June 14-18, 2010

For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. Malachi 2:7

This week we begin our final footsteps with the last of the twelve Minor Prophets. I don’t think it is any coincidence that there is one minor prophet for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We have heard God plead with His people to turn from their sins before He brought punishment and exiled them to Babylon. We have watched as a group of exiles returned to their homeland to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. We have shaken our heads at the stubbornness of those who, in spite of all they had been through, began to act like their forefathers, somehow forgetting that they had been humiliated and exiled for these same actions. Talk about slow learners!!! - aren’t we?!?! Before moving on to the conclusion of the Old Covenant, Nehemiah goes over the events of the returned exiles. Their positions - priests, Levites, gatekeepers, etc.- are put down on record, never to be forgotten.

Continually Nehemiah calls on God to remember! He calls him to remember the good that he had done, the bad that those who opposed God’s work had done, and to remember the words God had spoken to His people. Nehemiah was aware that someday God will open books of remembrance, and he made sure the good, the bad, and the ugly were written down as a reminder. Nehemiah was confident that he had done all he could do to live his life to honor God’s name, and without fear, he asks God to remember his deeds. What a faith walk! You can be sure that Nehemiah was not a perfect man, but he knew he had lived his life before God as righteously as possible.

Later in the week, we hear from Malachi, whose name means “ My messenger,” or “My angel.” Make sure you tuck that information away for a later time. We will be considering it again in a few months. One would hope that when the exiles returned from captivity they would remember all that God had said and done to them as a nation, and to some degree they did. Unlike the time before their captivity in Babylon, God’s words are not in regard to their idolatry. God’s displeasure results from more subtle sins. As we consider God’s words to that generation, we can easily hear the warning for our generation. God’s rebuke, as usual, begins with the priests. They had adopted the policy “Anything goes!” They presented to God whatever the people brought, even if they knew that the animals they received were unfit to present as an offering. When confronted with their sin, they were unable to admit their guilt. God’s promised curse to rebuke the seed the people planted would have a direct affect on the priests since they received their food from the offerings brought by the people. With little or no crops, the priests would be the first to feel the pressure.

God also held the priests and Levites accountable for not preserving the knowledge of God, by failing to give the people proper instruction. The Levites had been called to be the teachers of God’s Law. They were to be scattered among the people to assure that there was proper teaching and understanding of God’s commands. But unfortunately they taught their own ways as truth and caused the people to stumble. This is an interesting thought when you consider the teachings of the rabbis after their captivity in Babylon. In an effort to never break the Law of God again, the teachers of the Law put fences of protection to keep them safe. For example, one of the laws said that a kid should not be boiled in his mother’s milk. To be sure that never happened, they forbid the people to consume any kind of milk or milk product in the same meal with meat. To this day, you quickly learn not to order a cheeseburger in Israel!!! They substituted the spirit of the Law with the letter of the Law, only to find they had created their own man-made laws. Instead of keeping the people on the straight and narrow, it caused them to leave God’s paths and walk on rocky roads that caused them to stumble.

Not only had the priests and Levites failed to live God’s ways, so had the people. Intermarriage continued to be a problem. Adultery, divorce, and compromise were acceptable practices. They justified their actions by saying that everyone is good in God’s sight. Human nature never changes! Today the most sordid sinners are eulogized as worthy of entering into God’s presence when they die. They are praised as if heaven is richer because they have been welcomed in. Belief that all men are good and accepted in God’s sight is a popular teaching today. What’s God’s response to their arrogance? JUDGMENT IS COMING!!!

God called the people to return to Him. What was their reply? “Why should we return? We’ve never left!” God’s proof of their unfaithfulness still causes a stir of obstinacy in people today. What proved the stubbornness of their hearts? They neglected to bring the tithe! God’s words are quite clear, “You have robbed Me!” Ten percent of all that God blessed them with was to be given back to Him as an offering. It was and is His portion and it belonged to Him. They were welcome to do as they pleased with the other 90%, but the tithe was to keep God’s priests and His service going. The priests and Levites lived off what was brought since they had no inheritance in the land. God had promised that He would be their inheritance. They would live off the offerings that were presented to Him. God had just chastised the priests for their failure to live godly and teach His Word properly, and yet He reprimands the people for their failure to bring them the tithe. One might ask, “Why should they bring the tithe to these wayward priests?” The answer is quite simple – the tithe is not ours, it belongs to God. Whether it is being used rightly or wrongly, it is still not ours to keep! It is God’s provision for His ministers and His ministry. One day, those of us who have served as ministers will have to give an account for what we did with the monies we received. We will be judged by our honesty and faithfulness! But God makes it clear that each of us will stand before Him to answer for what we did with the tithe that belonged to Him. As individuals, our responsibility is to present it as an offering to God. In spite of what His ministers do, God’s promise is that He will bless those who honor Him!!!

On Friday we meet Joel, the last of the twelve Minor Prophets. It is generally believed that Malachi was the last prophet of the Old Testament, but there are those who would argue that it was Joel. Unlike the others we have walked with in our journey, it is impossible to narrow down the years of Joel’s prophetic ministry. There are several reasons why it would fit just about any time period of Israel’s history. Obviously that is the way God intended it! The bottom line is that when God’s judgment comes, it strips the land bare. Conversely, God is merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. Heartfelt repentance moves His heart to bless His people. The call to change is issued to EVERYONE – elders, children, bridegrooms, brides, and priests. All are called on to examine their lives and turn to God while there is still time. As we have already seen, Joel’s words cannot be narrowed down to a specific generation. His message is as relevant today as it was in the generation he lived. And so is God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on all who believe!