Malachi 2:17-3:15
Ms. Canning was a first year Spanish teacher in 1993 at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School in Palatine, IL and I felt it was my duty to welcome her appropriately to the awkward middle school years. I wish I could say that I and my friends were kind and gracious and welcoming to a new teacher, but like a dog sensing fear, my friends and I sensed the trepidation of this young first year teacher and we pounced on it. We were brutal. We constantly disrupted class, and did not respect her authority. We made her first year very difficult. Ms. Canning soon became very very weary of our behavior.
I will never forget that day she called me into the hallway and said, “Dave, I just do not get it. All your teachers talk about how you are a great student. Kind and respectable, but I just do not see it. You are rude, disrespectful and made this year awful for me. I am just tired of your behavior.” I always knew my behavior was wrong, but it was not until that moment when she called me on my sin that I realized how bad my actions were hurting my teacher. I was wearying her with my poor behavior. Have you ever felt like Ms. Canning? Tired, frustrated and weary with the poor behavior or attitude of others in your life. Maybe as a boss weary with the poor performance and effort of an employee; or as a coach weary with seeing your team make the same mistakes over and over again; or as a parent weary of the constant arguing and complaining of your children.
Or have you ever felt like me as a young, embarrassed junior high school student called out on your poor, sinful behavior? Maybe your behavior was what wearied, frustrated and angered people in authority in your life. Maybe your actions have exhausted or are exhausting the patience of your parents or supervisors. Maybe your actions are exhausting the patience of God. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. `God is patient and kind. And yet, God grows weary with his people who have turned their sinful hearts against him and against his people.
Ms. Canning confrontation in that hallway changed me and her relationship the rest of the year. I became a model student and she became one of my favorite teachers. As I was confronted in that hallway, God called his people into the “hallway” to confront them in their wearying behavior through the prophet Malachi. Israel needed to be confronted with their sin so that they would repent and honor the Lord. I would like to ask you 5 questions through our text today to see whether you are wearying God with your words and actions.
Are you Wearying God with your Words of Justice?
Israel had returned from exile in Babylon and rebuilt the temple. The exile corrected the blatant idolatry of Israel, but did not truly transform the hearts of Israel. Although the nation was orthodox in their beliefs, their behavior revealed their lack of faith in the promises of God. Malachi is arranged with six arguments or challenges to Israel’s thinking. God makes a statement (You have) and Israel questions that statement (How are we) and God then provides evidence to that statement (here is how). We will look at three of those challenges in this section. Malachi 2:17
[17] You have wearied the LORD with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”
Remember the words of Jesus Christ that out of the mouth the heart speaks. When God is challenging their words he is ultimately challenging their hearts. The Lord is wearied with words and actions of his people.
Israel looked around at the people in their day and they were perceiving the apparent prosperity of the people around them as God’s favor and blessing on them. They were saying, “Look around, everyone who does evil is good in God’s sight and he delights in them. They are doing wicked things and God seems to be showing them favor with their wealth and comfort. Their prosperity must mean God approves their behavior.” Malachi then re-words the argument by saying, “it is as if you are saying, ‘Where is the God of justice?’” They were seeing the world with earthly eyes. How often are we tempted to do the same?
The Psalms explicitly tells us not to envy the wicked because we know their end. Psalm 37:1-2, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.” The Asaph writes in Psalm 73:1–3,
[1] Truly God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
[2] But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
[3] For I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked….
[17] until I went into the sanctuary of God’ then I discerned their end.”
Do you envy the prosperity of the wicked? Do you think the freedom and the pleasure and riches they experienced now won’t be punished? The people in Malachi’s day started to believe that the actions of the wicked were not going to be punished because God had not acted yet. And because God had not acted, God approved of the behavior, so they convinced themselves that the behavior was fine and they started to live as if there was no judgment. They were wearing God with their words of his justice, are you?
God reminds his people that the plan has not changed, but he will send his messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah, Malachi 3:1a, “Behold, I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me.” The messenger who will come and prepare the way of the Lord is referring to John the Baptist. Matthew 11:7-8;10-11;13-15
[7] As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [8] What then did you go out to see?…A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
[11] Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he…[13] For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, [14] and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. [15] He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
John the Baptist called the people to repentance much like Malachi is calling people to repentance as they wait and trust in the promise of his coming. God’s plan has not changed. He will act in and at the proper time. Malachi 3:1,
[1] “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
The messenger, John the Baptist, will prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, he is coming. Do not believe that God will not bring his justice, be patient, he is coming.
