The Lord's treasured possession
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Various authors
Malachi 3:16-18,
"Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD
listened and heard them. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence
concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
"They will be Mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him.
And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Malachi prophesies into a spiritually apathetic culture--people who profess
God but question His justice, doubt His goodness, and call obedience
"futile." Yet in the midst of that corruption, a remnant emerges: "those who
feared the LORD." This is always how the Lord preserves His glory--not
through the masses, but through the faithful remnant.
1. A people marked by the fear of God and fellowship
with one another.
"Those who feared the LORD talked with each other…"
The fear of the Lord is not mere emotion--it is reverent submission that produces obedience. And notice the fruit: they talked with one another. True believers do not isolate; they edify, exhort, and anchor one another in truth (Hebrews 3:13). In a culture that mocks holiness, the righteous cling tighter to godly fellowship.
And what does the Lord do?
"The LORD listened and heard them."
This is staggering. The sovereign Lord Almighty
inclines His ear to the quiet, reverent conversations of His people. No word
spoken in holy fear is wasted.
2. A God who remembers His own chosen, redeemed, and
holy people.
"A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence…"
This is not divine forgetfulness remedied by record-keeping. The Lord is omniscient. Rather, this is covenantal language--a declaration that He will never overlook the faith of His elect.
In a world where righteousness seems ignored and wickedness rewarded, this text declares that God keeps perfect account.
Every act of obedience, every whispered prayer,
every costly stand for truth--all are recorded before Him. This anticipates
the final judgment, where Christ will vindicate His people (2 Corinthians
5:10).
3. A treasured possession secured by covenant love.
"They will be Mine . . . in the day when I make up My treasured possession"
This is covenant language, and here it finds fullest meaning in Jesus. Those who fear the Lord are not merely servants--they are His redeemed possession, purchased by the sin-atoning death of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18–19).
And note the tenderness: "I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him."
This is not general mercy--it is fatherly
compassion. The elect are spared not because of their merit, but because
they are united to the Son who perfectly served the Father. Christ bore
judgment, so His people would receive mercy.
4. The final separation.
"And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Malachi confronts a complaint: "Evildoers prosper… serving God is pointless." But the Lord answers with certainty--a day is coming when the distinction will be unmistakable.
Right now, the lines may appear blurred. The wicked flourish. The righteous suffer. But this is temporary. At Christ's return . . .
The righteous will be vindicated.
The wicked will be judged.
The difference will be eternally clear.
There are only two categories of people: Those who fear and serve God, and
those who do not.
There is no middle ground. No neutrality. No
self-defined way of salvation.
Do you fear the Lord, or merely profess Him?
Do you honor His name, or take it lightly?
Are you among those who fear and serve God, or those who serve self?
The dividing line is not external religion--it
is regeneration evidenced by godly fear and reverent obedience.
"They will be Mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up My
treasured possession."
. . .
Today's choice AI resource:
God's
Decree and the Existence of Sin