God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good, not even one. Verses 2-3
This is an almost verbatime copy of Psalm 14, with some slight differences. But this is the Biblical answer to the idea that "people are basically good." No. They aren't. We aren't.
Malachi 3:1-5
To start with, I'm looking at a quote from Irenaeus who said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." What does it mean to be fully alive? I'm trying to think of a time when I felt that way.
I think there are many times in my life when I could say that I felt "fully alive." Some of them occurred when I was sitting and looking at some of God's beautiful creation. Wandering the beaches of northern California, I certainly felt "fully alive." As I reflect, it is interesting how many of those times involve one of the oceans and the coast, whether it be a beach or a rocky coastline. But it was more than being entertained. In fact, it wasn't entertainment at all. It was looking in amazement at the beauty of it and appreciating our God who created it.
In a larger context, though, it seems that the times that I have felt most alive were wnen I was doing something different from the ordinary. But there was almost always a connection with God involved.
Now, on to the passage at hand. God is sending his messenger ahead to "clear the way." But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance?
Then Malachi describes the cleansing process that would take place. Even the priests of God would have to be scrubbed down until they were "fit for God."
Judgment is coming for Judah and Jerusalem. Among those to be judged; "sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless--anyone and everyone who doesn't honor me."
God says his messenger will "scrub the Levites clean," and that only then will Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to God. In this context, do the words "clean" and "pleasing" have a positive or negative connotation? Ultimately, I think they are positive, but at first glance, they might seem negative. Being scrubbed by God's messenger doesn't sound like much fun. Ever have your teeth cleaned? It hurts. But the result of the scrubbing is that we will be pleasing to God. So it would be worth the pain.
The author asks how these ideas intermingle with my idea of being fully alive. I think they fit quite well with mine. Because my most alive moments have been while I was sharing in the joy of God's creation. Not worshipping the creation, but appreciating it as I worshipped the Creator. And those moments had a rather cleansing effect, in fact. Because they tend to obliterate worldly distractions from my mind. Watching the waves pound the rocks on either end of the country has a purifying effect on me. Peaceful.
I'm approaching a vacation time, part of which will be spent in a house on the coast of New Hampshire. We are ceratinly blessed that you have provided for us in such a way that we can take this vacation. But more blessed that we will be able to experience the serenity of this setting. I pray for renewal of spirit during that week. I pray for more intimacy with you. I don't have to have an ocean to commune with you. I realize that. But there are certain settings that make it so much easier.
I don't hesitate when it is time for your "scrubbing." I would rather be fit and pleasing to you than comfortable and dirty.
Grace and peace, friends.