How Do You Know God's Love? - Malachi 1:1-5 (Sermon)
Welcome
Thank you, Worship Team. It is good to be with you. [PAUSE] Have you ever struggled with skepticism? Have you ever wondered if God truly loves you? Today, we will explore these questions (and more) with the Italian prophet Malachi. [PAUSE] (That is not how you pronounce his name. He was Jewish, and we pronounce it Malachi. Now, let’s see if I can get it right.)
GOOD TIMES
Our text this morning begins with a message of God’s love. Seeing and saying God is loving can be easy when life is good. I know this from my personal experience. There are so many blessings in my life.
I have good health and financial stability.
I have shelter, food, and clothing.
God has given me six kids,
A wonderful wife,
And belief in him.
For all express purposes, I am one of the richest men on the planet. [PAUSE]
BAD TIMES
But what if life isn’t so? How would I respond to someone telling me God loves me when I am suffering? Or, if all I can see is injustice? Such a message can feel insensitive or out of touch.
SUFFERING
I have suffered.
People have sinned against me.
In elementary school, a neighbor hurt me deeply.
I haven’t had all the money I could want; I have had to work and sometimes receive help to make ends meet.
Growing up, the way God made me, I learned differently than some. So, I had to have a tutor and remedial classes, which caused me some serious shame and embarrassment.
In light of my trials, I could be skeptical of God’s love and greatness. I guess it is perspective.
ISRAEL
The people of Israel had a negative perspective on God. They were not convinced of his message of love. They struggled. Life was not great for them. How could they receive his message? How could they accept it? How could they hear him? This passage introduces this dilemma and can help us explore an answer. To get a picture of their suffering, how about a story? [PAUSE]
STORY
It is a true story of a boy whose name means “helped by God.” In his childhood, an enemy army crossed the border into his land. They entered villages and towns, burned homes, killed parents, abused women, and stole property and people. He survived to be enslaved hundreds of miles away from what he knew. His captors sought to brainwash him. If they treated him like other males, they castrated him so that he could never have children, permanently changing his testosterone and keeping his voice high, making him a eunuch. They wanted him to forget where he came from and who he was.
RESULT
Tragedy like that is perverse. What did he do to deserve that? Why would God allow that? Such loss could have led to skepticism, unbelief, bitterness, doubt, and rage. Yet, he didn’t lose his hope or faith. He didn’t become disillusioned. He had a profound confidence in God.
NEW NAME
His new name was “Servant of Nego.” Nego, also known as Nebo and Nebu was the Babylonian god of scribes, literacy, and wisdom. Our Bible calls this boy Abednego. With him, several other youths stood up to the dietary pressure from their captors. As they matured, they worked the best they could. However, one day, the ruler of the land decreed a command that they needed to worship a statue of him. That command violated what God instructed in the Bible. If boys were going to disobey, it would be to the king, not their God, Yahweh. The consequence was execution by fire, thrown into a fiery furnace. You probably recall the story. Miraculously, they didn’t burn up. They didn’t know what God would do. The guard throwing them in didn’t either. He got incinerated; they were unscathed. They didn’t even smell like smoke. It was incredible. God chose to spare them to live another day and die another way.
ISRAEL
I bring Abednego up because he was more like the people of Israel than you or I. And he believed in God’s love and saw and spoke of God’s greatness. Israel:
They lived under the thumb of a foreign power, Persia.
They had family members who were enslaved.
They hadn’t seen injustice.
The cup looked half-empty.
God had promised
That the land would flow milk and honey.
They would have a king who would reign forever.
They would be a blessing to the nations.
Now, the nation was more like an afterthought or joke and kingless with only a fraction of their land. How could God be loving, powerful, and good? From reading Malachi, it seems people believed that God was more of a myth or an evil tyrant. Either their suffering was his fault, or his promises were in vain. Israel was a shell of what it once was, roughly 20 by 30 square miles with a population of Berrien County, 150,000 people. That is 6 to 7% of their glory days.
TEXT
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s look at our specific passage together right now. I am going to have S.K. read for us. Would you stand with me in honor of God’s Word?
