The New Testament presents Jesus as the King of Kings, whose perfect obedience ushered in the kingdom of heaven. For the last two thousand years, God's kingdom has continued to spread throughout the earth as men and women accept Christ's rule.
Praying to Melek It's hard to pray to God as King when you want to be king. I subscribe to the theory that most of us would like nothing better than to rule the world, maybe not the whole world, just our little corner of it. Notice I include myself in this theory about king wannabes.
I want my children to keep the house clean and do their homework on time. I want the dog to behave perfectly. I want bookstores to sell lots of my books. I want enough money to travel the world. I want people to agree with me about politics and religion. I want them to recognize that I am usually right. And yes, I also want to eradicate poverty and hunger. Really, it would save so much time and be so convenient if I were king. Now that I've confessed the awful truth, I have to tell you that no one who knows me thinks of me as a megalomaniac. I am just your average, run-of-the-mill self-centered person, still struggling to die to self and live to Christ.
To know God as King means that we have to be willing to abdicate our claim to the throne. As we do that, the benefits of living as a subject of God's kingdom start to become apparent. For one thing, our King can do things no other king can: he can bring peace to our souls. He can free us from ensnaring vices. He can enable us to forgive. And he can give us a larger stage to stand upon as we begin to understand the exciting implications of living for his kingdom. No longer petty kings and tyrants, we aspire to something greater-to become servants of the great King in his quest to transform the world. Instead of poverty, plenty. Instead of vice, virtue. Instead of warfare, peace. Instead of isolation, community. The world in harmony living under God's reign. That's the endgame, the plan the King has already set in motion and will one day bring to fruition. And so we pray, just as Jesus taught us: "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
Lord, you are Melek, the great King over all the earth. Deliver me from petty ambition and small desires. Enlarge my heart so that I can begin to see the way you see and desire the things you desire.
Promises Associated with the Name MELEK.
Yahweh will be Melek over all the earth. On that day Yahweh will be the only Lord and his name the only name. (Zechariah 14:9) Then the people who have God's approval will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. (Matthew 13:43) I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and earth had disappeared, and the sea was gone. Then I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, dressed like a bride ready for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, "God lives with humans! God will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won't be any more death. There won't be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared." (Revelation 21:1-4)
13 1 The LORD declares, "On that day a fountain will be opened for David's family and for those who live in Jerusalem to wash away their sin and stain.
False Prophets Will Be Judged 2 "On that day," declares Yahweh Tsebaoth , "I will wipe away the names of the idols from the land. They will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the false prophets and the uncleana spirit from the land.
3 "If a man still prophesies, his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will say, 'You don't deserve to live because you speak lies in the name of Yahweh.' Then his father and his mother, who gave birth to him, will stab him when he prophesies.
4 "On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He won't deceive people by dressing like a prophet in a coat made of hair. 5 He will say, 'I am not a prophet. I'm a farmer. I've owned this land since I was a child.'
6 "When someone asks him, 'What are these scars on your chest?' he will answer, 'I was hurt at my friend's house.'
The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered 7 "Arise, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is my friend," declares Yahweh Tsebaoth .
"Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.
Then I will turn my hand against the little ones."
8 Yahweh declares, "Throughout the land two-thirds will be cut off and die.
Yet, one-third will be left in it.
9 I will bring this third of the people through the fire.
I will refine them as silver is refined.
I will test them as gold is tested.
They will call on me, and I will answer them.
I will say, 'They are my people.'
They will reply, 'Yahweh is our Elohim .'"
The LORD Will Fight the Nations 14 1 A day is going to come for Yahweh when the loot you have taken will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for battle. The city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women raped. Half of the people in the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people won't be taken from the city.
3 Then Yahweh will go out and fight against those nations as he does when he fights a battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives will be split in two, forming a very large valley from east to west. Half of the mountain will move toward the north, and the other half will move toward the south. 5 Then you will flee to the valley of my mountains, because this valley between the mountains will go as far as Azel.a You will flee as you did from the earthquake at the time of King Uzziah of Judah. Yahweh my Elohim will come, and all the holy ones will be with him.
6 On that day there will be neither heat nor freezing cold.b 7 There will be one day-a day known to Yahweh-with no difference between day and night. It will be light even in the evening.
Living Water from Jerusalem 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it to the Dead Sea and the other half to the Mediterranean Sea. It will continue in summer and in winter.
9 Yahweh will be Melek over all the earth. On that day Yahweh will be the only Lord and his name the only name.
10 The whole earth will become like the plains from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site, from Benjamin Gate to the place of First Gate, Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. 11 People will live there, and it will never be threatened with destruction. Jerusalem will live securely.
