"True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness
was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he
turned many back from iniquity. "For the lips of a priest should preserve
knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the
messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Insights: Monday God gave a warning to the
priests of Israel. Yesterday, He reminded
them of the original covenant He established with the Aaronic priests. Today, He tells them the areas in which they
are specifically called to instruct other.
In other words, God is telling them specifically what they are supposed to
be doing. The four areas He mentioned
for the priests are again areas in which we as Christ-followers are supposed to
be engaged. The first area was they were
to be instructors of the Law. In modern
day terminology, we are to be instructors of the Bible. Malachi wrote in verse 6a and in 7 true
instruction was in his mouth and his lips should preserve knowledge. True instruction and knowledge come only from
the Scriptures. The second area the
priests were supposed to display instruction was in righteous living. Malachi wrote in 6b that the priest did not
allow unrighteous speech to come from their months. They were to model the proper moral behavior that others were to emulate. We as Christ-followers are supposed to do
this very same thing. The third are the
priests were to instruct Israel was in the ways of obedience. The third part of verse six tells us they
walked with God in peace and uprightness.
In Experiencing God, by Henry
Blackaby, we are taught God is always at work in the world and He desires for
us to join Him in that work. Walking
with God provides that kind of implication.
If we are walking with Him, we are obediently serving Him. The final area in which the priests were
supposed to instruct Israel was in the ways of repentance. When the sinned they were to quickly come to
repentance with the Lord. Others were to
see this close relationship with the Lord and desire such a life of
intimacy. This intimacy is only found in
a repentant heart. This idea of
repentance is found in the fourth part of verse six. In this section of the verse Malachi states
the priests turned many back from iniquity, sin. Beloved, we are followers of Jesus and we are
to be instructing others in these same four areas.
Questions:
- Are you performing your role as an instructor of God’s
ways?
- In what areas of your life do you need to demonstrate
the instruction of repentance?
Prayer: Father, I am so
grateful You are patient with me. You
give me warnings and reminders and then You even tell me what I am supposed to
be doing. You are truly the perfect
Father and I am grateful You are mine. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment