Broken Hearts: Mended by Grace
Malachi, the Messenger
The heart is the center of the human’s existence. Without it, the lifeblood cannot be channeled, nor rehabilitated, to offer its fresh new, revitalized substance to the body it serves. The Bible says much about the “heart,” but from a different perspective. According to many sources, the Bible mentions the heart almost 1,000 times! That is a lot. Quoting compellingtruth.org, “The heart is part of man’s spiritual makeup.” “It’s a place where emotions and desires begin,” says the web source.
Since sin entered the world and death by sin, all humanity needs a “heart transplant.” God created man in His own image and thus, there was a perfect heart condition. But when sin entered, and death by sin, the broken heart now required a heart surgeon. This situation has existed since the fall of Adam and Eve in God’s Garden of Eden.
Let us fast forward to Israel, God’s chosen people. God, out of His unfailing love, chose Abraham to be the father of many and relocated him to the “Promised Land.” Abraham’s son, Isaac, was the father of twin boys – Jacob, and Esau. One was the gift of promise and the other a servant of the younger. (Gen. 25:23ff). Jacob, the younger, received the gift of inheritance as an ancestor of our LORD. The elder, Esau, would be the father of the Edomites (Idumeans) and sub-servient to his younger brother. These two were like a branch split into two parts (bifurcation), similar to a heart’s aorta that splits into two sections.
This separation was and is long-lasting. Both Israel and Edom were taken captive by the Babylonians, but one survived, and one did not. Jacob’s descendants were in Judah and Esau’s descendants in Edom that, following the captivity, continued to be a wasteland.
But this separation is not the whole story. The last book in the English Old Testament (“O. T.”) – Malachi – tells of Israel’s heart disease following their return from Babylon. Yes, God’s chosen people have backslid into old habits, i.e. ignoring God and His commands and covenant. While this book is the last listed in the English Bible, it may not be the last written prior to the New Testament (“N. T.”) period. The Israelites returned from captivity in 538 BC. The temple was rebuilt under the auspices of Haggai and Zechariah; but the wall was not completed until Nehemiah’s time in ~445BC.
The authorship of this Book of 12 is not totally known as many theologians have surmised that it might be the Ezra, the priest. The term “Malachi” means messenger and may be a proper or common noun. No one has concluded affirmatively to either position. The timing of Malachi’s writing is not totally known but is generally accepted to be in the range of 450 – 400 BC. This would place it in the conclusion of the O. T. prophet period prior to the silent inter-testimental time. There is no family history for the person Malachi, and if a proper noun, his calling.
The short book concluding the O. T. is packed with a series of rhetorical questions and answers by the LORD Almighty himself. The returnees from captivity were backsliding, including the priests. God was totally displeased with His servants, the priests, and their attitude toward service as well as their sacrifice. Their offerings were blemished (see Cain’s offering in Genesis). The blame extended to its people who failed to remember God’s promises of what belongs to Him. God required a perfect sacrifice, not a blemished one, that did not reflect their total love for the One who has provided all things!
The lack of recognition for God and His requirements did not end there, rather, it extended to their earthly lives, i.e. his people ending marriages and engaging in foreign wife marriages. Their sin was double, i.e. ignoring the covenant of marriage but also entering into a life of sin with a wife worshipping a foreign god.
The issues lie not only with the priests but its people. Why? They were not giving the “whole” tithe into the storehouse. They were required under the law, to give 10% of their income to the LORD. Malachi calls it, “Robbing God.” Robbing entails not only taking but withholding!
Malachi issues severe warnings to the people regarding God’s “Coming of the LORD.” Four times Malachi talks about the “Day of the LORD.” (1:11; 3:1-6; 3:16-18; and 4:1-6). But all is not lost. Why? Because God always leaves a way out. There is a remedy for the broken heart, and it is called GRACE. Malachi states, “But to you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” (4:2).
Since the word “Malachi,” means “messenger,” the author leads us to the Messianic promise of the prophet like Elijah, who will come and proclaim the Good News of the One promised from Genesis 3:15. Yes, John the Baptist is the Elijah prophesied and said, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”
So, what does this mean to you and me today? It is still the same old story. Sin has broken our hearts, i.e. separated us from the perfect creation that God intended. God, in His mercy, continues to show us His love in Jesus, His Son, and His redeeming sacrifice on Calvary for our redemption and passport to be with the Lamb in eternity. Amen!
Peace
Connected in Him, I stand.
GHR
June 2020
