What do we gain
by carrying out his requirements? (Malachi 3:14).
The prophet Malachi
comes on the scene as much as a century after the ministries of Haggai and
Zechariah. Through him, God reminds his people how he has loved and cared for
them from the beginning. And from the beginning they have rejected him: Ever
since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have
not kept them (3:7). Rather than
heartfelt gratitude for his loving kindness, Judah’s worship has deteriorated
from indifference to downright resentment: What a burden! (1:13).
Malachi goes on to
compare the men of Jerusalem divorcing their wives with how the nation has
abandoned Yahweh to chase after women who worship a foreign god (2:11). And the prophet is not finished.
Judah’s refusal to love God as they ought has given rise to injustice in the
courts (2:9) and oppression of the poor (3:5).
When Malachi
reprimands them for withholding that which belongs to God (their tithes), they
respond, What do we ever get out of it? (The Message, 3:14). In their selfishness
they have dismissed God’s goodness as something they had coming to them anyway
by virtue of being his chosen people. At the center of their own universe, they
have room in their hearts for neither their Creator nor their fellow human
being. Every response is pragmatically weighed to determine what kind of return
they can expect for their investment.
What do we ever get out of it? …Really?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
He won’t ever forget you.
You’ll get yours. Love God for who he is. Thank him for what he’s done.
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