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Covenant Faithfulness and Malachi
Covenant Faithfulness and Malachi
Part of the covenant provisions of the Covenant with Israel was that God would provide material blessings unto the nation. In return for these provisions, God expected faithful attention to His commandments on their part. The short summary is that the people were unfaithful to the covenant. God however remained faithful to His word. He not only promised material blessings but He also threatened the withholding of such if they proved unfaithful. This included the very judgment of the nation for unfaithfulness.
The book of Malachi depicts the nation as one that is sadly lacking in material blessings. The reason for this is given in a dialogue format with the prophet putting forth questions the people would ask. "
1:2 But you say, "How have you loved us?"
1:6 But you say, "How have we despised your name?"
1:7 But you say, "How have we polluted you?"
2:14 But you say, "Why does he not [accept their offerings]"
2:17 But you say, "How have we wearied him?"
3:7 But you say, "How shall we return?"
3:8 But you say, "How have we robbed you?"
3:13 But you say, "How have we spoken against you?"
It appears that they not only were grossly unfaithful to the covenant but they were clueless about their guilt. They appear to have thought they WERE faithful and are 'surprised' at God's indictments against them. How easy it is for people to deceive themselves about how 'good they are'. Hence Paul's admonition to us of the New Covenant: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2Cor. 13:5).
One misuse of this book that I have seen is the taking of the promised material blessings of the Old Covenant and making application to New Covenant people. Some have taught that if Christians would tithe then God would bless them with riches. Of course many of the preachers making such claims are accepting the 'tithes' from the hands of the givers. Whatever the motive, such misapplied promises of the Old Covenant are wrong.
It is not hard to see that such material blessings to the faithful just didn't happen in the days of Jesus and the apostles. Begin with Jesus and see that he was basically destitute in worldly possessions. The apostles 'left all' to follow Jesus and, like Him, they lived in poverty. Most of the early church was comprised of the 'lower class' people who had little or nothing in the way of worldly goods. The goods they did have they gave away to help those who had even less or were in even more dire straits.
Such is not to say that God doesn't care for His people, but rather that we in our very affluent life situation have drawn some unwarranted expectations of material blessings and an easy life for God's people. We have very great and glorious promises but most pertain not to worldly and material prosperity but a spiritual inheritance. We HAVE been blessed with all SPIRITUAL blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3). We ARE God's children and we have promise of living in His presence for eternity.
God does expect of us faithfulness just as He expected it of them. Are we being faithful?
Hugh DeLong
