Week 40: Arguing with God
Weekly Reading:
Zechariah 11 - Matthew 15
Opening Prayer
Father God,
I cannot imagine arguing with you, Father. Yet, I am guilty of some of what God calls out the Israelites. When I am not in reverence of You, God, not fully giving You, God, credit I am like the Israelites. Today, I chose you, God. I chose to love You and accept Your love in return. I chose to serve with a true heart.
Amen
Study
Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament. Separating old from new by 400 years of silence in which we are unsure of the status of God’s people or how God felt about His people because we see no recorded events in the Bible. I see Malachi as the last of the profits as the Israelites felt so emboldened as to argue with God, their maker, creator, the one who blessed and chose them.
God: I have always loved you (Malachi 2:2)
People: how have you loved us?
God responded by how he showed favor to the Israelites for Jacob’s descendants and not Esau’s descendants. The Israelites chose to ignore the gifts and regarded their punishment as cruel.
God: you have shown contempt for my name (Malachi 2:6)
People: how?
God answers by saying your sacrifices are for show and from habit. Your heart is not in it as you give God the rejects of the flock, not the best like Abel did. Even the priests condone this behavior by accepting the rejects.
God: to the priest, you are accepting offerings not worthy and are not representing God but leading people astray (Malachi 2:8)
God: you cheat God (Malachi 3:8)
People: what do you mean?
God answers by saying you are not tithing and filling the temple storehouses.
God: you have said terrible things about me (Malachi 3:13)
People: what have we said?
You have claimed that all your blessings are your own doing, by your own hand, and not given by God
Where do you go when you get to a place where you are so arrogant as to argue in with God rather than fall to your face in repentance?
God always provides an answer.
God says that those who fear him (respect him and are obedient) will be remembered (Malachi 3:16).
“They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
Malachi 3:17-18 NLT
God alludes to the future promises and then all goes silent for about 400 years.
Closing Prayer
Father God,
I cannot imagine what the Israelites felt or did during those 400 years. We have no recorded stories. Were they scared? Were they reverent? God, lead my heart and never allow me to become complacent in Your blessings. Father, I know that I can do nothing without Your grace and provision. Never let me forget that Father God for you are sovereign.
Amen
Homework
Are there any blessings in your life that you are not giving God full credit?
Is your heart all in with the purest of intentions in your spiritual life?
Is there anything you might change?
Pray to God to help you move closer to Him.
