Day 272 was September the 29th. Don't be such
an ostrich. Our thoughts today are from Malachi
chapter 1 verse 5. Great is the Lord, even beyond
the borders of Israel. First, the big picture
surrounding this verse. Whilst the order of many
Old Testament books is confusing or uncertain,
there is little doubt that Malachi is the last
one. His name probably means my messenger. Up
to a century has passed since his fellow prophets,
Haggai and Zechariah, have ministered to the
people of God after their return from exile in
Babylonia. The faces had changed, but the old
problems of corrupt priests, neglected tithes
and offerings, as well as intermarriage with
pagan wives, were as widespread as ever. Malachi
is the last prophet before a long period of prophetic
silence, which lasted 400 years. John the Baptist
would eventually break the silence, but not for
a long, long time. And now today's action step.
In ancient times, gods were very localized, and
each nation had its own, and often more than
one. The revolutionary idea that there could
be a God who is above all gods and worthy of
praise by everyone was a radical thought introduced
by the nation of the Jews, as they declared their
God to be unique and superior to all others.
Sadly, even then, they wandered away in the vain
hope of finding a God more to their liking. It
was a futile, unrealistic quest if God truly
is God. Just by burying your head in the sand
or looking the other way does not make the one
true God disappear. That was true in ancient
times and is just as true today. Malachi urges
his fellow Jews to stop neglecting their God
and looking at inferior deities elsewhere. God
is God whether we acknowledge him or not. The
problem today is that many believe that if enough
of the atheistic TV and press, aided and abetted
by some liberal theologians, ridicule Christianity,
then God will no longer exist. What an absurd
idea! Live today in the knowledge that God is
God over all, even over those who deny he even
exists.