From Darkness to Light
God Prepares the Way
Zecharia Speaks
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) Malachi 3:7-18 The Message6-7 "I am God—yes, I Am. I haven't changed. And because I haven't changed, you, the descendants of Jacob, haven't been destroyed. You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven't done a thing I've told you. Return to me so I can return to you," says God-of-the-Angel-Armies. "You ask, 'But how do we return?' 8-11 "Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day. "You ask, 'How have we robbed you?' "The tithe and the offering—that's how! And now you're under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you're robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don't open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers." The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies. 12 "You'll be voted 'Happiest Nation.' You'll experience what it's like to be a country of grace." God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so. The Difference Between Serving God and Not Serving Him13 God says, "You have spoken hard, rude words to me. "You ask, 'When did we ever do that?' 14-15 "When you said, 'It doesn't pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make? Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.'" 16 Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God's presence, and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God's name. 17-18 God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. Once more you'll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn't, between serving God and not serving him."
For Reflection
The Temple was the House of God. It was a symbol of Jewish unity, the presence of God among the people. Controlled by Sadducees, the Temple became the center for religious leaders where the law was taught, and sacrifices were made.
But most Jews attended the Temple only during three pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Shabout, and Succot. For the rest of the year, Synagogues were the religious and community centers. Synagogues included reading the law and instructing. The structure provided lodging for strangers, facilities for dining and water, and hostel service in addition to their spiritual role of providing a location to pray and read and interpret scriptures. Ancient synagogues also provided services to meet the physical needs of people, offering them shelter and food while traveling, a place to gather for social events, and a place to receive healing.
When God said that the Jews were robbing God, God may have been referring to an unequal functional distribution of Temple funds coupled with an unwillingness of the people to support the Temple and the Synagogues. Perhaps the Jewish people were also getting fed up with the lack of services or the inequitable distribution of funding for the work in synagogues. Maybe that is why Jesus spent much time teaching and healing in the synagogues.
PrayOffer prayers of gratitude for God's blessings. Thank God for God's mercy and God's steadfast presence and protection despite our fits of disobedience. Pray and give God your offerings of time and talent. Pray, "Lord, I place my life in your hands."
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