Sermon Tone Analysis

*Malachi 7.*

Malachi was the messenger of יהוה, “My messenger” is what his name means *[P]* – and he had a heavy message from יהוה to deliver to His people.

In fact this was the last message from יהוה to His people before He was silent for some 400 years!

This is His final word to them!

The message was heavy, it was a burden, an oracle.

In fact there are several oracles in Malachi.

*[P]* The first wasn’t so heavy, *[P]* it was the message that יהוה loved them, *[P]* what made it heavy was the people’s response – they questioned that love.

Here is יהוה all the time holding out His hands to His people but they do not respond to His love.

He showers His love upon them, treating them favourably in contrast to Edom; yet the spiritual leaders, the priests *[P]*, profane His Name and His sanctuary, offer worthless offerings – they are religious but their heart is not in it.

The second oracle was against them.

The priests were meant to preserve the knowledge of יהוה, but they were leading people astray, making them stumble.

They corrupted the covenant.

There is a lot of emphasis on covenant in Malachi.

Covenant is based on loyalty – on חֶ֫סֶד, loyal covenant loving-kindness.

But יהוה found the opposite.

The priests had led the people, and they had followed them – the third oracle is against the people *[P]*.

They profaned the covenant – they dealt treacherously – with their own brothers, with their wives and with יהוה Himself.

They were unfaithful.

Despite יהוה’s constant love, patience and dealing with them over the years.

Despite His tough love in exiling them and then restoring them – still they went astray in their hearts.

Here they are in a sorry state!

What more could יהוה do?! Scripture is silent for 400 years – they hear nothing from יהוה!

It is as if He has given up on them.

But what was that first oracle?

I have loved you!

It says in (1 Corinthians 13:8) that love never fails.

יהוה had a plan!

Here is יהוה about to shut His mouth for 400 years – but He leaves them with hope!

He hasn’t given up on them – He tells them what He is going to do.

Malachi was “My messenger” but יהוה says that He will send another, “/Behold I am going to send My messenger/”.

This is the message of the fourth oracle *[P]*.

Let us read it, picking it up in: [*Malachi 2:17-3:5*/ //You have wearied יהוה with your words.

Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?”

In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of יהוה, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?” “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.

And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says יהוה of armies.

“But who can endure the day of His coming?

And who can stand when He appears?

For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.

“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to יהוה offerings in righteousness.

“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to יהוה as in the days of old and as in former years.

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says יהוה of armies./]

So let’s have a reminder of what the situation was: *[P]* you recall last time that the repeated accusation was of dealing treacherously: *[P]* against their brothers, their wives and against God.

They rent the covenants they had made.

יהוה said: “/You have wearied me with your words/.”

He was fed up!

I have had enough of your words, your answering back!

Let’s have a look at what they said: *[P]* יהוה said [*Malachi 1:2*/ //“I have loved you,” /(But they said):/ “How have You loved us?”/] יהוה said that they had despised His Name in [*Malachi 1:6*/ //But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’/] יהוה said: [*Malachi 1:7*/ //“You are presenting defiled food upon My altar.

But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ /(they said):/ ‘The table of /יהוה /is to be despised.’/]

[*Malachi 1:13*/ //“You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’/] יהוה refused to accept their offerings: [*Malachi 2:14*/ //“Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’/] יהוה tells them to return to Him [*Malachi 3:7*/ //“But you say, ‘How shall we return?’/]

יהוה accused them of robbing Him [*Malachi 3:8*/ //But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’/] יהוה said they had spoken against Him [*Malachi 3:13*/ //Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’/] Now He says: “/You have wearied יהוה with your words./”/

/I think I’d be getting weary too!

In fact I would have lost it with them long since!

Forever answering back!

Making out that there was nothing wrong.

They were implying that יהוה was lying because they kept denying what He was saying to them.

There was plenty of speaking to יהוה but precious little listening to Him.

Do we weary יהוה with our prayers?

Forever asking of Him but never listening to what He says.

And even now they don’t stop – when יהוה says He is tired of their answering back, what do they do?

You’ve got it!

They answer back: “/Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him/?”” יהוה had had enough!

Patiently He pointed out what was wrong but they took no notice other than to defend themselves and protest that they had done nothing wrong.

But even although He is fed up with their answering back, with infinite patience יהוה answers their question: He told them how their words wearied him: they said: “/Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of יהוה, and He delights in them/”.

They call good “evil” and evil “good”.

*[P]* It sounds a bit extreme, doesn’t it?

But I work with people who think that it is a sin to have too much salt on your food, or to eat gluten, or saturated fat or whatever – but the Bible says that He has given us all things freely to enjoy.

The great crime of society is to burn too much carbon!

Yet those same people have no qualms about the murder of a defenceless unborn child – they call that murder “good” – it is protecting the rights of the mother!

They consider it good to defend the rights of the individual – their right to marry someone of the same sex – but the Bible calls homosexuality an abomination.

We have redefined righteousness – what is evil, we call good!

But not in the church, surely!

Have you never heard: “God loves you, His grace covers all.

He delights in you.

He will not judge sin”?

Just as they were saying: “/Where is the God of justice/?”

*[P]* - they were denying the judgement of God!

Many churches today deny that God acts in judgement.

An earthquake strikes Christchurch – no one regards it as the hand of God.

From this very pulpit it was denied that it was the judgement of God.

“God doesn’t judge”!

He is loving, kind.

That is true – but if there is no judge then there is no justice!

You can do what you like and get away with it.

But Abraham said [*Genesis 18:25*/ //“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike.

Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”/]

The world says that God does not see, does not care, does not know, does not intervene, does not exist – you can do what you like with impunity.

But, they are totally and tragically mistaken!

יהוה is sick and tired of those who perpetuate this lie - who keep talking of God's grace and love in a wrong way that denies Him being a God of wrath and justice.

Endless words, but they are *false*!

יהוה is weary of them!

So that is the situation in Israel: no loyalty, arrogantly back-chatting God, having their own definition of what is right and wrong, and burying their heads in the sand regarding the justice of God.

The nation was in a terrible state spiritually.

יהוה was weary of them – what was God going to do?! *[P]* He was going to send His Messenger!

*[P]* My Messenger!

– in Hebrew “מַלְאָכִ֔” That is יהוה’s solution!

Further on in Malachi it predicts the coming of Elijah [*Malachi 4:5*/ //“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of /יהוה/./]

He would [*Malachi 4:6*/ //“turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”/]

So the Jews were looking for the coming of Elijah.

To this very day, at Passover, they leave an empty seat at the table in case he comes.

You see it in the New Testament – there was an expectancy – they were looking for Elijah to come – and many thought that Jesus was he.