According to “the LORD
of hosts”, as recorded by the prophet Malachi, the people
within the nation of Israel were speaking “stout” or
“brazen and courageous” words against the Lord. Though they
wondered where they did this, the Lord told them they declared it
“vain” and unprofitable to serve the Lord. In chapter
three and verse fifteen the Lord continues to tell the people more
ways they spoke contrary to Him where we read:
And now we call the
proud happy; yes, they that work wickedness are set up; yes, they
that tempt God are even delivered.
The
verse begins, “And now we call the proud happy;” The
people of Israel were so bold to speak against God that they “call
the proud” or the “arrogant,
insolent, presumptuous” “happy” which literally means
“to go straight, walk, go on, advance, make progress or righten”.
The idea is that those who were the proudest among them were
considered to be the leaders of the proper way they should be.
The
verse continues, “ yes, they that work wickedness are set up;”
In addition to the people naming the “proud” as
leaders, they also “set up” or “built, established, or
caused to continue” those who “work wickedness” which
means “fashion, accomplish, make or produce unrighteousness in
civil, ethical and religious relationships”. Once again they
promoted workers of unrighteousness rather than those who followed
the Lord.
Finally
the verse says, “ yes, they that tempt God are
even delivered.” As though the proud and wicked being promoted
were not bad enough, the Lord added that they “delivered”
which means “allow to slip away, escape or save” “they that
tempt God” or “those who examine, scrutinize, try, or prove
God”. This group of people were so proud and arrogant that they
felt they could put God on trial by tempting and trying Him to prove
Himself. Even so, the people of Israel exalted these people rather
than restricting their behavior.
As we
think about these words, one thing is for certain: we do not want to
be a part of this group of people. Let's look once again at their
basic traits. They were proud, wicked, and tempters of God, and the
most troublesome part of this was the people of the nation of Israel
were exalting them rather than speaking against their atrocious
behavior. As we ponder these traits, do we see those in our world
today who have these characteristics? Are they exalted by the people,
or are they spoken against? It is one thing to look upon the nation
of Israel and critique their behavior towards these people, and it is
quite another to examine ourselves. May the Lord help us to know when
people exhibit these horrific traits against Him, and may He give us
the wisdom of how to react to them when they do.
Next
time we learn about the Lord's “book
of remembrance”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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