NIV Application Bible Podcast: Episode 17 (Malachi 2)

• There will be seasons that you are rebellious. There will be seasons that you have the audacity to raise your fist at me, the creator of the universe. But I love you. [Music] Welcome back to the NIV Application Bible podcast. We have gotten all the way to the end, the caboose of the Old Testament, the end of this series of prophecies called the minor prophets.
• We’re at the very last book in the Old Testament cannon. I think of this as kind of the divine drum roll before the gospels, before Jesus. And this book is called Malachi, or if you have Italian in your background, you can cheat and call it Malachi. And it’s a really really interesting book both in the historical context.
• This is called a post exilic prophet. And that’s just a fancy way of saying you know God’s people have have faced the consequences of their rebellion. Northern Israel has now been obliterated by the Assyrians. Southern Israel was taken away into into captivity by Babylon. They are coming back from that Babylonian captivity.
• And the grandmas and granddaddies have been telling the kids in captivity, “Oh, once we return to Jerusalem, everything will be wonderful again. You’ll love Jerusalem. The place we worship is at the top of a hill. We’ll sing praises. We’ll get up there and we’ll have festivals and feast. And the olive oil is as clear as water.
• The falafilles are as big as your head.” It’s not exactly uh the Hebrew, but it’s close enough. They’ve just been thinking as soon as we can get out of this nightmare of captivity and we’ll go back to Jerusalem, everything will be wonderful again. But when they get back to Jerusalem, uh it it’s not the land of their dreams anymore.
• The fields have been ransacked. The walls are broken down. The the city of Jerusalem, the jewel of God’s eye, is in ruins. And so God’s people get ticked off. It’s not at all what they expected. and they actually argue with God. Malachi, the the literary format is called rhetorical disputation. That means effectively God’s people are raising their fists.
• They’re arguing with the God of the universe. And what’s so stunning is he allows them to have this contentious conversation with him. We’re going to look at one of the arguments. It’s at the end of chapter 2, beginning of chapter 3. This is Malachi 2:1 17. You have weii the Lord with your words. How have we wearied him, you ask? By saying, all who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them.
• Or where is the God of justice? Do you hear what they’re asking? They’re asking effectively, “If you’re such a good God, then why are our lives so difficult?” Have you ever been there? I have. I used to be there every Mother’s Day and every Valentine’s Day because I’m single. I I can remember y’all so many times thinking, “I know that girl.
• She’s hateful and she got that really good guy.” Or, “I know that girl. She’s impatient and now she’s got a minivan full of babies. Why? Why am I lonely? Lord, why is it February 14th and I’m sitting by myself on the couch and sweatpants eating another Lean Cuisine? If you’re such a good God, then why is my life so difficult? It’s a human question.