Difference between revisions of "Malachi 2:1-16 Be Faithful to God"
From 2Timothy2.org
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====But they were not. (8)==== | ====But they were not. (8)==== | ||
====Therefore God made them despised and humiliated in the eyes of all people. (9)==== | ====Therefore God made them despised and humiliated in the eyes of all people. (9)==== | ||
| − | =====Actually, being merely despised and humiliated was going easy on them. They deserved death as described in Numbers 18:32.==== | + | =====Actually, being merely despised and humiliated was going easy on them. They deserved death as described in Numbers 18:32.===== |
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===Image: James 3:1 is a sobering verse.=== | ===Image: James 3:1 is a sobering verse.=== | ||
<p>Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.</p> | <p>Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.</p> | ||
Revision as of 18:54, 12 June 2023
Theological Proposition/Focus: God’s standard for faithfulness is very high.
Homiletical Proposition/Application: We need to take seriously our responsibility to pass faithfulness onto future generations.
Contents
- 1 Introduction:
- 1.1 Image:
- 1.2 Setting the Stage:
- 1.2.1 The historical setting
- 1.2.1.1 In 539 BC Cyrus gave the decree allowing the Jews to return to Judah and begin rebuilding the temple.
- 1.2.1.2 In 520 BC Haggai entered the scene and called upon the Jews to resume building the temple after 16 years of stagnation.
- 1.2.1.3 The work on the temple was completed in 515 BC.
- 1.2.1.4 Last week we learned of our need to honor God with our best.
- 1.2.1.5 This week we will dig into our responsibility to be faithful.
- 1.2.1 The historical setting
- 1.3 Need: we need more disciple makers who pass-on faithfulness.
- 1.4 Preview: As Christians we have a great responsibility and so we are held to great expectations, must remain incredibly faithful, and can look forward to having a lasting impact both now and into the future.
- 1.5 Text: Malachi 2:1-16
- 2 Body
- 2.1 Greater responsibility, greater expectations (1-9)
- 2.1.1 God may punish those who don’t honor His name. (1-2)
- 2.1.2 This is especially true for those who should know better. (3-6)
- 2.1.2.1 Priests were expected to keep God front and center!
- 2.1.2.1.1 The priesthood in Israel was an inherited position that was traceable back to Aaron in Exod. 28:43
- 2.1.2.1.2 What we know from chapter 1 was that the priests were failing to properly handle sacrifices.
- 2.1.2.1.3 In some sense, knowing better was literally in their blood, it should have been seen as a privilege to serve God properly.
- 2.1.2.2 Some Hebrew Wordplay paints a graphic picture!
- 2.1.2.3 The Levites, as God's appointed servants of the temple knew better. Historically, they had done so much
- 2.1.2.3.1 On some occasions (Phineous comes to mind) reverence for God and his Law had turned away the wrath of God and brought life and peace to the people.
- 2.1.2.3.2 The Levites, as the priestly line, gave instruction in the Law of God.
- 2.1.2.3.3 The Levites, as the priestly line, turned the people from sin.
- 2.1.2.3.4 Back in Exodus 32: 25-29 at the Golden Calf incident the levites received the ministry of service to God.
- 2.1.2.1 Priests were expected to keep God front and center!
- 2.1.3 The priests in Malachi knew better, failed, and were suffering punishment (7-9).
- 2.1.4 Image: James 3:1 is a sobering verse.
- 2.1.5 MTR: Consider your responsibilities to preserve knowledge of God and ask if you are meeting expectations.
- 2.2 Greater responsibility, greater faithfulness (10-12)
- 2.3 Greater responsibility, greater impact (13-16)
- 2.1 Greater responsibility, greater expectations (1-9)
- 3 Conclusion:
Introduction:
Image:
Setting the Stage:
The historical setting
In 539 BC Cyrus gave the decree allowing the Jews to return to Judah and begin rebuilding the temple.
In 520 BC Haggai entered the scene and called upon the Jews to resume building the temple after 16 years of stagnation.
The work on the temple was completed in 515 BC.
Life was not easy, Persia dominated the political scene, hearts were indifferent, even resentful to God, and the people's hope in God had waned.
Sometime between 45 BC and 430 BC a prophet, Malachi appeared on the scene.
Last week we learned of our need to honor God with our best.
This week we will dig into our responsibility to be faithful.
Need: we need more disciple makers who pass-on faithfulness.
Preview: As Christians we have a great responsibility and so we are held to great expectations, must remain incredibly faithful, and can look forward to having a lasting impact both now and into the future.
Text: Malachi 2:1-16
Body
Greater responsibility, greater expectations (1-9)
God may punish those who don’t honor His name. (1-2)
The priests were warned to listen.
Those who have the Word of God cannot afford to ignore the Word of God.
The priests were warned to resolve to honor God's name.
The phrase the NIV translates as "resolve to honor my name" is actually the Hebrew phrase "place it on your hearty to give glory to my name."
The heart was the center of one's being, the place where knowledge was collected and store, the place where decisions were made, and the place where plans were constructed. god's call here is really a call to put God on the forefront of the mind. The priest of God was a representative and intermediary between God an man. As such the priest was expected to have God front and center!
This is especially true for those who should know better. (3-6)
Priests were expected to keep God front and center!
The priesthood in Israel was an inherited position that was traceable back to Aaron in Exod. 28:43
What we know from chapter 1 was that the priests were failing to properly handle sacrifices.
In some sense, knowing better was literally in their blood, it should have been seen as a privilege to serve God properly.
Some Hebrew Wordplay paints a graphic picture!
God is going to rebuke the priestly descendants (seed - זֶרַע (Zarah))
By smearing or spreading (זרה - zeroa) dung on their faces
The seed of the priests would be marked for discard as dung.
In other words, the priests needed to get their act together!
The Levites, as God's appointed servants of the temple knew better. Historically, they had done so much
On some occasions (Phineous comes to mind) reverence for God and his Law had turned away the wrath of God and brought life and peace to the people.
The Levites, as the priestly line, gave instruction in the Law of God.
The Levites, as the priestly line, turned the people from sin.
Back in Exodus 32: 25-29 at the Golden Calf incident the levites received the ministry of service to God.
The priests in Malachi knew better, failed, and were suffering punishment (7-9).
The priests should have been teaching the people of God. (7)
But they were not. (8)
Therefore God made them despised and humiliated in the eyes of all people. (9)
Actually, being merely despised and humiliated was going easy on them. They deserved death as described in Numbers 18:32.
Image: James 3:1 is a sobering verse.
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
God has an incredibly high standard for those who teach and I think we should take this standard seriously!
MTR: Consider your responsibilities to preserve knowledge of God and ask if you are meeting expectations.
As Christians we know better. In fact, we are described as priests!
=1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
