Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? -Malachi 2:17
The Jews who had returned from Babylonian exile wearied the Lord with their words. I believe that many professing Christians also weary the Lord with their words. The Lord clearly states what He means when He says His people have wearied Him with their words. He gives two different, though intertwined, statements. First, the Lord is wearied by those who claim that God loves everyone, regardless of their lifestyle. We have a glut of preachers and churches who claim that the outside does not matter; it is only what is inside that counts (ie: "God sees the heart."). This is not in tune with the Scripture in either the Old or New Testament. Leviticus 18:5 says, "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD." Ephesians 4:1 says, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called..." Both the Old and New Testaments call for believers to live, think, and respond like believers. I realize that not one of us is perfect, but this must be the goal of every born-again believer in Jesus Christ. If we love the Lord will all our heart, soul, and mind, we will also obey the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37; John 14:15). When we begin to make excuses for sin ("God loves me like I am."), we are guilty of making the Lord weary with our words. When we make excuses for ungodliness in the lives of fellow believers, we make the Lord weary with our words. We can even go so far as to say, "I know their life doesn't follow the Bible, but they are the best Christians I have ever known," we are making the Lord weary with our words. Second, The Lord is wearied by those who reject Him as a God of judgment. Too often, believers will talk about the "Old Testament God of judgment" that is always looking for something for which to punish His people. Then, they turn to talk about the "New Testament God of grace" that lets believers get away with wickedness and turns a blind eye to continuing bondage in sin. It might be hard for you to grasp, but we serve the SAME GOD in the Age of Grace that Moses served under the Law. He is not less holy than He was back then. He holds the same standard of holiness for His people today, regardless of whether His holiness is followed or rejected. He said in 1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." Notice how this applies to New Testament believers, but Peter reaches back into the Old Testament to prove the statement he makes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God has the same standard of holiness for you as He had for Abraham, Moses, and David. Rather than making the Lord weary, we must live in such a way as to be refreshing to the Lord. That comes about by humility and total surrender to God and His Word. Without these two key ingredients, believers will continue to make the Lord weary with their words.
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About Jerry JacksonJerry has been writing for many years now. He has written tracts for several churches, as well as his ministries in Papua New Guinea and in Canada. He has had the opportunity to have many of his articles published in several Independent Baptist periodicals over the years. His main goals are to teach truth and lift up the Saviour. Archives
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