March 19, 2022
16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Malachi 3:16-18 (NASB)
Faithful few
Even though most of the priests and people did not value worship and service to the Lord – and even questioned His justice (see yesterday), there were a faithful few who feared the Lord and esteemed His name. And guess what, God was paying attention. They may have felt left out since all the focus was on those who had rejected God but God was (and is) watching the faithful – for sure!
Book of remembrance
What is this book of remembrance? Some of the earlier commentators, like JFB, say it was a record kept in Heaven, like the Book of Life referred to in Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 20:12. The contemporary commentators I leverage (like Enduringword.com and planobiblechapel.org) consider it a physical document, like the Mayflower contract, to which all the faithful signed their names.
I tend to think it’s a “book” that God “keeps” (of course it would be virtual since He never forgets anything) because of the sentence order -The Lord paid attention…and a book was written. Then in verse 18 there is a distinction between righteous and wicked which alludes to the Book of Life. Regardness, what matters is that He keeps a record.
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
They are Mine
Yes, this is welcome, comforting news. Though we are surrounded by evil and even religious people who may claim to be Christians but “holding to a form of godliness … they have denied its power” (2 Tim 3:5), even if we feel like God is not paying attention or answering our prayers, He IS. Look for Him. Listen for Him. Delight in Him and His Word.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalm 46:10
“God is paying attention!” Wow! That is comforting.
“Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not to thy own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.”
“ALL” in this verse is what fazes me all these years. Really! God cares and pays attention to everything I do! Recently I realized the point is ” acknowledge Him”! this is what I am practicing.