The key question should not be whether God will bring justice, but will we be able to stand when it comes? Malachi 3:2–4
[2] But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. [3] He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. [4] Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.
Malachi offers two illustrations, a refiner’s fire and a fullers’ soap. The heat from a refiner’s fire was meant to burn off the dross to purify the metal. As the great hymn of the faith, How Firm a Foundation says,
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine
The fuller would use a strong lye soap and after applying it would place it on rocks and beat the clothes with a stick. God will come to purify sinners and refine his people. Who can stand at his coming? The answer is no one. We all will need to be purified and refined by the Holy Spirit so that we would be pure and living sacrifices to the Lord and be pleasing unto Him. Jesus comes in judgment to be judged for us.
Remember the Israelites were struggling with living pure lives before the Lord in the midst of an ungodly people. Instead of being a light to the Gentiles, they were becoming like them. The God of justice will come in judgment, Malachi 3:5,
[5] “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.
God is always a God of justice. He will always act against the evil in our world and in our own hearts. Are you wearing God with your justice? Are you committing adultery in word or deed? Are you bearing false witness? Is there any deception in your words? Are you caring for the widow and the fatherless and the immigrant? Do you fear the Lord?
So much of the justice conversation is out there in society rather than in our own hearts. Are we living lives of justice? Are we practicing social justice meaning are we loving our brothers and our sisters? Are we treating one another in a way that would honor the God of justice? Are you prioritizing God’s eternal justice? Do not weary God with your words, beloved, but live in light of his coming.
Are you Wearying God with your Words of Forgiveness?
The Lord continues to drive home the point to his people that he has not changed and will never change. And it is in his never changing love and justice, that we must hope, Malachi 3:6–7
[6] “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. [7] From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
God is always true to his promises. He is unchanging. The theological term is immutable. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that he was going to bless all the families of their earth through them and the promised seed. The people of Israel continued to turn aside from following the Lord’s words and yet still, the Lord, in his patience and love and forgiveness, says to us, “Return to me, and I will return to you.”
Understand the weight of these words. He is speaking to adulterers, to liars, to oppressors, and all who live without the fear of God before their eyes. And what does God say to these wretched sinners who deserve nothing but punishment and divine justice, “Return to me, and I will return to you.” If you repent of your sins, you will be forgiven. Do you believe God? Do you believe God’s words that if you return to him, he will be with you and forgive and cleanse? I think most of us who commit sins against God, respond like the people of Malachi’s day, “How shall we return?” We may say, “How can I return?”
Friend, if you are here and you are not a follower of Jesus, I want you to consider what God is saying. He is saying that everyone has turned away from keeping his commandments. The punishment for the sinner is to be consumed by his anger. We all deserve God’s wrath, but he has promised not to consume those who turn to him. Why? In eternity past, God made a plan of redemption to save sinners through sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment we deserve for us. God sent Jesus to live the way we were meant to live by keeping his commands. Jesus lived a perfect life and was pure of all evil. In his perfection, he chose to become a perfect sacrifice to pay for the sins of all who would return to God in repentance and faith. And God publicly declared his acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice for sinners by raising him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ answered the question, “How shall we return?” We return to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” Return to God through Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins and put your faith in him.
Beloved, many of you may be wearying God with your words of forgiveness by not trusting that you are forgiven. You may think there are certain sins in your life that put you outside of redemption. Do not weary God by not trusting him! Return to him and he will return to you. If you have repented of your sins and trust in Christ’ life, death and resurrection as your only hope for salvation, you are forgiven. You were bought with a price. Do not weary God saying you can’t be forgiven and that you can’t be changed. Remember Paul’s words to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11
[9] Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, [10] nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
God is all about forgiveness and redemption in Christ. He has not changed so you will not be consumed if you are in Christ. You were washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of Almighty God.
Are you Wearying God with your Words of Giving?
One of the indicators that God’s people were not trusting in him was how they handled their money and wealth. Malachi 3:8–9,
[8] Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. [9] You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
The nation of Israel was commanded to give a tithe or a tenth of their resources to the Lord for the care of the temple and the priesthood. And instead of giving the full tithe they were holding back some for themselves. And the consequences of the holding back was their land was struck with a curse and was not producing the yield to care for their needs.
