Oracle

The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

Malachi 1:1

Do you know what the word 'oracle' means? It refers to a load, a burden, an utterance, or a message. This ought to remind us that God’s Word delivered to us through the prophet's is a weighty thing. A burden had to be borne for God's Word to get to you. Don’t take it for granted!

And who bore this burden? It says that this particular word of the Lord was delivered to us through Malachi. Interestingly, in Hebrew Malachi means “my messenger.” So, some question whether this is the prophet’s name or if it’s simply a title. It could be God’s way of saying that this prophet’s name isn’t important. What’s important is that he is God's messenger. While most think Malachi was this prophet's proper name, this ought to remind us that the prophets were God’s messengers. Their message, their books, matter because their source is found not in the prophets themselves but in the Lord.

As 2 Peter 1:20–21 says,

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

That’s why the Bible matters. That's why the Old Testament matters. And that’s why even the minor prophets at the back of the Old Testament like Malachi matter. Because God wanted us... wanted you... to have this message. And He sent His prophets to bear this burden to get this message to you. 

What will you do with the oracle that has been delivered to you? Will you take it for granted? Will you neglect it or ignore it? Or will you take it to heart, read it and apply it to your life? I want to encourage you to treat all of God's Word as inspired and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) Read and treasure it... even the minor prophets.

Raging Against the Lord

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.

Proverbs 19:3

Is your life in ruins? Have your dreams been dashed? Your hopes come to naught? Are you inwardly (or outwardly) raging against the Lord and blaming Him for your current state of affairs? If so, you need to ask yourself this question... "Is it actually my fault?" 

I've seen it over and over again. As humans we are all too prone to give ourselves way too much credit for the good things that happen in our lives and to give the Lord way too much credit for the bad. We rage against the Lord and ask "How could God let this happen to me?!" When the truth is... we did it to ourselves. 

We chose sin over obedience, our way over God's way, selfishness over service, pride over humility, and the broad path over the narrow way. We sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind. (Hosea 8:7) And now... we want to blame God. Now, we look to Him and ask why. Now, we accuse Him with the question "How could You?"

The sad truth is that when we do this we are only falling for another one of the enemy's tricks. Blaming God and raging against Him won't make your life any better. When your life falls apart you don't need to rage against the Lord, you need to come to Him for help putting the pieces back together. He can do that you know. 

So, be careful not to blame God for the rotten fruit that comes as a direct result of the seeds you planted in your life. Actions have consequences. You sow what you reap. God tells us that in His Word. (Galatians 6:7) Don’t blame or slander Him for what you did. Instead take responsibility for what you caused and look to Him for help.

Dirty Mangers

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.

Proverbs 14:4

This proverb helps us see that we have to take the bad with the good. You can’t have an abundant harvest, without the strength of an ox. But there are certain inconveniences that go along with having oxen. Among them are a dirty barn. Oxen have to be fed and their stalls have to be cleaned. So, you have to choose. You can have an empty, clean manger or an abundant harvest. You can't have both.  

This applies to so many areas in our lives, but I have often quoted it about churches. Many say they want more young families. They want their pews to be filled with teens and young children, but they don’t want anyone to be loud in church. They don’t want anyone to dirty the floors or the walls. They don’t want invest money in the children’s ministry or youth ministry. And they don't want to sing any new songs in worship. In other words, they want a growing church without the inconvenience of having to accomodate any change. It just doesn’t work like that. Thankfully, I don't believe that's the attitude at my church.

But there may be some things in your own life that you need to recast in this way. Maybe your messy home is just the price you pay for having happy, healthy kids. Maybe your aching back is the unavoidable cost of still being physically able to do hard work at your age. Maybe your lack of "me time" is the natural outcome of being so indispensable in the lives of your loved ones. You can't have the good without the bad. 

If we can learn to begin thinking about the bad as the price we pay for the good things we want, then maybe we can accept these things with less bitterness and frustration. Maybe we can even begin to look at the dirty mangers in our lives with a small sense of gratitude.

Bothering God?

Each day we are tempted in a thousand different ways to live a life of wickedness. Each day we are told that wickedness brings pleasure. And from time to time, we are tempted... tempted to eat the forbidden fruit. How does the wise person think about this? Why should you live righteously? Is there any benefit to it? According to Proverbs 15:8, there is!

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

Proverbs 15:8

There is a minor distinction in this proverb that is easy to miss. It's found in the words sacrifice and prayer. Normally prayers imply that we are asking God for something, whereas sacrifices are about us giving God something. So, in this verse the wicked man is giving God a gift and (more than likely) the upright man is coming before the Lord with some request.

Now, you might be tempted to think that God loves rich people more than poor people because they can give Him big gifts and buy his love. And if the wicked are wealthy by means of unjust gain, then you might be tempted to think that maybe God favors the wicked because they bribe Him with their wealth. But this proverb says that God hates the sacrifices of the wicked. Their gifts are funded by wicked deeds. Their worship is mere lip-service. It is insincere and backed up by a life of sin. Not only does God not appreciate that kind of worship, He detests it!

But what of the upright man? The Bible often pictures upright and righteous people as being poor. And I think that may be what is in view here. Every day this upright man comes to the Lord in prayer to ask for his daily bread. He has nothing of earthly value to give to God. When he does offer a sacrifice, it’s probably the poor man's offering of a pair of doves rather than a lamb, ox, or bull. He can’t afford that! How does God feel about his prayers? How does God feel about this man constantly asking for His help? 

 

Sometimes people think that if they pray too much it will "bother" God. So, they pray less and ask God for His help less, thinking that somehow this is pleasing to Him. But this proverb contradicts that thinking. It says that God is pleased with the prayers of the upright man. God is pleased when His children bring their needs to Him, because this is a form of worship. God would rather have an upright man or woman cry out to Him for help, than have a wicked person give Him a million dollars.

So, understand that it is the condition of your life and your heart that makes your worship pleasing or detestable to God. It isn't how much money you give or what you have to offer. And understand that if you are truly seeking the Lord, then you should never feel like you are "bothering" Him when you come to Him with your needs in prayer. It is actually pleasing to the Lord, when the upright person prayer to Him.