Do You Question God's Integrity?

God's Persistent, Patient Love for His People!

A study of the book of Malachi

by Pastor Frank Rice

Malachi 3:7-12

What does it indicate when we “question some- one’s integrity?” What would cause a person to question another person’s integrity? Probable response: “to question a person’s integrity is to doubt that what she is saying can be trusted.” We assume they are not telling the truth or they cannot or will not keep their word on certain issues. We won’t mention politicians, salesmen, advertisers, and others, all of whom have had their integrity questioned! But the people to whom Malachi was speaking were questioning the integrity of God! They doubted He would, could, or did keep His word! That’s a startling accusation! They refused to trust God! Hmmm

 

v      The prophet reminds his audience of the One speaking (v. 6)!

1.      It is the LORD, their covenant God, and He does not waver in His commitment to His people, for good or ill!

2.      If He did waver, they wouldn’t stand a chance because of their gross covenant negligence and misbehavior!

 

v      The LORD accuses His people of continuously violating and dishonoring the covenant from the time it was ratified (v. 7a)!

1.      They had abandoned their covenant commitment! “The accusation is direct and personal.” (Verhoef) They’re either clueless or callous, dense or defiant!

2.      They had failed to honor their word (Ex 24:3 & 7)! (Read it!)

 

v      The LORD invites His unruly people to return to Him, to come back to Him so that He could bless them (v. 7b; Deut 5:29).

1.      He invites them to return to Him. It is true that they had deserted and dishonored the covenant (a symptom?). The heart of the matter was their deliberate forsaking of God!

2.      The real problem was their willful ignorance and distrust of Him, which resulted from a failure to teach and to learn!

3.      He promises to reciprocate. He will welcome their return. This sounds like Luke 15! They needed “to return to a previously established relationship.”

4.      The people stubbornly deny that they had ever gone anywhere (v. 7c)! How could they return if they hadn’t left?! (Seriously?!)

5.      “In smug self-righteousness they challenge the LORD to show them in what respect they have defected. From a host of possibilities, the LORD singles out one.” (Merrill)

 

v      The LORD brings up one area in which they had grossly violated their covenant obligations (v. 8). (This area is a dead giveaway!)

1.      He stuns His people with a rhetorical question, expecting a negative response. “No one would ever think to rob God!”

2.      He then “nails them to the wall” by directly accusing them of doing that very thing! (“You have robbed/ defrauded Me!”)

3.      God’s people demand an explanation! “What do You mean!?!” (I think they’re a little miffed that He’d suggest such a thing!)

4.      He then succinctly states His case. “Stealing means not only taking what is not yours but keeping back what belongs to someone else.” (Alden) Guilty as charged!

5.      “Israel had been neglecting the provisions necessary for the ongoing operation of the temple cult.” (Baker)