Malachi 3

6–7 The Jews in Malachi’s time thought that God had abandoned them, that He had broken His covenant with them. But God tells them: “I . . . do not change. I keep my covenant. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed” (verse 6). Even though Israel had been unfaithful, God never abandoned His people; He always preserved a remnant so that the descendants of Jacob” would never be completely destroyed. God kept reaching out to His disobedient people. And here in verse 7, He again says: ”Return to me, and I will return to you” (see Jeremiah 29:13; Zechariah 1:3; James 4:8). To “return” to God, Israel had to repent and turn away from sin.¹³

8–12 The Jews, ever doubtful, asked God, “How are we to return?” (verse 7). They didn’t really believe they needed to repent. Neither do most people!

So God gave them an example of their sin:they did not bring to Him their required tithes and offerings¹⁴ (verse 8). In effect, they were robbing God. Robbery is not just stealing what is not yours; it is also withholding what rightfully belongs to another. So God placed the whole nation of Judah under a curse.¹⁵ The people may have excused themselves from giving their tithes because of hard times, but the hard times had come because of their refusal to give their tithes!

God says: Bring the whole tithe into the (temple) storehouse . . . and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven (verse 10). If we are generous toward God, He will be generous toward us-more than generous! If we put God first, He will meet all our needs (Matthew 6:33). If we obey Him, He will reward us and pour out His blessings upon us (Leviticus 26:9–10; Deuteronomy 28:12). And when He does that, the nations will call us blessed (verse 12); and we, in turn, will give all the honor to God (Matthew 5:16).

While all this is true, there is a danger one must guard against:we must not worship and obey God for the sake of rewards and blessings; we must worship and obey God for the sake of God alone. True, it’s not possible in this lifetime to worship God with totally unselfish motives, but with the HOLY SPIRIT’S help we must press on toward that goal (see Matthew 5:45; Philippians 3:12–14).

13–15 Here again we see the blindness of the Jews in Malachi’s day—their blindness to their own sin. They don’t even realize they have been saying harsh things about God (verse 13). Yet they have said: “It is futile to serve God; what good has it done us?” (verse 14). In verse 15, Malachi adds that the people have moved so far away from God’s standards that the arrogant are called blessed, evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge (oppose) God escape punishment.

Consider what has happened to these returned Jewish exiles. Eighty years earlier their parents had finished rebuilding the temple (Ezra 6:14–18). They were filled with joy and zeal. But then things began to slide. Their worship became formal; they looked merely for material blessings and stopped seeking God with all their heart. Then they began to disobey God’s commands. And here, in Malachi’s time, they were hardly aware that they were opposing God.

Christians today need to learn from the book of Malachi; they need to understand that these same things can happen to them. SATAN’s most dangerous weapon against the church is subtlety and deception; he wants us to think we are serving God when actually we are not. We become apathetic, even blind; we self-righteously say to God: ”What have we said (or done) against you?” (verse 13). In this book, Malachi has given us the answer.

16–18 However, some (a remnant) among the Jews had remained faithful; they feared the Lord¹⁶ (verse 16), and as a result, their names were written on a scroll of remembrance (see Psalm 69:28; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Revelation 3:5). ”They will be mine,” says the Lord (verse 17); they will be part of my treasured possession” (see Exodus 19:5). When the faithful remnant is spared, then people’s eyes will be opened and they will see the distinction between those who truly serve God and those who do not (verse 18). Then it will be clear that in spite of difficulties in this life there is indeed great gain in serving and revering God (see Malachi 4:1–2; 1 Timothy 6:6).