Bible Studies
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BY COMMENTING
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE As A Member OR Visitor
Message Writer
Hire Writer
Report Article
We finish this verse-by-verse study of Zechariah chapters 1-8 and Malachi 2:17-4:6 here in Part 8, starting with Mal. 3:6, which is a very important verse.
(6) 'For I, the LORD [Yahweh], do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. [[This verse is a very important; the message of this verse is a dominant theme of the book of Malachi, and it teaches us a lot about God. The fact that God hates sin and has committed Himself to judge and remove all unrepentant sinners from His kingdom is one way that God doesn't change. That fact is understood in this verse, but that isn't the dominant idea here. The dominant idea here is that God loves Israel/Jacob/Judah (true Israel), and He is faithful to His covenant promises. He, in His mercy, often mitigated the extent to which He judged them throughout their history, but the emphasis here regards the point that He will send "My messenger/Elijah the prophet" BEFORE the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to call His people to repent and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and His salvation, and, even more importantly, that He will send "My messenger/Elijah the prophet" to help bring about the repentance of those who can be persuaded to repent BEFORE His intense end-time judgment falls on them.
Also included is the idea that God frequently sent prophets in Old Testament days to exhort Israel/Judah to repent. Malachi was one of those prophets. Much of the content of the book of Malachi consists of God's exhorting (through Malachi) the people of Israel/Judah of that day to repent. As the book of Malachi (and much other scripture) shows, God strongly desired the repentance of Israel/Judah, so that He would not have to pour out judgment on them. He always knew, of course, the hearts of all the people of Israel/Judah and the rest of mankind.
Being a Gentile, I am thankful that I can say that God is also quite generous with Gentiles and wanting their repentance too, rather than having to remove them by His judgments (cf., e.g., 1 Tim. 2:4-6; Titus 2:11-3:8; and Act 17:30, 31).]] (7) From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me [Repent!], and I will return to you,' says the LORD [Yahweh] of hosts. [[I'll quote Jer. 7:25, 26, "Since the day your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them. (26) Yet they [speaking of the majority] did not listen to Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck; they did more evil than their fathers." Compare Zech. 1:3.]] But you say, "How shall we return?" [These verses, like so many of the verses in the book of Malachi, deal with sins that were taking place in the days of Malachi. This verse (7) shows that that generation was sinful, just like most of the other generations were sinful.] (8) [Verses 8-12 deal with one of the many sins that were common in the days of Malachi.] 'Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, "How have we robbed You?" In tithes and offerings. [[For one thing, according to the Mosaic Law, the tithes and offerings went to support the priests and Levites and their families. When the Israelites failed to bring the whole tithe and required offerings to God, and that was a common problem throughout much of the history of Israel/Judah (cf., e.g., Neh. 13:11, 12), it greatly affected the proper functioning of the priesthood and the temple, which was the center of the worship of God in Old Testament days.]] (9) You are cursed with a curse [cf. Mal. 2:2], for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! [[They were "cursed with a curse
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE AS A MEMBER OR VISITOR
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 622 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Karl Kemp or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 622 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.