Have you ever been disillusioned? What does it mean? To open someone’s eyes; to shatter someone’s illusions; to pop or break someone’s bubble and to prick or put a pin in someone’s balloon. This expression refers to the fragile nature of both soap bubbles and human illusions. The problem of disillusionment is having expectations that don’t reflect reality. Anyone who has ever cheered for the Vikings knows the feeling of disillusionment (and sorry but you are disillusioned if you think they will win the superbowl this year).
Now as we turn to Malachi 3, we find the Israelites disillusioned – what about? About the Lord God. They believe he’s a fraud! He doesn’t do what he ought to do! They complain about God. They have expected life to be easy, fruitful, wonderful, without problems, without enemies because God was on their side. But God doesn’t do what they expect! So they bitterly complain and reject Him. What’s the problem? They don’t really know him.
Let’s read verses 13-15….
1. Problem: speaking against God!
Accusation of God: you have said “strong” words against me!
Lamenting is something that is found throughout the Bible. Almost every prophet laments – it means to cry out to God in sorrow or complaint in your suffering. At least 60 Psalms are laments. Many of them read like complaints against God – the Psalmist is actually angry and cries out to God about it. Yes, there is a time when we need to pour out our frustration to God – let out the steam.
What is the problem with what is going on here though? They have spoken to each other against God. Beware of speaking against God in the presence of others. Proverbs 21:23 “He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.” We may not understand his ways but does that mean we know better than God. Why do good people suffer and the bad people succeed? Certainly God wants us to express our misunderstandings and sorrows. But be careful not to go so far as to speak against him.
2. Problem: serving God for selfish motives
Notice what the people were doing:
They were performing the Laws. In verse 14 they defend themselves by saying that they were “keeping his charge.” These weren’t some kind of pagans. They were religious and diligent to obey. Basically, they were fulfilling the outward regulations of the law – eating what they should and shouldn’t, performing the proper sacrifices at the right time, not working on the Sabbath, and so on.
They were apparently in repentance. Going on in verse 14 it says they were “walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts.” Probably this is referring to fasting and maybe wearing sackcloth. It was supposed to be an outer sign of an inner repentance.
The question is why? Why did they keep the laws and why did they mourn their sins? The beginning of verse 14 tells us: “You have said, ‘it is vain to serve God. What is the profit?” They served and repented because they expected that they would get some kind of profit.
This word is “basa” and comes from those who weaved cloth. Basa means to cut or tear off whatever cloth is completed and take that cloth for yourself. Usually it referred to cutting off something that was not your own. And so it was a word connected with greed and coveting.
So their goal is totally self-centered: “What can I get out of God for myself? What’s in it for me?” “I’ll serve God and repent but there better be a good payoff!” And this reveals that their works and their repentance were not genuine in the first place. They are serving God not because he is worthy. Not because he is deserving of it. Not because he is God. But because he can give them what they need and what can make them happy. In other words the universe is centered not around God but around them and their happiness. The same is the statement about repentance. They were going around in sackcloth and ashes. NOT because they regretted their behavior and lifestyle. BUT because they can get something from God from repenting and by being religious.
This attitude is in Isaiah 58:3-5 “3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please [literally – you seek your pleasure] and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?” Instead of seeking the Lord’s pleasure – they are seeking their own. It’s all about what one can get from fasting. How they can profit from it.
Now let me ask you – were ANY ONE of the apostles better off in their life after they started following Jesus? Was the Apostle Paul better off? Yes and no. If you call pain, suffering and death better off, from an earthly perspective they were much worse off. They all died martyrs (except for John). Paul had twice as many hardships and was continually rejected because he followed the Lord and lived for him.
