This message is supposed to reveal God’s continuous love and our acceptance or rejection to it, for God sent the Prophet Malachi to explain to Israelites God’s word and their response, because God already knew their hearts, doubts, and excuse questions; therefore, God sent the Prophet Malachi to explain their questions to God and God’s answer to their questions; thus, it begins in Malachi 1:2-4.
Genesis 25:29-34 explains why Esau’s name was changed to Edom and why his descendants became Edomites, for Jacob did not steal Esau’s birthright (family blessing); Esau sold his birthright to Jacob; and we might think it was “a pressure sale and not a love sale”; yet it was legal and binding; since Jacob had the right to set his own price for his goods; therefore, each brother could honor it as a business deal or reject it as deception. How many “legal and binding” sales has produced angry hatred in us instead of us seeing it as part of God’s plan, purpose, and timing, for which we give Him praise, thanks, and worship? Nothing is expensive if we have the money.
Numbers 20:14-21 reveals the descendants of Esau (Edomites) chose to reject Jacob, and not allow his descendants, the Israelites, to cross their land on their way to the land God had promised them.
Genesis 32:18-29 explains how when Jacob heard Esau and some of his descendants were coming to meet him, his families, and possessions, he feared for his family and him, so Jacob provided Esau an “offering of reconciliation”; then Jacob got alone and earnestly sought (or wrestled with) the Lord for His help; thus, the Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel and then blessed “Israel”, who was once Jacob.
But I want us to see how God did to Jacob (Israel) what Jacob had done to Esau (Edom), for Israel (Jacob) feared what Edom (Esau) would do to his family, possessions, and him, so he earnestly begged the Lord for His merciful help in this desperate time of need. Ever been there and done that, not thinking you were testing God’s faithfulness to never leave or forsake His children, as we learn from Hebrews 13:5-6? But let us first read Genesis 32:18-29.
God loves His creation, yet God also knew before creation every detail of everything, including every detail of each of our thoughts, words, and actions; therefore, God prewrote in our individual “book of life”, every detail of our life, so, He knew who would serve Him and who would not; thus, He prewrote in “the Book of Life” the names of those that would be His faithful children.
We learn this from Psalm 139:13-16 and Revelation 20:11-15, where at judgment time, every person’s individual detailed book of our lives is opened, alongside the Book of Life, where is written the names of every faithful child of God, every Christian; therefore, we will each be judged in agreement with what is written in our individual book and if our name is in the Book of Life.
In all this “Bible study”, we understand God has always loved Israel, whose people are called Jews, but we who are Gentiles and not Jews, might wonder if God has always loved us or just the Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose name He changed to Israel; therefore, we must look to Galatians 3:1-14 for the answer, and what a gloriously amazing answer we find, but first we need to understand from Romans 10:14-17, which explains, “Faith comes by hearing,” and “hearing comes by the word of God”. Thus, it does not say, “Faith comes by hearing the word of God”, for “faith comes by hearing God”, and hearing God comes by either hearing His word taught and explained, or by reading and studying God’s word, the Scriptures.
Gentile Christians have not and will not replace Israel or receive God’s blessings intended for Jews, but God has provided through Jesus, the resurrected Christ, a way to “include” Gentiles in God’s blessings to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose name He changed to Israel; thus, Gentiles receive the same blessings from God as do Israelites, for God loves Jews and Gentiles equally, for He placed both Christians Jews and Christian Gentiles in the body of Christ, the worldwide church; therefore, He explains this amazing and exciting truth in Ephesians 2:11-18.
Therefore, when the Lord God in Malachi 1:2 says, “I have loved you,” He is including both Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, who together are “one body”, the body of Christ on earth to do the will of Christ, the Head, in heaven; thus, our Lord Christ depends on His body to reveal Hm to all who are not yet Christians, members of His body, the church, so, do no fail Him.
What is true in the New Testament is also true in the Old Testament, for many Old Testament saints were faithful and true to God, before Jesus lived, died, resurrected, and believers became children of God through faith in Jesus, the resurrected Christ, as we learn from Matthew 27:50-53, where the grave of the OT saints opened and they resurrected after His resurrection, walked around in Jerusalem for many days, and then went to heaven with Him, which we call “the first fruits”; the rapture will be “the bulk of the harvest”, and those under the altar who refused to disown Jesus, the resurrected Christ, during the tribulation period, will be the “gleanings”, which are the three parts of “harvest”, both natural and spiritual.
I am sure “the first fruits” caused a frightful experience at Jerusalem, as it will at the rapture of the church, “the bulk of harvest”, when multitudes of Christians are instantly removed from the earth.
Tim, Kim, and Jim Nabors
