God’s prophets responsibility was to tell the people of Israel to leave the paths of wickedness.
That’s why they were always unpopular in the eyes of Israel.
He asked them to perform a difficult and dangerous task quit their sinful ways and return to God.
Prophet Malachi was also performing such duty for the LORD.
In these 6 verses we come across two categories of people - the arrogant and the faithful.
The arrogant speaking against God and the faithful feared and obeyed God.
But arrogant rebelled against His holiness and righteousness.
THE ARROGANT (13-15)
God’s people, Israel had in general three basic complaints against God.
1. They questioned God for blaming them for saying wrong things.
2. They thought serving the Lord is futile because there were no returns.
3. Evil and arrogant people were blessed and get away without getting any punishment.
A. We did not Say Anything Wrong?
They were complaining and grumbling against God.
But God listened to their complaints and confronted them.
Here we see that they are quickly denying that they had said anything wrong.
B. Serving God is useless
It is useless to serve God with their offerings or coming to the temple to worship God.
Such obedience to God has no purpose and it has no meaning at all.
In their rebellion arrogant Israelites entirely forgot that they were chosen people and redeemed people.
They were to bring honor and glory to God through their lives and devotion.
C. God is not fair
God put a formula by default in societies where we see some rich and some poor.
God has a greater purpose for such disparity throughout human history.
We will never be able to understand why there is so much disparity.
Because of that we cannot grumble and complain to God that He is unfair.
God is always fair.
It was never in God’s plan to make all things equal or everyone looks the same.
In His master plan God has a purpose for everything that happens on the earth.
THE FAITHFUL (16-17)
They feared God and shared their feelings with each other.
They not only feared God but they also honored Him.
They were encouraging each other to honor God with their tithes and offering.
Hearing and listening are two different things.
Hearing requires no effort and can hear without listening to the words.
Listening is a conscious choice to pay attention and concentration.
Listening creates an intimate connection between the speaker and the hearer.
It proves that He had intimate connection with such people who feared Him and obeyed His Laws.
We see God enrolled such people who honored Him in the “scroll of remembrance”
God cannot and will not forget those who feared Him and honored Him.
In verse 17 God gives such people a future promise of eternity with Him.
And also God says that they are His treasured possession.
We should not forget that God is always listening and paying attention to our conversations.
God always finds distinction between righteous and wicked.
We should never lose heart that wicked are prospering without subjected to punishment.
He will definitely judge them for their deeds.
It is important for us to understand that God listens to our conversations of our heart.
It’s time to come to grips with the fact that God is fair in all His dealings with us.
We need to understand that serving the Savior is the only thing that matters.
Fearing the Lord and honoring with our lives is remembered and rewarded by God.
Be very careful that God rewards according to what He listens from our hearts and lives.
Ujumbe wa Mungu kwa Waisraeli ulikuwa kuwaambia waondoke katika njia za uovu. Hiyo ndiyo sababu sikuzote hawakuwa na upendeleo machoni pa Israeli. Aliwaomba wafanye kazi ngumu na hatari, waache njia zao za dhambi na warudi kwa Mungu. Nabii Malaki pia alikuwa akifanya kazi hiyo kwa ajili ya BWANA. Katika mistari hii sita tunakutana na makundi mawili ya watu - wenye kiburi na waaminifu. Wale waliojivuna wakamtukana Mwenyezi Mungu, na wale walioamini wakamcha Mwenyezi Mungu na kumtii. Lakini mwenye kiburi alijiua dhidi ya utakatifu na haki yake. "Mwanzo wa 13 - 15 ""Watu wa Mungu, yaani, Waisraeli, walikuwa na malalamiko matatu makuu dhidi ya Mungu." 1. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Walimwuliza Mungu kwa kuwawalaumu kwa kusema mambo yasiyofaa. 2. Uwezekano wa kupata Walidhani kwamba kumtumikia Yehova ni jambo lisilo na maana kwa sababu hakukuwa na faida yoyote. 3. Uwe na mtazamo wa kweli Watu waovu na wenye kiburi walipata baraka na wakaondoka bila kupata adhabu yoyote. A. (Mwanzo wa Sura ya 2) Je, hatukusema jambo lolote lisilofaa? Walikuwa wakilalamika na kunung'unika dhidi ya Mungu. Lakini Mungu alisikiliza malalamiko yao na akawakabili. Hapa tunaona kwamba wao ni haraka kukataa kwamba walikuwa wamesema kitu chochote kibaya. B. Ni bure kumtumikia Mungu kwa sadaka zao au kuja hekaluni kumwabudu Mungu. Utii wa Mungu hauna maana na hauna maana yoyote. Katika uasi wao, Waisraeli wenye kiburi walisahau kabisa kwamba walikuwa watu waliochaguliwa na waliokombolewa. Walilazimika kumtukuza Mungu kwa maisha yao na kujitoa kwake. Mungu si mwadilifu, Mungu ameweka kanuni katika jamii ambazo tunaona watu wengi ni matajiri na wengine ni maskini. Mungu ana kusudi kubwa zaidi kwa kutofautisha kama hizo katika historia ya kibinadamu. Hatuwezi kamwe kuelewa kwa nini kuna tofauti nyingi hivyo. Kwa sababu hiyo, hatuwezi kumlalamika Mungu kwamba yeye si mwadilifu. Mungu ni mwenye haki sikuzote. Haikuwa kamwe katika mpango wa Mungu kufanya vitu vyote viwe sawa au kila mtu aonekane sawa. Katika mpango wake mkuu, Mungu ana kusudi kwa kila kitu kinachotokea duniani. 16-17: Walitia hofu Mungu na kuwasiliana kwa njia ya kimwili. Hawakumwogopa Mungu tu bali pia walimheshimu. Walikuwa wakihimiza kila mmoja kumheshimu Mungu kwa kutoa sehemu ya kumi na matoleo yao. Kusikia na kusikiliza ni mambo mawili tofauti. Kusikia hakuhitaji jitihada na unaweza kusikia bila kusikiliza maneno. Kusikiliza ni chaguo la fahamu la kukazia fikira na kukaza fikira. Kusikiliza huanzisha uhusiano wa karibu kati ya msemaji na msikilizaji. Inathibitisha kwamba alikuwa na uhusiano wa karibu na watu hao waliomwogopa na kutii Sheria zake. "Mungu aliwaandikisha watu waliomheshimu katika ""kitabu cha ukumbusho"" na hakuacha kuwaweka katika ""kitabu cha ukumbusho"" wale waliomcha na kumheshimu." Katika mstari wa 17, Mungu anawapa watu kama hao ahadi ya wakati ujao ya kuwa pamoja naye milele. Pia, Mungu anasema kwamba wao ni hazina yake yenye thamani. Hatupaswi kusahau kwamba Mungu sikuzote husikiliza na kuangazia mazungumzo yetu. Mungu huona tofauti kati ya waadilifu na waovu. Hatupaswi kamwe kukata tamaa kwamba waovu wanaendelea bila kuadhibiwa. Kwa hakika atawahukumu kwa matendo yao. Ni muhimu tuelewe kwamba Mungu husikiliza mazungumzo ya moyo wetu. Ni wakati wa kukubali ukweli kwamba Mungu ni mwenye haki katika shughuli zake zote pamoja nasi. Tunahitaji kuelewa kwamba kumtumikia Mwokozi ni jambo pekee ambalo lina maana. Kumcha Mungu na kumheshimu kwa maisha yetu ni kukumbukwa na kupewa thawabu na Mungu. "Tunajua kwamba Mungu ""hutoa thawabu kulingana na kile anachosikia kutoka kwa mioyo yetu na maisha yetu."""