When the Prophet Brings a Mirror

Malachi 1:1-5

The Old Testament prophets occasionally foretold coming judgement on nations of the world. Other times, the prophets brought the Lord’s rebuke to Israel- God’s own people. Such is the book of Malachi. 

Malachi was written, not to warn Israel about the wickedness of another nation, but to confront them with their own sickness. God’s people had settled for a facade of religion while their hearts were far from him. 

Sometimes the prophet shows up with a mirror.

By nature, I prefer to dwell on my best attributes while ignoring the areas I am lacking. It’s not really pleasant to be faced with my shortfalls. I think this is true of most people. We compare ourselves to someone “worse” than us so we can feel better about ourselves. We settle for half-hearted effort because it’s more than what our neighbor is doing. 

Sometimes we are forced to see ourselves as we are. 

When I go to get my hair cut and colored, the stylist will first brush it straight. I see myself in the mirror and frankly, I look haggard. So much grey! Do I really have such dark circles under my eyes? When did my ends get so split? But then, in that chair, the stylist works his magic, and a couple of hours later I’m fluffing my hair, freshening up my lip gloss, and feeling GOOD! 

Malachi reminds us the day of the Lord is coming. “But who can stand when He appears? For he will be like a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.” Malachi has brought the mirror to show Israel what they truly look like, and to warn them- what they have going on is not the vibe, and the Refiner is coming. Over these next few weeks we too are invited to look in the mirror of God’s Word for ourselves. It might be painful. We’ve become accustomed to comparing ourselves to culture, rather than to the Word. We’ve set the bar low, but the Lord wants (and deserves) our very best- nothing less than lives-laid-down in devotion. 

While Malachi brought the mirror, the Lord of all has brought something far better than fresh hair color and make up. He’s here to make us new, by the power of His Spirit. So take a deep breath, say a prayer, and prepare to be changed. He loves us!

Natalie