Divorcing the Promise Keeper’s Love (7/30/26)

If a kid has disobeyed, they usually avoid eye contact, especially after being confronted. They may feel unloved in the moment, but really, they pushed themselves away.

In the previous passage, Malachi confronted intermarriage. Not only were the Israelites marrying foreign idol worshipers, but it appears they did so after divorcing their Israelite wives! Then, they wondered why God seemed distant and displeased with them.

Malachi 2:13-16 ¹³ Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. ¹⁴ You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.

¹⁵ Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

¹⁶ “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty.

So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful.

Not only did the Israelites divorce their wives, but they divorced themselves from God’s love. He created them and loved them. They belonged to Him, but they were unfaithful to Him. They disobeyed His commands about marriage, and it negatively affected their wives, their offspring, the rest of their community, themselves, and their relationship with God.

When have you and I separated ourselves from God’s love by disobeying one of His commands – whether it was related to marriage, sexual purity, honesty, hospitality, or treatment of others? What was the result? The usual result is distance from God – or at least a perceived distance. We may think He stepped away, but we pushed Him away.  

On the flip side, when we know and lovingly obey God’s commands, then we will experience closeness. We will please Him and protect those around us. He is never far away, but we will recognize and feel His presence and love when we walk in step with Him.

Alice 

Dumping the Promise Keeper’s Love (7/16/26)

As a family, we’ve been studying 1 and 2 Kings, and it is shocking how quickly the kings became wicked right after Solomon. One of the repeated themes that stuck out to me this time is how the foreign wives of the Israelite kings negatively influenced their husbands and sons to follow foreign gods rather than the One True God. This was the very reason God commanded the Israelites not to intermarry. He knew the idolatry of foreign spouses would lead them into a wicked, downward spiral. Eventually, God sent Israel and Judah into exile.

However, once they returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, they fell right back into old sins of unfaithfulness, dumping God’s love, as the prophet Malachi confronts in this next section.

Malachi 2:10-12 ¹⁰ Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why do we profane the covenant of our ancestors by being unfaithful to one another?

¹¹ Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god. ¹² As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord remove him from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings an offering to the Lord Almighty.

God created us, loves us, made a covenant with us, and is always faithful to us. However, like the Israelites, we aren’t always loving and faithful to Him. We can dump God in favor of someone or something far inferior.

What pulls you and me away from recognizing and experiencing God’s perfect Fatherly love as our Creator? How will you and I faithfully love Him in return today?  

Alice

The Promise Keeper’s Love Defamed (7/9/26)

Have you ever had someone tell a story about you that simply wasn’t true? Maybe others who heard it knew you well enough not to believe it. If not, it could be humiliating. We had a situation where a child told a story that simply wasn’t true. Thankfully, when the principal got wind of it, he didn’t believe it but certainly let us know about it! We had a serious conversation with that child to understand what precipitated such a story and to point out the seriousness of defaming someone. That child had a steep consequence to further reiterate the point.

The priests of Malachi’s day defamed God’s name and His law, condoning sin and leading people into sin.

Malachi 2:7-9 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. ⁸ But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁹ “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

The priests had failed at their job as messengers of God Almighty. They were not preserving the knowledge of God for themselves or for those they led. They had turned away from God and had also led others to turn away. The consequence for breaking God’s covenant was that they were despised and humiliated. They defamed God and He exposed them.

God wasn’t smiting them. He had warned them repeatedly about what would happen to those who were disobedient. Yet, He had also promised abundant blessings to the obedient. He was long-suffering and gave them numerous opportunities to repent and return.

I want to be a parent, friend, and leader who’s a reliable messenger of God, preserving knowledge of our promise-keeping, loving God! How will you be a reliable messenger this week?

Alice 

The Promise Keeper’s Love Dishonored (7/2/26)

Warning! Make sure you aren’t eating while you read today’s devotional. As we tell our kids – certain discussions aren’t appropriate table talk. Yes, we will be covering some bathroom topics straight from God Himself.

In Malachi, God uses a jarring image to convey His displeasure. He tells the priest that He will smear their faces with poop and then they would be carried away in it! Quite humiliating punishment.  

Malachi 2:1-6 “And now, you priests, this warning is for you. ² If you do not listen, and if you do not resolve to honor my name,” says the Lord Almighty, “I will send a curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not resolved to honor me.

