DIGGING DEEP NO. 959 – November 1st, 2022 THE SINS OF GOD’S PEOPLE (PART 1) Mal.1: 1- 5.

A church member scolded her pastor for preaching a series of sermons on “Sins of the Saints”. After all, she argued, the sins of Christians are different from the sins of other people. Yes, agreed her pastor, they are worse. For when believers sin, they not only break the law of God, but they break the heart of God.

Malachi was called to perform a difficult and dangerous task. It was his responsibility to rebuke the people for the sins they were committing against God and against one another, and to call them to return to the Lord.

The first sin Malachi named was the people’s lack of love for God. That was the first sin Jesus mentioned when He wrote to the seven churches of Asia Minor Rev.2: 4. Lack of love for God is the source of all other sin.

The prophet presented several pieces of evidence of God’s love for Israel; the first of which is God’s clear statement of His love Mal.1: 2. When God gave the law at Mt. Sinai, the emphasis was “Obey my law because I am a holy God.” But when Moses reviewed the law for the new generation, the emphasis was “Obey the Lord because He loves you and you love Him.” Both motives are valid today Deut.7: 6- 11.

The second evidence of God’s love that Malachi presented was God’s electing grace Mal.1: 2- 3. As the firstborn in the family, Esau should have inherited both the blessing and the birthright, but the Lord gave them to his younger brother Jacob Gen.25: 21- 23. The descendants of Esau had their land assigned to them, but God gave the Edomites no covenants of blessing as He did to Jacob’s descendants. The statement that God loved Jacob but hated Esau has troubled some people. Paul also quoted it in Rom.9: 10- 13 to prove God’s electing grace for both Israel and all who trust Jesus Christ for salvation. The explanation is that God’s love for Jacob was so great that, in comparison, His actions toward Esau looked like hatred. As an illustration, Jacob loved Rachel so much that his relationship with Leah seemed like hatred. We certainly can’t explain the love and grace of God, nor do we have to; but we can experience God’s grace and love as we trust Christ and walk with Him.

Malachi’s third evidence for God’s love is God’s evident blessing on the people of Israel. Like other nations in that area, Edom suffered during the Babylonian invasion of Israel, but the Lord didn’t promise to restore their land as He promised the Jews. The proud Edomites boasted that they would quickly have their land in good shape, but God had other plans. He called Edom “The wicked land” Mal.1: 4; but Israel He called “The Holy Land” Zech.2: 12. It was true that the Edomites were indeed an evil people Ob.1: 8- 14; To the Jews, the Babylonian invasion was chastening, but to Edom, it was a judgment.

Think of how God showed His love to the Jewish people. First, He spared the Jews who were in exile in Babylon (Jer.29). Then, He moved Cyrus to issue the decree that enabled the Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the temple. He provided the leadership of Joshua the high priest, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, and Ezra, as well as the prophetic ministry of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Had the people of God obeyed the terms of the covenant, the Lord would have blessed them even more.

Finally, Malachi reminded the Jews of the great privilege God gave them to witness to the Gentiles Mal.1: 5. During the reigns of David and Solomon, God manifested His glory through the nation of Israel so that the Gentiles came from distant lands to see what was happening in Israel. But the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple gave the Gentiles the opportunity to ridicule Israel and laugh at their religion and their God Ps.74; 137; Jer.18: 13- 17; Lam.2: 15- 16.

When God brought His remnant back to the land, He wanted to bless them and once again manifest His glory through them, but they failed to trust Him and obey His law. Though they had been chastened by God and ruined by Babylon, and though they had lost the esteem of the Gentile nations around them, the Jews could have made a new beginning and witnessed to the Gentiles of the grace and mercy of God. Instead, they lapsed into sins, and they gave a weak witness to the other nations. They missed their opportunity to glorify God.

We need to remind ourselves that the trials we experience as individuals or congregations are also opportunities to glorify God before a watching world. Every difficulty is an opportunity to demonstrate to others what the Lord can do for those who put their trust in Him