The purpose of the Book of Malachi is to call out the apathy of God’s people. God’s concern was their lackadaisical attitude toward their covenant with Him. In these opening verses in Malachi 1:1-5, God declares His love for Israel by contrasting His judgment on Edom, the descendants of Esau.
God’s covenant people’s main
complaint is that God does not love them. They argue that if He does, He
should prove it to them by giving them comfort and prosperity instead of
hardship and poverty. Though they had returned from captivity, they were still
under foreign rule, and the community was struggling with economic hardship.
Besides, they were experiencing spiritual fatigue.
Before Malachi shows them the
reasons for their hardship, his first task is to make them see the clear proof
of God’s love for them. This is evident in God’s choice of Jacob and not Esau,
though nothing in Jacob made him more lovable than his brother. The terms ‘love
and hate’ are not used here as emotional terms but to show God’s covenantal
choice.
In verses 3-5, Malachi ably
argues that God had treated the descendants of Jacob and Esau differently.
Jacob’s descendants, Israel, though punished, are now back in their God-given
homeland. But Esau’s descendants, Edom, have suffered a judgment that could
never be recovered. Furthermore, Edom’s destruction is a reminder of the
incurable wickedness of the future generations of Edom.
What implications are there for
us in these verses?
We must trust in God’s
Faithfulness. Even in hardship, believers must trust in God’s love and
faithfulness. We must acknowledge God's sovereignty and Justice. His rule
extends beyond borders, and He will act justly, not only within the lives of
believers but also in the affairs of nations and the world. God's election is
based on His grace and not human merit. Being a member of God's family should
make one humble and not cause one to be arrogant.
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