12 This will be the plague Yahweh will use to strike all the people from the nations that have gone to war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they are standing on their feet. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 On that day a large-scale panic from Yahweh will spread among them. One person will grab the hand of another, and one will attack the other. 14 Judah will also fight in Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected, a very large amount of gold, silver, and clothes. 15 A similar plague will also affect horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all other animals in those camps.
16 Everyone who is left from all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will come every year to worship the Melek , Yahweh Tsebaoth , and to celebrate the Festival of Booths. 17 If any of the families on the earth won't go to Jerusalem to worship the Melek , Yahweh Tsebaoth , then rain won't fall on them. 18 If the people of Egypt won't go or enter Jerusalem, then rain won't fall on them. The plague Yahweh uses to strike the nations will affect those who won't come to celebrate the Festival of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt's sin and for the sin of all the nations that won't go to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
20 On that day "Holy to Yahweh" will be written on the bells of the horses. And the cooking pots in the house of Yahweh will be like the bowls in front of the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh Tsebaoth . All who come to sacrifice will take some of them and cook in them. On that day there will no longer be any Canaanitea in the house of Yahweh Tsebaoth.
a 1:17 Zechariah 1:18-21 in English Bibles is Zechariah 2:1-4 in the Hebrew Bible.
b 2:1 Zechariah 2:1-13 in English Bibles is Zechariah 2:5-17 in the Hebrew Bible.
a 3:9 Or "facets."
a 5:6 One Hebrew manuscript, Greek, Syriac; other Hebrew manuscripts "This is their eye all over the earth."
a 7:2 Or "Bethel Sharezer sent Regem Melech with his men."
a 9:2 This sentence has been moved from verse 1 to express the complex Hebrew paragraph a 9:8 Hebrew meaning of verses 7-8 uncertain.
b 9:10 Greek, Syriac; Masoretic Text "I."
c 9:11 Or "covenant."
d 9:17 Or "He will be beautiful and lovely."
a 11:10 Or "covenant."
a 13:2 "Unclean" refers to anything that Moses' Teachings say is not presentable to God.
a 14:5 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
b 14:6 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
a 14:21 Or "merchant."
Introduction to MALACHI.
The theme of the last book of the Old Testament is very much like that of most of the other thirty-eight books: God loves his people. Sadly, they ignore him, chase after other gods, and abuse one another. God punishes them . . . and then he gives them another chance. When will they ever learn?
Not any time soon, apparently. Look around you and see all the evidence of human unfaithfulness. If it seems tedious to read the same message over and over again-in the Pentateuch, in the histories, in the prophets-imagine how God must feel as he constantly begs us to respond to his love.
Malachi means "messenger," and the message Malachi brings is what we expect. "'I loved you,' says Yahweh" (1:2). But your religious leaders cheat me and teach falsely. Your people are unfaithful to me and to one another. You lie, cut wages, oppress the poor, and deprive foreigners of their rights. So I'm going to have to judge you. But here's my promise, my covenant, once more with feeling: "Return to me, and I will return to you" (3:7). I'll help you: I'll send Elijah to change your attitudes. Then, when judgment comes, you'll be safe. "The Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings for you people who fear my name" (4:2).
The book of Malachi was probably written during or near the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, about a hundred years after the Jews' return from Babylon. The temple has finally been rebuilt, but it's a bit of a disappointment. It does not have the glory of Solomon's temple. The Shekinah, the Lord's presence, is missing. But, says Malachi, "the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the promise will come" (3:1). Jesus quoted Malachi, identifying John the Baptist as the coming Elijah (Matthew 11:10-14). Christians believe that Jesus himself is the Sun of Righteousness and the messenger of the promise.
And yet still we wait. The final judgment has not happened. Evil is still alive and well. Many of God's people still ignore him and hurt one another. And God is still faithful, still reaching out to the whole world in love, still waiting to bless those who fear the Lord and respect his name.
Key Names of God in Malachi Yahweh LORD Yahweh Tsebaoth the LORD Almighty, the LORD of Armies, the LORD of Hosts Adonay Lord, Master Melek King Elohim God MALACHI.
1 2 3 4.
"I Loved Jacob, but Esau I Hated"
1 1 This is a divine revelation. Yahweh spoke his word to Israel through Malachi.
2 "I loved you," says Yahweh.
"But you ask, 'How did you love us?'
"Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" declares Yahweh. "I loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I hated. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the jackals in the desert.
4 "The descendants of Esau may say, 'We have been beaten down, but we will rebuild the ruins.'
"Yet, this is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: They may rebuild, but I will tear it down. They will be called 'the Wicked Land' and 'the people with whom Yahweh is always angry.' 5 You will see these things with your own eyes and say, 'Even outside the borders of Israel Yahweh is great.'
