Malachi 3:1-18
Thursday, 17 November 2022
“On the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.”– Malachi 3:17
Malachi addresses a nation who had returned from exile and settled in their Promised land yet were looking to the fulfilment of many prophecies connected to the coming of the Messiah. They went into a life of complacency, which was reflected in many areas of life, even their worship. Yet there was a remnant who feared the Lord and kept His way- to them God said, “they will be my treasured possession.”
To them who had gone astray, the Lord says, ‘“Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.’ (V.7) In the previous verses, the Lord says, He would be like a refiner’s fire and launderer’s soap, to cleanse the priests that their offering would be right before God. This pointed to a restoration of worship in the right way.
Then the Lord speaks of another path of return: to bring their whole tithes to the storehouse of God! God asks them to test Him in this so that He would pour out a blessing into their lives. If they honoured Him in this manner, He would keep their crops being devoured or wasted. He would prosper them thus …“Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.
While God would bring judgment to the wicked, He would reward the righteous! God doesn’t forget! “A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.” (V.16). Dear brothers and sisters, no matter how much you may feel that God doesn’t see or remember you…He does! Your commitment and service for Him and His Kingdom won’t be forgotten!
The key verse points to His children being His “treasured possession!” This takes us to the promise He made to the Israelites at Mount Sinai- “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people…” (Exo.19:5). The promise is conditional- obey His voice and keep His covenant. We see that His people failed several times to do so and they bore the consequences of their disobedience. They were oppressed by their enemies, destroyed and even taken on exile to alien nations. Yet God’s love and mercy pursued them; He remembered His covenant to Abraham- “…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen.12:3) and the promise: “…and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” (Gen.22:18). As promised in the first verse, He sent ‘the messenger of the covenant’ to fulfill the promise- the Saviour, Christ Jesus, through whom we receive salvation! Galatians 3:14 says, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Thus anyone, who comes to Christ will become His treasured possession. 1 Peter 2:9&10 says: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Dear brethren, we have obtained His mercy! We are His special possession! But we have this great responsibility- to make Him known to the world! Let us thank God for this great privilege and yet not fail to carry on the great responsibility!
Prayer: LORD Jesus, Thank You that I am Your special possession. Help me to carry out the great responsibility that comes with this great privilege. Amen
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