Praise the Lord! The Lord God has added another week to our life and blessed us with plenty of opportunities to taste and see that He is good. Many of us can testify that the Lord has been good to us throughout our life, especially during the past week despite all the troubles and trials that came across our lives and threatened our existence itself. Everyone should be able to say confidently that they themselves have experienced the goodness of God in their lives in one way or another. The Scripture is very clear about the goodness of God and His goodness towards His creation, especially towards humanity. Apostle Paul stated: Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20; also refer to Job 12:7-15; Psalm 104:24-25; John 1:3; Acts 14:17). Below mentioned are a few Scripture passages for our reference that focuses on people’s praise of God for His goodness towards them:

• • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34)
  • The Lord is good; his love toward Israel endures forever (Ezra 3:11)
  • Taste and see that the Lord is good … (Psalm 34:8)
  • For the Lord is good and his love endures forever (Psalm 100:5)
  • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 106:1)
  • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 107:1)
  • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever (Psalm 118:1)
  • Lord … You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees (119:68)
  • Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1)
  • The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (145:9)
  • Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good … (Jeremiah 33:11)
  • Jesus answered: No one is good – except God alone (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19)

It is not only the faithful followers of Jesus who were called to declare the goodness of God to the rest of the world, but even the nation of Israel was chosen to declare the goodness of God to the nations around them. In fact, the nation of Israel was chosen to be a light to the rest of the nations in the world and, thus, guide and lead those living in darkness to the true light of God (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6; Matthew 5:14; Acts 3:47). They were called and blessed by God and charged to be a blessing to all peoples on earth. Thus, God will bless all the nations and peoples through them (Genesis 12:3).

The Lord has blessed us with a cogent Scripture passage (Malachi 1:11) for our SftW meditation this week. Prophet Malachi quotes the exact same words he heard from God, which states that God, being Sovereign, alone is a true God and His name will be great among the nations and the entire world will bring incense and pure offering and worship Him. Prophet Malachi tries to draw a comparison between the chosen people of Israel and rest of the world. While the chosen people of Israel became more and more unfaithful towards the God of their fathers, the Gentile nations around them and across the world who did not even know the God of Israel brought incense and pure offering and worshiped the God of Israel who in fact is the God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Genesis 1:1-2:3). When God sensed the unfaithfulness of His people Israel, He warned them saying the days are coming when they will see and say that the Lord is great, as it is mentioned: You will see it with your own eyes and say, ‘Great is the Lord—even beyond the borders of Israel (Malachi 1:5). One of the Psalmists also resounded the same way: All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name (Psalm 86:9; also refer to Isaiah 66:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11; Revelation 15:4).

The children of Israel in general and their priests in particular showed contempt for the name of their God Yahweh by placing defiled food on the altar and bringing blind and crippled and diseased animals for sacrifice (Malachi 1:6-8).  They did this despite the fact that God had redeemed and restored and blessed them with every blessing He promised through their ancestors.  The worship procedures the Israelites carried out were utterly against the specific instructions the Lord God gave them regarding the kind of offering and sacrifice they were supposed bring before God when they came to worship Him. God commanded them, saying:

The Lord said to Moses, Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel—presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalfWhen anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable. Do not offer to the LORD the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord (Leviticus 22:17-22)

God’s covenantal relationship with humanity was established a long, long time before God made particular covenant relationships with certain righteous people in the Scripture (Isaiah 55:3; 59:21). In fact, in the beginning, when God created the entire universe which includes the heavens and the earth and everything in them, He established a covenantal relationship with His creation, particularly with humankind (Genesis 1:1-2:3; Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 45:12; Colossians 1:16). Thus, God’s particular covenantal relationship with humanity was established a long, long time before God established His covenant relationship with Noah (Genesis 9:8-17) or with the ancestors of the children of Israel [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:3-13) or with Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 19:5-6; 24:3-8; 34:27; Deuteronomy 29:1-29), or with David and his descendants (2 Samuel 7:8-17; Psalm 89:30-33; 132:11-12). The fact is that everyone with whom the Lord God made a covenant (whether it was Adam or Eve or Noah or Abraham/Isaac/Jacob or Moses [and Israelites] or David [and his descendants]) needed to remain faithful to God, and follow the requirements of the covenantal laws. Though Adam did not fail God (Genesis 3:6, 13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14), Eve broke the covenant and failed God; though Noah did not break the covenant with God, some of his descendants broke the covenant with God which led to God making a covenant with Abraham; though Abraham/Isaac/Jacob remained faithful to God, some of their descendants broke the covenant and caused God to make another covenant with Moses and the new generation of the Israelites; though Moses remained faithful in all of God’s household (Exodus 40:16; Leviticus 12:7; Hebrews 3:5), most of the Israelites failed in keeping with God’s covenant with them and caused God to establish an altogether new and everlasting covenant through His Son Christ Jesus (Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; 2 Corinthians 3:6).  When the people broke the existing covenant, God foretold through the Old Testament saints that He will make a new covenant with His people: The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah (Jeremiah 31:31; also refer to 32:39-40). God said through prophet Ezekiel that I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:19-20). The writer of Hebrews stated that God disregarded the covenant He made with His people because they broke it and went after other god/s: It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord (Hebrews 8:9; also refer to 10:16). The new and everlasting covenant God established through His Son Christ Jesus will hold every individual accountable for their word and deed. It is said that God will punish the children for their parents sins: … I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:5b-6; also refer to Deuteronomy 5:9; 7:9-10; Jeremiah 32:18). However, God promised His people, according to the new covenant He is making with His people, that the person who sins is the one who will bear its consequences, which means, God will not hold accountable the parents for their children’s sins nor children for their parents sins: The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them (Ezekiel 18:20; also refer to Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6; 2 Chronicles 25:4; Isaiah 3:10-11; Jeremiah 31:29-30; Matthew 16:27; Galatians 6:7-8). Jesus said that He is coming soon and His reward is with Him and He will give each person according to what they have done:

Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy. Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:11-13)

The new and everlasting covenant God established through His Son Christ Jesus will not be changed or altered. The Scripture states that if anyone deliberately keeps on sinning after they have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:26-29)

Ultimately, the person who sins will reap the consequences of their actions and will be condemned for ever and ever but the person who does what is right in the sight of the Lord will be rewarded for their righteous deeds and will be honored with eternal life with the Lord God Almighty (Isaiah 40:10; 62:11; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12; 22:7, 12).

Despite God’s faithfulness and love for His people (Numbers 14:18; Psalm 103:17; Jeremiah 31:3; Hosea 11:4; Malachi 1:2), they ignored Him and went after other gods and goddesses (Exodus 20:3-5, 23; Deuteronomy 5:9; 6:14; 13:1-18; 31:16; Judges 2:17; Jeremiah 35:15; Ezekiel 6:9; Acts 7:39-43; Romans 1:21-23). They doubted God’s love and care for them and despised His warning to them that they should not have any other god/s beside Him. They made idols and worshipped the works of their own hands, as it is mentioned: Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So people will be brought low and everyone humbled— do not forgive them (Isaiah 2:8-9; also refer to Deuteronomy 4:28; Psalm 115:15-18; Jeremiah 10:3-5, 14-15; Hosea 13:2; Micah 5:13). Unlike the rest of God’s creation, mankind, including the chosen people, failed God in every sense and lived a life that is pleasing to themselves (Judges 2:11-13; Isaiah 1:4; Jeremiah 11:10; Ezekiel 20:7-8; Matthew 24:12; Romans 1:29-31; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3; 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:17-19). The true worship is where all of creation follows His righteous laws and decrees and commands as they praise and worship their creator God without any hesitation (Psalm 66:4). For instance, Psalm 148:1-14 specifically talks what and who all would praise and worship the Lord:

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created,

and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and women, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; 

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants,

of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord!

Elsewhere, it is mentioned: Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord … (Psalm 96:11-13; also refer to Psalm 19:1-4). Apostle John stated what he heard and saw in his vision while He was exiled to the Island of Patmos due to his faith in Jesus Christ: Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever (Revelation 5:13; also refer to 7:9-12).

However, humanity whom God created in His image and likeness is weak in maintaining His characteristic of faithfulness. We try to become independent of God by chasing after our own dreams and passions not knowing that their end will be disastrous and catastrophic without God’s help, support, and leading in our life. We ignore His love and care for us, we try to cheat God whenever possible, we flatter God whenever He delivers us from dangers or blesses us unduly or something good happens to us, and so on. As prophet Malachi stated, the common people as well as the priests alike defile the food on God’s altar (Malachi 1:7). The Scripture states that the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful before God, as it is mentioned:

Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy (2 Chronicles 36:16)

Even though we human beings do not acknowledge the God who created us in His image and likeness, the rest of God’s creation acknowledges Him as their Creator and glorifies Him worship Him with due honor and respect. Job stated: … ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you … In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:7-10). However, a day is coming when God will glorify Himself and the entire earth will acknowledge Him as the God who created this universe and give Him the due glory and honor and praise (Malachi 1:11). Thus, God will make everything new and will establish His Kingdom for ever and ever and will reign over His entire creation as the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16; also refer to Psalm 2:6-9; 22:28; 47:7-8; 72:11; Isaiah 2:2-4; 33:22; 45:23; Jeremiah 10:10; Daniel 7:13-14; Zechariah 14:9; 1 Timothy 6:15). As a child of God, always keep in mind that our God is gracious and compassionate towards His people and He does not withhold any good thing from anyone who walks in His paths or trust in Him, as it is mentioned: For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11).

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we conclude this week’s meditation let us draw closer to our God who created us – the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Let us praise and worship the Lord as He makes everything new and establish a new covenant between us and the Holy God through His Son Jesus Christ. Let us also know the specific features of the new covenant and the everlasting Kingdom He establishes, which include: first of all, it is an everlasting covenant; secondly, God will raise up a faithful king from the line of David who will restore His people and establish an everlasting Kingdom; thirdly, love, compassion, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice will be integrated as the core values of this covenant; fourthly, God will forgive His peoples’ sins that they committed against Him; fifthly, God will write His righteous laws and decrees on the hearts of His people. His Kingdom will be established on the specific features of the new covenant. As faithful followers, we are privileged to be part of His Kingdom and we will reign with Him for ever and ever! Amen!

May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!