No Faithful Priests Left At The End Of The Old Testament - A New Covenant Is Needed

Today’s Word Of Encouragement From Wayne:

“‘I have loved you’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is my respect?’ says the Lord to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’”

Malachi 1:2&6

The last book in the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi, reveals a priesthood that had become completely out of touch with God. They actually, at that sad point in time, had no idea about what God was talking about. God said they had despised His name, and they were so out of touch that they could not even see it when He showed it to them. So, “How have we despised Your name” was their reply.

Later on Malachi wrote, “‘Your words have been arrogant against Me,’ says the Lord. ‘Yet you say, “What have we spoken against You?”’” (Malachi 3:13).

When the priesthood is out of touch with God’s love, “How have You loved us,” then they are also out of touch with who God has made them to be. Certainly the same is true for us today, right? If we are out of touch with God’s love, then how can we see who He has made us to be? 

Let’s refer back to God’s establishment, in Exodus, of His gift to His people, of Israel becoming His covenant nation and priesthood. “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession (literally “My special treasure”): and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’” (Exodus 19:4-6)

What a fall from grace, from being God’s own Personally chosen special treasure, His covenant keeping priesthood in Exodus, to the place where God says “I have loved you” and His completely un-appreciating priesthood says, “How have you loved us?” in Malachi.

Let us make sure that the same will never be said of us, we who are our Lord Jesus Christ’s New Covenant Priesthood, for the apostle Peter, in his first letter, clearly took God’s promise to His covenant people in Exodus and applied it to us, His New Covenant people and priesthood, when He wrote, “you are, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

In Malachi the priesthood was dull and dead. They certainly were not seeing God’s marvelous light, were they? They were even questioning wether God actually loved them.

Today, beloved child and priest unto God, reaffirm God’s love and His call for you as you enter His presence to minister to Him. Affirm your own love for God and your call to Him in His presence as well. Yes, let “His marvelous light” clear the air, revealing Christ to you anew and afresh.

Yes, bless His holy name. Let us not question God’s love but, rather, let us rejoice in His love and be all the more devoted to our Abba Father, our Lord and High Priest forever, Jesus Christ, in the fullness of His Holy Spirit and in the great light of the holy Scriptures. Hallelujah!