The Promise Keeper’s Love to bring Humility (9/3/26)

I thought a cookie was missing from our freezer stash the other day and I looked at the kids. One responded with “Why are you looking at me?” Another said “I didn’t eat it.” Another said “I didn’t even know those were there.” These “Who me?” “What did I do?” questions are like the last question in Malachi.

As we’ve traveled through Malachi, with his unique question and answer format, we’ve discovered numerous foolish questions the Israelites had. Last time we looked at the fourth and fifth questions and today we see the last question. This final question is like a kid that tries to act innocent when questioned about their disobedience.

Malachi 3:13-15 “You have spoken arrogantly against me,” says the Lord.

“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’

¹⁴ “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty? ¹⁵ But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly evildoers prosper, and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”

The Israelites felt like God had rewarded the wicked and were not blessing the faithful. However, they failed to see that they weren’t faithful, which we’ve covered in previous weeks. Their service to God seemed futile, but it was because it was hollow. They went through the motions of “worshiping” God, but it wasn’t sincere. God had already confronted their unfaithfulness – sacrificing defiled animals, leading fellow Israelites away from God through their wrong teaching, committing adultery, intermarrying with ungodly foreigners, and failing to tithe. They wanted the benefits of covenant faithfulness without being faithful.

Service to God is never futile. As we understand, recognize and experience God’s love, it naturally humbles us before Him. We won’t wrongly speak arrogantly against Him because we will have a right view of the Lord Almighty. Then we will be able to live out Romans 12:1 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Where does our view of God and His love need an adjustment? Do we ever quietly resent that "evildoers prosper" while we've tried to be faithful — and does that resentment reveal a flawed view of God's love? Or, do we go through religious "motions" while harboring a transactional view of God (serving in order to get something, rather than in response to what we've already received)?

What will we do so God can grow our humility that leads to more sincere worship? What would it look like this week to offer worship (Romans 12:1) that isn't "hollow" but is a genuine "living sacrifice" in gratitude for God’s love?

Alice