Come Home: The Heartbeat of God

Whenever someone gives their last words, they are often great words to remember. As we close the book of Malachi, we come to the final words of the prophet to the people of Judah. These words will be important words and will reveal the heartbeat of God. The prophet Malachi was sent by God 1)to call the nation back to repentance toward God and 2)faith in the Lamb of God which the sacrificial system pointed to. From the animal sacrifice in the face of Adam and Eve’s sin to the establishment of the sacrificial system under the law of Moses, God’s sovereignty, wisdom, holiness, love, righteousness, justice and many other attributes have been displayed in the death of a substitute as a sacrifice for sins. Ultimately, this would be fully realized as Jesus, God in the flesh, would walk the hills of Judea and ascend to Mt. Calvary to pay the price for sin. These things mattered. However, the hearts of the people had gone astray as they doubted God’s love, diminished his glory, overlooked his truth, perverted His justice, dismissed His wisdom, cheapened His grace, denied His faithfulness, and lived for the temporary rather than the eternal. This message was a mighty thunder from heaven for the people to repent and come home to the Father, Master, and King.