Mumbling and grumbling does NOT reveal trust in God or patience. When the word of the Lord came to Malachi, the Lord was affirming His love for His people. Think how God felt after proclaiming His love and they curtly ask Him; “how have you loved me?” God reminds us in this book “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” Malachi 1:6 —James 1:2-4 NLT “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your FAITH is TESTED, your endurance has a chance to grow. So LET it GROW, for when your ENDURANCE is fully DEVELOPED, you will be PERFECT and COMPLETE, needing nothing.”

God spoke through Malachi to admonish the priests for saying harsh things about God. The priest’s murmured that it was futile to serve God. Our Father knew their hearts were full of remorse as they believed that they had NOT gained anything for carrying out His burdensome laws. The priests called the arrogant more blessed.  They held envy in their hearts for the prosperity of others who used their wealth for evil. By harboring this jealousy in their hearts, they were essentially robbing God of honor and respect. The Lord rebuked them. “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth. People should seek their instruction because they are messengers of the Lord Almighty.” Mal 2:7 The priests had turned from the Way and by their grumbling example; they caused many to stumble and violate God’s purpose in their salvation.

INSIGHT: Historically, Moses came from the tribe of Levi, and his brother Aaron was Israel’s first high priest. The Lord asks; “Have we not all One Father? Did not One God create us?” Mal 2:10 –  Our Father gave us this promise. “My covenant was with Him (Jesus) for life and peace, and I gave (us) them to Him. (Jesus)  This called for reverence and Jesus revered God and stood in awe of My name.” Mal 2:5 The priest’s false instruction wearied the Lord as they asked ‘Where is the God of justice?” God sent His “messenger” in a prophesy of the coming Messiah. “See, I will send My messenger, (John) who will prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly, the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come.” Says the Lord Almighty.” Malachi 3:1

Their routine worship was reviled as meaningless and without Spirit. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23 A few priests who feared God talked with each other as our Father listened. They wrote a long scroll of many remembrances of all that the Lord had done. The Lord said “They will be Mine in the day when I make up My treasured possessions. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.” Malachi 3:16 INSIGHT: We who fearfully remember, and take time to count all our blessings, we respect and honor our Lord, we are His treasure! He possesses our souls, and He makes His dwelling place in our hearts!  This spellbound prophet asserted the Truth.

At the end of this climatic dialogue between God and His people, there was 400 years of silence. Mankind now had time to chew on all the previous Words of God. “I have loved you,” says the Lord. ‘But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?” Mal 1:2 We are hemmed in the school yard of God. Let us NOT give our Father cause to give us a LONGER time before Jesus returns.

God never abandoned His people, but He is silent, but ever watching, ever hearing and ever at work. His love is unchanging, and no matter how often we mess up, our Father forgives those who repent. Let God’s final words of the OT percolate in your heart and mind. After His final word in the book of Malachi, God chose silence for 400 years.  Why?

As a group of women studied the book of Malachi, many questions were stirred up by Malachi 3:3. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Puzzled they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. This led one to call to watch a local silversmith. He held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. In refining silver, the skilled worker needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” She asked the silversmith if he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered “Yes”, and I must keep my eyes on the silver the entire time it is in the fire. One moment too long in the flames, and the silver piece would be damaged.” She asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He replied, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.” IF today you are feeling the heat of this world’s fire, remember that God has His eyes on you!

Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk THROUGH the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me; YOUR rod and YOUR staff, they comfort me.” We are passing through the fire, NOT alone, nor will our Father allow us to stay there a moment too long.!