Setting – the Lord is sending a messenger and a the messiah
Content – God is sending a messenger and the messiah (v. 1a NLT) “"Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple.” It also looks like He is talking about Christ during his reign in the millennium (v. 3 NLT) “He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.” (reference Rev. 19:15 NASB, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”) Israel’s sin and their failing to follow God’s law they should have been wiped out, but (v. 6 NLT) “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.” God continues to state that they failed Him (v. 7a NLT) “Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them.” But God remains faithful to His covenant and offers mercy to Israel (v. 7b NLT) “Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.” They were to follow God’s command’s of tithing to the temple, which they haven’t been (v. 10 NLT) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!”
Israel questions (v. 14b-15 NLT) “`What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will say, "Blessed are the arrogant." For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm.” God reminds His people that their service is rewarded in heaven (v. 16 NLT) “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.” And (v. 17b NLT) “On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child” Not until then do we see the difference (v. 18 NLT) “Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Application – God had a plan to save Israel, and the whole world, through Christ, until that time the people of Israel were God’s children to show the world how His people can be blessed. Israel continued to fall short of their obedience to God and yet God continued in His devotion to His children of Israel. God always asked Israel to return into a holy relationship with Him (v. 7b NLT) “Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.”
God wants our faithfulness to Him; He wants a relationship with us. He will point out our sin, but that’s because He knows sin leads to the death of a person’s soul and God wants the right thing for His children; He wants us to live in joy and righteousness.
In the end, God will reward and bless those that are faithful to Him, those names that are in the book of life Revelation 20:15 (NASB), “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Our faithfulness to righteousness can be blessed while on the earth (v. 11 NLT) “’Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe’, says the LORD Almighty”, but our true blessing will be when we realize that our names in the book of life.
Content – God is sending a messenger and the messiah (v. 1a NLT) “"Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple.” It also looks like He is talking about Christ during his reign in the millennium (v. 3 NLT) “He will sit and judge like a refiner of silver, watching closely as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold or silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.” (reference Rev. 19:15 NASB, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”) Israel’s sin and their failing to follow God’s law they should have been wiped out, but (v. 6 NLT) “I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.” God continues to state that they failed Him (v. 7a NLT) “Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my laws and failed to obey them.” But God remains faithful to His covenant and offers mercy to Israel (v. 7b NLT) “Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.” They were to follow God’s command’s of tithing to the temple, which they haven’t been (v. 10 NLT) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD Almighty, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!”
Israel questions (v. 14b-15 NLT) “`What's the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the LORD Almighty that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will say, "Blessed are the arrogant." For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them go free of harm.” God reminds His people that their service is rewarded in heaven (v. 16 NLT) “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.” And (v. 17b NLT) “On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child” Not until then do we see the difference (v. 18 NLT) “Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Application – God had a plan to save Israel, and the whole world, through Christ, until that time the people of Israel were God’s children to show the world how His people can be blessed. Israel continued to fall short of their obedience to God and yet God continued in His devotion to His children of Israel. God always asked Israel to return into a holy relationship with Him (v. 7b NLT) “Now return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.”
God wants our faithfulness to Him; He wants a relationship with us. He will point out our sin, but that’s because He knows sin leads to the death of a person’s soul and God wants the right thing for His children; He wants us to live in joy and righteousness.
In the end, God will reward and bless those that are faithful to Him, those names that are in the book of life Revelation 20:15 (NASB), “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Our faithfulness to righteousness can be blessed while on the earth (v. 11 NLT) “’Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not shrivel before they are ripe’, says the LORD Almighty”, but our true blessing will be when we realize that our names in the book of life.
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