Being sincere is useless if you're sincerely wrong.
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Malachi 2 Summary
The book of Malachi is not one that you read for a quick pick-me-up. This short book at the end of the Old Testament contains a series of dialogs in which God brings His disputes to His covenant people, and they either flat out deny their sin or shrug their shoulders as if it's no big deal.
At the beginning of chapter 2, God takes aim at His priests. God did not appoint them to just preside over meaningless religious ceremonies filled with empty pomp & circumstance, or to simply warm the hearts of the people by telling them what they want to hear.
God reminds His faithless priests that they have a three-fold task in v7. They must:
Guard knowledge: ensure that God's Word remains the basis for truth, rather than the ravings of our sinful imaginations;
Instruct: God's ministers have a responsibility to guide the people by applying God's unchanging truth to our constantly changing lives;
Be God's messenger: Preach not only God's laws & commandments but also His gospel & grace.
There's a stiff penalty when God's ministers do not heed this calling. God warns these lazy priests:
Behold, I will... spread dung on your faces (v3)
So if it seems like your pastor is sometimes overly zealous to guard, instruct and proclaim, remember the fate he faces if he doesn't.
Dig Deeper
God's not impressed with your sincerity.
It may be that you're coming before the Lord with tears, with weeping and groaning (v13) beseeching the Him to show you favor. But if your sincerity isn't coupled with covenant faithfulness, don't expect Him to lift a finger.
In v17, Malachi scolds the wayward Israelites who wearied the Lord with their words, because with the same mouth with which they sincerely begged for blessing, they were stating that everyone who does evil is good and questioning if God was really true to His character.
Make sure your sincerity expresses itself in solid, Bible based theology and faithfulness to the covenant you have with God.
AAA Prayer:
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The LORD God Almighty (of hosts) who demands covenant faithfulness;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Ask God to align your emotions and actions with His commands rather than society's inventions.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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