Malachi

Our ladies have gone outside their biblical "comfort zone" this year in Bible study. We studied the Old Testament book of Nehemiah in the fall. And, if that wasn't "unheard of" enough, we continued with the Old Testament prophet, Malachi, in the spring. Turns out, these two men were contemporaries. Nehemiah helped motivate and organize the Jewish people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem after their return from Babylonian captivity. Malachi moderated a "Q&A" session between God and the Israelites, helping the people to see life from God's point of view.

Our final question yesterday in our study of Malachi was, "What do you consider the most valuable thing you've learned from Malachi?"

So, here we go:

1. We matter to God. I know that sounds obvious, but I mean, He really wants to spend time with us.
"'I have loved you,' says the Lord." (Malachi 1:2 New International Version)
2. We can ask questions of God. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?'" (Malachi 1:2 New International Version) But we need to show respect for God's character of love. Unfortunately, the Israelites did not do this in Malachi's day.
3. God has lavished love on us. A sane and rational response is to give him good gifts in return. Just as a good wife would give her husband thoughtful and good gifts when he lavishes love, attention and affection on her. "'When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?' says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 1:8 New International Version)
4. God wants us to be confident in His love and provision for us. "My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace." (Malachi 2:5 New International Version) He does not want us to be arrogant, as the entitled priests became, focusing on material gain and polluting God's altar with greed. "For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction--because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble.'" (Malachi 2:7,8 New International Version) Neither does God want us to live in fear and insecurity (which, like arrogance, is just another way of taking our focus off of God's love and provision and putting it back on ourselves!) The Israelites' doubt of God's love for them, voiced in Malachi 1:2, "How have you loved us?", was hurtful to a God who had protected, loved and preserved them.
5. Our words can either bless and edify God or can hurt him emotionally. God has a personality and a character, just like we do. Although He is utterly confident in His own Being, He truly desires to have a relationship with us, and it hurts him when we criticize His loving ways and complain about His provision:
"'You have said harsh things against me,'" says the Lord. (Malachi 3:13 New International Version)
6. God's desire for His people is that they live and teach His ways to other people around them. When they do that, they will experience untold blessing from God. "'You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,' says the Lord Almighty. 'Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,' says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 3:9-12 New International Version)
7. God's plan for His people is to bring healing, not division:
 "'I hate divorce,' says the Lord God of Israel, 'and I hate a man's covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,' says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith."  (Malachi 3:16 New International Version)
"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall." (Malachi 4:2 New International Version)
"'My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,' says the Lord Almighty." (Malachi 1:11 New International Version)

And what did we do with our newly discovered or re-discovered truths about God's character?

1. We collected a huge treasure chest, spilling over, with clothing and jewelry that we actually really like and is still in style! We are taking it to the Evangel Home, a Christian shelter for women, on Tuesday, April 22, where we will tour the facility as a group and have lunch there with the ladies. We want to give God our best.

2. We collected our questions, fussings and stopped-up hopes (prayers and hopes we've nearly given up on). We put them in jars as a faith offering to God, saying we believe He is big enough to answer our questions in the best way, quiet our fussings and renew our hope in His goodness and faithfulness.

It has been a wonderful study year. I'm glad we stretched ourselves!

--Posted by Mama O.