GOD LOVES AND HATES

My book, THREE PROPHETS TO JUDAH, will soon be out.  Here is chapter 21 of that book.

Malachi 1:2, 3

"I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

First, let us notice the character of fallen man. In the Fall of Adam, man was so corrupted that he is in a state of ruin. He is void of love, and therefore his religion has no power. See 2 Tim. 2:15, "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." This is no wonder, for God is love.

See it also in Israel. In verse 7 Israel is said to be offering polluted bread. They were making the table of the Lord contemptible. In verse 12 it was the same with the meat. In verse 8 they are said to be offering blind, lame, and sick animals, which God counted as evil. God told them to offer such to the governor. He was showing them that they were offering to God what they would not offer to a man. In verse 13, God rebuked them for bringing torn, lame, and sick animals, and he refused to accept. their offering. According to verse 14, they were doing a very dreadful thing.

It is a vicious cycle. Sin decreases love. See Matt. 24:12, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Just look at our world today. As wickedness progresses in our world, we witness more and more hatred, and murders increase. On the other hand it is love only that binds us to our Lord. See Deut. 6:5, "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."

On this backdrop we see also the love of God and His gracious character. His love is constant. See Mal. 1:2, where God affirmed his love for Jacob. "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob." In Mal. 4:5, 6 He says He will send Elijah to earth again, that he might turn the heart of fathers to their children and of the children to their fathers. In Jer.31:3 we are told that God's love is an everlasting love.

God's love is a conscious love. In verse 2 He affirmed His love for Jacob. In verse 6 He is challenging the priests for their love. In Mal. 2:17 He challenged them for manifested love not just words.

God's love is courageous. He will act in Israel's defense. See Mal. 3:11, "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts."

God's love is not as men think, however. Let us see just what He said. In verse 2 He said, "Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob," God affirmed His love for Jacob and for Jacob's seed, Judah.

They made light of His love. They said, Wherein hast thou loved us? This was as if to say, We don't know your love. Show us that you love us. Have you, dear reader, done any better? Do you really appreciate God's love to you?

Surprisingly, we see that God also hates. In verses 3-5 we see God saying, "And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness. Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness,and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever. And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel." God does not only announce His hatred for Esau here, but also for Esau's descendants. Note Edom saying they are impoverished, but they will return and build, but God said, they shall build, but I will throw it down. In verse 4 God speaks of His indignation toward them. Verse 5 tells us this is to magnify the Lord.

We have in this chapter a long list of the sins of the priests and religion. Verse 6 tells us that they did not honor God, but they despised His name. Verses 7, 8 tell us that they perverted their worship, offering polluted bread and offering the blind, the lame, and the sick. God pronounced that evil. In addition they made merchandise of the ministry as seen in verses 9-11. In verses 12, 13 they belittled the things of God. In verse 14 they deceived the people. In Mal. 2:1-3, 8, 9 God stated His contempt for such priests.

God hates the sin of preachers. Do not allow yourselves to fall into the trap of preaching false doctrine. You can also preach a false gospel by not preaching part of it. It is the preachers mandate to preach the whole counsel of God. Do not leave anything out, and do not add anything to it.

In Mal. 2:4-7 God remembered His covenant. "And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts." This must be referring to God's setting up the Levitical priesthood so that no one could be a priest except he be a member of the tribe of Levi.