³ “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. ⁴ And you will know that I have sent you this warning so that my covenant with Levi may continue,” says the Lord Almighty. ⁵ “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. ⁶ True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

The priests’ dishonor of God was deserving of severe consequences, far worse than smeared poop in the face. As spiritual leaders, the priests were expected to honor God and lead all their fellow Israelites to honor God just as their Levite forefathers had done in the days of Moses. God had previously blessed their faithfulness with a life of peace, provision, and protection.

How about you and me? Are we dishonoring God through our words or actions? Or are we honoring God by speaking truth, leading people toward God, lovingly confronting sin, and humbly revering Him as the only Almighty One?

This weekend, as we in the US celebrate our country’s 250^th anniversary, we have an opportunity to honor God in our celebrations, conversations, and prayers for our leaders. We can also all take time to recognize and appreciate the blessings He has given to us, honoring God’s promise-keeping love.

Alice

The Promise Keeper’s Love Discarded (6/25/26)

Have you ever taken someone or something for granted? The Israelites took God for granted and discarded His love. They failed to recognize and honor His greatness. They even viewed their service to Him as a burden.

Malachi 1:11-14     ¹¹ My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

¹² “But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ ¹³ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the Lord Almighty.

“When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. ¹⁴ “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.

The Lord Almighty is great, deserving reverence and fear from all. How have we, like the Israelites, discarded God’s love and failed to recognize His greatness? Do we ever view time spent reading His Word or participating in service as a burden? What about giving our tithe? Do we give generously and regularly, or do we withhold it or give begrudgingly?

One day, all will recognize His greatness.

Romans 14:11         It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

One day everyone will realize God is worth any sacrifice, no matter how big or small. Let's not discard His love. Instead, let's bow before Him now by actively recognizing His love and greatness daily. As we do, we can offer Him praise and share it with others.

Alice

The Promise Keeper’s Love Disrespected (6/18/26)

Have you ever been disrespectful to a parent and then questioned about it? At our house, when a kid talks disrespectfully to me, Joe steps in, asking, “Is that how you need to talk to your mother?” This scenario is similar to the next question and answer section in Malachi, which addresses the lack of respect toward God.  

Malachi 1:6-10 ⁶ “A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the Lord Almighty.

“It is you priests who show contempt for my name.

“But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’

⁷ “By offering defiled food on my altar.

“But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’

“By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. ⁸ When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

⁹ “Now plead with God to be gracious to us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you?”—says the Lord Almighty.

¹⁰ “Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.

God’s words reveal a harsh reality: He would rather the priests close the temple doors and stop all sacrifices than tolerate their hollow and insincere worship. Their defiled animal sacrifices and empty rituals were detestable to Him.

It’s easy to condemn the priests and Israelites for their actions. However, what about our own worship? Do we sometimes go through the motions when we pray, sing worship songs, give our tithe, or serve? Are our worship services truly filled with sincerity and devotion, or would God prefer that our church doors be closed if our services are vain and self-focused, lacking genuine love, honor and respect for Him? Let’s examine our own acts of worship and participation in church, and discern whether they truly honor and respect God.

Alice

The Promise Keeper’s Love Doubted (6/11/26)

With the completion of Revelation last week, I was praying about what book to go through for the next devotional series. Why not explore the last book in the Old Testament since we covered the last book in the New Testament? The book of Malachi shows how God was and will continue to be faithful to His covenant promises, even when His children are and continue to be unfaithful.

God starts out his message with a declaration of love. However, the Israelites question God’s love, despite seeing God’s faithful, patient, and gracious love for them throughout the Bible.

Malachi 1:1-5 A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi.

² “I have loved you,” says the Lord.

“But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, ³ but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

⁴ Edom may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.”

But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord. ⁵ You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel!’

Malachi used the question-and-answer format, which was different from other prophets. He first declares God’s love for Israel, but they doubted His love. God pointed out that He chose to love Jacob (Israel) and bring about His salvation plan through Jacob’s descendants. God wouldn’t fall out of love for Israel and He won’t fall out of love for the rest of His followers either.

God would fulfill His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He would send Jesus to live a perfect life, die for sinners and rise again, granting eternal life to all who believe. They were to be amazed at God’s faithfulness then, and we are today too. We can declare “Great is the Lord” as we witness God’s amazing work in and through those around us and ourselves.

God and His love are always great, but we don’t always recognize it or feel it. Like the Israelites, have you ever questioned God’s love for you? Will you journal or write down ways you know God loves you? On a day when you might doubt God’s love, you can go back to your list and be encouraged. Our promise-keeping God never stops loving His children!