The Day of Pentecost is intimately connected with the covenant relationship between God and man. Historically, this day has been connected with the establishment of the Old Covenant at Sinai, just seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt. Then, centuries later, on the first Pentecost after Jesus’ final Passover, mankind was offered the better promises of the New Covenant—including the indwelling of the Spirit of God, and the ultimate promise of eternal life in the Family of God.
As we look at ancient Israel’s covenant relationship with God, we find a story of both faithfulness and treachery. The faithfulness was primarily on God’s part, while the treachery was entirely on the part of human beings. The prophets indicted Israel several times for its treacherous betrayal of its covenant relationship with the Almighty, and compared the nation to a faithless wife. These lessons, and the experiences of the Old Testament Church, are recorded in Scripture for our benefit today (1 Corinthians 10:11).
When the ancient Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai after weeks of travel, there was great excitement. Moses ascended the mountain to meet with the Creator, then descended to tell the Israelites that God was inviting them to enter a special relationship with Him. God desired to make them His own special treasure—a kingdom of priests and a holy nation—if they would keep the terms of His covenant (Exodus 19:5–6). Immediately, the people promised: “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (v. 8).
Most of the rest of the Old Testament is the story of Israel’s failure to keep its promises. Why would God allow His people to face an Assyrian invasion, and the subsequent deportation of the northern kingdom? In the eighth century bc, the prophet Hosea explained that Israel had committed harlotry, and was defiled (Hosea 5:3). Hosea went on to assert: “They have dealt treacherously with the Lord, for they have begotten pagan children” (v. 7). Further, he stated: “But like men they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt treacherously with Me” (6:7).
More than a century later, in the years prior to Babylonian captivity, the prophet Jeremiah delivered God’s message to the southern kingdom of Judah. His indictment echoed the same theme of treacherous betrayal of the covenant: “The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: ‘Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, “Return to Me.” But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:6–10). Further developing the comparison, Jeremiah wrote: “‘Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:20).
This treacherous betrayal of the covenant relationship led to the captivity and exile of first Israel and then Judah. However, after 70 years of Babylonian exile, a remnant led by Zerubbabel and Joshua was finally allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. Yet, as the book of Ezra makes plain, even this remnant did not really remain faithful to the covenant for very long. Several decades after the remnant had returned to Jerusalem, Ezra the priest traveled there from Babylon. A few years later, he was joined there by Nehemiah, the newly appointed governor. The two sought to restore the nation to a proper covenant relationship with God.
Malachi’s Message
Malachi’s message anticipated the future coming of the Messiah as the “Messenger of the Covenant.” The book of Malachi points to the failure of the Old Testament Church at the end of that period of history, and thereby contains many lessons for us. It also points toward the New Testament, more than four centuries in the future. Because of God’s abiding faithfulness, even in the midst of Israel’s treachery, a means of redemption would be provided for His erring people.
To understand the historical context of Malachi, we must read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Encouragingly, the temple had been rebuilt after decades of lying in ruins, and a priesthood was once again functioning in Jerusalem. The people were no longer worshiping idols devoted to Baal and the “Queen of Heaven,” as they had done before the exile. Yet, sadly, the nation was impoverished. Many Israelites believed that they were faithful, that they deserved better, and that God had failed to provide for them as He ought—that He was not really faithful to His promises.
Of course, this perspective was utterly wrong. As Malachi made plain, covenant faithfulness was demonstrated far more by actions than by the “religion” that people claimed to have. Showing that the people did not see what God saw, the book of Malachi contains seven “What do you mean by that?” statements made by the people in response to God’s declarations. The prophet described God’s faithfulness and the people’s treachery, while the people sought to justify and excuse their behavior.
