HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1226
MA LA C H I 4
A Call to Repentance
6 “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is
why you descendants of Jacob are not already
destroyed. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to
obey them. Now return to me, and I will return
to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we
have never gone away?’
8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have
cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did
we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your
whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring
all the tithes into the storehouse so there will
be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says
the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the
windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a
blessing so great you won’t have enough room
to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your
crops will be abundant, for I will guard them
from insects and disease.* Your grapes will not
fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the
Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “Then all nations
will call you blessed, for your land will be such
a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
13 “You have said terrible things about me,”
says the Lord.
“But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have
we said against you?’
14 “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his
• Giving
MALA C H I 3 :1 0
We see two principles at work in this
passage. First of all, giving is actually
an expression of love—we give because
we love. Second, you can’t “outgive”
God! The more you give to him, the
more blessing you will receive. We give
because we love someone and want to
share ourselves and what we have. The
dynamic that follows is that the object of
our love—God, in this case—will respond
to our giving with even more giving in
return. So the contest has begun. Two
people who love each other are joyfully
trying to “outgive” one another. Try this
principle in your relationships—marriage,
parenthood, friendships—and see how
those relationships are revolutionized.
Most important, try it with God.
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commands or by trying to show the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins?
15 From now on we will call the arrogant blessed.
For those who do evil get rich, and those who
dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’”
— promises —
from God
“But for you who fear
my name, the Sun of
Righteousness will rise
with healing in his wings.
And you will go free.”
M A L AC H I 4:2
The LORD’s Promise of Mercy
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with
each other, and the Lord listened to what they
said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance
was written to record the names of those who
feared him and always thought about the honor
of his name.
17 “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. 18 Then you will again see the difference
between the righteous and the wicked, between
those who serve God and those who do not.”
The Coming Day of Judgment
1*The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says, “The
day of judgment is coming, burning like a
furnace. On that day the arrogant and the wicked
will be burned up like straw. They will be consumed—roots, branches, and all.
2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of
Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings.*
And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves
let out to pasture. 3 On the day when I act, you will
tread upon the wicked as if they were dust under
your feet,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
4 “Remember to obey the Law of Moses, my
servant—all the decrees and regulations that I
gave him on Mount Sinai* for all Israel.
5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah
before the great and dreadful day of the Lord
arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children
to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike
the land with a curse.”
4
3:11 Hebrew from the devourer. 4:1 Verses 4:1-6 are numbered
3:19-24 in Hebrew text. 4:2 Or the sun of righteousness will rise
with healing in its wings. 4:4 Hebrew Horeb, another name
for Sinai.