Swimming in the waters of our society, we can often forget from where we get our identity and what defines us as believers of Jesus. Peter, speaking to temporary residents scattered throughout Asia Minor and dispersed throughout North West NSW, seeks to remind them where their identity comes from. If we have tasted that the Lord is good, we should crave after the word (2:2-3), already mentioned in 1:25.

Peter shows what the reality of drawing near to God looks like. That just as Jesus was the bodily dwelling of God, when we believe in Him we are joined to Him. This joining produces the glorious living and expanding temple of God, His Church. We are a part of God’s building plan, honoured by Him for believing.

As such, we are to be distinctive in the world as we show Who is our identity. As wonderful as this is, Peter foreshadows the implication of following one already continually rejected by the world. In this, Peter wants to bring comfort and assurance to his readers that the one who follows Jesus will not be put to shame and that they are His treasured possession.

Perhaps the most important word in today’s passage is ‘therefore’. It seems strange to say, but it helps us understand the context and purpose of verses 13-25.

Without the ‘therefore’, these four commands reek of good deeds and self-improvement. With the ‘therefore’, we understand that these four commands emerge from what God has already done for us, in His ‘great mercy’ (vs.3). With the ‘therefore’, we see these four commands as outlining the ‘rejoicing’ life of a people who are temporary residents. With the ‘therefore’, we understand these four commands as helping us as God’s mob to reflect Him to the world.

Rejoice (vs. 3-12)

(i) in someone (vs. 3),

(ii) in what you have been given (vs. 3-5),

(iii) In what you now experience (vs. 6),

(iv) in what you now possess (vs. 7),

(v) in who you now love (vs. 8-9),

(vi) in where you stand in history (vs. 10-12).

In three simple verses, Malachi rounds out his prophecy in simple summary. God’s word is clear!

God’s mob are to remember who they are: they are a covenantal people, with an identity found in the God who graciously loves them relentlessly.

God’s mob are to be reminded: a day is coming when the sin in, and of, God’s mob will be judged. God will prepare them for that day, sending a prophet to them, a prophet like Elijah.

As they listen to this word from God, God’s mob will be restored in repentance: they will be brought back to the covenant, or they will be completely devoted to destruction.

This really did take place – why else would Jesus be affirmed in His identity by the presence of Moses and Elijah? (Matt.17) Therefore, this really applies to us: as God’s mob, we must remember our identity, we must be reminded of the great day of sin judged (at Golgotha and in the future), and we must be a repentant restored people, obeying our God.

Relationships. They can bring us the most joy in this world. They can also bring us the most grief. Being involved in such a breakdown creates immense pain. It is often described as “breaking your heart”.

God’s relationship with His people is a particular kind of relationship. At the time Malachi writes, it is a covenantal relationship. The thing we are familiar with that looks most like this relationship is marriage. We have already had a bit of a look at that in this series on Malachi. Today we are going to continue to look at how God and His people are going in their relationship.

The covenant that governs this relationship sits within a history of God working for His people. He is working to make them a people for Him. A people who display who He is and His glory.

We have seen in Malachi how the Lord loves His people.

Not only do the people question His love but, by their actions, they show that they don’t trust His faithful care for them either. They don’t trust Him with their best offerings and now they don’t trust Him with all their offerings. They keep some back so they will have enough.

But He reminds them that His mercies never come to an end. For generations He has watched over them and preserved them.

They should know by now that they can trust Him with all they have, all they are…. with everything.

We have had a further 2500 years of unending mercy as well as the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to reassure us. But are we any better? Do we trust God with all we have, all we are…. with everything?

Words can be tiring, can’t they? And tiresome words that express untruths can be even more so!

God’s people are speaking tiresome and untrue words – and God is worn out by them. As they doubt His love, as they offer Him their seconds, as they live in a way that betrays their identity in their marriages, God’s people also question His concern for justice. They accuse Him of rewarding the unrighteous and immoral, of ignoring justice. In fact, they basically state that there seems no use being faithful to Him, if He seems unconcerned with justice!

God’s response is to promise that He is concerned about justice, that He will judge the unjust and immoral – in fact, He will come and do it personally. It is no mistake that these are the very words that Mark (1:2-3) uses to describe the work of John the Baptist, as he prepares for Jesus’ arrival!

The LORD loves His people. The LORD’s people doubt His love. This affects their worship of Him – does He really deserve our best? And this affects their relationships with each other – if the LORD doesn’t really love us, why should we be faithful to each other?

This is the scenario that Malachi confronts in Malachi 2:10-16.

Three points are worth remembering.

• First, this is a prophecy against God’s people, not a statement about the wider world.

• Second, this is a reminder that how we live as God’s mob reflects what we think about God – our vertical life is expressed in our horizontal life.

• And, third, God has given us daily images of His faithfulness towards us – daily covenants.

Do we live in such a way here that we honour Him?

God is faithful to His promises to take and renew and save and restore human beings, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ alone, through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In this sense, today is another reminder that in Christ, by the Spirit, our Father is endlessly faithful and we are reminded of how to stay keen as a Christian!

Have you ever been half-hearted about something? Have you ever had the attitude of near enough is good enough? Do you ever think like this about your relationship with God?

Today, we see God rebuking his people, in particular the priests, for their half-hearted attitude to their worship of Him. God had proved His love for His people. He had chosen Abraham and the line of Jacob to be His people. He made a covenant with them at Mt Sinai. He continued to show grace and mercy to His people. God loved His people. But they were not showing love back.

The people’s half-heartedness was demonstrated through their poor, blemished, shoddy, second rate, dodgy offerings for the sacrifices. They didn’t think God loved them, and so didn’t give God their best.

The consequences as we will see are quite staggering and shocking, but God’s grace is even greater!!