Malachi 1:2 opens with God’s profound declaration: “I have loved you.” Yet the people disputed God’s love for them and said, in effect: “How do we know that?” Not convinced that God loved them, the people did not love God. They ignored clear evidence of God’s love for His people—His having elected, or chosen, their forefathers centuries earlier. God had chosen Jacob instead of Esau, even though Jacob and Esau were brothers. God chooses whom He will call first, and all who are called should be deeply mindful of, and thankful for, God’s love. If we do not value our calling, and the special relationship with God that it entails, then we will treat that calling cheaply and casually. Obedience that is not based upon love for God will be grudging, temporary and certainly not wholehearted. This is how the Old Testament Church continually treated its relationship with God.
Disrespecting God
Malachi 1:6–7 contains the next two “What do you mean by that?” statements. Everyone in Malachi’s audience would have readily agreed with his point—that a father is to be honored, and a master is to be shown great respect. Yet Malachi declared that God’s priests actually despised His name! The people did not see things this way; after all, when the Jews returned from Babylon they were very careful with the use of God’s name. After the exile, in contrast with their earlier practice, the Jews generally avoided even pronouncing the name of YHVH, preferring various substitutions. Eventually, tradition came to dictate that only the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement, was allowed to pronounce the name YHVH. This is why no one today is absolutely sure of the correct pronunciation of this name of God. However, for all of their supposed newfound reverence, the religious leaders showed contempt for the name of their Creator by their actions. As Malachi made clear, actions speak louder than words.
Furthermore, the prophet charged the priesthood with defiling God’s altar. Though they could not see how this was so, the fact was that the priests were presenting, as offerings to God, animals that were injured or sick! Animals that needed to be culled from the flock were burned on the altar, while healthy animals were kept for secular use. Malachi asked how the Persian governor would react if such animals were brought to him. Of course, he would have regarded it as an insult. God declared through Malachi that it would have been better to have shut the doors of the temple, and let the altar fires go out, than to present such a disrespectful offering (v. 10). In contrast, God inspired Malachi to anticipate the future time when people from all nations would lift up God’s name with reverence. This prophecy looked forward to the New Testament Church, which would be made up of people from all nations.
The priests, as the book of Nehemiah makes plain, had treated lightly the covenant that God had established with their ancestors, and were not the example of obedience that they should have been. They even showed favoritism in the way they applied God’s law (Malachi 2:9). This lack of faithful administration of the law was tantamount to treachery, or betrayal of their brethren.
Treachery in the Family
When God created mankind in His own image, He established the “God-plane” relationship of family as the fundamental unit of society. A society can be no stronger than its families. We learn from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that post-exilic Judah had serious family-related problems. One problem was wrong marriages that should never have been made. Marriages with neighboring peoples had become so common that the very identity of God’s people was threatened: “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem, for Judah has profaned the Lord’s holy institution which He loves; He has married the daughter of a foreign god” (Malachi 2:11). Such marriages would inevitably lead God’s people away from pure worship, and into a hybrid religion that mixed elements of pagan practice with God’s instructions.
Malachi then described another very serious problem: family breakup caused by divorce. God declared that He would not accept people’s worship when the altar was figuratively covered with the tears of those whom the worshipers had wronged. This brings us to the fourth “What do you mean by that?” statement: “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Malachi 2:14). The prophet went on to declare that God hates divorce (v. 16). Those who were wrongly contemplating divorce were told to halt such treachery. Marriage is a covenant relationship, and God proclaims Himself a witness to the covenant. He expects faithfulness and hates treachery. A stable society can only be built on families that are bound by faithfulness, not rent apart by betrayal.
The Coming Messenger
Malachi declared that the people had made God tired by their words (v. 17). This led to the fifth “What do you mean by that?” statement. Seeing that the wicked seemed to prosper, some had become despondent, doubting that there was a God of justice. Certainly, some pagan nations were prospering while the remnant of Judah was mired in poverty. Some in Judah were “getting ahead” through dishonest business practices, and by taking advantage of the people least able to defend themselves. But did this mean that God was “way off somewhere” or that He was indifferent? No!
