Trust the LORD

Read Malachi 3:1-12
 
Malachi 3:6-7 “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’”
 
ONLY a few words remain in the Old Testament. Beginning with Abraham, the LORD God has been speaking to his people for nearly 2500 years. He is about to become silent for 400 years until John the Baptist and Jesus enter Judea and Galilee. He gives two main messages to Judah before his silence: “I do not change.” And “Test me on (the tithe).” We’ll examine the first here.
 
A word to define God’s unchanging character is “immutable”. You can say absolute, unchanging, constant and sure. One immutable promise he has made throughout the 25 centuries is spoken in Exodus 34:6-7 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”
   God has chosen and formed Israel to be his people. He promises them blessing and justice. The immutable LORD has sifted sin from his people, scattered the disobedient and sanctified the faithful. His holy purpose continued even as most of his people reject him. Nonetheless, the immutable Holy Trinity will not divert from his covenant of salvation spoken in the Garden: To Satan he said in Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he (my Savior) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Satan will wound the Savior. The Savior will crush Satan’s authority.
   Through the ages God has also in many ways declared and exhibited his truth of Exodus 20:2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before me.” Resolute to save us from sin, God has steadfastly commanded, empowered, purified and forgiven his wayward people.
   Now he honors the faithful with this promise: “Return to me, and I will return to you.”  In other words the Bible declares, “Repent!” Surely this is his message that still comes to us today through the covenant of grace.
   God’s promise to the Jews in 400 BC was to repent and trust his promises. This is very much his promise to you today begun on the first day of the church at Pentecost: Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise (See that: the promise) is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
 
You can trust your immutable God to keep his promises. If you are far off from him, return and receive his grace.  
 
Please Note: Lessons will return on Monday. Remain blessed in God’s Word.