Who in their right mind would go through that voluntarily? What is the reason? He wasn’t living for HIMSELF and what he could gain but he was living for God and for what glory God could gain from his life. That is what it means to take up your cross and follow Christ. Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
For example, someone could be weeping and crying and telling me they don’t want to go to hell. They want to go to heaven. They want to live forever in paradise. Now, is this any different than any non-believer in the world? No one WANTS to suffer for eternity. Everyone would like to experience eternal joy and happiness. But we have to return to the original reason for our creation: “to be to the praise of HIS GLORY!” Eph. 1:12. It’s not about ME or YOU. It’s about HIM! We are not here for our own praise and glory – we are here to glorify and honor and bless the king of kings!!
3. Problem: spiritual blindness
They were blind to their spiritual problems as they say in verse 13: “What have we said against you?”
This isn’t even the hardest part of this problem. Man is born in sin and our natural tendency is to be self-centered and not God centered. We don’t see it! Even religious people can be blind and not know it!
How do you cause a blind person to realize they are blind when they think they can see? The only way is a head on collision with reality with the law that you have broken. They can’t perform the Law and they can’t repent – it’s not acceptable to God because they are doing it for wrong motives. For themselves! Our hearts need to be broken. No that is not comfortable – it’s not pleasant – we scream out when we have to admit failure. It’s not popular to talk about the need to be confronted with your failure. Most of the best-selling Christian books are about being successful and blessed but they won’t talk about sin.
In all truth, the law is like a 20 ton truck barreling down the road heading right for us and we will get flattened by it – none of our strength and holiness will get us anywhere when we face that truck because we are covered in sin. Crushed! Flattened! Read the Law of God! Go through the commandments. It will crush your self-righteousness to powder! And only then will your eyes be really open and you will know the fear of the Lord.
But there is another group of people here in Malachi – one who has been crushed but has been revived. Read with me verse 16: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.”
What makes these people different?
1. They fear the Lord and esteemed his Name.
They "fear" the Lord - they have been broken by the Law. They know the power and might of God and his righteousness. They are not serving to glorify their own names but the name of the Lord.
There is only ONE NAME that should be esteemed above all others. The name of Jesus Christ. He is the one source of forgiveness and mercy. Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." When your eyes are opened to your wickedness and sin, turn them to Jesus. He will abundantly pardon and take your sins. He will cleanse you and receive you. For the crushing truck of the Law has already crushed your sins – when Jesus was dying on the cross, the full impact of the law and judgment for all your sins and mine was laid on Jesus. He received the full punishment of our sins. Will you receive what he did for you? Will you bow down and esteem HIS Name – the name of Jesus?
2. They talk with each other.
Notice the different use of their tongue than the first group. Here they apparently used their tongue in a righteous way because the Lord hears them and loves what they are saying.
They could have been speaking of God in great words – esteeming His Name - praising God to one another!
They could have been confessing their sins and trust in the Lord as they return to him.
They could have been defending God’s righteousness to the rest of the people giving testimony.
They could have been ministering to each other in words.
The point is that these people used their God given voices to bring glory to God. Friends, we need to do that more often. Certainly we do that Sunday morning but what about during the rest of the week. Is the Lord on your lips? Are you pointing to the Savior? Are you giving Him glory in the midst of others?
God changes our words when we have been saved.
3. They are beloved of the Lord.
First, his beloved are recorded in his book. the scripture mentions that “a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.” a book of remembrance was
Psalm 56:8 “You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?”
God doesn’t need a book. He knows all but this is to encourage us that God knows and remembers our trials and problems. He pays close attention to all our experiences in life. He writes our names in his book. He has not forgotten or neglected us even if we feel forgotten.
Second, he says that his beloved are his treasured possession. Verse 17: "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.”
Last week we talked about how God owns everything on earth. He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns all the gold in fort knox. He owns all the crown jewels and all the bank accounts in Switzerland. It’s all his.
But here we discover that none of that is a treasure to Him. His greatest treasure is you! How do we know that? Because he paid the greatest price for your soul. His own Son. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friend. You are his friend! The payment has been made – will you allow yourself to be taken as his treasure? Forgiven, redeemed, bought to live in his glory and for his praise? Let’s recommit ourselves to Him now!
