.
Solomon had a lot to say about this.
(Proverbs 10:17
NKJV) He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who
refuses correction goes astray.
(Proverbs 12:1 NKJV)
Whoever
loves instruction loves knowledge, But he who hates correction is stupid.
(Proverbs 13:18 NKJV) Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains
correction, But he who regards a
rebuke will be honored.
(Pr 15:5 NKJV) A fool despises his
father’s instruction, But he who
receives correction is prudent.
(Pr 15:10 NKJV) Harsh discipline is
for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.
Illustration
Fred received a parrot for his birthday. This parrot was fully grown with a
bad attitude and worse vocabulary. It was after all a Pirate Parrot. Every other word was an expletive. Those that
weren’t expletives were, to say the least, rude. Fred tried hard to change the
bird’s attitude and was constantly saying polite words, playing soft music,
anything he could think of. Nothing. He yelled at the bird and it got worse. He
shook the bird; it got madder and ruder. Finally, in a moment of desperation, Fred
put the parrot in the freezer. For a few moments he heard the bird squawking
and kicking and screaming expletives, then suddenly there was quiet. Frightened
that he might have actually hurt the bird, he quickly opened the freezer door.
The parrot calmly stepped out onto Fred’s extended arm and said, “I’m sorry
that I might have offended you with my language and actions and ask for your
forgiveness. I will endeavor to correct my behavior.” Astounded at the bird’s
change, Fred was about to ask what had brought this about when the parrot
continued, “Might I ask what the chicken did?”
:7 “You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we
defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord
is contemptible.’
:7 food – lechem
– bread, food, grain
Malachi is referring to the meat of
the sacrifices (vs. 8), not the showbread.
:7 In what way have we defiled
You?
Showing contempt for the
appropriate worship of God is showing contempt for God.
:7 The table of the Lord
is contemptible
The “table” refers to the altar of sacrifice in the Temple.
The “table of the Lord” doesn’t refer to the “communion
table” as we sometimes call it.
It is a reference to the altar of
sacrifice in the Temple.
One of the pictures within the
Jewish sacrificial system was the idea of providing food for God’s “table”.
Some sacrifices had to do with paying for the penalty of sin.
Other sacrifices were more like having a meal with God.
The people of Malachi’s day had a bad attitude towards eating with God.
contemptible – bazah
– to despise, hold in contempt, disdain
:8 And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And
when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your
governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says
the Lord of hosts.
:8 offer the lame and sick
Their contempt for sacrifice was shown by what they sacrificed.
The Law of Moses was clear that you could not use an animal with any kind
of defect as a sacrifice.
(Deuteronomy 15:21
NKJV) But if there is a defect in it, if it is lame or blind or
has any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
(Le 22:20–25 NKJV) —20 Whatever
has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your
behalf. 21 And whoever offers a
sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord,
to fulfill his vow, or a freewill offering from the cattle or the sheep,
it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22 Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer
or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to
the Lord. 23 Either a bull or a lamb that has any limb too long or too short
you may offer as a freewill offering, but for a vow it shall not be
accepted. 24 ‘You shall not offer
to the Lord what is bruised or
crushed, or torn or cut; nor shall you make any offering of them in your
land. 25 Nor from a foreigner’s hand shall you
offer any of these as the bread of your God, because their corruption is
in them, and defects are in them. They shall not be accepted on
your behalf.’ ”
Lesson
Giving the best
Illustration
There was a story about a farmer whose cow gave birth to twins. He was so
excited he told his pastor on Sunday that he was going to give God one of the
calves. The pastor asked if he could come over and look at the calf that the
farmer was going to give to the church. “Not yet” said the farmer, I haven’t
decided which one I’m going to give to the church. A couple of weeks later the
farmer called up the pastor and asked him to pray because one of the calves had
gotten sick. The pastor asked if the farmer had decided which of the calves he
was going to give to the church. The farmer replied, “Not yet”. The following
week the farmer called up the pastor and informed him that he was sorry but
that God’s calf has died.
Illustration
There was a little boy who was going to church on
Sunday, and his mother gave him two dimes, one for him, and one to give to
church. On the way to church, the little boy dropped one of the dimes, it
rolled into the sewer. After church, he stopped and bought some candy. When he
got home, he told his mother about losing the money. She asked him about the
candy. He said, "Oh, It was God's dime that I lost."
No leftovers
I think that sometimes my offerings to God are a little like the next two
meals you had after Thanksgiving dinner – leftovers.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Thanksgiving leftovers, but
they’re never as good as the original meal.
Time
When it comes to the amount of time we give to God, I might
base it on whether or not I think I have any time “leftover” at the end of the
week.
I might want to have a daily time with God, but I never
seem to have enough time “leftover” in the morning before work…
Money
When it comes to the amount of money I might give to God, I
wait until the end of the month and base it on what’s “leftover”.
God promises us that if we put Him at the top of our priority list, He will
take care of everything else.
Jesus said,
(Matthew
6:33 NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.