The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi. “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’ ” Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, “Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!” (Malachi 1:1–5, ESV)
PRAYER
Thank you, let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for your Word and for your love. Convince us and woo us. You are great. May we see that more and more. May we see that this morning and keep that perspective throughout the week. In Jesus’s name, we pray, amen. You may be seated.
STRUCTURE
The structure of these five verses is interesting. The first verse, like many of the prophets, introduces the entire book.
Vs. 1- Introduction to the book
It tells us:
Who was writing,
The type of writing,
And the audience.
God is speaking through the prophet named Malachi, which means messenger. The form is an oracle, which is another word for a burden. It is written but likely spoken. We don’t hear much of Malachi’s voice. God is the one talking to his people, the nation of Israel.
Vss. 2-5 God’s Love toward Israel Demonstrated Through Judgment on Edom
The other verses describe an interaction between God, Edom, and Israel. God says something, and Israel disputes it. This happens over and over throughout the rest of the book. God’s people act like rebellious teenagers. They keep testing God. In our Sunday school class, we read the entire book. It sounded like Joel, Obadiah, and other prophets. Yet, it details specific sins of the people. The tone and context suggest that Israel's first question is more skeptical than sincere.
LOVE LANGUAGES
In verse 2, God tells his people he loves them. They doubted it. It was like they said, “Prove it.” How does anyone prove their love? A few years back, we invited Gary Chapman to join us at our church and teach the five love languages for a marriage conference our group of churches was putting on for pastors. I like the simplicity of his categories. Does anyone know what the five love languages are?
[There are:
Words of Affirmation,
Gifts,
Acts of Service,
Meaningful Touch,
and Quality Time.]
What is your love language?
TEVYE
This discussion of love languages reminds me of the classic movie Fiddler on the Roof. The main character, Tevye, asks his wife, Golde, if she loves him. She balks, “Do I love you?” Then, in musical fashion, they sing. She details how she showed her love for him in her acts of service for twenty-five years. Ultimately, she supposes, and he supposes back, that they love each other. It is endearing.
VERSE 2
So, God uses words of affirmation to communicate his love. Again, if you lower the expectation of making Israel great again or ignore the injustices that they felt they were suffering, I would think that when God writes, “I love you,” they would be floored. It is like being a freshman and getting to go to the prom. This kind of affection is out of one's league. But no. They want more proof. Or, maybe they don’t. God is going to give his love, regardless.
VERSE 2-3
How did God respond to their unbelief? Look at verses 2 and 3.
“Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1:2–3a, ESV).
God responded to the question rhetorically with genealogy and history.
JACOB AND ESAU
If you recall, Abraham had one son named Isaac with Sarah. Isaac inherited Abraham’s covenant promise, which included land and a great nation. Isaac married Rebekkah, and they had twins Jacob and Esau. As a young adult, Esau came home famished, wanting Jacob’s stew, so he sold his birthright to him. Not smart. When their dad, Isaac, reached the end of his life, he was ready to give his blessing and inheritance to Esau. Jacob got wind of this and tricked his father so that he could steal Esau’s blessing. It worked. So he had the blessing and birthright. Esau was furious and plotted to kill him. Both brothers were crummy. Yet, God loved Jacob but hated Esau. God brings this up because Israel was a direct ancestor to Jacob, and Edom was a direct ancestor to Esau. Why was God partial? A part of me reads that and thinks that is unfair.
PAUL
The apostle Paul raised this same concern in his letter to the church of Rome.
“What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part?” (Romans 9:14a, ESV).
He answered his own question:
“By no means!” (Romans 9:14b, ESV).
How could he say that?
DEUTERONOMY 7
Travel back in time to Moses’s day to understand God’s heart. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 7. That is the fifth book of the Bible. Moses was talking to the second generation. Look at verse 6. He said:
“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6, ESV).
God’s people had privilege, special status, and inequality. Why? Why were they chosen? If we keep reading, we find out why:
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love. (Deuteronomy 7:7–9a, ESV)
If God had loved and chosen them, why did he allow so much suffering and injustice in their lives? Why was he long to fulfill his promises?