God does not need their money, but he wants their heart. God answers the question, “How shall we return?” by saying, “Stop robbing God and bring the full tithe into the storehouse.” Jesus says something similar in the New Testament, Matthew 6:19–21; 24
[19] “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…[24] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:19–21; 24)
God wants your heart so he tells you to give him his treasure. If you give God your treasure, he will become your treasure. If you withhold your treasure from, your heart will be divided. You cannot serve God and money, and yet so often try to.
There are multiple promises in bringing the tithe into the storehouse besides mere economic prosperity. God wants to bless Israel as a means to bless the nations. Malachi 3:10–12,
[10] Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. [11] I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. [12] Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts.
The people are robbing God of the full tithe and therefore they are experiencing economic hardships. The crops are being destroyed by some devourer and yield is not providing enough to feed the people. God invites his people to trust him. God says give to me and see if I will not meet your needs. One of the charges brought against the people was that they were not caring for widows and orphans and the immigrants. God wants the nation to be fed but to also feed those in need. Verse 10, I will, “pour down for you a blessing until there is not more need.” As one scholar notes, God will meet our needs not our greeds. He will meet our needs not only so that we would be satisfied but that the promise of Abraham would be fulfilled, “Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.”
The end goal of God’s care for his people is never meant to only care for his people. He cares for his people so that they may care for others. He wants the world to see a community who give generously and who do not have lack so that they would want to know the God we serve. When we give, we get God. And when we get God, the world gets a glimpse of his glory. I am not going to go into the Old Testament vs. New Testament giving and how Christ fulfills the law and the implications for the New Testament. I am happy to discuss that with you later, but I want to hammer this point home, give to the Lord to get the Lord. We give not to get blessing from the Lord for ourselves but we give to the Lord so we can be a blessing to all people.
I am so grateful for the generosity of God’s people here at Park. Your generous giving is opening up new ways that we can be a blessing to our community and the nations. Giving is one way we show we trust the Lord. We give to his work so that the nations will call us blessed and want to know the God we serve. Are you wearying God with your giving or are you delighting God with your giving? Your giving reveals your treasure. You cannot serve both God and money. Serve God and give generously.
Are you Wearying God with your Words of Serving?
The people were losing hope in the value of serving God. They started to believe that all their efforts were in vain. Malachi 3:13–15
[13] “Your words have been hard against me, says the LORD. But you say, ‘How have we spoken against you?’ [14] You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the LORD of hosts? [15] And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’”
They were reversing the words of the Lord Jesus. What does it profit a man to walk with God if you don’t gain the whole world? These people were not experiencing the financial and physical blessings of the wicked so they were throwing their hands up and saying what is the point?
Have you ever been like that? What is the point of serving in the nursery? Why do I do things behind the scenes and no one seems to appreciate it? What’s the point in praying for my kids when they dont change? Why do I teach Sunday School when no one new comes? Why do I try to be a faithful employee when those who don’t work hard are promoted before me? Why are the players who always show up late to practice the ones starting? Do not believe those lies. You are not serving to be seen by men. You are serving the Lord. The Lord sees what you do in secret and he will reward you. Your service for him is never in vain. God will use your service for him to bring him glory and to call people to himself.
Are you Wearying God with your Words of Him?
What do you think of the Lord? In your thoughts, in your quiet space, in your heart of hearts, what do you think of the Lord? You may not verbalize every thought you have about him, but there will be ways that you are tempted to doubt him. Your words against him weary him. He loves you and cares for you. He sent his Son to die for you. He purchased you with his own blood. Do not doubt his love for you. Do not think since the wicked prosper that God will not hold them accountable. Do not think that there is any sin that can keep you from him. If you return to him, he will return to you. God delights in forgiving sinners. He came not for the healthy but the sick. Do not withhold your wealth from the Lord. Put him to the test with your wealth. Give him your firstfruits and see if he does not give you greater joy and purpose and hope and comfort in your relationship with him. God wants to use you to bless others and he wants to bless you more so you can bless others more.
Beloved, I am not merely concerned with how you are living but what you are thinking about the Lord. Are you wearying God with your words about him or are you delighting God with your thoughts of him? Hear the words of what God says of those who delight him in fearing his name, Malachi 3:16–18
[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. [17] “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. [18] Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
You shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not. Do not envy the wicked. Do not doubt the Lord. Do not weary the Lord, but delight in him. You who fear God and keep his commandments, who trust in the life, death and resurrection of Jrsus Christ, the Lord says to you, “You shall be mine. You are my treasured possession.” Beloved, that is far more than we deserve. You are his and He is yours. You are his treasured possession, I pray you make him…yours.
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