Malachi 3:16-18 Write This Down

The people have listened!!! “Write this down” God said to His Heavenly host. These people would have a special place for ALL eternity.

SO MANY TIMES, we have read about where the people ignored God’s words through His prophets. How they abused them for speaking out. Some they even killed! Imagine God’s pleasure and sheer JOY at the response of some of the people.

We don’t see just one person listening, but a whole group of them. We aren’t told how many there are in this group; only that their hearts were towards Him and they “feared the Lord and esteemed His name” (verse 16b). This was the MOST important characteristic of this group. They had learned to trust in the Lord with ALL their heart.

I initially thought that the people wrote down the words spoken through Malachi, but I realized it was GOD who wrote something down. God doesn’t forget things, so writing them down isn’t really necessary for Him. But He had His angels make a special recording of the hearts of the people that day. He certainly recorded EVERY name in that group and probably every word they shared with one another as they came to a consensus and understanding of God’s words.

Did they hold a ‘small group meeting’ to discuss and try to better understand the prophecies spoken through Malachi? Did they take notes too? Did they make copies of the prophecies spoken? Did they practice retelling the prophecies so they would remember them word for word, so they could pass them down to their children? Was Malachi a part of this group? And did he share God’s response to their hearts with them directly?

So, why did God record this special event? We know He would remember on His own. So, the record was not for His use in remembering but as a testimony to Heaven itself. When these souls stand before the Father on the Day of Judgment, they will be standing before Jesus to receive their reward. Special attention will be called to them. ALL of Heaven, and those waiting for their turn, will take notice as this “book of remembrance” is read for those who listened. A distinct honor will be bestowed on them for their faith in those days.

Beyond what awaits this special group in Heaven, this is also the group that would keep hope alive for the next 500 years of silence. They would pass on the words of God through Malachi to their children and to ANY who would listen. Their children would pass on what they had learned to their children, and so on until the time of John the Baptist. This group were the ‘founding fathers’ to those who followed Jesus when He came. For those who followed Jesus in truth were as separate from the rest of the nation as this group was from the nation of their day.

They made up a tightly woven cord of faith that bridged the gap of silence and kept God’s promise alive in the hearts of His people. I’ve heard of the “Scarlet thread of Redemption” that weaves through the entire bible. It begins with the shedding of blood in the garden to cover the sin of Adam and Eve to the ‘blood bought’ believers who stand before God’s throne on judgment day. This group held tightly to that ‘thread’ and inspired others to hold fast to it during God’s public silence. I FIRMLY believe that God wasn’t silent personally to those holding fast during the dark times.

We know that God will be ‘silent’ again during the later half of the Great Tribulation. The first half, He will have two prophets speaking boldly to the people in Jerusalem He will even protect them fiercely during that time. At the end of that time, they will be beheaded and their bodies left in the streets. BUT GOD WILL NOT LEAVE THEM THERE! They WILL rise again in front of witnesses! They will ascend into Heaven after the people witness this.

Some skeptics have tried to say that Jesus wasn’t REALLY dead when He was placed in the tomb. That somehow, He simply recovered from His injuries and came out afterwards. We KNOW this to be a LIE straight from the pit. But, I’m curious as to how the world will try and explain two headless corpses coming back to life. Can you imagine being on the scene for that?! Talk about jaw dropping. I know this is a little off course of today’s reading, but my spirit went here anyway.

We are but one day away from completing our walk through scripture. This will NOT be the end of our time with God. I’m asking for guidance as to where to go next in our time together. Wherever it is, it will be in scripture. Whether searching out specific threads or expounding on specific people, it will be following the Spirit wherever He leads. Who knows, we might even find ourselves in the middle of this special group of believers some day; looking at the conversations that went on as they came to their determination to hold FAST to God’s promises, no matter what came their way.

Father God, THANK YOU for Your promises and for recording them for me. THANK YOU for sharing the story of this special group of people too. I’m looking forward to watching as You share their story that day in Heaven. As You point them out as ‘heroes of faith’. You didn’t include them in the list in Hebrews. You must be saving their names, along with MANY others, for that special time. Those who waited for Your promises to be fulfilled through Your Son, Jesus. Those are the people who deserve a “Well done My good and faithful servant” welcome!

THANK YOU that I’m on this side of that promise. And that You are STILL writing a remembrance book for me. I’m PRAYING there are MANY good entries. I KNOW that the ones that aren’t good are covered in Jesus’ blood. That, even though You could if You wanted to, You won’t read what is contained beneath His blood. I’m excited to hear ALL the stories on that day of ALL those who love You and are Your children!