God expected faith from His covenant people. Malachi explained that they needed to take a more long-range view—that the God of Israel was going to send a future messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord Himself. It was none other than the Lord who would ultimately come into His temple as the Messenger of the Covenant. He would come for judgment, and would deal with those who had been treacherous in their covenant relationships. This prophecy was fulfilled in part by John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ, who came as the Messenger of the New Covenant. Christ began His public ministry by entering into the temple just before the Passover, and casting out the moneychangers. He went on to demonstrate His divine authority by the miracles that He performed (John 3:1–2). The events of which Malachi spoke also looked even beyond Christ’s first coming, to the time when He will return in power and glory. God’s covenant people must live by faith and look to the future.
Would You Rob God?
Malachi explained that God was absolutely faithful, in contrast to the treachery that Judah had shown, many times over, toward God and the covenant relationship. God did not change, and could therefore be trusted to keep His promises. Malachi called upon the nation to return to God, and thereby reap the benefits that He stood so ready to give. Malachi’s listeners wondered: “How could such a return be accomplished?” The answer was simple, Malachi thundered: Stop robbing your Creator!
Robbery is a very serious charge. Yet Malachi did not simply accuse the people of robbery; he accused them of actually robbing God! This led to their sixth “What do you mean by that?” statement. How could they possibly be accused of stealing from the Creator? The answer of course lay in their failure to properly tithe and give offerings. The people reasoned that they had financial problems, and could not afford to obey God. Surely, they thought, God would want them to get on their feet financially before they began tithing or making sizable offerings to rebuild the temple. That, of course, was a completely backward approach.
One of the clearest principles throughout the Bible is that no one ever really gets ahead by putting God last. You cannot “get your affairs in shape” first, and then start tithing. We are dependent upon God’s blessing and help even to meet our needs at all. Malachi admonished the people that if they would step out on faith, and put God first by giving to Him what was His in the first place, then God would bless their efforts and provide their needs.
Our Attitude in Obedience
God is deeply interested in the attitude that underlies our actions. Many of those living in fifth-century bc Judah were only grudgingly conforming to the commandments of God. Because their obedience did not come cheerfully and from the heart, they failed to reap many of the blessings that they could have received. Instead of examining their attitudes and where they needed to change, they blamed God and felt sorry for themselves. This led to the seventh and final “What do you mean by that?” statement that Malachi recorded: “‘Your words have been harsh against Me,’ says the Lord, ‘yet you say, what have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts?’” (Malachi 3:13–14).
Malachi then contrasted this negative attitude with the attitude of those who truly revered God—who frequently meditated on the things of God and talked about them to other true believers, seeking to encourage them (vv. 16–17). He observed that God takes note of our conversation, and that when the future time of judgment comes, He will remember those who truly love Him and will “make them My jewels” (v. 17).
Malachi closed with an admonition to remember the Torah, which God gave through Moses and which contains the terms of God’s holy covenant, which they had so treacherously betrayed again and again. Malachi pointed to the Messiah, and to the New Covenant, of which that Messiah would be the Messenger. As a prelude to His coming, Malachi explained, one in the spirit and power of Elijah would come to prepare His way. The Old Testament thus concludes by pointing to the New.
Have we learned the lesson of Israel’s failure to keep the covenant? The Israelites left a legacy of treachery toward their Creator that contrasted sharply with His abiding faithfulness and love toward them. Most fundamentally, the Israelites failed in the covenant relationship because they did not really love God with all their heart, mind and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5). They simply did not have the heart to obey (5:29). God has a solution to that problem. His solution involves the redemption pictured by the Passover season, and the new heart made possible by the outpouring of His Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Upon this new heart, softened and changed, God will write His laws through the power of His Spirit (Hebrews 8:8–10) A heart that deeply loves God will be a faithful heart—one that hates treachery, and is deeply loyal to Him and His covenant.