Spiritual Inventory

Malachi 3:13-18

January 25, 2004

 

I was in a store this week and asked for a particular item.  The salesman checked his computer database, and it showed an adequate supply to meet my request.  But after a long search in the storage area, he came back empty-handed.  His comment explained, "It's been 14 months since we've inventoried our stock and we don't have an accurate picture of what's here."

 

That serves as a metaphor for our text tonight.  It is such a passage that calls for spiritual inventory, to take good assessment and know what is present in our lives.  It is very easy for us in the midst of actively practicing our religion to presume that we are where we need to be spiritually.  But an inventory forces us to take stock of reality.  It makes us ask the questions that probe our thoughts that look into the depths of the heart to see if we are walking in truth and faithfulness.  Inventories do us good to help us with honesty and integrity in our spiritual lives, and to keep us from presumption. 

 

I. A divine charge

 

Arrogant (strong, violent) words against God!  Whether verbalized, whispered in the dark of night, or just the attitude of the heart - it is all the same.  God hears even our silent thoughts.  The caverns of the mind boiling over with arrogant thoughts against God are not eclipsed by holding the tongue.  God hears and sees. 

 

Malachi is a book about judgment as well as grace.  The focus here centers on the reason God is judging them.  His judgment is always just.  So covering sins, as they tried to do, could not keep back the certainty of judgment.  So the charge of arrogant words against God is leveled.  That is a serious indictment.  We might expect it of an atheist, skeptic, or agnostic.  We might even expect it from those of other religions who denied God as creator and Sovereign.  But here the charge has a certain sting.  It was not the unfamiliar or ignorant who spoke violently against God.  It was those who professed to know Him who were the guilty party - the people of Judah who worshiped in the temple, offered sacrifices, and went through the external trappings of religion.

 

1. Denial

 

The question to God's charge is their avowed denial, "What have we spoken against You?"  Maybe some rationalized:

- I'm angry with God for my loss but I'll say nothing.

- God is unfair but I'll not speak that to another.

- God has mistreated me and broken His promises yet I'll continue to do the religious thing out of 

   guilt.

- God has denied me the pleasures I deserve in life yet I'll bide my time until I get a chance to 

   pursue them.


They may not have publicly uttered a word, yet to the God who knows our very thoughts, we've spoken against Him!  Have you noticed how our typical first reaction to any challenge of our spiritual lives is denial?  Maybe it is a diversionary response or an outright lie, but it is a denial nonetheless.  Why do we deny?

(1) We do not believe that God sees, hears, and knows all.

(2) We do not think that we err.

(3) We think little of sin and its ugly effects upon our lives. 

(4) We are prideful, and would rather continue on our own course than admit that the Lord of all has 

     nailed us.


Throughout this prophecy there are denials - framed by the questions that respond to the divine reproofs.  The first point of spiritual inventory is to ask honestly, "Am I open and willing to receive whatever reproof or correction the Lord sets before me?"  Zedekiah, the last of Judah's kings before the Babylonians completely overthrew them, gave Jeremiah the impression that he really wanted to know the words of the Lord.  But he balked when God's words through Jeremiah did not accommodate him (Jeremiah 37-38).

 

2. Complaint vv. 14-15

 

Now the content of their thoughts and words is disclosed.  It can be outlined as follows:

 

(1) Serving God is worthless - a waste of my time and energies ("It is vain to serve God," where "vain" means, "useless, unsubstantial, unreal, valueless and materially and spiritually worthless to the servant" (Walt Kaiser, The Communicator's Commentary, 482).

 

(2) Serving God has not added anything to my pocket - "What profit is it that we have kept His charge?"  They had effectively reduced relationship and service to God to a material status.  The expectation was that if they kept the rituals then God would reciprocate with material benefits.  It was a prosperity religion.  "Profit" conveys the idea of getting a cut - from a technical term of cutting cloth from the loom.  Kaiser points out that it was tantamount to their expecting "their 'cut' or percentage, as a racketeer or gangster would demand his 'cut' for his evil work" (483).

 

(3) It is useless to show outward grief against sin or to show outward expressions of penitence.  "What profit is it... that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts?"  Their reference would have been to the practice of putting on sackcloth or daubing their faces with ashes to show outward mourning.  The problem is that it was pure "show."  It pictures those who say they've done all the "Christian thing" and it did no good (materially).

 

(4) So our assessment is that God blessed the arrogant and the wicked but not those seeking to do right (cf. v. 15).  Here they looked at the pagan man who gave no thought to the rituals and forms of religion that dominated their lives.  They got away with murder, it seemed.  They can do anything with divine impurity, and moreso, it appears that God is blessing them! 

 

The Psalmist observed the same thing but he came to much different conclusions.  "Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes...for evil doers will be cut off...Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more (37:7-10).  Strangely enough, this religious crowd thought that God favored the skepticism and arrogance of pagans!  These even tested God by their actions and words and escaped His judgment - or so they thought.  Psalm 73:1-20 is the best commentary on this.  But again, the Psalmist came to the right conclusions when he got a glimpse of the holiness and glory of God (73:17).  Let us ponder these things for our own spiritual inventory:

(a) Do you love the Lord or merely go through the motions of serving Him?

(b) Do you love and serve Him out of pure motives of devotion to Him as Creator, Sovereign, and 

     Redeemer?  Or do you do so with the expectation that, "if I scratch God's back He will scratch 

     mine?"  In other words, is your devotion gauged to the amount of material things or physical 

     benefits that God gives, so that your devotion rises or falls by what you think you deserve?

