Malachi 2:10-17 – Disrespect

Read Malachi 2:10-17

We can be thankful that God won’t leave us stuck in our sin. These verses can convict us to want to follow God faithfully, in contrast to those unfaithful Israelites who ignored God and then wondered why they weren’t being blessed. Nobody is being singled out here. As Malachi says, “Are we not all children of the same Father? Are we not all created by the same God?”

The examples Malachi gives here point directly to the Israelites and how they disrespected God, living life on “their own” terms. The Israelites had been set apart by God to be his chosen ones. God had hoped they would live their lives as good examples for the rest of the world. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The Israelites were in a pattern of disappointing God time and time again.

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Joel 1:1-20 – It’s More Than Locusts

Read Joel 1:1-20

Welcome to the book of Joel, another one of the twelve minor prophets. You may have noticed that Joel, compared to other prophets, started with a strikingly abbreviated “editorial heading.”  That’s what opens the book and sets forth the time frame and sometimes location where the prophet received the message from God. That being absent in Joel’s prophecy leads to much speculation among scholars. It’s good to keep in mind the timeless message given by Joel that sin brings God’s judgment, yet with God’s justice there is great mercy as well.

As you read through Joel, focus on the Holy Spirit’s message for you today regarding the contents. You may be also asking, is the prophecy about locusts? That’s part of it, but the questions should be, what’s the “real” message behind the locusts, and who do the locusts represent?

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