It’s important to figure out what God wants us to give
FIRST, and do it before anything else, and He will take care of the rest.
I think God would prefer that the
things we might give Him would be the “firsts” instead of “seconds”.
(Ex 23:19 NKJV) The first
of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God…
You need to think
about what amount of time or money you ought to be giving God.
Set that time or
treasure aside FIRST, and then let the rest of your life live on the leftovers.
:8 Offer it then to your governor!
We can do a better job of serving
properly when it’s a boss or some other important person watching us.
Could you imagine having your boss, the governor, or even the president
over to your house for dinner?
What would you serve them?
Leftovers?
Would you run to the nearest
McDonald’s … and rummage in their trash cans for leftovers?
Or would you want to present the
best meal possible?
We often have a better sense of
what is proper when it comes to relating to people on a human level than we do
with God.
:9 “But now entreat God’s favor, That He may be gracious to us. While
this is being done by your hands, Will He accept you favorably?” Says the
Lord of hosts.
:10 “Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, So that
you would not kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in
you,” Says the Lord of hosts,
“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
:10 who would shut the doors
God challenges the priests that there ought to be someone around who has
the courage to shut the doors to the temple in order to prevent the other priests
from continuing to offer bad sacrifices to God.
Shutting the door would be preferable to the bad offerings.
:11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall
be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered
to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
:11 from the rising of the sun
From the east to the west, or another
way of saying, “all around the world…”
:11 My name shall be great among the Gentiles
God is saying that there will be a day when He is worshipped properly even
by Gentiles.
There is some debate as to what
this means.
Some, like the Roman Catholic
Church, say that this means that their form of worship (which does include
incense) is what God is talking about.
Some suggest it is talking about
the time of the Millennium, when there will be a third Temple, and even
Gentiles will come to present acceptable offerings.
Others suggest it might be talking
about us Gentile believers, not in presenting Levitical sacrifices, but
spiritual worship.
When the woman at the well asked
Jesus about where the proper place was to worship God …
(John 4:21–24 NKJV) —21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when
you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for
salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the
hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth.”
The point is that if even the Gentiles will one day figure out pure
worship, how come the Jews are struggling to do it correctly?
:11 pure – tahowr
– pure, clean
:11 offering – minchah
– gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat offering
:12 “But you profane it, In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled; And its fruit, its
food, is contemptible.’
:12 profane – chalal
– (Piel) to profane, make common, defile, pollute
:13 You also say, ‘Oh, what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it,” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the
stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept
this from your hand?” Says the Lord.
:13 Oh, what a weariness!
weariness – matt@la’ah – what a weariness, toil, hardship, weariness
These people didn’t like the idea of giving God their best, so they said
things like, “Oh it’s just too hard to get to church”.
:14 “But cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male, And
takes a vow, But sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished— For I am a
great King,” Says the Lord of
hosts, “And My name is to be feared among the nations.
:14 the deceiver who has in his flock a male
Just like the farmer who gave God the sick calf…
The idea is that a person has made
a vow to sacrifice a male animal to the Lord, but when it comes time to fulfill
that vow, they find a sick or lame animal and sacrifice it instead.
:14 For I am a great King
How do you respond to God, the great King?
Lesson
Worship
Malachi has given us several components to acceptable worship.
Honor
Verse 6 used two different words to describe how we ought to approach God.
The words used in verse 6 are:
honor – kabad
– to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honorable, be glorious,
be burdensome, be honored
reverence – mowra’
– fear, reverence, terror
The word for “honor” carries the idea of “weight”.
If you were to put God on one side of a balance scale and other
parts of your life on the other side, which side would be “heavier”?
The word for “reverence” speaks literally of “fear” or even “terror”.
Video: Russians
are scary
As much as God loves us, when we realize just how big and
powerful He is, there’s a part of us that ought to tremble.
Attitude
The words used to describe the Jews’ attitude toward sacrifice were “contemptible”
(vs. 7) and “weariness” (vs. 13).
The people were “sick” of what they perceived as an obligation to offer
sacrifice to God.
They were “tired” of coming to church.
In contrast, the writer to the Hebrews records,
(Hebrews
13:15 NKJV) Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
Cost
While the people were trying to get away with as inexpensive sacrifices as
possible, true sacrifice is something that ought to cost you.
Towards the end of his reign as king, David had done something quite
offensive to God.
As a result, a plague began to spread across the land.
David realized that he could end the plague if he were to
confess his sin and offer to God an appropriate sacrifice.
A fellow named Araunah stepped up and offered to give
David not only the place to make the sacrifice, but also the wood and the
animals, David realized this wasn’t the right solution. HE was the one who was supposed to bring a
sacrifice, not Araunah.
(2
Samuel 24:24 NKJV) Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it
from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me
nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of
silver.
Note: We no longer need to sacrifice for the
purpose of paying for our sin.
That’s something that Jesus did for us.
Our sacrifices are more like that “dinner with God”,
fellowship with Him.
But when you set the table for God, don’t serve Him leftovers,
serve Him the best.