The book of Malachi is only 4 chapters long. He was a “minor” prophet. The basic theme of his writings are to honor God, and what will happen to those who do not. He doesn’t paint a pretty picture. As with most of the prophets he doesn’t sugar coat the message. He talks about honoring and obeying God, he talks about keeping covenants with God.

3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

It's a short book, read it all. It isn’t as ominous as some prophets but he is delivering God’s words to Isreal to remind them of what He wants us to do and how He wants us to act. First of all, I am comforted by the knowledge that I do love the Lord and try to honor Him. I admit, I sometimes do not tithe as I should. But I have seen God take my tithe when funds were low and bless it. I have seen money come from unexpected places when we needed it. I have seen money “stretch” further than it usually does when we needed it to. I do not believe in prosperity teachers. They do God’s people a huge injustice. God is not a genie in a bottle. Malachi reminds us of the things we need to do to honor God. So, take the time this week to read this short book. As Malachi says “Surely, the day is coming”. You will want to know about that day!

Lord, help us all to remember your covenants and promises that we may serve you daily. Amen

Shirlene Peterson