Turn From and Turn To

DEVOTION

MALACHI

TURN FROM AND TURN TO

Mal 3:5-7

5 "So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty. 6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.

NIV

Although God is not happy or rather we should say very unpleased with the way Israel is behaving, especially in the way they are bringing offerings for sins. In essence, they have been cheating Him, they have not been honoring Him, but rather looking out for their own benefit. They have partnered with the world, taking foreign women as wives, accepting their foreign gods into their homes and now Malachi speaks for the Lord against these practices Israel has involved itself in. The Lord says He will not be slow to testify against such things as sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, nor against those who cheat their workers or oppress widows and the orphans and deprive aliens of justice. Right away, we can see we have nothing to worry about for we would never engage ourselves in any of those sorts of things. Still, it would seem it might be so subtle in some cases we are not aware of how we might be getting too close to some of these things. We would never consider being or consulting with a sorcerer, however, for instance, we may talk about what sign of the zodiac we were born under and how that determines our personality. We might, just for fun, check our horoscope to see how close it is to who we are. What about the fun we have, perhaps even laughing about it, when we crack open those fortune cookies. We already have considered the fact that if we get too much like the ways of the world, especially in partnering in financial matters. We could without even knowing being investing, partnering with a company that supports organizations we are morally and spiritually opposed to. That would be a form of adultery we cannot afford. Again, although we would never consider lying on the stand in a court of law, which the word perjurer brings to mind, to tell an untruth might also infer being a gossip. So often this gossip does not come from first-hand knowledge, but rather from the mouth of another gossip. Rumors can cause so much harm in the body of Christ. We have often said that if we are not part of the problem and not part of the solution, we do not need to know any details. However, we have also witnessed believers concealing their gossip by making a prayer request for someone. Is that not being a perjurer? We do not have the time to explore all these practices, but it would be good to consider them and how they would fit into today’s church. We always have the hope the Lord gives. That if we return to him, he will return to us. That is, if we are engaged in any way in matters that displease Him, we need to repent and He is always there to forgive. He promised He would never leave us nor forsake us. Still, we should make every effort to live in a manner that pleases Him. He has never changed, He did not like the sin of Adam, nor of any of the Israelites. He does not like our sin either. But he was always there to forgive their sins if they turned to Him. Because of Jesus, our sins have been forgiven. He has not changed, to have our sins forgiven we must turn to Him, turn to Jesus.