Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20090118.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Malachi: Replacing Spiritual Callousness With Insightful Sensitivity
Part I: Exchanging The Belief That God Did Not Love Israel With Appreciating His Love
(Malachi 1:1-5)
  1. Introduction
    1. False spirituality produces a false, calloused outlook that must be corrected for repentance and renewal.
    2. Israel in Malachi's era had such a false, calloused outlook, and the first realm of its outlook to be corrected was Israel's belief that God did not truly love her according to Malachi 1:1-5 (as follows):
  2. Exchanging The Belief That God Did Not Love Israel With Appreciating His Love, Malachi 1:1-5.
    1. Bible expositor, G. Campbell Morgan, noted of the book of Malachi that "The whole prophecy reveals a calloused people and a sensitive God," G. Campbell Morgan, Voices Of Twelve Hebrew Prophets , p. 119.
    2. He validated this claim, noting that seven times in the book, the people are seen to reply, "Wherein . . . ?" (i.e., "How . . . ?" as in the NIV and ESV) to the charges Malachi would level at Israel, Ibid.!
    3. The first exposure of callousness came in Malachi 1:1-5 where God explained He had loved Israel, a statement to which the people replied, "Wherein (How) have You loved us?" in Malachi 1:1-2b:
      1. The book of Malachi begins with the Hebrew word, massa translated as "burden", a word that 27 times in Old Testament prophetic oracles heralds an ominous message, 1:1a; Bib. Kno. Com., O. T., p. 1575.
      2. Then, the phrase, "word of the Lord" describing this "burden" elsewhere in the Old Testament indicates the message is a revelation from God that bears His divine authority, Ibid.; Malachi 1:1b.
      3. Accordingly, in an ominous, convicting tone, God authoritatively charged the calloused people of Israel that He had loved them, a notably gracious statement in contrast to its foreboding setting, Malachi 1:2a.
      4. At this claim, Malachi voiced the spiritually calloused reaction of the people of Israel as they replied: "Wherein (How) hast thou loved us?", Malachi 1:2b. The reason Israel would make such a doubting reply is explained from the historical setting (as follows):
        1. The Jews to whom Malachi was writing had formerly been exiled for 70 years from their homeland in the Babylonian Captivity only to have returned to Israel to face a life of hardship, Ibid., p. 1573: (1) They were under the dominion of Gentile Persia (Malachi 1:8 where pehah rendered "governor" was a Persian title, Ibid.), (2) harvests were poor and subject to locust damage (Mal. 3:11), (3) most people were indifferent or resentful toward God and (4) the priests and people violated the Law, Ibid. (5) Israel's hope in God's covenant promises of a Messiah and messianic kingdom had waned as evidenced by their intermarriages with pagans, their divorces and general spiritual apathy, Ibid.
        2. Thus, when God claimed He loved Israel, her long domination by Gentile powers, financial hardship and spiritual apathy left her responding, "It sure doesn't seem like You love us!" (Malachi 1:2b)
    4. The difference of opinion between Israel and God about His love for her was caused by Israel's calloused view, a fact explained in God's response to Israel's question of God's claim that He loved her, Mal . 1:2c-5:
      1. God responded to Israel's question by contrasting how He had favored Israel, the nation from Jacob's seed, over the seed of Jacob's older brother, Esau, father of the Edomites, 1:2c-3a. The phrase, "I hated Esau" does not mean God actually hated this man, but is a figurative expression showing that, by comparison, God's blessing of Jacob made His lack of blessing for Esau appear as if God hated Esau.
      2. To explain, though both Israel and Esau's seed, the Edomites, had been defeated by Babylon, God had let Israel be restored to her land, but He would not let the Edomites be restored, but get pushed into Idumea from trying to resettle their land, and be pushed again even out of Idumea, Ibid., p. 1576. (1:4)
      3. God claimed that, as the future revealed the truthfulness of this contrast of blessing on Israel and the lack of blessing on Edom, the people of Israel would say, "Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!" in striking contrast to Israel's current belief that the Gentiles were oppressing her!
Lesson: Israel callously felt God did not love her since she was experiencing difficulties, but she had to appreciate His goodness in having restored her to the Promised Land unlike Edom, and to anticipate His future elevation of Israel opposite Edom's continued decline as evidence of His love of her!

Application: If hardships leave us thinking God does not love us, our view is calloused as was Israel's view in Malachi's day, and we must value God's current blessings and hope in His future greater ones!