The Messenger, Day 7 Frolic. Read Malachi chapter 4. Frolic is defined as Frolic refers to playing or moving about in a lively, cheerful, and carefree manner, often involving romping, running, or skipping. What a beautiful picture! I tend to think of children or animals being involved in frolicking. I think that is because neither of them are generally weighed down by the burdens, pressures, and problems that so often plague life. It seems the older we get, the less we frolic. That’s not what the messenger in Malachi sees. He reminds us that as we are listening and following the message of God, we will be righteous and we…

The Messenger, Day 6 What’s the difference? Read Malachi 3:6-18 What makes the difference between a righteous man and a wicked man? This has been a question that has been debated for centuries and every major religion has added to the definitions. Ultimately, we see Malachi discussing the difference in these verses. The righteous person respects God and understands his position in relation to a Holy God. The wicked person has a much higher opinion of themselves then they do of God. As a result, we read here that the people weren’t giving of their offerings to God. They weren’t submitting to God’s authority. They were trying to outdo each…

The Messenger, Day 5 Purity equals offering. Read Malachi 3:1-5. If God was upset about the people bringing unclean and unworthy sacrifices to the temple, he was just as upset when the people themselves weren’t doing what they needed to do in order to be ready to offer the sacrifices. They weren’t preparing themselves. They weren’t cleansing themselves. They were showing up and just offering the sacrifices as if they were common daily duties. God was not pleased. The messenger is delivering the message that they need to be cleansed. The people themselves need to be refined like silver. This messenger is going to be able to sit and refine…

The Messenger, Day 4 “It’s not really THAT bad.” Read Malachi 2:10-17. Does that phrase sound familiar. I know my kids have said that to me when they are trying to get out of punishment. I’ve said it to others when I’ve messed up something. It’s a way to justify ourselves and to ease some of the guilt, or even try to lessen the negative results of whatever we have done. Here, we see the people of Israel using this as the way to excuse themselves of the wrongs they were doing. They didn’t want to be accountable to God for their sins. The messenger was there to point out…

The Messenger, Day 3 What is the role of the messenger? Read Malachi 2:1-9 Have you ever sent someone to deliver a message, then found out later that it either wasn’t delivered, or somehow the intention got lost in translation? As kids, many of us played the “telephone game” where you whisper a message to the first person, then they whisper it to the next, and so on through the whole group. The last person then shares the message aloud, and everyone gets to hear just how much has changed in the message from the first person to the last. That is always a concern when delivering a message. God…

The Messenger, Day 2 Bait and Switch. Read Malachi 1:8-14. Many people have heard or seen the idea of a bait and switch. That would be a situation where somebody advertises something that seems amazing and awesome and everybody wants it. People show up to try to purchase or get that item only to find that the store doesn’t have that item anymore. Instead, the only item they have left is something of lesser quality and more inferior that they try to sell you instead. They baited you to come into their store and then switched what they were going to offer you. God is accusing the people of Israel…

The Messenger, Day 1 Respect. Read Malachi 1:1-7 Why do we respect someone or something? When we take a look at people or positions or titles, often we ascribe respect to them based on what we have learned about the person or the position. This comes up often in the political world. I may or may not agree with the individual in a certain political office, but I respect the office that they hold and the position they have. My words and actions should reflect that respect. God is telling the people that he is frustrated by their lack of respect. He is their God and while they don’t love…