The Book of Remembrance
Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him." Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him. (Malachi 3:16-18 NKJV)
Seven Rhetorical Questions
A rhetorical question is designed to elicit comment. The questions are not necessarily asked to get an answer. In most cases the answers should be obvious. In the book of Malachi, God asks Israel at least seven rhetorical questions to make the nation of Israel think about the fact that they are not honoring Him with their rituals or with their lives. However, the Israelites are self-satisfied and don’t seem to “get it.”
The nation has been back from their captivity in Babylon about 100 years. But while there is (and always is) a faithful remnant, the majority of the people have a lukewarm attitude toward Jehovah, much like the Laodicean church in Revelation chapter 3. That church seemed to think that they were doing everything right and yet the Lord was standing outside the church looking for someone to open the door and let Him in.
The first question seems to set the tone for the book. Jehovah expresses his love for His people and the people respond by saying, “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’” They don’t understand that the captivity in Babylon was because of their departure from the Lord and that their restoration to the land, including the building of the temple and the wall of Jerusalem, was because of the love of the Lord for them as a nation.
The Christmas Season
During this season, the unbelievers join together with believers in Christ in a celebration of the birth of the Lord that the Lord never requested. I often wonder how the Lord in heaven feels about what goes on in His name this time of the year. He has given specific instructions as to what pleases Him ceremonially and as to what pleases Him morally. Do we honor those instructions? Do we get baptized to confess Him publicly? Do we proclaim His death by participating in the Lord’s supper and if we do, do we do it because we want to honor the Lord or do we do it because it is the thing to do this time of year? Do we get so involved in the frenzy of the gift giving to one another that we forget to give the Lord the best gift of all. . .our heartfelt praise and thanksgiving? In other words, is Christmas all about us or is it really all about Christ? Do we celebrate Christmas because we really truly believe that Jehovah came in the flesh to reveal God to us in a personal way, that He died and was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures? Do we do the very first thing that honors the Lord…do we trust Him?
The Lord knows What is What!
In our verse today, the Lord takes note of those who fear the Lord (in this case it means that they see their accountability to Him and they worship Him), and who speak about Him to others who also fear Him. The Lord hears what they are saying. The Lord knows that they think about Him (that is they meditate on His name).
The Lord knows whether our worship is all show and shallow or whether it is real. He knows whether we serve Him or whether we serve our own desires and pleasures. He knows whether we tell God how to be worshiped or whether we let Him tell us.
Jewels
Jewels are precious, costly and beautiful. I would like to be one of the Lord’s jewels. I don’t get a lot of satisfaction out of the tinsel and busyness of the so-called Christmas season. But I get a lot of satisfaction out of talking to others who in simple trusting faith have come to love the Lord. I get a lot of satisfaction out of remembering that the Lord came into this world to suffer and die FOR ME. I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that He knows that I truly love Him because He first loved me.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of December 22, 2018