The last book of the Old Testament gives us a final look at the rebellious, disobedient people who were called the people of God, before a four-hundred-year silence of any message from the Lord. After fulfilling their seventy years in captivity, a small contingency of Jews traveled back to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the Temple, and later, the wall and the city.

They had struggled to see the Temple and the wall completed, but by God’s mercy and provision, they were basically finished, though not without a great deal of complaining along the way. Life in Jerusalem was back to ‘normal’ at least for a while. The people who had risked their lives to complete the work, by relying on the Lord for strength and protection, had now died off.

Their children now carried on the work, but with none of the same zeal and determination as their parents. There was little delight in finishing off the work started earlier, and the Temple played little to no role in their lives. Offerings brought to the Temple were of the poorest condition, being animals unfit for sale. Even the priests paid little heed to remaining pure and holy, choosing instead to intermarry with the heathen women around them.

The people of God had once again fallen to a dismal spiritual state, at best only going through the motions of the requirements of the Law; at worst, ignoring it all together. It was to this apathetic and rebellious people that God spoke through the prophet Malachi. God’s words to His people are recorded in…

Malachi 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

Malachi had undoubtedly preached to them that their God, Jehovah, loved them. To that, they replied, ‘Wherein, or how have you loved us?’ They had grown so cold toward God; they couldn’t think of any way that God had shown His love to them. They defiantly replied back to Malachi as he spoke of God’s love, saying that their God didn’t love them, if He did, they wouldn’t have had to struggle so much.

God chose Israel to be a testimony to the nations of how a people who put Him first, and worshiped Him only could be blessed. The conditions for His blessings were not exclusive to Israel. Any nation whose God is the Lord would be blessed. It was up to Israel to remain faithful to God so the truth of His message could be witnessed by those other nations.

Sadly, Israel failed to live up to their mission. They rebelled and forsook God, leaving the world without a faithful national witness for Him. His work would have to be carried out by individuals dedicated to Him.

Today, the work of God is spread by faithful believers dedicated to the cause of Christ, the Jew who came through God’s rebellious nation to bring life to the world. Let’s be faithful to carry on the work of pointing the world back to God in Christ.