Genesis 2:8-17, Malachi 3:17-18, 4:1-6
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction. – Malachi 4:6
To read all the passages, Click to read all the passages
In the recent devotional readings from Leviticus, we saw how God instructed the priests in the procedures of offering sacrifices and emphasised one of the priests’ privileges — that after each of the five types of offerings, a portion of the sacrifice presented to the Lord must be set aside for the priests to partake.
God delighted in sharing these consecrated offerings, given by His people, with His servants. What a marvellous blessing this is!
In fact, from the very beginning of Scripture, we see that God has always been pleased to share all He has with His servants. In Genesis 2, when the LORD God first created man, He placed Adam in His own garden—Eden—and gave him the responsibility of tending it. This mirrors how the priests would later be appointed to care for the Most Holy Place and the sacred objects in the Tabernacle.
Yet, God did not treat Adam as a mere servant. He regarded him as a son and gave him the privilege of enjoying all the produce of Eden. The LORD said to Adam, apart from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Gen 2:16). Sadly, Adam did not cherish this privilege granted by God. Instead, he disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit, resulting in his expulsion from Eden.
However, humanity’s fall did not alter our special place in God’s heart. Leviticus 6 and 7 clearly record that a portion of each of the five types of offerings was to be set aside for the priests. This demonstrates that God loves His servants and regards them as sons, giving them the privilege to enjoy all that belongs to Him.
But even the priests, as spiritual leaders, failed in their responsibilities. Rather than teaching the people to follow the Law and fear the Lord, they became corrupt along with Israel’s political leaders, leading the nation away from God. This ultimately resulted in national destruction, the temple being ruined, and the people being exiled to foreign lands where they suffered great humiliation.
Seventy years later, God, in His faithfulness, began to bring the exiled remnant back to the Promised Land and led them to rebuild the temple. But again, the priests who served in the second temple neglected their duties. They offered sacrifices improperly, causing the people to remain trapped in sin. Through the prophet Malachi, God once again rebuked them:
“‘A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honour due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘It is you priests who show contempt for my name.’ “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible.” (Mal 1:6-7)
Even though God once again expressed His righteous anger over Israel’s rebellion, He, as in the beginning, actively drew near to His people. Through Malachi, He proclaimed the final promise of the Old Testament era, determined to win back their hearts, so they could truly live as His children and enjoy the privileges of being His own.
“‘On the day when I act,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion on the son who serves him.’” (Mal 3:17)
Dear brothers and sisters, do you see yourself as a child of God? As His child, have you also experienced God’s abundant provision in your daily life? Especially in times of lack—whether materially or spiritually—how has God helped you through? Have you felt His fatherly love for you?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing me—an unworthy person—as Your precious child, and for being willing to share all You have with me. Please forgive me and have mercy on me, for I often forget this precious identity, living as if in poverty, too afraid to draw near and enjoy the closeness I can have in You.
Help me, by the promise of Your grace, to live out my identity as a child of God in Christ. May I experience Your abundant provision and blessings in life through the presence of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
To read all the passages, Click to read all the passages
In the recent devotional readings from Leviticus, we saw how God instructed the priests in the procedures of offering sacrifices and emphasised one of the priests’ privileges — that after each of the five types of offerings, a portion of the sacrifice presented to the Lord must be set aside for the priests to partake.
God delighted in sharing these consecrated offerings, given by His people, with His servants. What a marvellous blessing this is!
In fact, from the very beginning of Scripture, we see that God has always been pleased to share all He has with His servants. In Genesis 2, when the LORD God first created man, He placed Adam in His own garden—Eden—and gave him the responsibility of tending it. This mirrors how the priests would later be appointed to care for the Most Holy Place and the sacred objects in the Tabernacle.
Yet, God did not treat Adam as a mere servant. He regarded him as a son and gave him the privilege of enjoying all the produce of Eden. The LORD said to Adam, apart from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Gen 2:16). Sadly, Adam did not cherish this privilege granted by God. Instead, he disobeyed God’s command and ate the forbidden fruit, resulting in his expulsion from Eden.
However, humanity’s fall did not alter our special place in God’s heart. Leviticus 6 and 7 clearly record that a portion of each of the five types of offerings was to be set aside for the priests. This demonstrates that God loves His servants and regards them as sons, giving them the privilege to enjoy all that belongs to Him.
But even the priests, as spiritual leaders, failed in their responsibilities. Rather than teaching the people to follow the Law and fear the Lord, they became corrupt along with Israel’s political leaders, leading the nation away from God. This ultimately resulted in national destruction, the temple being ruined, and the people being exiled to foreign lands where they suffered great humiliation.
Seventy years later, God, in His faithfulness, began to bring the exiled remnant back to the Promised Land and led them to rebuild the temple. But again, the priests who served in the second temple neglected their duties. They offered sacrifices improperly, causing the people to remain trapped in sin. Through the prophet Malachi, God once again rebuked them:
“‘A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honour due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘It is you priests who show contempt for my name.’ “But you ask, ‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible.” (Mal 1:6-7)
Even though God once again expressed His righteous anger over Israel’s rebellion, He, as in the beginning, actively drew near to His people. Through Malachi, He proclaimed the final promise of the Old Testament era, determined to win back their hearts, so they could truly live as His children and enjoy the privileges of being His own.
“‘On the day when I act,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion on the son who serves him.’” (Mal 3:17)
Dear brothers and sisters, do you see yourself as a child of God? As His child, have you also experienced God’s abundant provision in your daily life? Especially in times of lack—whether materially or spiritually—how has God helped you through? Have you felt His fatherly love for you?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing me—an unworthy person—as Your precious child, and for being willing to share all You have with me. Please forgive me and have mercy on me, for I often forget this precious identity, living as if in poverty, too afraid to draw near and enjoy the closeness I can have in You.
Help me, by the promise of Your grace, to live out my identity as a child of God in Christ. May I experience Your abundant provision and blessings in life through the presence of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.