The Gripe of Malachi

10.15.12

Malachi 2.17 17 You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,” or, “Where is the God of justice?” NASB

Malachi’s gripe was the heartless worship Judah offered to the Lord. He points out that their obeisance to the Lord was half-hearted and casual. They didn’t respect God (v. 1.6). They brought defiled sacrifices to the altar (vv. 7-9). They were going through the motions but their hearts weren’t in it (vv. 12-14). God was insulted and wearied by their heartless attempts at worship (v. 2.17).

God knew their hearts. He knew they tried, but after so much trying they simply got bored of trying. Such is the depth of the evil within us – we get bored with God.

Today, in the Church we love to proclaim God’s love. And it’s true, God’s love is wonderful. God’s love is amazing. But when we approach God, do we respect what He says? Do we continue to live vile, and wicked, and disrespectful lives and then show up at Church on Sunday mornings proclaiming God’s love? Do we live like hell all week and then proclaim God’s love to make it all better? The question is: where is our effort at respecting what God says and bringing Him our best? Is God happy with half-hearted? Would we be happy with that?

We have almost devolved into a loveless marriage with the Lord; He does His thing, we do ours, and ne’er (or rare) do our paths cross. We claim Him (believing He claims us) and yet we live mostly separate lives. Malachi would gripe at us.

Our relationship with God is all about relationship. Do we give God some of our hearts and the rest to someone else? That’s what the ancients did. Yes, they were under the Levitical Law and we aren’t, but where’s the heart? That was Malachi’s gripe – where’s your heart?

Somehow, some way, we must be held accountable for our relationship toward the Lord. There has to be some measure of the depth of our love and that has to be, not of performance, but of devotion. A marriage without devotion is a sad marriage indeed. An un-devoted couple may as well be unmarried. A heartless believer may as well be an unbeliever.

God doesn’t want our money or our possessions – He wants our heart. We are like many today in their approach to marriage, either they don’t want to commit because they are committed to keeping their options open – or they’re satisfied with a tenuous agreement to live together as long as the living doesn’t become uncomfortable. What is missing is devotion.

Lord my devotion of late is lagging and I am sorry. I need to remember it isn’t about performance but Love and I ask that You help me to love You (especially) and others so that there is truth in my proclaiming Your greatness and majesty. Amen.