Malachi: A Love Like No Other

Proverbs 8:13 says, “...I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Basically, this encompasses a hatred of sin, for evil is synonymous with sin. If sin is hated and Esau is hated, as stated in Malachi 1:3, can we look at His Word to us today and see Esau as a representation of sin? The Lord has a message for each of us individually in the book of Malachi through the Holy Spirit today, just as He poured out His message to Malachi for the people of his day. How will he speak to you? This is how He has spoken to me in the first 5 verses:

“I have loved you,” says the Lord. But I ask, ‘How have you loved me?’ “Was not sin with you at birth? Were you not struggling with it in the womb?” says the Lord. (see Genesis 25:19-34) “Yet I have loved you, but sin I have hated, and have turned it’s loftiness into desolation and left it's legacy barren.” Sin says, “Though I have been crushed, I will rebuild.” But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Sin may build, but I WILL demolish it for evil is always under the wrath of the Lord. You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—He has taken away my sin!’

Just as Jacob and Esau jostled with each other in the womb, sin was a struggle for me from the beginning. Yet Christ loved me, but hated my sin. He destroyed the loftiness of my sin on the Cross of Christ and left me with a legacy full of Him. Even though sin may rebuild within my life, it will always be overcome with the blood of the Precious Lamb of God. As Christians we have seen it with our own eyes and can say, “Great is the Lord—He has taken away my sin by defeating it on the Cross!”

The only acceptable sacrifice is the unblemished sacrifice of Christ, nothing less will do. So when our Heavenly Father asks, “where is the honor due me?” the only One we can bring is Christ, our acknowledgment of Him as our Savior and Lord. For Christ is the Son who honored his Father by shedding His blood on the Cross! That was the place where Honor was bestowed and we in turn honor our Heavenly Father by accepting this Perfect sacrifice. How do we accept this Perfect sacrifice? By offering “...spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 What are these spiritual sacrifices? Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Our broken hearts are the spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God and our hearts should break over our sin. Only then can we ...”implore God to be gracious to us” (Malachi 1:9) and only then can He begin to work in and through us. We simply give Him our humbled hearts and He gives us Himself! He consumes us with His Love, the Holy Spirit does it’s work and a fragrant aroma rises to the Lord. He is the only acceptable offering we must vow to give...”Christ in us, the Hope of Glory!” Colossians 1:27 Nothing less will do!