MOSES
If we jump ahead in Deuteronomy chapter 28, we see why. Moses told God’s people this:
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth…. The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways…. But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you…. The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Deuteronomy 28:1, 7, 15, 25, ESV)
God’s people were reaping what they sowed in their exile and return, like a parent allowing their child to manage his or her schedule and missing an assignment. They were suffering for their collective disobedience as a nation. God allowed consequences to show his love. The world was broken. Sin wrecked paradise. God didn’t abandon his people; they abandoned him. He was being patient with his people. He sent prophets to call them back. Malachi was one of those. Some people will respond in faith. Some will see and say he is excellent. Others will question and resist. Malachi is four chapters long and wraps up the Old Testament, and it looks forward to the New. It predicts another Malachi or messenger, named Elijah, who would make way for a Messiah. Who was he? He was not the reincarnated prophet, but John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah. John, the apostle, wrote:
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:6–13, ESV)
The ultimate cause of God’s mercy was his character, not man’s. He is the King and the one choosing, not God’s people. He operates on his own timetable, not ours. Yet, he cares about how people respond, and humans are responsible for rejecting him and his ways.
PARENTING
It reminds me of parenting. I love my kids. Why? Because I do. They are mine. They could do anything or nothing, and I will love them. I would sacrifice my life for them. God’s love for his children is like that. Well, Paul pointed back to God’s interaction with Moses. He quoted in Exodus 33:19. God says:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion” (Romans 9:15, ESV).
Why does God look mercifully on one and not the other? Paul writes:
“It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy” (Romans 9:16, ESV).
Why? God’s love and mercy are based on him, not us. If things were based on our character, we all would be in a world of hurt. Everyone in the world is unrighteous (Romans 3:10). Paul explained that we all have been enemies of God since our earliest days (Romans 5:8). If that is so, we all deserve to be hated by God. Another illustration that has helped me understand God’s love and mercy is a picture of us all running away from him. And he sees us and, with his giant hand, chooses to turn some of us around.
1 PETER 2:19
Most of us are neither Jewish, and none of us are Edomites. So, what does God think of us? Are we loved or hated or what? God says of those of you who have faith in Christ something very similar to what he says to his people in Malachi:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9–10, ESV)
God adopts those who believe Jesus came, lived, died, and rose for sin. If that is you, God loves you.
HATRED
Now, how did God show his love to Israel? Go to Malachi chapter 1, verse 2.
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.” (Malachi 1:2–3, ESV)
Why? Why would God do that? Well, just as God exiled Israel for their disobedience, God was punishing Edomites because they were ruthless toward his kids. He is setting the bully straight. And if you think of Abednego, no one could bring back his parents from the dead. If he was abused, no one could undo that. Edom’s demise is a picture of God’s powerful, perfect justice. They had:
Not let Israel walk through their land on the way to the Promised Land.
They approved and took pleasure in the destruction of Israel by the Babylonian nation.
They profited and participated in their killing, destroying, and enslaving Israel.
God issued justice to Edom.
EDOM’S RESPONSE
How does God say Edom responds? Verse 3b:
“Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins’” (Malachi 1:3b, ESV).
Edom experienced God’s hand of discipline but countered, “Go ahead, I don’t care.” This was like a fist and finger to God, not a lament or tears. That kind of attitude shows how bad they were. The crazy thing is that God’s people acted like Edom in their attitude and language. This is a good time to reflect. How do we react to God? [Pause]
GOD’S RESPONSE TO EDOM’S RESPONSE TO GOD’S RESPONSE TO EDOM’S RESPONSE
How we respond matters to him. Go back to Malachi chapter 1, verse 4.
“The LORD of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever’ ’ ” (Malachi 1:4, ESV).
God will bring the final word to the situation. He gave Edom two additional names, “Wicked Country” and “People with whom the LORD is angry forever.” Those are bad. What do you want God to call you? [Pause]People can say what they want, but God is real. As the Babylonians fell out of power, their king fled through Edom, destroying it. Later, a group called the Nabateans went through what was left in the 400s and wiped them out, pushing the leftovers of Edom north to what would become Idumea, the Greek word for Edom. Over the centuries, this remnant assimilated into the Jewish population, and their identity vanished. They were ruined.
SOVEREIGNTY
When God says he will do something, he does it. Don’t mess with him. He is in control.