(c) If things don't go your way or to what you consider your benefit, do you get slack in obedience, 

     spiritual disciplines, giving, service, worship?  Consider I Peter 1:6-9 to help us contemplate that 

     even suffering comes with God's wise aims.

(d) Do you quickly give up when things don't go as you want them to go?  Do you throw in the towel 

     spiritually, claiming that you have done all the right things - prayer, confession, repentance,

     etc., but God hasn't come through?  Consider Luke 17:7-10 to help in putting this in perspective.

(e) Do you secretly envy others, especially the wicked who seem to have everything physically and 

     materially, and appear to get away with it?  Does it make you have thoughts of retreating back 

     to paganism?  Remember the Psalmist's meditations!


II. A divine encouragement

 

But two groups of worshipers and servants are identified in our text.  The first, as we noted, had a cynical view of life because their love and devotion to the Lord arose out of selfish motives.  It was not a true love because of its fickleness.  It lacked true devotion as evidenced by the emphasis on personal prosperity rather than faithful obedience.  The second group, called "the righteous...who serves God," is clearly distinguished from the other group that Malachi identifies as "the wicked...who does not serve Him."

 

1. Fearing God

 

We find ample exhortation to "fear God" in the Bible.  Here this group is described as "those who feared the Lord."  Kaiser says, "The 'fear of the Lord' is a virtual synonym for the righteous living and holy lifestyle that grows out of this fear" (483).

 

T. V. Moore (Geneva Series, 394) explains, "This fear is not the fear of terror or guilt, but the fear of a love that is always tremblingly alive to the possible alienation of its object."  In other words, the kind of fear described implies honor, reverence, and devotion.  These feared doing anything that would dishonor the Lord.  It is a fear motivated by love rather than by fear of reprisal.  While one group played the religion game and trifled with God and with spiritual matters, the other shuddered to think of treating the holy One or holy issues with a casual or careless attitude.

 

Fear of the Lord expresses a seriousness in our desires to follow Him.  It is a deep concern for obedience.  It is also a genuine desire to know the Lord in order to please Him more.  

 

2. Speaking of God

 

While the other group spoke against the Lord, this group spoke to one another of the Lord.  They knew what genuine fellowship is - the redeemed of the Lord engaging fellow believers in talk about the Lord.  Such talk displays the reverence and affection of those who know Him.

 

3. Thinking of God

 

That's what's implied in the phrase, "who esteem His name."  It means to think of Him in such a way that you honor the Lord with your thoughts of Him - you meditate on His character, His ways, His commands, and His actions.  Many people think about God, but God is not honored by people thinking incorrectly of Him.  Have you ever been misrepresented and misunderstood by others so that people have thought wrongly of you? 

 

Consequently, such thoughts have dishonored you and grieved you.  How much more should we think rightly of the Lord?  How can we do this apart from reading and studying what the Lord has told us about Himself in His Word?  This is a call to go to the Word, to have your thoughts on Him ordered and directed by Scripture.

 

III. A divine assurance

 

The Lord responds to this second group with great affection and assurance.

 

1. The Lord remembers, v. 16

 

Nothing passes His notice, we would say.  But here the focus is on those deeds of obedience, acts of kindness to others, sacrifices in giving, bearing up patiently with weaker brethren, standing for truth, witnessing of Christ, turning away from evil, being contented with God's provisions, and much more that He notices, hears, and writes in remembrance.  We are reminded of His justice and kindness toward us in this.  When you think no one sees that kind act or note of encouragement or helping a brother in need - God does.  And He doesn't forget!

 

The "book of remembrance" is not an equivalent to "the Lamb's Book of Life" spoken of in Revelation.  God doesn't need to write anything to remember since He is omniscient.  Yet the use of such a phrase serves as an encouragement that the Lord notices even the little details of our faithfulness, and takes note of them.  This stands in contrast to the previous group that was set on material or physical recompense for service.  How God chooses to honor obedience to His name is His prerogative.  There should be a deep enough satisfaction just to know the Lord notices, hears, and remembers.  He is glorified through our faithful service.  We can be assured that God's way of remembering will give us our greatest joy while He receives all the glory due to His name.

 

2. The Lord claims

 

"They will be Mine."  Are there any sweeter words to sinners?  The "they" refers to this second group that fears and esteems his name.  It is a claim of ownership.  As sheep in His pasture and as sons in His household, the Lord lays claim upon those fearing Him.  Those who were not God's people are now called the people of God (Hosea 2:23, I Peter 2:10).  Here is the great reward of Christ's work and the sinner's trust in Christ:  God calls His enemies His own.  Rebels are now sons!  Those under bondage to sin are now heirs of God!  Does that comfort you in the face of life's pressures and your own weaknesses?  The Almighty God, who needs nothing and who we cannot improve or add to, lays claim to us as His very own.  Romans 8:31-32 conveys the heart of God's claim!

 

3. The Lord distinguishes, v. 18

 

Do you think there is no difference between those serving the Lord in truth and those who merely play the religion game?  The day of distinction will come!  It may come in multiple ways, yet there is the certainty that the Lord will "distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him."  Yes, the wicked may prosper and appear to be immune to hardships - at least for the moment.  But that in itself is a test of our genuineness.  As T. V. Moore wrote, "It is in part to test your disposition to trust in God in spite of all appearances that perplex, and to make your service of him less mercenary and selfish, that this blended state of facts is allowed" (396).  But the day will come when the tests are over, and the ultimate distinction will be made between those who know the Lord and those who don't.

 

Conclusion

 

Spiritual inventories may be unpleasant at the thought, but they yield wonderfully sweet fruit when we are assured that the Lord remembers and lays claim to us.  Which side of the divine distinguishing will you be on?

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