The Priests Offer Unacceptable Sacrifices to the LORD 6 "This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. So if I am a father, where is my honor? If I am a master, where is my respect? You priests despise my name.
"But you ask, 'How have we despised your name?'
7 "You offer contaminated food on my altar.
"But you ask, 'Then how have we contaminated you?'
"When you say that Yahweh's table may be despised. 8 When you bring a blind animal to sacrifice, isn't that wrong? When you bring a lame or a sick animal, isn't that wrong? Try offering it to your governor. Would he accept it from you? Would he welcome you?" asks Yahweh Tsebaoth .
9 "Now try asking El to be kind to you. This is what you are doing! Will he welcome you?" asks Yahweh Tsebaoth .
10 "I wish one of you would shut the doors to my house so that you could not light fires on my altar for no reason. I'm not pleased with you," says Yahweh Tsebaoth , "and I won't accept your offerings.
11 "From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . 12 "But you dishonor it when you say that Adonay's table may be contaminated and that its food may be despised.13 "You say, 'Oh what a nuisance it is,' and you sniff at it in disgust," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . "You bring stolen, lame, and sick animals. When you bring such offerings, should I accept them from you?" asks Yahweh .
14 "Cheaters are under a curse. They have male animals in their flocks that they vow to give as a sacrifice. But they sacrifice second-rate ones to Adonay instead. I am a great Melek," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . "Among the nations my name is respected.
The Priests Do Not Teach the LORD'S Word Correctly 2 1 "And now, you priests, this warning is for you. 2 If you won't listen and if you won't consider giving honor to my name," says Yahweh Tsebaoth , "then I'll send a curse on you, and I'll curse the blessings you give. Yes, I've already cursed them because you don't carefully consider this.
3 "I'm going to punish your descendants. I'm going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it. 4 Then you will know that I sent you this warning so that my promisea to Levi will continue," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . 5 "I promised Levi life and peace. I gave them to him so that he would respect me. He respected me and stood in awe of my name. 6 The teaching that came from his mouth was true. Nothing unjust was found on his lips. He lived with me in peace and honesty and turned many people away from sin.
7 "A priest's lips should preserve knowledge. Then, because he is the messenger for Yahweh Tsebaoth , people will seek instruction from his mouth.
8 "But you have turned from the correct path and caused many to stumble over my teachings. You have corrupted the promise made to Levi," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . 9 "So I have made you disgusting, and I have humiliated you in front of all the people, because you have not followed my ways. You have been unfair when applying my teachings."
The People Break Their Marriage Vows 10 Don't all of us have the same father? Hasn't the same God created us? Why are we unfaithful to each other? And why do we dishonor the promise given to our ancestors? 11 Judah has been unfaithful! A disgusting thing has been done in Israel and Jerusalem. Judah has dishonored the holy place that Yahweh loves and has married a woman who worships a foreign god. 12 May Yahweh exclude anyone who does this, whoever he may be. May he exclude them from Jacob's tents and from bringing offerings to Yahweh Tsebaoth .
13 Here is another thing you do: You cover Yahweh's altar with tears. You moan and groan because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them from you.
14 But you ask, "Why aren't our offerings accepted?" It is because Yahweh is a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been unfaithful. Yet, she is your companion, the wife of your marriage vows. 15 Didn't God make you one? Your flesh and spirit belong to him. And what does the same God look for but godly descendants? So be careful not to be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.b 16 "I hate divorce," says Yahweh Elohim of Israel. "I hate the person who covers himself with violence," says Yahweh Tsebaoth . "Be careful not to be unfaithful."
17 You have tried the patience of Yahweh with your words.
But you ask, "How have we tried his patience?"
When you say, "Everyone who does evil is considered good by Yahweh . He is pleased with them," or "Where is the God of justice?"
The Coming of the Messenger of the Promise 3 1 "I'm going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way ahead of me. Then the Adonay you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the promisea will come. He is the one you want," says Yahweh Tsebaoth .
2 But who will be able to endure the day he comes? Who will be able to survive on the day he appears? He is like a purifying fire and like a cleansing soap. 3 He will act like a refiner and a purifier of silver. He will purify Levi's sons and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will bring acceptable offerings to Yahweh. 4 The offerings from Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh as in the past, as in years long ago.
5 "I will come to judge you. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers, lying witnesses, and those who cheat workers out of their wages and oppress widows and orphans. I will also testify against those who deprive foreigners of their rights. None of them fear me," says Yahweh Tsebaoth .
The People Are Cheating God 6 "I, Yahweh, never change. That is why you descendants of Jacob haven't been destroyed yet. 7 Since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my laws and have not followed them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says Yahweh Tsebaoth .