He made everything we see.
He commanded the sky to exist. It came into being.
He made the water to exist. It came into being.
He made every animal, insect, bird, fish, plant, fungus, bacteria, and molecule.
Nothing exists that is outside of his purview.
If you think for one second that Edom could resist God’s will, you are wrong. The election of Trump did not fall outside of God’s will, and if that is upsetting to you, God ordained Biden to be in power in 2020. No president, prime minister, police state, policy, pope, or potentate is above God. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is Sovereign overall. The media wants to freak us out to get clicks, ratings, and a following. The politicians want our votes. God wants us to believe his word when he says something.
REASONING
Keep reading Malachi 1:5. God also predicts something else that ties into his desire for our lives.
“Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, ‘Great is the LORD beyond the border of Israel!’ ” (Malachi 1:5, ESV).
God predicts a retributive justice, and two things follow. First, Israel will see it. When God predicts something, it happens. Prophecy bolsters faith.
It doesn’t make God more powerful.
It doesn’t make him more relevant.
It doesn’t make him more truthful or trustworthy.
But it can be a grappling hook to help a climb through suffering like Abednego.
God’s people will ultimately conclude that God is great beyond the border. But that is not all. Israel will verbally identify God’s character. They will articulate God’s greatness. Instead of skepticism, they will proclaim God’s greatness. Instead of calling God into question, they will become his witnesses.
REJECTION OF GOD
How do you respond to God’s love? Are you more like Abednego or Israel? Do you resist, doubt, or disbelieve? Why is that?
Some of you may feel unworthy.
God offers mercy to all who confess their sin and seek him. Slow down, quiet your souls.
LISTENING
Tune into the message God is trying to get through to you. What do you hear? Perhaps more is hindering you from hearing God or receiving his love. What might that be?
Fear,
Complacency,
Embarrassment,
Confusion,
Pride,
Or busyness?
HOW?
How do you listen? He speaks to us in various ways.
The sky and earth demonstrate his power and genius.
People can speak on his behalf.
We can meet God in our dreams.
How do we know what the voice of God is and what late-night pizza is?
He speaks to us definitively through his Word. In Acts chapter 17, God commends the Berean church for testing Paul’s words with Scripture. The Bible is our ultimate rule for discernment. We can ask ourselves if what we say corresponds with the Bible.
APPLICATION
How do these apply to us?
Are you open to seeing and hearing God speak to you today?
Do you see his love?
Do you trust him?
Do you speak of his greatness?
LISTENING
God is speaking. The people, creation, and God’s Word proclaim the truth about who he is to us. What does it look like for you to listen? Or are you resisting that? Take time each day to slow down and listen. For me, I go on a run and talk to God. I speak to God when I wake up and journal. What works for you? Try something out this week.
LOVING
Do you see and trust his love? God loves you. I know that for a fact. The Bible says so. He says that he loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son to earth to die so that you might live and live forever (John 3:16). Maybe you think, “Sure, on a global scale. But his love is more a tolerance than affection. He surely doesn’t love me.” Why be skeptical? Trust in his love. Trust his word.
TRUST
Our world will sell you lots of stuff. Some things might work on one level. Yet, they can’t replace the help and hope of God. Other things the world sells us are wrong. God wants us to trust and follow him, not the world, our flesh, or the devil. Who will you listen to this week? Who will you trust this week? God is here to help you by the power of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAK
Finally, what do you tell others about God? Do you see his greatness across the world? Or do you forget? Do you feel embarrassed about talking about God in public? Let us see God’s work in us so profoundly that we can’t help but tell others of his greatness.
CONCLUSION
Let us be open to hearing from God, recognize his love, and trust his Word.
PRAYER
At this time, I will ask the ushers to come forward to take an offering for the needs of our community while the worship team comes up front to play. Let’s pray in response to the message, for the offering, and for the coming communion time.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. We can miss it. Help us see your love in the good days and bad, in the sunshine and rain, in the snow and heat, in the sorrow and joy, in the fear and peace. Help us to know your love in the ordaining of things going our way and things not. May you get glory in our lives. We pray all this in Jesus’s name, amen.
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